News

May 04, 2023

Camera maker’s reluctance to provide new screws leaves woman miffed

Difficulty getting spare parts is leaving some DIY-loving Kiwis frustrated.

Difficulty getting spare parts is leaving some DIY-loving Kiwis frustrated.

That includes Sarah Smith from Canterbury, who faced an uphill battle when she tried to source screws from Canon to fix her second-hand camera.

The screws had come loose from the display screen on the back of hers.

She tried to find the screws at hardware stores but with no luck, so she went directly to Canon.

The company said she was best to send her camera to their service team in Auckland to ensure a quality repair, and because the job might not be straightforward if internal screws were missing.

Smith wasn't impressed.

She runs a YouTube channel and a Facebook page called Cheaper Ways NZ which is full of cost-saving tips and overflowing with ideas on how to DIY everything from pizza bases to playground equipment.

"I thought I literally need two screws. I have a screwdriver."

She told Canon she was happy to pay for postage and she felt capable of carrying out the repair.

Canon's technical team said it was best to send it in for assessment and repair. This would be free under warranty, but Smith had an old, second-hand camera and the warranty had run out a long time ago.

According to Canon, normal costs in cases like this are $45 for an assessment, which could be waived if was quick, and then a likely cost of $67.50 for this particular repair.

"It's not so much the cost of the postage, it's paying someone to do something I could do easily myself and being without a camera for a week or two weeks or however long it takes to fix it," Smith said.

Consumer head of testing Paul Smith said "if you want to repair it yourself, or take it apart, or use an independent repairer, then that's your responsibility, all they're doing is obstructing that".

Fair Go contacted Canon offering to take the screws to Sarah Smith but Canon stood firm.

It said Sarah Smith should send it to their Auckland service team for the best outcome due to the potential difficulty of the job.

Paul Smith didn't buy it.

"It's not a high-tech fix that Canon need to do themselves. There's no reason an independent repairer wouldn't be able to fix it to the standard expected by a consumer".

Consumer is a strong advocate for the Right to Repair movement and said one barrier is that "it's not in the interest of (manufacturers) to make parts available because if they control repairs, they get extra income by doing those repairs".

Canon said it does provide spare parts to customers in some cases and that for items, such as a few screws, they'd be provided for free.

Sarah Smith might have stood her ground and asked to be sent the screws but Canon then made her a generous offer she couldn't refuse.

It said it would pay for the repair, and the postage, and send her a replacement camera to use while hers was being fixed.

She considered that a "brilliant" result for herself but added: "It feels as though it woudn't be doing this if I hadn't come to you guys and you don't want every man and his dog, and I'm sure Canon don't either, coming to Fair Go for a free camera repair."