Sony Customer Support

[mBev]

The new A7RII has me on the verge of jumping ship from Canon after many many years.  But the high ratio of negative feedback relating to poor customer support for pre and post warranty service is about to scare me off.  I know you see a lot of that will all companies because unhappy people are a lot quicker to write reviews that satisfied customers.   Can you folks here on the Alpha forum help me reconcile the disproportionate feedback related to Sony and their service centers? 

[Al Pha]

Pay the extra to join Sony's professional program.

[JonathanStewartPhotos]

Before the professional services program (which I haven't joined), I tried dealing with Sony's support and it really is abysmal.  Their operators are clueless about the cameras and photography in general and any repairs are farmed out to a terrible third-party shop that twice has sent back my lenses with inadequate packaging that led to damage in shipping and more delays.  Turnaround time for those was over TWO MONTHS!  For camera body repairs, they usually took at least one month. 

Subsequently, I purchased a third-party warranty from Square Trade, which was a great value. They deal with a very efficient repair shop out of Chicago that's much more transparent about the process, not to mention quick.  And, if they don't repair the item within 5 business days, you get a refund of the warranty cost.  If it's over 14 business days, you get back the full retail price of your item.  This happened to my a99, and I used the dough to buy a gently used body, and had about $1k left over.  So that's a great way around Sony's terrible service, although you do have to find a way to make any in-warranty issue into a non-warranty damage in order for the insurance to cover it.  Otherwise, they'll try to send you through Sony. 

[Wesley]

Until Sony USA stops using third-party repair...Canon/Nikon has this in the bag.

[blackfeather]

I have recently had correspondence with Sony tech...no problem at all...very timely and personable.  just sayin'...

[mBev]

Just what I was afraid of Jonathon and Wesley. I just looked up Sony Pro Service and would not be able to apply for invitation till I have two Sony bodies and three lenses, so that's out. Square Trade is well over $300 for two years and would not quite cover full replacement cost for the A7RII. A shame to go that route to circumvent lackluster warranty support. Having said that I have been a member of Canon Professional Services for many years and they are awesome to deal with. The price is fairly cheap considering ALL my gear is covered and I get free cleaning and testing on my gear once a year, including sensors.

 

I hate to see this because I really want to jump at the new body. It may come down to rolling the dice and hoping I don't have issues.

 

Thanks for your frank and honest replies guys.

[jm345]

I had an issue with a Sony FE lens and had to send it to Sony's 3rd party repair - Precision Camera Repair - three times before they fixed it. It took a total of three months. Sony's customer service is horrible. They will "elevate" the problem to a higher level but you have to wait for a call - there is no way to contact them. An then they don't follow through when the item arrives at Precision Camera. I had to call both Sony and Precision almost everyday to facilitate the repair. I have been a Canon user for 30 years and never had a problem like the one with Sony. Sony may be temporarily increasing market share of mirrorless cameras, but if they don't fix their repair service they will see customers deserting Sony products eventually.

[JonathanStewartPhotos]

I had an issue with a Sony FE lens and had to send it to Sony's 3rd party repair - Precision Camera Repair - three times before they fixed it. It took a total of three months. Sony's customer service is horrible. They will "elevate" the problem to a higher level but you have to wait for a call - there is no way to contact them. An then they don't follow through when the item arrives at Precision Camera. I had to call both Sony and Precision almost everyday to facilitate the repair. I have been a Canon user for 30 years and never had a problem like the one with Sony. Sony may be temporarily increasing market share of mirrorless cameras, but if they don't fix their repair service they will see customers deserting Sony products eventually.

Sounds just like my experience with Precision Camera.  They are the worst, and I can't understand how Sony could have chosen them to handle their repairs. 

 

mBev- I just added on a 3rd party warranty for my incoming a7r2 at Adorama.  It's something called "New Leaf" and appears to be similar to the Square Trade, which you're right, won't cover over $3000.  That 3-yr add-on was only $124, so it's a better deal, too.  Don't give up!

[mBev]

Thanks Jonathan. That does sound a lot better. I have a 10K rider on my homeowners specific to photo equipment. I don't have to list the products, only show prof of purchase. I bought that for loss due to theft or damage. If I had a warranty issue like some of you described I'd have to take it up on the roof and toss it down on my driveway I guess. It's hard to fathom how a leading corporation could have such disappointing service arrangement.

 

I almost sprung for the 5DSR but held off to see just how much ch I would be giving up. I think I'm ready to give the A7R2 a go with Metabones to start out.

 

Thanks again for replies and not misunderstanding this as some fanboy troll attack.

 

mbevphoto.com

[JonathanStewartPhotos]

 I have a 10K rider on my homeowners specific to photo equipment.

I have that with the homeowner's too.  Or I should say "had." I made too many claims in one year (3, thanks to my wife variously dropping or losing gear), and they didn't renew.  Now I cover it through my auto insurer but they had a lot of questions about me being a "professional photographer." Seems many of these add-on policies are for amateurs only.  Anyhow, for $124 on the A7R2, it's cheap insurance to not rock the boat and cover me for scratched LCDs or heaven forbid a scratched sensor. 

[cengell]

Before the professional services program (which I haven't joined), I tried dealing with Sony's support and it really is abysmal.  Their operators are clueless about the cameras and photography in general and any repairs are farmed out to a terrible third-party shop that twice has sent back my lenses with inadequate packaging that led to damage in shipping and more delays.  Turnaround time for those was over TWO MONTHS!  For camera body repairs, they usually took at least one month. 

 

Subsequently, I purchased a third-party warranty from Square Trade, which was a great value. They deal with a very efficient repair shop out of Chicago that's much more transparent about the process, not to mention quick.  And, if they don't repair the item within 5 business days, you get a refund of the warranty cost.  If it's over 14 business days, you get back the full retail price of your item.  This happened to my a99, and I used the dough to buy a gently used body, and had about $1k left over.  So that's a great way around Sony's terrible service, although you do have to find a way to make any in-warranty issue into a non-warranty damage in order for the insurance to cover it.  Otherwise, they'll try to send you through Sony. 

 

Hello Jonathan, I am in Chicago, who is that repair shop name, I just might pickup the Square Trade warranty if I know that I would be using Sony 3rd party service?

Thanks

Christopher

[cengell]

Also about the Sony Pro Service you must also have a web site and give Sony that info as I don't but I meet all of the other requirements, but for $100 it's in warranty only and if out of warranty or impact damage went with StateFarm rider pro non-professional shooter and it is $1.60 per $100 or $16.00 per 1K and no limit.

 

What insurance company did not renew Jonathan, just curious.

 

Thanks

Christopher

[mBev]

Christopher: That's about same as I paid via Nationwide and now with Travelers, my switch.

[Pelle]

It also depends on the country. I walked into Sony Singapore with a fried a7r outside of warranty (power surge while charging). Obviously the person accepting the camera is mostly clueless and runs through a protocol, because she also handles phones, headsets, TVs and whatever Sony make these days, but that's fine. I knew the camera was toast, so no need for support or troubleshooting.

 

3 days later I got an email with a cost assessment that was more than reasonable. It also said that it would take around a week for the spare parts to be shipped to Singapore, but 5 days later it was ready for pickup.

 

I would imagine that problems that require more sophistication during repair than just replacing circuit boards could turn out differently. But the simple truth is, my specific problem was fixed faster and cheaper than I had hoped.

[artHarris]

Yes, their response IS country specific.

Here in the UK, they have their own service centre, in South Wales, and they have just returned my repaired A7R (after the shutter button fell off) two days after receiving it.

Out of warranty, service cost a standard reasonable fee, and the whole 'mechanics' had been checked as well - no more loud clunks on switch-off and the shutter MIGHT be quieter.

[OldNoob]

The thing people need to remember is that Nikon, Fuji, Pentax/Ricoh and even Canon to a lesser degree focus mainly on products using Optics and Photo-optics. It's their main product. So their support is going to be more focused and knowledgeable about their products. Sony on the other hand makes everything from pocket radios to construction equipment. I mean they are all over the map when it comes to products. Even some single products are made in various locations. For example PS3's where made in more than 3 countries and the internals were different to the point that updates affected some differently than others.

The optics Part of Sony was acquired from the acquisition of Minolta and Konica, we just can't expect the level of commitment to optics in customer support like we receive from Nikon and Canon.

However, I do recall Minolta's customer service was actually pretty good.

[dleibow]

I had a good experience with them, better than with Fuji service. This was a while ago, when one of the early releases needed some sort of revision. The camera went back and forth in a timely manner and the repair was completely fine.

David

[KWGeorge]

Wow sorry to hear people had issues, I myself had no problem at all when my A77 memory card slot broke. I went through the process, sent it in and in less than two weeks it was back and all fixed. No issues and no hassles.