MACK warranty, using one!
 

Alright, so it seemed clear to me that in a sense MACK is a scam. The stores up sell you on them knowing that 95% of the people are never going to use them (and thus make a ton of money selling them). Until now I've been pretty upset that I bought one, but now I'm going to try to use it. (Yes, I bought my camrea at a place I wish I hadn't. B&H all the way ever since, though!)

Does anyone have any experience with USING their MACK? It seems kind of shady, being that you have to send them $20 (but I guess that's return shipping) and the fact that it takes 4-6 weeks. (They obviously know that any person buying an XL1s is likely never going to have 4-6 weeks of not needing it available to them.) But beyond all of their trying to get people to not use it... is using it legit? I don't want my XL1s camera body to disappear. By the way, I’m sending it in to fix the Firewire port (stopped working) and for tape head maintenance. I’m going to sell it to a friend of mine, and then grab an XL2.

So to clarify… anyone have any experience with USING their MACK warranty? It's kind of funny... kind of sad, that I have to word it that way.

Thanks,
Bryan

I haven't used one but I know people that have on still cams... supposedly they're legit... their warranties are pretty cheap (200$ for 4 years on an xl2) compared to other places that sell them for 500-800$... personally I prefer Best Buy's and will get that over any other if they sell the camera... they don't know any better because they have no bracket for any camcorders that expensive and you only pay 250$ for 4 years which covers unlimited cleanings, the lens, the battery, important accessories that come with it, wear and tear, and if you were to have any 4 problems in those 4 years, they just give you a brand new item.

If you buy an extended warranty from B&H, you'll most likely be getting a MACK as well.... so..................

I have had MACKs in the past and haven't needed them (thank God).

I have called and gotten info from them because I thought that I had to send it in. They are not very polite, I guess if you are in the Big Apple or NJ area you feel that you are expected to be rude, and they oblige.

They were more helpful than I expected though, but I was told that it would be weeks before I got my cam back, and I didn't get the sense that it would be repaired correctly when I did.

I wish Canon offered extended warranties :-(

I called them, and suprisingly, they were very nice on the phone! Almost too nice...

The wait to get my camera back is going to suck, but at least now I think it will come back to me repaired.

Firewire Fix + Tape Head maintenence.

Hello,

What was wrong with the firewire, and head?

When did you send it in?

How long did they say it would take to fix and for you to have it back?

Please let us know how long it actually takes to get it back, if the return shipping packaging was satisfactory, and if the repairs were performed properly.

Thanks !!

Did you buy the consumer or professional warranty?

The Firewire port stopped working. I figured I'd have them perform maintenence on the tape heads while it was there. (They're pretty good, only had 1 problem ever, but why not?)

I'm sending it in tommorow.

4-6 weeks.

Ok.

Hey Bryan,
I have successfully sent in my xl1s for a blown firewire port and it came back fine. They seemed a little shady when I called them at first, cause I wanted to make sure they had record of my warranty when I first registered.

They didn’t seem to have record but said to send it with my card. It took a total of 4 weeks to get it back. I called them like every week, and on the second week they said they had to send it to the canon factory service in Illinois (I sent the camera to their shop in New Jersey) So week four comes and I call them to check up, and the lady says it’ll be like another 3 weeks. After displaying my disgust, (I wasn’t that mad just wanted my camera) she said they could ship it out cause it was a “Prosumer Camera”.

And that’s it, it came back fine and in working order.

Jacob

Alright, I sent it in yesterday.

Could you elaborate on (it will be 3 more weeks.... oh wait, ok you can have it now)?

I'm a bit confused how that works... other than the first statement being a lie by them. Once you send them the camera, what's in it for them to keep it so long? I understand saying 4-6 weeks, and $20.... that keeps few people from using their service.... but once they have the camera, why keep it as long as possible?

Also, when you called, what phone number did you use?
Was it: 973-467-2291 x111 for Counter ?

edit: Oh great.... look what they have on their site now:

This e-mail is to inform you that your equipment
listed above has been received in our facility.
We will notify you via e-mail about the status of
your equipment.


SWEET!!!!

What the... so now it can take up to 6 weeks just to get the part? I guess I'll get my camera back as a new years gift?

Anyone have any ideas on what to say when I call them up that would get them moving faster, instead of making them mad and purposly going slower?

I'd ask them if those estimates are accurate (most of the time they're worst case scenario). If it takes more than what you deem reasonable, BBB.org is an awesome place to start... you'd be surprised what you can get resolved.

Appears that few are using one...
 

It would appear by the lack of response to this thread that few people have purchased Mack warranties. I just bought a PD170 and was thinking about buying a Mack warranty for it. But now, I'm not sure that's a wise investment.

The PD170 is a very reliable, rugged camera by all reports. Unlike the Canon cameras, I've not seen any problems reported with the tape drive mechanism.

If I do have a problem, I'm not sure I can tolerate being without the camera for 4-6 weeks, or more. Seems unreasonable amount of time for a repair.

If anyone has any positive experience with Mack I'd sure love to hear about it. Please post your experience.

I just got this email:

Wow! Soon I will find out if they are the greatest company ever... or if something has gone terribly horribly wrong.

(Sent it in on June 8, They received it on the 10th, Got email saying it was repaired on the 17th)

As Of Date 06/17/05

Status Location: SHIPPING
Reason: READY

Notes REPAIRED & CHECKED


No tracking number yet... don't know if they're going to give me one, but it would be nice. It cost me $50 to send it to them by all their rules (bubble wrap, inssurance, etc)... but they only charge $20 for return shipping. I'm eager to see how they end up sending it back to me.

Maybe they get bulk discount since they are a business?

Bryan:

This is an interesting thread on equipment warranties, marketing, and client service.

I just purchased a new Sony HVR-Z1U from BHPhoto. With shipping and taxes, it cost over $5k. You bet I spent an additional $199 to get the Mack 4-Year Extended Warranty for Professional Digital Camcorders! It was 4% of the purchase cost.

Up until this recent purchase, I had never purchased an extended warranty for anything. I too did not trust them and thought the likelihood of ever needing it was very small. But two things happened that have changed my perspective--at least when it comes to extended warranties for my business equipment.

First, my Sony VX1000, a fantastic little camera in its heyday, finally went bad when its firewire card stopped working. Of course, this was not a total disaster since it still worked very well recording. I simply used a deck to capture. However, when I sent it to Sony repair, they told me it would cost over $700 to fix the Firewire card. I send no thanks. Had I purchased the warranty, it would have more than paid for itself on the first use.

Second, I recently sold my PD170 (through Dvinfo.net!) to help fund the purchase of my new Sony Z1. I could have received more money had I had a Mack Warranty on the camera. In fact, I would have made more than the $199 that the warranty cost me.

Those two small, but meaningful examples, made me realize the value of the warranty. Even if you never have to use it (which should truly be your hope), it can make a difference in the resale value of your equipment since the warranties are transferrable (for a small $15 fee) up until they expire.

You probably have heard the expression, "Under promise and over deliver." This is what Mack seems to have done. As someone else suggested in this thread, they appear to be cautious at first so that they do not build false expectations--in other words, they do not over promise but under deliver. Sometimes it could very well take longer than 6 weeks to receive the proper parts. In your case, things went the way they probably do with 90% of their repairs.

Please note, according to the Mack Warranty website (http://www.mackcam.com/warranty.html), you must purchase your Mack Extended Warranty within the first 30 days of the purchase of your equipment. So if you have not done so already, get to it!

I hope it all turns out well.

Received my Canon XL1s in the mail today (06/21/05).
A total of 8 workdays or 13 total days without my camera.

It took me like 10 minutes to cut it out of the bubble wrap and packaging tape. It was packed about as nicely as it was when I sent it. Maybe it wasn't insured. The only thing I was afraid of, was that when I took it out, my camera surface was almost too hot to touch. Damn Las Vegas weather!

Inside was a little piece of paper that says "Replaced PCB ASsy Main." It doesn't mention whether or not they cleaned the heads like I requested, but it would be nice if they had done so.

Firewire worked. I had to set all the settings again.

Total costs: $70 in shipping total. I guess that beats the costs to have it repaired by a normal shop. ($300+ from what I hear).

Time to either decide on keeping this fine tuned camera, or selling it and grabbing a XL2 or similar camera.