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Posts Tagged ‘authorized’

Canon removes dozens of authorized dealers in the United States

21 Feb

Canon USA has updated its authorized dealers list, removing dozens of dealers from its network. According to Canon Price Watch, this change took place on February 13 and initially involved 86 authorized dealers; however, Canon reached out on February 18 to clarify that certain dealers had been removed due to ‘administrative errors’ and that they had since been added back on to the list.

Sources speaking to the website claim the changes were made as a way to cut Canon USA’s operating costs. Online-only dealers and small stores were primarily affected by this change. Canon says that it added back in some dealers, including military exchanges, which were initially removed by mistake.

As of February 18, a total of 71 authorized dealers had been removed by Canon, including destinations like 33 Street Camera, Maui Digital Imaging, Rochester Institute of Technology, Santa Monica Camera, Camera Center of New York, B&C Photo and more. New York and California experienced the largest number of removals.

Canon USA maintains a list of its authorized dealers on its website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Nikon is killing off its authorized repair program in March 2020

11 Dec

Repair website iFixit has confirmed Nikon will be ending its authorized repair program in the United States in March 2020, effectively de-authorizing more than a dozen independent shops across the U.S.

The news first came from a letter obtained by iFixit that Nikon USA sent out to its roughly 15 remaining Authorized Repair Stations in early November. The letter notes that Nikon will not be renewing its agreements with the shops after March 31, 2020, meaning these stores will unlikely be able to obtain genuine Nikon parts, as Nikon stopped selling genuine parts to non-authorized shops back in 2012. This will leave just two facilities on opposite sides of the U.S. — in Melville, New York and Los Angeles, California — compared to the roughly 15 shops currently in operation.

An illustration showing the weather-sealing around the perimeter of the Nikon D700 frame.

According to iFixit, the letter notes ‘The climate in which we do business has evolved, and Nikon Inc. must do the same.’ As a result, Nikon needs to ‘change the manner in which we make product service available to our end-user customers.’

Nikon confirmed the news in a statement to iFixit, saying ‘We remain committed to providing the best product support and repair services to our customers.’ However, Nikon didn’t respond to iFixit’s question regarding whether or not former authorized shops will still have ‘access to parts or other official services.’

In its coverage, iFixit spoke with half-a-dozen of the authorized repair shops — most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity —that received the letter and shared statements and thoughts from managers and owners. As you can expect, it doesn’t look good for the independent shops (or photographers who don’t want to ship their gear halfway across the country for a repair); repairing Nikon camera gear is about to get much more difficult after March 31, 2020.

We have contacted NIkon for a comment of our own and will update the article accordingly if we receive a response. In the meantime, head on over to iFixit to read the full report.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Nikon confirms some counterfeit EN-EL15b batteries were sold by authorized retailers

29 May

Last week, B&H Photo began emailing customers who had purchased Nikon EN-EL15b rechargeable Li-ion camera batteries, advising these buyers that they may have received units from a ‘subpar batch.’ The company didn’t elaborate on what subpar meant in this instance, but did state that it would replace all Nikon EN-EL15b batteries it had shipped because it couldn’t determine which customers had received the bad units.

Following a leak that claimed as much, Nikon has confirmed counterfeit EN-EL15b batteries have been sold by authorized retailers to some of its camera owners. In a statement to DPReview, a Nikon spokesperson said:

We have been made aware that some customers who purchased individual EN-EL15b batteries from authorized Nikon retailers received defective product. These batteries are not genuine and were not manufactured or distributed by Nikon USA. Concerned users can find a guide for determining if the battery they have purchased is a genuine Nikon battery at this link.

Counterfeit batteries may be poorly constructed and cause damage to the camera hardware; lithium-ion batteries are known to be volatile and counterfeit units are particularly prone to overheating, which may result in fire or explosion. In addition to the fake EN-EL15b batteries, Nikon says it has been alerted to other counterfeit batteries intended for its hardware, including fake versions of its EN-EL11, EN-EL10, EN-EL9a, and others.

Nikon customers who have purchased camera batteries from third-party sources can evaluate their products for signs of being counterfeit using Nikon’s guide. Indications may include font differences in the logo and text on the battery and the possible inclusion of the battery model number on the front of the batteries.

B&H Photo encourages its customers to recycle the EN-EL15b batteries they received from the retailer. These customers will receive free authentic replacement batteries from B&H, which will send both order processed and shipment emails to the customers.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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