Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[JacobHarwood]

We bought a new 20D in November 2005, we also bought the four year warranty. We sent it in to be cleaned in November 2008 not because it needed it but because we paid for the service and we thought that we should use it. They cleaned it and replaced the shutter. We really didn't use it for a couple of months after it came back. But when we tried to use it the shutter started acting up so we sent it back thorough the GEEK Squad. Precision Camera called us to let us know that the Camera could not be repaired due to corrosion. Best buy ayes that it isn't covered under my pre "black tie" service contract. I pointed out that "corrosion" wasn't mentioned anywhere in the contract. The best buy service manager said that it does mention "spilled fluid". My camera has never been in contact with any liquid, we have been very careful. The write up from precision camera didn't say anything about spilled liquid or any other cause. I then escalated it to the store manager and he admitted that he has had corrosion issues that were not caused by "fluid spillage". But he said that he will research it and see if it could have been caused by humidity or wear and tear rather than "spilled liquid". I called Precision camera and they said that they couldn't say for sure what caused the corrosion. They said that there wasn't any real proof of "water damage" but usually humidity comes with other indicators. But she couldn't tell me what those might be. The only time the inside of that camera has been opened up is when they cleaned it. Funny that it was fine before the "cleaning" and there was no mention of "corrosion" during the cleaning but now the camera is useless and Best Buy has told me at least three times now that corrosion isn't covered yet there is no mention of "corrosion" anywhere in my service contract. Right now I am waiting to hear back from the Springfield Or. Store manager and I am also waiting to hear back from a customer relations manager. Come on Best Buy stand behind your products, AND YOUR POORLY WRITTEN SERVICE CONTRACTS!

[JacobHarwood]

The more I think about it the more irritated I become. The "corrosion" is on the battery terminations to the PCB and there is a small spot next to the termination. The rest of the circuitry is fine, like brand new. How could someone spill liquid on the outside of the camera and only get liquid on that small spot of the board. There was no visual "corrosion" or signs of "corrosion" anywhere else on the camera, internal or external. The word "corrosion" isn't used anywhere in the contract yet they latch onto the whole spilled liquid thing without any reason to assume that is what happened. My wife was told to "go ahead and sue" by the geek squad this morning. WOW icing on the cake! Why is the burden of proof on us? I have a contract with Best Buy that isn't being honored. There is no reason why we should have to jump through so many hoops to get the service that we have paid for. This is an outrage. I made our purchase with Best Buy instead of the 'other' competitor (cough*city) based on the word of some friends. I guess I made the wrong decision.

[Rrrrrrr]

Did BB send the camera back to Canon for cleaning or a 3rd party? I send all my Nikons directly back to Nikon myself no matter where I bought them. Pretty sure you can do the same with a Canon.

Check all your batteries terminals for signs of corrosion or any small cracks. Its possible that a battery pack leaked a little at some point and while it was sitting started corroding. Also the place that cleaned it may had unknowingly put a leaking battery in it to test it.

But look on the bright side, it gives ya an excuse to get a 50D (from a real camera store ).

[JacobHarwood]

Thanks for responding. The battery housing is spotless. No signs of corrosion and no cracks. We usually used a battery grip with the camera so there was rarely an actual battery in the housing. The only corrosion is on the circuit board itself.

They sent it to Precision Camera for service. That does seem to be where the problems started. It worked great before it went there. I think that it was exposed to something there but Best Buy doesn't see how that could happen. Even though that is the only time the camera has been opened up and there are no signs of any damage anywhere else on the camera.

We thought about getting the camera from a camera shop but Best Buy made their warranty sound so bullet proof we thought this was the safest route. What an expensive mistake! But if they don't make good on their contract it will be even more expensive for them. I will tell everyone I know to go elsewhere. I sure won't buy anything form them again!

Thanks again for the input.

[Elizabeth-BBY Community Supervisor]

Hi JacobHarwood,

I've asked Allan, one of our Community Connectors (who happens to be a photographer & camera expert!), to review and respond to your concern.  You should receive a response within the next few business days.

Thanks for posting,

[Allan-BBY Community Connector]

Hi JacobHarwood,

I can definitely understand you being upset that the damage to your camera is not covered by the Performance Service Plan (PSP), and I’m sure having the problem show up right after the camera sent out for cleaning is upsetting. It is true that the PSP doesn’t exclude coverage of corrosion, but it does exclude damage caused by liquid or condensation. It sounds like the authorized service technician has determined that the corrosion, causing your shutter to not function properly, is due to a liquid spill. It is part of the authorized service technician’s job to make these determinations, and there diagnosis is what would determine coverage.

On a technical note water is the enemy of cameras, and liquid spilled on a camera is not the most common cause of water damage to a camera. The most common cause of liquid damage to cameras is the condensation that happens when the camera is moved from one temperature extreme to another. If a camera is moved from an air conditioned atmosphere to a very hot environment, condensation will often develop on the inside and outside of the camera. The best way to prevent this is to put the camera in an air tight container (i.e. a Ziploc bag) before moving the camera from one temperature extreme to another.

Whether or not the problem is covered by your PSP is determined by the technician’s diagnosis of the cause, and unless another authorized service technician determines that the corrosion is caused by something other than liquid or condensation the repair would just not be covered by your PSP. You could have the camera looked at by an authorized service technician in your local area, and if they determine that the corrosion is not caused by liquid or condensation the repair should be covered. I would like to try and get you a solution to this so I am sending you a private message. To check your messages you should make sure you are logged into the forum, and then click on the letter icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Thanks for posting your concern,
Allan
Community Connector
Best Buy® Corporate

[JacobHarwood]

Thanks for the reply,

The problem with this is that I called Precision Camera they told me that they couldn't say for sure that there was liquid spillage. There was no mention of liquid spillage in the returning paperwork only that there was "corrosion". There was no determination of why there was "corrosion" only that it was there. They said that "corrosion is a chemical reaction" and that "something caused the chemical reaction"  Nothing definite on why it was there. The "spilled liquid defense is coming from Best Buy not Precision Camera.

I am 29 years old, I have a wife and three kids. How many Video game systems, games, controllers, TV.'s, DVD players, DVD's, CD's, audio players and refrigerators do you think we will buy in our lifetimes? How many thousands of dollars could that mean for Best Buy? (I won't even go into my friends and extended families lifetimes).

All of this hoop jumping comes down to an obsolete service plan. The service plan that I purchased cost about $150 less than the new "black tie plan", but that was the best plan at the time and I was assured that the plan was bullet proof. Now I know different! But if the "black tie plan" was available I would have purchased it as I wanted to be covered. So basically this is all over a $150 price difference. That $150 represents roughly 7% of our total purchase that day. So how many thousands of dollars in consumer purchases are at stake for Best Buy?All over 7% of a single sale. Best Buy offers discounts bigger than that every day.

 The store manager even said that "this is a gray area" because my plan has no mention of "corrosion" exclusions. But since Best Buy (not the technician at Precision Camera) is assuming that the damage was caused by "liquid spillage" and not humidity or battery leakage (both of which would be covered as per previous discussions with Best Buy). So apparently speculation rules with Best Buy. That is very disappointing! The Store Manager also said that he "has seen corrosion that was not caused by liquids being spilled". Why can't the speculation go in favor of the consumer?

I can send the Camera for another opinion but I am having trouble finding a local certified repair technician. The closest Canon tech. is in California.

Thanks, Jacob

[Rrrrrrr]

Jacob, if you are not a member at POTN yet ( www.photography-on-the.net ) go there. Its a major Canon owners forum. More than likely someone there will know of a certified repair shop closer than cali to you.

[JacobHarwood · Accepted solution]

Back in April best buy agreed to send it back to Canon for a second opinion and pay for the shipping as well as the $200 diagnostics fee. Canon replaced the parts the had "corrosion" at no extra charge. The Camera was then covered under Canon for a brief time. When the Camera returned it worked for about a week and then it started doing the same thing as before. I sent it back and Canon replaced the shutter assembly that Precision camera had replaced directly before the problem had occurred. Now that everything that Precision camera did has been redone by professionals the Camera works perfectly once again. In the end the camera has been repaired at no cost to me. Thank you Best Buy for standing behind the products that you sell. I am once again a happy customer.