Nikon USA to stop selling camera parts to independent repair shops

By [NR] admin | Published: January 16, 2012

Nikon USA sent a letter to all independent camera repair shops in the US that they will no longer be able to order parts from Nikon USA. Nikon will continue to supply parts to authorized repair centers.

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vinman

Ok, I can’t see how this could possibly be good for the consumer in any way. It’s not like Nikon service is fast – even if you are fortunate enough to be a NPS. This is going to make repair wai times MUCH longer and in the long run less customer friendly…
- Nikonuser
  
  It does not mean that you won’t be able to use an independent repair shop anymore. What it does mean, is you will have to use on that is Nikon authorized.
  - vinman
    
    While that is certainly a hopeful way to look at, it closely follows their policy regarding shops posting prices. We won’t know how this really affects us Nikon shooters until we see how Nikon treats the shops we’ve all come to know for quick repairs when we don’t have weeks and sometimes months for a lens or body. Granted, the internals are getting more complex, but there will always be springs that stretch, levers and couplers that break and grips that fall off. This is where it has he potential to cause huge headaches for us users. But, notice I used the term “potential”. We can always hope for the best…
    - Nikonuser
      
      And who knows how difficult Nikon might make it for unauthorized shops to become authorized. I don’t see them allowing all those shops to become authorized (even if those shops are willing to pay the fees).
      
      What’s next? Turning away repairs for items purchased used? Arbitrarily turning away repairs after five years post product discontinuation?
    - Teun
      
      Too bad, I’ve fixed my camera’s in the past myself at the cost of the parts. Seems that is not going to be possible anymore. I think I will order some replacement rubber grip pieces for my fuji s5 while it’s still possible.
http://sdphoto.com.au Sam

I’d like to see how far that’d fly here in Australia. They’d get slapped down pretty hard by the ACCC here.
- Andrew
  
  Agreed. I am surprised that this will fly under USA antitrust laws. Seems anticompetitive.
- Nick
  
  Sam, granted it’s 10 months since your post, but FYI exactly the same thing is happening here in Australia now. As for your comment about the ACCC… that made me LOL… dream on mate… they are toothless!
henry

I suppose there is no point of having “authorized” shops if they were “authorized” in name only. Thank God there is Ebay.
Jabs

Tightening up Warranty Repairs plus Technical Service and taking care of gray market at the same time -LOL.

Well, as long as they certify new Facilities, it might not matter but I steer clear of Politics.

Hope this works out well for Nikon and also Independent Repair Shops.
http://www.bernardovaghi.com.br Bernardo Vaghi

Wrong way Nikon!Trying to make everybody waits the eternity for repairs in Nikon autorized shop?
Expensive and poor service waits…
Hamuga

I like the “… and good luck in the future.” part.
- DFive
  
  Same here….. like a slap on the face after you’ve been kissed !!
  - tengris
    
    More like a blown kiss after you’ve been slappped in the face.
    
    I see a new business for backyard counterfeiters. Nearly genuine Nikon spare parts.
Nikonuser

So this likely means that any repair shops that aren’t authorized (and there are some great ones that still aren’t) will have to pay to become authorized…the prices in turn increasing for the consumer.

The other question is, does this mean the end of being able, as a consumer, to call up Nikon Parts and place an order?
John

You mean I can’t get my camera repaired at Wayne’s Wacky Photoshop….
innershell

It already takes 3-4 months to get any repair/service work done. There is no excuse for extortion and greed. I wish I hadn’t left Pentax and their excellent international service, but Pentax has a weak prosumer product portfolio. I really hate Nikon as a brand. I just wish they made crappy products too so that I wouldn’t buy any of them. But alas, here I am with Nikon equipment because they produce things decent and hence why they try to get away with this kind of crime.
- Markus
  
  Maybe in Amerikastan…but not here…and i’m close by.
  - innershell
    
    Try Western Canada. Our repair depot is all the way in Mississauga, Ontario of which there is one for ALL of Canada so they are severely backlogged. It cannot be shipped to the US for repair because of “gray market” policies.
    
    None of this helps the consumer. Can you imagine if Honda said they had to ship your car back to Japan for repair? Oh, and there’s a 3-4 month waiting list.
Curious George

Anyone else becoming more and more irritated with Nikon over the last year or so? I know I am…
- a4
  
  +1
  
  Nothing comes cheap with Nikon…
  - W.
    
    Isn’t that the point? We use Nikon because we can afford it.
    
    I had an extended conversation with a retired Nikon representative a few years ago and the way he described his own experiences as a photographer makes it clear that there is a social hierarchy and that equipment choices are largely dictated by socio-economics. He said;
    
    “… When I was young I used to shoot Pentax because I couldn’t afford Nikon…”
- Roberto
  
  +1
- Heraldo
  
  +1
- peter
  
  + 1
  
  Boo
- Danilo
  
  +1
- rik
  
  +1
  
  Nikon is moving towards a ARROGANT company, AND REALLY BECOMING a ANTI-CUSTOMER.
- AM
  
  + 1
  
  Sheer arrogance.. despicable.
http://Www.monroe-design.com Dan Monroe

“Free Market Capitalism” – Interesting model being introduced to the US. Actually a bit sad. I understand quality control, so perhaps taking a slice out of Apples play book, but eeeeek! ( Quality product and quality control = solid product and brand ) Without peripheral support of any kind, this letter sounds pretty cold. However, like a high-end watch, or other piece of electronics/machinery – a certification may be required to repair and maintain warranty, so hopefully this will be addressed with a supplemental notice to throw the family and private businesses a bone… At least.
Funduro

I can see this will turn on the whinnying spigot.
- TaoTeJared
  
  +1
Curt Fargo

Unfortunately an independent Camera Repair Shop can’t become an “Authorized Warranty Service Center” unless Nikon wants one in the area they are in. Nikon has made VERY VERY few new Authorized Warranty Service Centers in the past 15 years. Just take a look at how few there are. I don’t mean to bad mouth any of them but you are going to be forced to only uses these centers in the future. As a consumer, if you need a battery cover for your camera in the future, you can no longer call up Nikon and order one, be prepared to pay for a standard repair to get that battery cover.
what nikon is saying

what nikon is saying is that it doesn’t have much parts inventory on hand.
- Nikonuser
  
  Sounds like a drastic, permament solution to a (potentially) temporary problem.
http://www.luminaireimages.com Matt Fitzgerald

Nikon service is actually faster and more reliable than my local high end camera retailer, who is “authorized”.

Most of my camera/lens repairs take at max. 2 weeks, including shipping. If you have ever experienced a wait longer than this, it is most likely because there is a parts shortage (re: Japan tsunami, Thailand flooding, etc.) or because of high repair volume… as in everyone sending in their gear for repair at the same time!
- PJS
  
  ^^^ +1 ^^^ I, too, have always had faster service going straight to Nikon USA. Equipment returned in new or “better than new” condition, every time. Sometimes a little pricey, but I can’t argue with the quality of work.
Greg Schmidt

I think the US courts will strike this down as restraint of trade. I would hope and expect that a class action lawsuit will be filed very shortly.
- DMc
  
  Nikon can control their parts distribution network. It would be a monopoly if Nikon was the only camera company. Consumers can decide to go with a different camera if the parts issue is too much for them.
- John Richardson
  
  Apple can and has done it, Nikon will easily be able to also, not a big deal. There will be criteria to meet to become “authorized” and maybe your independent shop will look at it and decide to apply, take the training etc. Either they qualify or they don’t, and they will never qualify unless they make the effort to apply etc.
  
  No restraint of trade “court action” will ever hit in the USA. Class Action suites will be thrown out of court.
Russ

How very short-sighted of them. Means consumers are less likely to choose Nikon if they have a good, but unauthorised repair shop near them where they can get out of warranty repair work done.
- IndyGeoff
  
  I have never had to have my camera repaired. I do not consider repair facilities when I am choosing a camera. Most consumers won’t even know this is happening.
  - Chris
    
    I think educated consumers take note of this kind of thing when making a significant financial commitment to a brand (I know amateur level DSLRs may seem cheap to pros, but they won’t pay for themselves for an amateur like they do for pros). I’m just an amateur looking to buy my first DSLR and so I’ve been following this site for a month or so. I was pretty set on a Nikon based on the quality of the product, but their anti-competitive practices in terms of fixing prices and now cutting out independent repair shops is one wrong move short of a trend. It says to me that they don’t really care about creating the most value for their customers, but that they would rather take advantage of a product shortage to squeeze out extra profit and cut out competition. For those who have a kit full of Nikon equipment, it may be tough to jump ship, and Nikon knows this. But they are losing the potentially thousands of dollars I and others on the fence might have spent on a camera and lenses. I thought the Nikon camera would have better fit my needs, despite being slightly more expensive, but if they think they are so far superior to the competition that they can show this kind of disregard for their customers, they are very wrong.
    - Really
      
      There are not enough +1s or thumbs ups to accurately illustrate how much I agree with every word in this post. I am in the same boat, to ‘coin’ a phrase.
Random Guy

im a pentax user looking to go full frame. i was waiting to see the new 5d3 or d800.
But now nikon has gone to far. i am a beginner professional who can not afford to have large repair and service time as i only have one camera.
- http://vizyon360.com dav360
  
  So, professionnal you are. But you rely only on 1 camera. How will you explain to your client that it’s so unlucky that your camera got a technical problem on the day they choose to organize their wedding….
  Every piece of electronics goods is due to malfunction one day or another, brand don’t matter. Even Leica S2 goes to repair center…
  
  So before buying another lens choose a second body, wich don’t need to be the same you have, a cheaper one can save your life on day.
  
  And having to body you will discover how is comfortable to have a lens mount on one, and another on the second and use them in the same time.
  
  I love a 14-24 on FX and a 70-200 on DX or a if i have the rigth to dream a second FX with a 85…
  
  My 2 kuruş (turkish cents)
  - random guy
    
    yes but if your second body out for service then your down to 1 again for jobs…….so what then have another body getting costly now.
    
    i know all thing need servicing but where and when should be up to me not up to the brand i choose.
    - Jeff
      
      If you have a job that special just rent a second body or even a better one to be prepared and save the money you would spend on a second unil you are ready to buy
    - innershell
      
      You need 3 bodies my friend. 2 for shoots while the third one is in the shop for repairs. Most pros I know carry 3 bodies, some even have their P&S on them cuz you never know.
William

I guess this means they’ll stop selling service parts to customers as well?
http://StevenGeorges.com Steven Georges

It’s already easy to get gray market cameras and lenses. Unless Nikon is making this a worldwide policy, and that may not be legal in some countries, what’s stopping these shops from acquiring gray market parts?

What’s Nikon going to do, revoke their unauthorized license?
Steve Starr

Very bad form Nikon.

No doubt they would love to go to a set and fixed rate for any any repair like Kodak did. You want a replacement rubber ring that fell off your lens? That will be $360. Sony pulls much the same nonsense with their gear like their MP3 players where it costs $270 for a battery (You get a refurb as they glue their stuff together.).

Forget getting your gray market anything fixed now if it needs parts. Even if it is not grey, ordering now requires sending it in which raises shipping costs both ways and makes some $2 item like a screw now $40 plus down time that a local shop may have had in stock if it is a known item and they stocked them. Remember Nikon did away with many many dealers in the USA after their reorganization where they ditched more than half of them.

As goes service, so does the company. One thing that hurts Sony cameras is poor pro support. Now Nikon has learned from them.
http://leicaglow.com Axel

Nobody likes a corporation behaving badly. This does not go to the good will of Nikon.
rik

Nikon is doing all tricks NOT to be consumer friendly. There are some (so called unauthorized) camera shops better & faster than Nikon service center.
rik

I was planning to upgrade to another Nikon, but now I have to switch to Canon. Seems Canon is more consumer friendly compared to Nikon.
http://www.alldigi.com/ Geoff

Perhaps these repairers may still be able to import parts from overseas. Sort of Grey Market parts.
FussyBob

This will overload the authorized service centers so now you will need to wait 2 years to have a grip replaced that you could have done yourself.

Plus with all the disasters Nikon had this year, how do we know what kind of quality will come out, and if sub par just adds more fuel to the fire.
http://mattshumate.com matt

Nikon has had my 45mm pc-e for 5 months. NPS too.
Arrr32

A few years ago I managed to crack the glass covering the LCD on top of my D200. The LCD was not damaged. Nikon gave me an estimate of $200 for the repair. Since just placing a piece of clear tape over the broken glass prevented any further damage, I didn’t bother to get it fixed. A few months later I found a place online that sold me replacement parts (glass plus glue tape) for less than $30. It took me ten minutes to pry out the broken glass and two minutes to put in the new glass. A year later the same shop sold me another part that was simply installed and saved me another expensive repair.
It really disturbs and disappoints me that things like this that I’m willing to attempt will no longer be possible. I can’t see the benefit to me of his change.
- Cdemowork
  
  Hey I did the same thing to my D200, where can I get that little cover for my D200?
  - broxibear
    
    http://www.procamerarepair.com/NIKON-D200-TOP-LCD-WINDOW-AND-ORIGINAL-ADHESIVE-TAPE_p_162.html
frAnk

This is a turn off!

That’s it, Canon 5D Mark II is still on sale…
house101

I’m sure most of nikons parts are more than likely sourced out. maybe this will open the field for the sources to make some side money. I’m sure one way or another someone will still be able to get the parts authorized or not. It like most have posted will still cost quite a bit more. Thankfully I’ve had my gear for 5+ years with nothing thats ever really had to go back
Simon

Wow, what an absolutely terrible way to do business. This is just yet another way Nikon has found to screw not only the customer, but also the channel which has supported them for many years.

This and also Nikons ‘unilateral pricing’ or in other words Price Fixing have really put me off buying anything Nikon again. I was considering going Canon because if the price fixing but this has now made my mind up. Why should I give money to a company which so clearley has complete disdain for me as a customer
max

Just like I can´t get the SEIKO watch fixed
John The Digby

Nikon is a bloody cartel!

It dictates to retailers minimum costs on bodies and lenses (which makes the cost to us more expensive), and now wants to eliminate independent repair stores, in favour of”authorised repaires” where a large annual fee is no doubt levied by Nikon.

Spare a thought to all those independent repair shops that have been trading for years, only to have the rug pulled from under them by 180 days by the markets 2nd largest market leader. Imagine if they wrote to you and said “Photographic equipment has become much more complex, and due to the excessive time Nikon has devoted to answering questions on our equipment, Nikon has decided not to supply you any longer with equipment unless you are an authorised user, and the last time you will be able to buy anything is in 180 days”. How would your photography business fare in 180 days if your equipment shat itself?

Nikon – A company that I’m not really sure i want to support anymore?
cosinaphile

first price fixing , not withholding parts fro shops arounfd the world
the crap mirrorless toy with no controls

selling my d80 my 85 1.8 50 1.4 and 105 2.8 af to help finance a fuji pro

goodbye nikon its been a mixed 25 years
- GeoffK
  
  ROFL, throw tantrums often ?
  - cosinaphile
    
    you say tantrum…. i say truth …. nikon sucks
Keith

Lucky I got one of those little plates of glass for the top LCD from an independent repair shop so I could fix it myself in 5 minutes and save a few hundred bucks. If you want to be like Apple, just remember, now that Jobs is gone, the Apple is getting ripe and is ready to fall from the tree.
http://jarviestudios.com/blog Jarvie

I’ve had parts for 2 lenses on order for 4-5 months!! I used a local repair shop because he was able to let me use my damaged lens (that couldn’t zoom) WHILE parts were on order… I did this in part because NIKON repair themselves took almost 3 months to repair my D700 during my busiest part of the season (the summer)

I suspect that they’re limiting these shops because they have severely mismanaged their repair and parts department and find themselves overwhelmed and think that to limit the amount of companies they have to talk to is the solution. Yes that’s a solution… but perhaps you should just man up and find a better solution. Like just doing your job better or higher person… or write a computer program to take parts orders. (Just helping you brainstorm real solutions)

Those running this department should be replaced with more competent individuals. Perhaps if those running it could just downgrade their position to repair guys and let someone with business smarts handle the department as a whole.

This is a pretty wide spread consensus that Nikon Repair is less than adequate (to put it nicely)
Simon

I think a lot of people are missing the point here comparing Nikon to Apple. Yes – Apple have Authorised Service Centers so that you have the choice of taking your Apple product to an Apple store, shipping it back to them, or taking it to a local service center. There is NO restriction on taking your Apple computer to an unauthorised repair center (of which there are many) as they use industry standard components so are fairly easy to repair for places which have the correct tools to take them apart.

What Nikon is doing here is removing the ability to have a choice where you take your camera or lens for repair, and ruining many peoples busnisses which have built up over however many years from supporting Nikon.

I’m glad the 5D Mk ii has come down in price now, will be making my order this week. It’s one thing to moan about it on the internet but i’ll certainly be voting with my wallet in the very near future.
`/1nc3nt

I think it’s a common trend in industry for survival. Authorized dealers ask for special deals to maintain their operations. Nikon has to maintain certain companies to support them.

Being authorized service centers requires a lot, from special hardware set, certified technician up to standardized forms and shop furnitures.

The reason independent SC cannot turn into ASC is more on money and resource, or they want to stay as a multi brands service centre.

Don’t complain. We live in a very though business environment. And Nikon is ain’t cheap. If you can’t afford then buy Canon.
TaoTeJared

I say good reddens to the to the psuedo service shops who pretend to be Certified and that stopped learning about cameras in the 80′s. Sounds like many have been duped on here and believed someone when they blame Nikon. If it actually goes to Nikon, it get’s fixed and as quick as they can get it done. I have had shops dilly dally around with my equipment too many times, and every time they blame Nikon, I have found out, they never went to Nikon for any part of the service.

What Nikon is doing is called quality control. If I take something in to be serviced, I want quality service and know it the place a) can get parts b) knows how to fix it and c) if they have issues, Nikon will help them. If that costs a shop a few 100 or 1000 of dollars, what is the big deal. They now will have fewer competitors.

Image is their brand – allowing others to smear it would be irresponsible. I think this is a great move.
- Richard
  
  Thank you Michio Kariya
  
  PS, if a repairer is not authorised & stuffs up, it does not tarnish the brand, only the repair shop.
  - TaoTeJared
    
    Not when all they do is over sell their services, fall short, and blame Nikon at the reason. I have called shops on this for years and 90% of them are not authorized service but just authorized dealers. I have never had any of the bad experiences above with Real Authorized service dealers, only ones who claim they can do service – jack it up worse then send it to Nikon to fix everything.
    
    If they can’t afford the small fee, training or the equipment to fix the cameras, then they have no business claiming to be a service center.
    - http://www.lensrentals.com rogerc
      
      That small fee is just over $250,000. But it doesn’t matter because they aren’t accepting applications to become and ASC.
      - DMc
        
        rogerc,
        Can you link to your source?
    - Chris
      
      You’re missing the point. Even if you think unauthorized service centers are terrible, this is not a good policy for you. The existence of less expensive unauthorized repair shops provides competition for repair services, and thus keeps prices somewhat reasonable. Now Nikon and their ASCs can practically charge whatever they want because pros need to have their cameras serviced and there won’t be that many places to get it done. It is also likely to take longer now since everyone will have to use them. The only thing restricting prices/quality of service going forward is the possibility of people switching entirely to other brands, but their actions seem to suggest they don’t worry too much about this.
    - Ryan CCrest
      
      Hey TaoTeJared,
      
      The only thing you’re missing is a set of pom pom’s and some Nikon promotional T-Shirts.
      
      This topic really exposes the fan boys, as how could anyone argue against competition.
      
      Anyway, now back to TaoTeJared
      Give me a “F”; Give me “A”; Give me “I”, Give me a “L”; What does it spell “Fail”
- umesh walwaikar
  
  I beg to differ. In Mumbai, India the Nikon service center (and not only an authorised but actual ) asked Rs 2000 for cleaning my dx 18-70 which cost me 10000. I accepted but when I got the lens back, two of the elements weren’t cleaned. They agreed when I told them so and their excuse was that they didn’t have the machine to recalibrate those elements. so the question is, ‘whatgives them the right to charge so much(as opposed to independent centers) if they even do not have equipments ? And what gives them a right to NOT DO A COMPLETE JOB AND TELL ME ABOUT IT AFTERWORDS. ?
John

Have you ever actually had to send something back to Nikon for an official repair? Far, far from ‘quality’. There are some independant repairers I trust fully and after several completely shoddy repairs from Nikon, I stuck with the independant ones since they always gave good quality fast service.

After the price fixing and now this I will be going Canon.

Saying that Nikon isn’t cheap so go elsewhere is a ridiculous statement. Nikon have price fixed at msrrp. The msrrp of Nikon and canon are pretty close anyway – Nikon really has no unique selling points or benefits anymore.

Bye bye you ridiculous, customer hating company.
http://www.robertbalala.com Robert Balala

IF THEY ARE DOING THIS TO KEEP MONEY IN HOUSE, THEY BETTER FIX THEIR SUPPORT STAFF AND NOT TRY TO STEAL MONEY FROM THEIR LOYAL CUSTOMERS BY DOING UNNECESSARY REPAIRS LIKE AUTO SHOPS… F*CKIN THUMBS DOWN ON THIS BULLSH*T…
http://www.robertbalala.com Robert Balala

UNTIL THEY CAN PROVE THEY CAN DO BASIC TROUBLESHOOTING ON THE PHONE OR VIA EMAIL, I DON’T THINK THEY SHOULD TAKE PARTS AWAY… THIS REALLY PISSES ME OFF!
- T.I.M
  
  @Robert Blabla
  You keyboard capitals key is stuck.
  - Ken Elliott
    
    Yeah, better get that keyboard fixed. I wonder if you can just order a replacement CapLock key, or if you have to send the keyboard to an Authorized Keyboard Service Centre, wait for an estimate, discover they want to replace all the keys (due to a policy of bringing it back to factory spec) ? I guess we’ll see you ins 6 weeks, $300 poorer….
paf

This is potentially a really a huge turn-off and bad news for folks like me who over the lifetime acquired anything Nikon made that was imported or bought outside of US.

Case and point — I have an excellent Micro 200mm f/4 AF that is sharper than a razor and is probably one of my favorite lenses – problem is, I acquired it used at a rather bargain price (600-700 USD) because the AF/M ring developed a small crack in the plastic. This is one of only 2 lenses that I have that seems to be imported (no US letters before the serial number). I was going to address it with time at a qualified repair shop that couldn’t care less for Nikon’s gray market policy but it looks like I have to do this NOW — any future situations like this means that authorized Nikon shops will turn you away from fixing products from outside of US if they are to follow Nikon’s policies. So all of a sudden you – the consumer – will end up with more expensive choices than just a lens or camera repair, as bad as having to buy replacements instead of repairs. This grey market policy from Nikon is one of the greatest turnoffs from Nikon products.

Also, I am curious how does this policy apply to individuals trying to buy parts directly from Nikon – after all, in the eyes of Nikon we would be unauthorized.

IMHO, once again, the customer loses. Thank you Nikon, may I have another?
- TaoTeJared
  
  That is NOT Nikon’s policy and they don’t care if is’t grey or not. You pay, they fix. It is as simple as that. I have done this over a dozen of times.
  
  The only time “gray” lenses come into play is if you want to claim it “under warranty.” If you are not the original purchaser, or outside the first 3-5 years, it’s not under warranty anyway.
  - broxibear
    
    Hi TaoTeJared,
    I don’t know about other countries but here in the UK Nikon won’t repair any grey market equipment whether under warranty or not…
    “Nikon European offices cannot provide any technical support or warranty service for Grey Market product, additionally they may not perform any fee-based repair work on Grey Market products. Contact the reseller or importer of your Grey Market products for warranty and service information as well as software updates and downloads.”
    https://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5409/kw/grey
  - Peter Mueller
    
    This is definitely wrong, TaoTeJared. Nikon USA refused to repair my out-of-warranty 80-200 mm f/2.8D lens because it was not a US import. A local shop did the repair quickly and for less money.
  - TaoTeJared
    
    I can just say from my experience they have not had an issue at all with any of my stuff. I’ve done it 6 times in the last 3 years and over a dozen in the last 10. Both fixes and CLAs. I contact Nikon directly via phone and I send it directly to them. None took more than 3 weeks, and they all came back looking 10x better then before and they even fixed paint nicks for free. CLAs cost maybe $10 more but always look better.
    - Really
      
      -.- can’t tell if Troll or just lying . . . .
broxibear

Here’s the sign above the door of the authorized repair centres…
“Sorry , but it would be cheaper for you to buy a new camera instead of repairing this one sir !”
- broxibear
  
  oops…what happened to my avatar…Nikon stole it, those bastards, I hate them lol !
T.I.M

Well, not all independant repair shop own a Geiger counter, that may be the reason !
KitHB

One of the big selling points of Nikon kit over the competition is they still work with old kit and that means Nikon needs to stay committed to service and maintenance, especially for older lenses. OK, so there’s not much call for winterising an FM2 these days

I could use several exotic AI-S lenses on a new D800, but the buying decision does need me to be confident long-term maintenance on them will still be there.
http://www.robertbalala.com Robert Balala

I don’t think I should have to pay anyone 100+ to fix something that will cost me some time and 50 cents for the part… someone should get slaps for doing this to their loyal consumers…
Ken Elliott

I understand the business logic to their decision – if you don’t have training, maybe you should not be working on our cameras. My concern is they might used the threat of de-authorization to force policy. I’m told Nikon USA will not repair gray-market products – which sucks. How long until some middle manager decides to force this policy onto all authorized service centres?

On the other hand, if this is the first step of a process of greatly improving their customer service them I’m OK with it. We need faster turn around time, accurate on-line tracking of the repair process, posting the prices of common repairs, and a way to verify that a lens is/is not gray market. Actually, Nikon USA really should repair ANY Nikon product, regardless of where it came from.

Come on Nikon – you gave us the sour, now you need to balance it with some sweet.
giuliano

this is clearly a commercial policy for price alignment and monopoly of the market.

There are lots of mechanical parts in digital srl that don’t need tools with a nikon brand on it.

In terms of delays i don’t really know what this means, never needed it in real life. (my d300s and d90, with 35.000 and almost 60.000 shoots, are still doing great – the d90 it’s a little loosen on the usb port).

I wish this is not gonna happen here in France, where there’s a good number of honest and competent repair shops.

(sorry for my english)
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