In October 2009, I bought a Canon Powershot G11 - it was just released in the Swedish market and it was a gift to my husband.
In Jan 2010, we were on a trip to Denmark and all of a sudden the pictures turned out all white and the zoom didn't work. If we turn it off and then on again, we could take about ten pictures and then again, the pictures turned white.
We went to the local dealer where I bought it and they took it in as a warranty issue. We left it being convinced that they would contact us with a positive response. We heard nothing and after three months, we went back and were informed that the camera first had been sent to Stockholm and then to Germany. They told us that the camera had corrosion on the inside and we should pay approximately $370 to get it repaired. We were a bit confused asking how it can be corrosion and they told us that we must have dropped in water, pour liquid over it, used the camera in heavy rain or kept in a damped place. Nothing of these things was correct - we have not done anything like it.
I decided to contact Canon Support directly to get a better explanation which is only possible by a contact form on their homepage. I was contacted over the phone and they still claimed that it was a user problem. I was in contact with them a couple of times because I wasn't very satisfied with the answer.
At my last contact, they said that I might have taken pictures outside during wintertime and yes, we have maybe 5-7 times and then very short times.Their response was, you see, you have misused the camera and not done what you are supposed to do. I went through the user manual to see if there were any notifications about usage outside during wintertime and yes, I found a note at page 189 out of 193, where it said that when moving from cold to warm, the camera should be put into a vacuum plastic bag to adjust.
I have an IXUS that I have had for about six years and I have had no problems with that camera on taking pictures, summer as well as winter time.
I went to the governmental claim department and made a claim against Canon. I recently received the answer from Canon as a response to my claim where they still claims that we have dropped in water, spilled water, kept it in a damped place, etc. They also say that I cannot prove the opposite which is true. How is it possible to prove anything like that?
The claim is about the sensitivity of this camera and how it was presented in the user manual as well as the possibility that it might have been a leaky part from the very beginning. When a camera is so sensitive to cold/warm it should be on the warning page in the very beginning of the user manual not at the fourth last page.
They also claim that they have not heard anything about this claim before and that I have not been in contact with them. The thing is that there is no way to keep any correspondence with Canon, the only thing you receive is an email saying they have received your email. Fortunately, I kept these acknowledgements in my mail otherwise, I have had nothing to prove that I have been in contact with them.
I will never, ever buy another Canon, not only because the cost of the camera is not corresponding to the quality but also for the poor, ignorant support and service. It feels like they are actually accusing us of lying.
