Sony repair bill $6600.00
I posted recently about my EX1 having a focus issue. The focus goes out sometimes, normally fixed by turning the unit off and restarting. Yesterday I received the estimate for $6600.00. I wonder if this is payback for me posting negatively about Sony taking longer than they informed me before getting to my camera?
This is the NJ repair facility. So I will pay to have the unit returned and find someone who is willing to repair the unit elsewhere. Mervin Langley |
I would inquire on that estimate again as that is 300.00 more than what a brand new EX1R can be purchased for.... That sounds very strange to me.
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Unless you tossed the camera out the window of a very tall building I think somebody in Sony must have failed some basic business classes. You should explain to them that you're not paying for the airfare, hotel and meals for the repair technician to fly to parts manufacturing plant. That doesn't qualify as a labor charge. |
The camera had lost focus four times over a two week period. Once it powered down and back on without my doing so. Thats it.
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Sounds like they're replacing it with a new camera and charging you full fare.
Did you bad mouth them that much? Perhaps take it up with your local consumer protection office? Is there a "lemon law" that applies? Are you shooting with manual focus or with auto focus? |
Mervin,
I have to say that IF Sony is trying to ding you becaquse you gave them a "bad review" then something is definately wrong. Company's big and small KNOW that that will happen and to try to get back at you by charging you that amount for a repair just doesn't sound right. Now I am not saying they arent doing that but...Did you try to talk to a manager at the repair center and ask what the charges are for and why they are what they are considering you could buy a NEW camera for less than that? It just doesn't make sense and frankly unless you went off on them at that repair center and they know you did and you swore and threatened them how would they even know you. I'm only saying before you start going after them again talk to someone in charge there and find out what the deal is then if need be go up the ladder, everyone has a boss so keep going up until you get the real skinny. BTW, I am not defending Sony but something just doesn't sound right. $6600 to repair a $6000 camera that isn't that old that (hopefully) hasn't been abused and has been used as it supposed to be...that just sounds wrong. Maybe they put the decimal point in the wrong place. One could only hope. |
Sounds like they accidentally added an extra "0" to the estimate.
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Someone at NJ has blundered and probably knows it by now, yep it'll be $660.00.
Assuming they emailed you that quote, print it out and put it on Ebay .. start a bidding war by everyone who's ever been mucked around by Sony .. make a few bucks there. Cheers. |
Mervin, I assume the camera is out of warranty?
I sent my EX-1 in for this same reason. They replaced the entire lens assembly. Luckilly I sent it in before one year passed so it was covered. $6,600 sounds too high but I would be surprised that if they replaced the lens it would only cost $660. Let us know after you give them a call. |
Replacements of major items will be more than $1K. The initial batch of EX1s had their lens assemblies replaced under warranty, so we never knew the cost.
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Here is my bill from Sony. In case anyone thinks I am making this up. I did however have the amount wrong its actually $6340.00
(in US$) Ext. Price (in US$) DEPOT_LABOR 5 135.00 675.00 Depot Labor A1539605E 1 1,001.91 1,001.91 PMW-EX1 ,UNIT, LENS A1363310D 2 1,964.23 3,928.46 MOUNTED C.BOARD, DPR-289 COMPL A1363020A 1 364.89 364.89 MOUNTED C.BOARD, EC-62 HANDLING 20.00 INSURANCE 19.50 Subtotal: 6,009.76 Tax: 330.55 Grand Total: 6,340.31 |
It is still more than a new EX1R, not sure why they would even provide that as an estimate... They should just say the camera is totaled and can not be fixed for any reasonable cost, buy a new one. Crazy!
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Now we know the cost of the lens assembly! Can't say I'm surprised by that estimate when knowing the individual item costs. One question might be "is it necessary to replace the lens?"; is replacing the C-board sufficient? You could ask someone else for a quote. I do know that some manufacturers allow only modular replacements (not repairs to a component) and that might be the trouble here. Nevertheless you might seek a quote from reputable people, perhaps a large rental firm who maintain their own gear.
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"The formatting of your quote is very hard to read. According to this, they're charging you twice for a lens unit."
That's what it looks like to me also. |
$135 an hour! You'd think they were brain surgeons!!
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I was under the impression Sony was not allowing such authorized service centers to do EX repairs. Good news if they are.
====================== I didn't actually ask them about the EX1, maybe you are right. Worth a call though. I really like them. They repaired my VX2000. John |
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Presuming both those charges are erroneous (and I can only suspect they are), that's nearly half of the "bill", still painful, but there's $2300 in PARTS... I presume that's Sonys standard charges for those parts. Some shops do enough volume to get parts at a discount, and MAY pass that along, or there are a couple distributors that will discount a bit in small quantities if you have a qualified tech available. I'd ask really carefully about that bill, and I'd suggest you call around with the estimate and see if any other reputable shops will do it for a better price. It's absurd IMO to ask for more than a new camera for the repair of a gently used one, especially when there are other brands out there, and it's a safe bet that a peeved customer will shop another brand first if they are offended. |
No. They aren't charging for 2 lenses. They are charging for 2 circuit board assemblies. Regardless its ridiculously expensive.
A1363310D 2 1,964.23 3,928.46 MOUNTED C.BOARD, DPR-289 COMPL |
If you look closely at the breakdown, you will see that they are charging for TWO "PMW-EX1 ,UNIT, LENS A1363310D ". How many lenses does you camera have. Is it 3D or something? At $1,964.23 each that is $3,928.46, or roughly 2/3 of the total bill. Something is really screwed up here.
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Looks like two lens assemblies and TWO "depot labor" charges... and if the 5 hour charge is correct, it's about HALF of the second "depot labor" charge... and I still have some doubts about 5 hours... 2+ hours to tear a camera down, replace components another 2+ to reassemble/calibrate/adjust?
Don't know what's going on with the "bill", but I'd squawk before even thinking about authorizing the repair. |
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Someone on a forum priced up how much it would cost to build your own set of headphones from the parts. From memory it worked out at 3 times the price of buying a ready assembled pair. I'd be fascinated to know how much an EX1 would cost if you bought all the parts direct from Sony. Perhaps someone with access to the price lists could work it out? |
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