Posted on 02/20/2012 11:06:31 PM PST by SWAMPSNIPER
In mid-January, Nikon sent an letter out to independent camera repair technicians across the US, informing them that “it will no longer make repair parts available for purchase by repair facilities that have not been authorized by Nikon Inc. to perform camera repairs.” After July 13th, 2012, unauthorized repair shops will no longer be able to repair Nikon cameras
(Excerpt) Read more at petapixel.com ...
How quaint.
The near future will not be kind to Nikon's “repair” division. They may as well be snotty and short sighted while they can.
This is just great..I have a Nikon D300 that needs to go to Nikon..I suppose the shop where I purchased it won’t even be able to send it in now..just great..
“Mama don’t take my Kodachrome away.”
I suppose my Sony is obsolete now but I like it better than most of the newer models.
That’s good enough reason for me not to buy their product...
I had a Coolpix and it was one the worst point and shoot camera’s I owned. That’s why I took a chance on an Olympus last Christmas b4 going to Canada and damn impressed. Best Buy tossed in the tripod, carry case and an 8 gig card in the same price under 100 so why not? Then again, I own a D80 DSLR so now I have to be careful with it.
This makes no sense. This will just drive customers to other camera companies.
Didn’t Olympus try this in the late 80’s or early 90’s and get slapped down by the Justice Dept?
The justice dept. has other things to do now.
Actually, auto manufacturers were trying to lock-down their computer codes to ace-out the independent shops, but our hated government told them to take a hike, so they don’t do it anymore. I suspect that the auto companies are also required to sell parts to the public (and indies, of course) as well.
For other stuff, my guess is that it hasn’t been much of a problem...maybe until now.
There are limits, of course, but the current philosophy of forcing customers to buy new stuff before the old stuff is slap worn out really sticks in my craw.
I've been out of the hardware business for almost 20 years, still have customers who call me for advice before they repair something old or buy something new. That is worth a lot to me.
For cars, there tend to be lots of reliable aftermarket parts, especially for high wear items like brake shoes and windshield wipers. For everything else, there’s the local junk yard.
You can still get Model T parts from J.C. Whitney.
So now they sell the computer codes for a price none of the small timers can afford?
Or the DIY, ergo, no more Volvos for us.
This makes me angry. I have a dozen Nikon bodies lying around the house. Fortunately, I mostly use a Lumix LX5 these days.
I noticed that Nikon makes scopes. I am considering their M-223 model for one of my AR’s.
There are only 22 authorized repair stations in the United States. Guess I’d better not drop my camera.
I shoot exclusively with Nikon and this would affect my business profoundly if I couldn’t have quick access to repair.
What does it take to become an authorized repair facility? Once this goes into effect, why not open up open a new “facility” that specializes in reselling parts to unauthorized repair facilities? Sounds like a business in the making for anyone interested.
I’ve only got one Nikon, a little L110 point and shoot. I got it for a beater, no viewfinder so it’s almost useless in bright sunshine, but it’s easy to carry and was cheap.
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