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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Did I just get taken by Nikon or the local dealer?
John Middlebrook, Photographer
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Basel | Switzerland | Switzerland | Posted: 12:45 PM on 03.23.10 |
->> OK, first of all, call me naive, stupid, whatever you wish after you read this. I have an HK-27-1 and 2 for my 400 and recently the 27-1 screw became stripped and I kept losing the hoods while trying to balance on the slalom hills, on ice, not good. I picked up both on eBay so they were used but did the job however Since I was already using a plastic screw in the HK-27-2, It was time for a repair.
I stopped by my local Nikon rep here in Switzerland, told her I wanted both of them fixed and she sent them off for me. I am NPS and she took my card and said she would see if she could expedite it. I got them back today, just about a week so that was cool. When she handed me my bill I almost collapsed to my knees, $413!!!!! IT WAS FOR TWO SCREWS NIKON??? Now I know that many of you will say tape or screws from Home Depot but I wanted them to work like they should. A new set is $499 from B&H.
Who did I get taken by, the dealer or Nikon? I am not done with this and the itemized list of the 6 small parts needed had no price so I am not sure where the total came from. Has anyone ever paid prices like this or I am just delusional? |
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John Middlebrook, Photographer
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Basel | Switzerland | Switzerland | Posted: 12:56 PM on 03.23.10 |
| ->> Just thought about something else. My ThinkTank Airport Security bag handles completely broke last week on assignment. I took a pic of it with my iPhone, send it to warranty, the next day a full replacement was in the mail, coming all the way from California. And I did not pay a single dime??? |
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Scott Varley, Photographer
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Torrance | CA | USA | Posted: 1:19 PM on 03.23.10 |
->> Don't send the hood in for repairs. The screws fail on our hoods yearly. Luckily the El Segundo Nikon office is a few miles away.
I go in with the hood and and ask for someone from the parts department. I explain what I need and they bring me all the little screws and other parts. No charge. I install it myself. |
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Juerg Schreiter, Photographer
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Fort Lauderdale | FL | USA | Posted: 1:55 PM on 03.23.10 |
| ->> send them the screws back and cancel the charge on your credit card :-) |
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Louis Lopez, Photographer
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Fontana | CA | USA | Posted: 2:12 PM on 03.23.10 |
->> John,
I took my hoods into the El Segundo office and they took them into the back and 15-20 minutes later they brought them back all with new screws fully installed. No Charge.
Great service.
I think the dealer may be pulling a fast one, but they are two different divisions, Nikon USA vs Nikon Europe? |
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Matthew Bush, Photographer
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Hattiesburg | MS | USA | Posted: 2:53 PM on 03.23.10 |
| ->> A local jewler repaired ours for a reprint of a front page so you might wanna check that option if you can not walk in and get a part . |
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George Holland, Photographer
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Seattle | WA | USA | Posted: 3:05 PM on 03.23.10 |
->> There is likely a minimum labor and shop charge for receiving, handling, replacing, and shipping the hood, even if the screws are only a few cents.
Based on conversion, $413 seems high depending on what the minimum shop charge is. Nikon USA has a repair category rate scale so you likely were assigned one and charged the standard fee. A call to Nikon will likely result in a credit.
Without the convenience of a local Nikon repair center I have always just ordered the replacement screws direct from Nikon to make sure I got the right ones and with postage the total is usually less than $10 if I remember right. |
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Michael Troutman, Photographer
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Carmel | CA | USA | Posted: 3:31 PM on 03.23.10 |
| ->> I order the parts and do repairs like this myself. *Much* cheaper. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 3:45 PM on 03.23.10 |
| ->> I know NOTHING about NPS/Europe but if you used a dealer to package and act as the agent between you and NPS then you can expect that the agent got a cut too. That being said why not email NPS in your region and simply ask what the cost of the repair is? I have replace a complete screw mount, the screw, cap, collar bearing AND the threaded block on a hood and the cost of the material from Nikon parts was $50. |
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Thomas E. Witte, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Cincinnati | OH | USA | Posted: 4:21 PM on 03.23.10 |
| ->> Rule number one with those Nikon hoods... Back the screws out a a few turns, put some clear nail polish on the threads, then screw them back in. |
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Brad Barr, Photographer
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Port St. Lucie | FL | USA | Posted: 4:23 PM on 03.23.10 |
| ->> in answer to your original question...yes you did, from both. |
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Michael L. Palmieri, Photographer
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Barnegat | NJ | USA | Posted: 4:33 PM on 03.23.10 |
| ->> Weren't you looking for a good screw? ;^) |
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Dave Breen, Photographer
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Somerset | PA | USA | Posted: 7:21 PM on 03.23.10 |
| ->> Yes he was, but just a little one!! |
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Max Simbron, Photographer, Assistant
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Phoenix | AZ | USA | Posted: 2:28 AM on 03.24.10 |
| ->> I put gaffer over my hood screws, so even if they do fall out they don't just get lost. If I see a screw poking through the gaffer, I know it's time to tighten it back up. |
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Kevin German, Photographer
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Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | | Posted: 6:53 AM on 03.24.10 |
| ->> Yeah dude, that sucks. But I totally second your statement about ThinkTank Photo. Next to REI, they have the best customer service on Earth. They stand 100% behind their products which is why I try not to buy anything else to put my cameras in. |
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Max Waugh, Photographer
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Bothell | WA | USA | Posted: 7:55 AM on 03.24.10 |
| ->> I'll echo the customer service thoughts on ThinkTank, and thank you guys for some great tips on keeping the screws in. Though I'm a Canon user, I've had problems with the screws on my 500 hood being stripped and have lost a couple already (only $4 to replace though). I'll have to give a couple of these tips a try. |
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John Middlebrook, Photographer
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Basel | Switzerland | Switzerland | Posted: 6:51 AM on 03.25.10 |
->> Follow Up on this debacle:
I spoke to a very nice gent at the Nikon Service Center where the work was done and he said that the parts and labor were $330. So, that means the dealer got their cut for shipping and handling and I am OK with that. He also said the replacement cost of the HK 27 series of hoods here is around $1100 so lesson is, never buy anything here, which I already knew. Thanks for all the feedback and comments. |
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Chris Russick, Photographer, Assistant
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St. Petersburg | FL | USA | Posted: 9:13 AM on 03.25.10 |
| ->> John, for what it's worth, I ordered two of the hood retainer screw assemblies the day before yestrday directly from Nikon-El Segundo. The price for the parts and the shipping within the US was roughly $40. I still think $330 is extremely over priced. |
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Vasiliy Baziuk, Photographer
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Rochester | NY | USA | Posted: 10:55 AM on 03.26.10 |
| ->> John, "screw" that! |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 11:50 AM on 03.26.10 |
| ->> $1100 for the hood???? Man I hate to learn what the whole kit goes for..... |
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John Middlebrook, Photographer
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Basel | Switzerland | Switzerland | Posted: 3:57 PM on 03.26.10 |
| ->> Eric, a new 400 2.8 at the local store is $11,000 |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 4:22 PM on 03.26.10 |
| ->> Yeowza |
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