Old/lousy hot-shoe replacement from Nikon Service Centre

[surrephoto]

Hi all...

Just to share with all that me & a friend had our D700 hotshoes changed at nikon service centre due to contact problem. It was probably end of last year.

Upon receiving the cameras, It seemed like the right-side of both hotshoe was abrased. The finishing of the hot-shoe was visibly more matte and less shiny than the usual hotshoes i've encountered with nikon bodies. Upon questioning I was told that all the replacement hotshoes at NSC were of the same quality.

Recently, my friend's hotshoe started to rust. Fortunately not yet for me. Another bad experience leaves me in particular bad taste... nikon service centre singapore seems to be more than expensive fees, bad manager attitude & extremely long and arduous service times... would like to add that it took them 10 days to change a hot-shoe & 12 days to calibrate a body. :sweat:

Normal Hot-shoe

Replacement Hot-shoe

Do note that both these images were taken at the exact same settings and flash-subject position. The matte metal is far more matte & less reflective compared to the original shoe. Notice also the rusting that should not happen to hot-shoes. Suspect that the replacement hot-shoe is just plated steel.

Need suggestions from you bros what I should consider doing... I am very sick and tired of NSC problems. Understand that there are those who will ask me to jumpship and stop flaming nikon. I am a serious & sincere nikon user who hopes that we have less of these service issues and a better shooting/user experience.

UPDATE 07-03-2012:

Ok I will clarify 1 more time. Indeed now that I have my own D700 back again on 5th March 2012 I can elaborate more. It was in service centre for calibration for 3 weeks, BUT it does not seem to have a abrased/rusty hot-shoe anymore. The current D700 in B & S is my own camera which DOES not have a abrased hot-shoe anymore. It might have had or not have had a abrased/bad hotshoe and nikon might have touched it up. I am now really confused too. I now wonder now whether it was both my hot-shoe and my friend's hot-shoe being abrased at first, or just HIS which might be the isolated case and made me re-call the details from 3 months back incorrectly.

 

[erictan8888]

i am sure if it is just a couple of months and the hotshoe has started to rust, you can always bring it back to nikon...
there is a warranty period for every repair job that they carry out....

good luck!

 

[daredevil123]

I have only been there three times once for sensor cleaning, twice for repairs. From my experiences in NSC, their service has been extremely good, going above and beyond my expectations till I was pleasantly surprised for both instances for repair. And no, I am not NPS either, so I was not expecting priority service.

Instead of talking here, where nothing much can be resolved. Why don't you talk directly to the person in charge of service in NSC, Jonathan. Ask for a meeting and have a amicable discussion with him about your concerns.

 

[surrephoto]

I have only been there three times once for sensor cleaning, twice for repairs. From my experiences in NSC, their service has been extremely good, going above and beyond my expectations till I was pleasantly surprised for both instances for repair. And no, I am not NPS either, so I was not expecting priority service.

Instead of talking here, where nothing much can be resolved. Why don't you talk directly to the person in charge of service in NSC, Jonathan. Ask for a meeting and have a amicable discussion with him about your concerns.

Thanks daredevil... I've talked to Jonathan once... and most certainly he is very patient but with regards to fixing or changing things, he is not the technician.

 

[fatigue]

That's stange, my antique D100 and a dozen of my scrap D70s still have perfect hot-shoes.
If I'm not mistaken, all Nikon DSLRs use the same hot-shoe (part No. 1K406-032).
So maybe your friend's camera has been exposed to extreme conditions or maybe Nikon changed their hot-shoe supplier.


As for repair cost and lead time, we can't really compare the fix with other brands. For C brand, the hot shoe screws are located on top. No need to open up the camera, fix can be done in a few minutes.
For Nikon, hot shoe screws are located inside. The bottom cover, back cover, metal sheild, top cover, peel the bottom rubber grip, even the flash capacitor has to be removed (for D700), just to access the screws

No point jumping ship. Other brands have their own hot-shoe problem. :bsmilie:

 

[baggiolee]

the thing i don't like about NSC is besides the high labour cost, is the long service times....they took 2 weeks to replace my rubber grip. and they made a mistake when calibrating my lens to my camera, end up going there 3 times and took almost 1 mth to settle, not to mention it's really frustrating to rush after work and found out it's not done properly and i've to wait another week (since sat/sun not open) and rush again. sent a complain email to them but no reply. :thumbsd:

the counter staffs are very helpful though.

 

[tltan]

I have only been there three times once for sensor cleaning, twice for repairs. From my experiences in NSC, their service has been extremely good, going above and beyond my expectations till I was pleasantly surprised for both instances for repair. And no, I am not NPS either, so I was not expecting priority service.

Instead of talking here, where nothing much can be resolved. Why don't you talk directly to the person in charge of service in NSC, Jonathan. Ask for a meeting and have a amicable discussion with him about your concerns.

Agree. Jonathan is definitely a great person to go to

 

[surrephoto]

That's stange, my antique D100 and a dozen of my scrap D70s still have perfect hot-shoes.
If I'm not mistaken, all Nikon DSLRs use the same hot-shoe (part No. 1K406-032).
So maybe your friend's camera has been exposed to extreme conditions or maybe Nikon changed their hot-shoe supplier.


As for repair cost and lead time, we can't really compare the fix with other brands. For C brand, the hot shoe screws are located on top. No need to open up the camera, fix can be done in a few minutes.
For Nikon, hot shoe screws are located inside. The bottom cover, back cover, metal sheild, top cover, peel the bottom rubber grip, even the flash capacitor has to be removed (for D700), just to access the screws

No point jumping ship. Other brands have their own hot-shoe problem. :bsmilie:

Hehe... that's what i thought. Even my F100 in the dry cabinet looks to have the same "usual" hotshoe.

That hotshoe you saw you image 2 looks almost as when it was changed 3 months ago... normal nikon hotshoes do not rust even in very bad conditions and certainly don't look abrased right out of the service centre.

 

[xtemujin]

IIRC there is a 3 months warranty period from NSC.

 

[chngpe01]

... nikon service centre singapore seems to be more than expensive fees, bad manager attitude & extremely long and arduous service times... would like to add that it took them 10 days to change a hot-shoe & 12 days to calibrate a body. :sweat:
......

Need suggestions from you bros what I should consider doing... I am very sick and tired of NSC problems. Understand that there are those who will ask me to jumpship and stop flaming nikon. I am a serious & sincere nikon user who hopes that we have less of these service issues and a better shooting/user experience.

1. It is a rather serious accusation ..... esp the one on "bad service manager attitude" . (Have you really met or speak to Jonathan, the service manager ? (btw there is only one service manager there ie Jonathan). In post #4 Quote "Thanks daredevil... I've talked to Jonathan once... and most certainly he is very patient but with regards to fixing or changing things, he is not the technician." So you spoke to him and say he is "patient" and yet you accuse him of having bad attitude? I would suggest you substantiate you accusation of him.

2. Seriously if you are sick and tired, then no point stick with the brand, what suggestion do you expect from members here? After all, to the best of my knowledge, you have switched from Canon to Nikon for whatever reasons, perhaps you should tried Sony, Pentex etc.

3. I would suggest you write to Nikon Japan rather then using this forum to rant. And if you are serious and sincere Nikon user than ask for Jonathan and speak to him with a cool level head, cos I am sure he will be able to settle this issue, rather than making accusation here.

 

[surrephoto]

1. It is a rather serious accusation ..... esp the one on "bad service manager attitude" . (Have you really met or speak to Jonathan, the service manager ? (btw there is only one service manager there ie Jonathan). In post #4 Quote "Thanks daredevil... I've talked to Jonathan once... and most certainly he is very patient but with regards to fixing or changing things, he is not the technician." So you spoke to him and say he is "patient" and yet you accuse him of having bad attitude? I would suggest you substantiate you accusation of him.

2. Seriously if you are sick and tired, then no point stick with the brand, what suggestion do you expect from members here? After all, to the best of my knowledge, you have switched from Canon to Nikon for whatever reasons, perhaps you should tried Sony, Pentex etc.

3. I would suggest you write to Nikon Japan rather then using this forum to rant. And if you are serious and sincere Nikon user than ask for Jonathan and speak to him with a cool level head, cos I am sure he will be able to settle this issue, rather than making accusation here.

Hi chngpe appreciate your comments very much and I apologize for unfounded claims. Just to clarify the manager with bad service attitude is a female staff. She is most probably of a higher position... met her twice regarding multiple faults that happened to one of my cameras and lens.

I have changed to nikon due to performance. Obviously the equipment has delivered enough to tackle 98% of my shooting situations and i am more than satisfied. However the type of customer service I've gotten with canon in that early 2 years was far superior to the recent years of nikon service... I am a demanding customer but not a unreasonable or ridiculous customer. For example, I don't complain about how my D7000 fails to focus on a white wall.

The hot-shoe as described was easily observe by several of my photography acquaintances to be of far lower quality and build than hotshoes we have encountered in the past.

If no one holds a strong stance against low quality service... the service centre will climb above our heads. I'm no known/famous photographer, just a humble freelancer who depends and invest 100% only in nikon bodies, glass & flashes and all I wish for is fair, reasonable & quality service.

To put things into perspective... a hot-shoe change in nikon is SGD 100+ while an equivalent at canon is approximately SGD 20+.... sure it takes more work to replace the hotshoe on the nikon bodies... but for this type of reduced quality? Really it is ridiculous!

 

[Kipling88]

That's stange, my antique D100 and a dozen of my scrap D70s still have perfect hot-shoes.
If I'm not mistaken, all Nikon DSLRs use the same hot-shoe (part No. 1K406-032).
So maybe your friend's camera has been exposed to extreme conditions or maybe Nikon changed their hot-shoe supplier.


As for repair cost and lead time, we can't really compare the fix with other brands. For C brand, the hot shoe screws are located on top. No need to open up the camera, fix can be done in a few minutes.
For Nikon, hot shoe screws are located inside. The bottom cover, back cover, metal sheild, top cover, peel the bottom rubber grip, even the flash capacitor has to be removed (for D700), just to access the screws

No point jumping ship. Other brands have their own hot-shoe problem. :bsmilie:

It was just explained why it will cost more to change Nikon hot shoe...

 

[soeypixels]

TS are u selling the same D700 in BnS ?
lol

 

[surrephoto]

TS are u selling the same D700 in BnS ?
lol

The camera i'm currently selling in BnS is mine does not have a rusted hotshoe. As said in this thread, that camera with a rusted hotshoe is my friend's, which I often rent from him to shoot weddings.

 

[pitbull]

your hotshoe might be a flood damaged item, i am just thinking creatively you know...

 

[fatigue]

Since it's still within warranty, just send it back to NSC
If it's really a faulty part, you should be able to get a replacement.
Then NSC can feedback to their parts division, parts division will feedback to parts supplier.
In the end of the day, we all get a good parts from Nikon

 

[Zertelle]

TS... I suggest you make an appointment with the service manager and have a good chat on this issue. You, I, and us, we can't change anything. This is Nikon's call.

So since you're in with Nikon and have made the decision to stay, pursue the matter objectively and possibly work with Nikon to get your matters resolved.
Always comparing with Canon or other manufacturers isn't going to help, it will only make you more frustrated. Heck, I don't even know how much Canon's cameras cost.

But I have to agree, that's a rather unacceptable hotshoe for $100...

 

[chngpe01]

Hi chngpe appreciate your comments very much and I apologize for unfounded claims. Just to clarify the manager with bad service attitude is a female staff. She is most probably of a higher position... met her twice regarding multiple faults that happened to one of my cameras and lens.

I have changed to nikon due to performance. Obviously the equipment has delivered enough to tackle 98% of my shooting situations and i am more than satisfied. However the type of customer service I've gotten with canon in that early 2 years was far superior to the recent years of nikon service... I am a demanding customer but not a unreasonable or ridiculous customer. For example, I don't complain about how my D7000 fails to focus on a white wall.

The hot-shoe as described was easily observe by several of my photography acquaintances to be of far lower quality and build than hotshoes we have encountered in the past.

If no one holds a strong stance against low quality service... the service centre will climb above our heads. I'm no known/famous photographer, just a humble freelancer who depends and invest 100% only in nikon bodies, glass & flashes and all I wish for is fair, reasonable & quality service.

To put things into perspective... a hot-shoe change in nikon is SGD 100+ while an equivalent at canon is approximately SGD 20+.... sure it takes more work to replace the hotshoe on the nikon bodies... but for this type of reduced quality? Really it is ridiculous!

A coporate client once asked me. "don't u find it ridiculious that many part timers and freelancer charges $100 or more an hour for event photography?" I told them "aiyoo, don't engage them. Cos there are plenty who do it for much lesser or even free. In ClubSnap."

Get yr facts correct and discuss objectively with the service Johnathan rather than throwing accusation at the wrong person working there, and posting here in public.

 

[surrephoto]

your hotshoe might be a flood damaged item, i am just thinking creatively you know...

This is a scary thought. But I doubt nikon would dare to do this...

Since it's still within warranty, just send it back to NSC
If it's really a faulty part, you should be able to get a replacement.
Then NSC can feedback to their parts division, parts division will feedback to parts supplier.
In the end of the day, we all get a good parts from Nikon

We have visited NSC yesterday... they are checking with the technician about the situation and parts availability. I'm just not that satisfied when they did not accept it when I pointed it out to them 3 months ago. I should have been more aggressive.

TS... I suggest you make an appointment with the service manager and have a good chat on this issue. You, I, and us, we can't change anything. This is Nikon's call.

So since you're in with Nikon and have made the decision to stay, pursue the matter objectively and possibly work with Nikon to get your matters resolved.
Always comparing with Canon or other manufacturers isn't going to help, it will only make you more frustrated. Heck, I don't even know how much Canon's cameras cost.

But I have to agree, that's a rather unacceptable hotshoe for $100...

It's good to have a benchmark. You'd be surprised how many ex-nikon professionals (lao-jiaos) have jumpshipped to canon due to this very reason. Equipment is the blood of our job. When you get sick in singapore, you will complain about the horrific medical bills and use welfare states as a comparison. I am a human.

A coporate client once asked me. "don't u find it ridiculious that many part timers and freelancer charges $100 or more an hour for event photography?" I told them "aiyoo, don't engage them. Cos there are plenty who do it for much lesser or even free. In ClubSnap."

Get yr facts correct and discuss objectively with the service Johnathan rather than throwing accusation at the wrong person working there, and posting here in public.

Hi Chngpe thks for your corrections and commments. But I never pinpointed Jonathan to be the staff with "bad manager attitude"... Infact I never said it was the service manager in my original post.

To clarify once more it was a female senior staff/manager who left a bad taste in my mouth during one of my lens CPU death saga.

 

[Zenten]

This is a scary thought. But I doubt nikon would dare to do this...


To clarify once more it was a female senior staff/manager who left a bad taste in my mouth during one of my lens CPU death saga.[/B]

......you french-kissed ...........:think: .......... LOL.