This post comes to you without a picture. You ask, “Why”? Because my camera is still in line for repairs in New Jersey. So, this post is 100% rant for me and maybe a warning for you. Here goes.
I bought a 3 year extended warranty when I purchased my D2Xs. I rarely (if ever) do this and I was relieved that I had when the camera stopped working 6 months after the Nikon warranty ceased. The extended warranty is with Mack Camera Repair (www.mackcam.com). I sent the camera in to Mack on the 11th of September via UPS. I chose to not expedite the delivery so it arrived at Mack on September 17th. The Mack website says to allow 3 days to get an item entered into their system. 3 days…. not 3 hours. I clearly don’t know how complicated it is to unpack an item, retrieve the paperwork enclosed, turn to a computer terminal and key in the Return Authorization number they provided when I requested the service via their website. It must be a very complicated procedure to enter the information…maybe the workers demand and get an hour break after each key entry. Like I said… I just don’t know.
Mack says that I’ll get an email message once the item is registered in their system. I got tired of waiting for the message and went to their website and keyed in my information to check the repair status on the 24th of September. I learned that the camera had been received and was in line for a technician for repair. I got their email telling me this several days later. I guess the automated message system in their computer gets the benefit of frequent, extended breaks as well.
Today was my self-imposed deadline to take the next step and call Mack to see if I could find out anything about the timeline for repairs. I hesitated doing this because I fully expected to get a long voice mail routine of keying in “1″ or “3″ or all the numbers associated with my customer ID or Return Authorization. I did not expect any satisfaction… none. Well, to my surprise I got to talk to a human after cycling through a fairly limited menu system of choices. I had my headset on and was prepared to wait for 20 minutes (another personal deadline) and was settling in to make my daily sweep through my favorite blogs when a lady answered the phone. I asked if there was any way to get an estimate of the time for repairs. She took my RA number and told me that it would be another 10-20 business days. 10-20 days just to get to the camera and let me know if it is repairable. Aaaaaarrrrrgggggghhhhh…
Knowing full well that there is nothing I can do to expedite the repair time I chose to not say what I was thinking…. darn hard for me to do, thank you. I explained that I understood that they were busy but that it was really frustrating at my end to not get any information or to wait this long for repair (or not). She said she understood… not that they were sorry or that they were working on increasing their staff or process for quicker workflow. She understood my frustration. Wow… that sure made me feel valued and confident. NOT.
So… the call is documented and the clock is running. I’m just glad that I have backup gear that I can use for jobs in the meantime. Was the extended warranty worth the angst? Time will tell.
End of rant.
Subscribe
A well justified rant in my opinion. I have had to deal with repairs in the past but nothing even came close to this level of frustration and the time frames are simply out of hand. Sure glad you have options.
As the Customer Relations Supervisor, I want to apologize for any inconvenience we have caused you thus far. Typically, we have a two to three week turn around time for your type of unit. I have spoken to the service manager and the technician that will be working on your unit. We have paid expedited shipping costs in order to receive the part necessary to repair your unit as quickly as possible. We hope to have the repair completed at the end of this week. We will e-mail you the tracking number once your unit has been shipped. I thank you in advance for your patience during this process. If you should require further information, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at helpdesk@mackcam.com.
Desiree
Customer Relations Supervisor
I wondered if the reference to Mack in my post would draw any response from the company. I appreciate the reply and hope to see some positive info and movement on the repair soon. Yes, I will tell them that.
Dear Mr. McCammon, Unfortunately the parts needed to repair your unit were on back order from the manufacturer. In order to proceed further, we have expedited your unit to Nikon for repair. I will do everything in my power to make sure your unit gets repaired as quickly as possible. I do apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause. We do appreciate your patience during this time. Please feel free to email me your questions or concerns at helpdesk@mackcam.com. I will notify you of your unit’s status next week.
Thank you,
Desiree
Customer Relations Supervisor
Mack Camera and Video Service Inc.