Never order directly from Nikon USA (Nikon USA cancels Z8 orders without explanation)

Some readers are discovering why I never recommend buying gear directly from Nikon USA – they have limited resources and are not really set up as a retailer. Amazon also used to cancel orders, but they have been much better lately and I have not heard of any issues. Here is an email I got from a reader:

Hi. I’m not normally the type to comment online, but I just had an experience with NikonUSA that reminded me of https://nikonrumors.com/2022/12/22/a-reader-cannot-change-or-update-credit-card-info-with-nikon-usa-loses-place-in-the-queue-for-the-nikkor-z-600-lens.aspx/. In my case though, there was no credit card change. NikonUSA attempted to charge my card for a Z8 preorder, and it was declined because the bank thought it was fraud. NikonUSA then decided to cancel the preorder, which my bank tells me is not normal protocol and they have never heard of happening, as a store is supposed to check with the customer. Nikon support so far has told me there is nothing they can do but try to order again – which I imagine I’d be waiting until next year for. So, I guess Nikon’s credit card problems are still ongoing.

Another one:

“About your recent article. I too have had my order cancelled. They told me to call my bank. I did, my bank told me they let the transaction through and it was Nikon that cancelled/refunded my order. I have debit and credit showing on my account now. So I do believe it is Nikon screwing things up. I reordered today again and low and behold Nikon cancelled this new order too. I pre-ordered on day 1 and now have to wait for the next batch to ship. This is ridiculous!”

I keep getting similar emails from readers – here is another one:

“I’ll add another anecdote to this situation. I placed my pre-order for a Z8 and the grip first thing that morning and received a confirmation at 5:08 AM PST. I then submitted my NPS Priority request which I also received acknowledgment for. So I was definitely surprised this morning when a little after 5 AM, which is when I usually wake up anyway to received an email saying that my order for the Z8 was canceled. A phone call resulted in saying that it was due to my CC company declining the transaction. However, I checked online and via phone and confirmed that was not the case. I emailed Nikon USA the situation and after some further digging I was told that it was due to the shipping address getting flagged. I patiently explained that ok, but it’s the same address that’s been in their system for at least 1 1/2 years and they successfully shipped my Z9, 400mm f/2.8 TC and NPS equipment loaners to me with that address. The Z9 and 400mm were both pre-orders like the Z8 so I didn’t think that I would run into any issue. The only recourse was to recreate an order but unlike another reader, while the order is supposed to get priority again, I will have to wait until the next batch comes in. The customer service people I dealt with were great to work with, however, their system sets them up for failure as much as it is an inconvenience for the customer when it doesn’t work. In addition to reaching out to the customer before canceling the order, there should be a way for the system to flag issues with the order before it’s time to fulfill a pre-order. Even if the customer sale representative would have like to done more, they can’t create Z8s out of thin air if there aren’t any more left and the system has already designated what should have been my camera to another order and shipped it out. I have a couple of jobs coming up that I would have liked to have the Z8 for but obviously as a professional the jobs weren’t hinging on a camera body maybe showing up in time. I still have my Z6 as the second body for the jobs and it’ll work just fine as it has before. I was deciding between getting a second Z9 and the Z8 depending on what the specs of the Z8 were going to be. Once I saw that the Z8 was going to be a mini Z9 I knew they created what I was waiting for. Most of the Z9 with some flexibility for me when I don’t need the full size pro body. I did the hurrying up, now I have to wait longer than expected.”

Another one:

“Just wanted to share another experience with Nikon USA.

Three weeks ago I pre-ordered Nikon Z8 from Nikon USA on the day it was announced. On May 25th, I woke up and discovered that my order got cancelled because my bank flagged the payment to Nikon USA as an “unusual activity”.
I called Nikon and they said I cannot be helped, I need to order again. As it turned out, I was not the only one, a bunch of people online complained about the same issue and some person posted that he was able to “prioritize” his new order by emailing to Nikon.

I did the same and my new order got “prioritized”. I called all local Nikon authorized dealers, Z8 is sold out everywhere, but I was told that the new batch is coming “soon”, whatever it means.
Yesterday, I noticed that my card has been charged and I rushed to check my order status. It was still in processing, but I was hopeful that it will ship soon. A few hours ago I checked again only to discover that my order got cancelled. AGAIN!

I called my bank and they told me that this time it was Nikon that cancelled the order. I called Nikon and I was told that the order got cancelled by “their system” because I should not have used their autofill feature to enter my address. The thing is that without autofill their system did not accept my address, so naturally I had to use it, thinking that it knows what it’s doing. So again, I was told to place my order and they would prioritize it…

I’ve never had such a frustrating experience with any other company in my life. Goes without saying I’m not going to try again and will use a reputable reseller as I normally do.”

A reader cannot change or update credit card info with Nikon USA, loses his place in the queue for the Nikkor Z 600 lens

Plenty of similar problems were reported online: Facebook (see also this post and this post), Reddit (see also this discussion), BCGforums (see also this post), Dpreview (see also this thread):

I know of orders placed with Nikon USA for Z mount lenses which were inexplicably cancelled. No explanation from Nikon whatsoever.

— Double Tech (@TechTimesTwo) May 25, 2023

Nikon Z8 Preorder Cancelled
byu/Fishhook007 inNikon

My bank assumed my Nikon z8 order was fraud and cancelled it!
byu/bettie-rage inNikon

Nikon’s dumb ordering system means I can’t buy a Z9 from them
byu/Wildcat84A inNikon

Nikon themselves canceled my order of a D500. Has this happened to anyone else?
byu/TDB4421 inNikon

Nikon USA is a disgrace, I will never order from them again!!!
byu/Key_Professor5068 inNikon

Don’t buy a Z8 directly from Nikon, customers say