Nikon Rant.

[anubis404]

Just a rant on how hard it is to get a simple call through to Nikon. I was calling about a lens (technical support) that I needed some advice on. After going through a series of number menus, I am put on hold and assured by a robotic female voice that the wait is "less than 10 minutes". 10 minutes goes by, 20 minutes goes by, 30 minutes goes by (the bad music driving me insane by now), and by 45 mintues I hung up, frustrated. I tried again, and after about 20 minutes of the same thing I gave up.

Needless to say, I wrote them a nasty letter for their terrible technical support. The letter ended with "Attention Guantanamo guards: who needs waterboarding when you can just call Nikon?"

Grr.

 

[Joves]

Problem is it isnt just Nikon. This is a pandemic throughout all major corporations.

 

[JerryPH]

Did you maybe stop to consider that it is the Christmas season and that that it is possibly the busiest time of the year?

Did you try calling the regional office, and if yes, why not try at Nikon's main numbers?

Did you register at Nikon's website and try getting email support?

Was it absolutely urgent that you get serviced NOW, or could it wait till after the holidays?

Did you try calling earlier in the morning like 9:00AM sharp instead of waiting till lunch?

Did you really need technical support or was this something that anyone, possibly people here may have an answer for you?

I would have done all of the above BEFORE writing a POLITE letter to them. I am in customer service myself... and often place people that are nasty with me for no reason... into my $hit list. With your attitude, I would not be surprised if you were placed at the bottom of any lists they have there.

This seems to be the response of a child, not an adult.

Didn't you mom ever tell you "You catch more flies with honey"? It's true.

 

[tsaraleksi]

Clearly the answer here is to switch brands (I kid, I kid)

Though in fairness my experience with Canon service has been really good. I'm sure that Nikon is just as good, but the days after Christmas, as Jerry pointed out, are probably the worst possible days to call (because everyone has a new camera that they are having trouble with).

 

[kundalini]

I would not have stayed on hold for 45 minutes, but neither would I expect "due diligence" during this period in time. Are there not other avenues to investigate. Your impatience and nasty little letter may not have served you best.

 

[matt-l]

If Nikon Tech support is not located with in you country...did you think of the fact of the time differences?

 

[SpeedTrap]

Just try to imagine every person who got a Nikon SLR for Christmas is calling in right now. The wait times will be long.
Did you conside calling a local pro shop? Most staff at higher end camera stores could probably answer your question. Or you could post it here and we could try to answer it.

 

[JerryPH]

Clearly the answer here is to switch brands (I kid, I kid)

No you're not, and you know it... LOL!

Best not to wait till Dec31/January 1 either, they are going to be so busy, its not funny!

 

[table1349]

Just try to imagine every person who got a Nikon SLR for Christmas is calling in right now. The wait times will be long.
Did you conside calling a local pro shop? Most staff at higher end camera stores could probably answer your question. Or you could post it here and we could try to answer it.

For all of you Nikon users I wish that was true. I spoke to a good friend at one of the local photography shops and they are getting truly disgusted with Nikon service as well. Keep in mind that they are the Official Nikon reps here. Nikon customer service seems to have been lacking for quite some time. He has several repairs that have beem sent off for estimates weeks ago (to the tune of 6+ weeks) to Nikon service and they have yet to get even the estimates back. This is something that that I have heard about from my Nikon shooting friends for quite some time as well. It is the one area that Nikon truly lacks in. Nikon makes a fine product and I wish that they would get their service in line with the quality of their products.

 

[JerryPH]

When in Kansas, where do they send in their repairs?

In Quebec, there is a smaller regional office in Montreal, but the bigger repairs get shipped 350 miles away to Toronto Ontario.

I had no problems calling in to ask a few questions (5 min wait at most)... but then again, I didn't call December 25th either.

Also, customer service varies a lot within the same company location to location... evidence the vastly different levels of quality (or severe lack of) between differing Best Buys. Some are excellent, and some... to call them mediocre would be a huge compliment. I am sure the same thing exists with Nikon, Canon or whoever.

 

[table1349]

When in Kansas, where do they send in their repairs?

In Quebec, there is a smaller regional office in Montreal, but the bigger repairs get shipped 350 miles away to Toronto Ontario.

I had no problems calling in to ask a few questions (5 min wait at most)... but then again, I didn't call December 25th either.

Also, customer service varies a lot within the same company location to location... evidence the vastly different levels of quality (or severe lack of) between differing Best Buys. Some are excellent, and some... to call them mediocre would be a huge compliment. I am sure the same thing exists with Nikon, Canon or whoever.

They are shipping them to the nearest Nikon service center. That is what is frustrating them so much. They are the official Nikon rep in this area and they are using the official Nikon service center. This really surprised me that this was a problem.

I know as a Canon user now, (Nikon user for 30+ film years) that their service is outstanding. It took a total of 6 days to send my 24-70 to Canon, get it repaired and have it back in my hands. That included a weekend where nothing was done. I was shocked to hear of all the problems that people have had, at least in the US, with Nikon service.