
Ramachandran of Bangalore, Other on Sept. 28, 2010
Service complaint: Job no **, Camera serial number: 4001121. Model No DSC-S650. Service Invoice Number: **.
This is with reference to the above mentioned job number. I am writing to you to express my dissatisfaction over the level of service provided. The camera was working fine for a period of 3 years after which I had an issue with horizontal lines when taking still photos. I tried different set of batteries and the issue remained the same. I then took the camera to the Indiranagar, Sony service center located on Si Krishna Temple Road. They had the camera checked and got back to me saying that the issue is with the Lens block assembly and gave an estimate of Rs. 3,380.00.
I had given them the approval to proceed with the repair. I received a call from them after the repair was done and went to the Indiranagar office to collect the camera. I checked the camera and found it to be working fine. I then brought the camera home.
The very next day, I had the same issue with the camera and I took it back to them. They took the camera back and told me they would get back to me after the issue with the camera was fixed. They got back to me after a few days and I went to their office again to collect the camera. On checking the camera in their office, it was working fine. I then brought the camera back home.
The very next day, the camera showed up the same issue again. I took the camera back to them for the third time again. They kept the camera with them and told me that they would get back to me after the issue is resolved with the camera.
I received a call after a weeks time saying the camera was ready. I then went to their office again to collect the camera. When the person at the counter switched on the camera there was no display on the LCD screen. They then took the camera back in and brought it out after two minutes. The camera was working fine when I had it checked in their office. I then brought the camera back home.
The very next day, the LCD screen on the camera was not working again. I then went to the Indiranagar office for the fourth time and gave them the camera again. Then took the camera back and told me they would get in touch with me after the camera is fixed. By this time the people in the service center were sick and tired of seeing me every second day and I too was sick and tired of going up and down the service center.
They then called me back after a few days and told me that the camera was ready. I then went to their office again to collect the camera. When I collected the camera, I realized it was not the same camera I had given for repair as it looked pretty new. I have been using the camera for three years and can easily make out if it is the same camera or not. The color in the edges of my camera were faded out due to repeated removal and insertion from it cover.
I told the lady at the counter that this is not my camera. She insisted it is my camera and said it has the same serial number. I checked the serial number on the camera it was the same. On close inspection of the serial number sticker one can easily make out that it was peeled off and pasted again. I told the same to the lady, she still stuck to the point that it was the same camera I had given for repair. Even the yellow sticker with the blue border in the front of the camera was removed and pasted again as it was curling up at one corner and not pasted straight as it was in my old camera. I then realized that they were not able to resolve the issue with the original camera and were fed up with me coming in every second day, they had swapped the camera itself.
That was alright with me as long as it worked well. Then began the saga of different issues with the camera. When recording videos the audio was not clear at all. I then called up the Mysore Road office and spoke to the technician there. He told me to have the camera deposited in the Mysore road office to have it checked. He also told me that the L2 engineer Mr. ** has come to the Indiranagar office. He told me to meet him and have the camera checked by him.
I then went to the Indiranagar office a fifth time and met Mr. **, I then told him the issue I had with the camera. ** looked into immediately and had the camera checked. He then told me to wait for a while he checked the camera. After a while, he got back to me and had the issue with the sound recording resolved, he told me that there was dust accumulate in the microphone which was cleaned out.
The camera was working fine, when I had it checked in the Indiranagar office. I then brought the camera back home. By the time all the activities were done the 30-day service warrant of the camera was also over.
I now started getting another problem with the camera, the flash started playing up. It was either too bright where the photo was all white, or the flash did not fire up properly where the photos were all dark. I thought the issue to be with the battery and tried a new set of Sony batteries. The issue remained the same. More over the quality of the photos were very poor. The camera also does not indicate the correct level of the power remaining in the battery, it also consumes too much of battery.I then contacted the Indiranagar office and informed them about the new issue with the camera, and I was told that I should be paying the service charge again as the 30-day service warranty has expired. In the first place, I have my droughts if the Lens Block Assembly was replaced in the original camera, as the same issue kept reoccurring. They had the camera tweaked and go to it working, after too many a tweaking the camera started developing issues with the LCD screen as a result they decided to swap the camera itself, with another faulty one which had a different issue.
I am now sitting with a camera which is nothing more than an expensive show piece in my show case . This level of service is not acceptable by any standards. The product may be discontinued, but it is hard earned money of the customer that you are playing with.
I did not know your level of service is so poor. My mother liked the clarity of the photos taken in my old camera, so I gifted her with a Sony camera a few months back. If I knew this is how you treat customers, I would have got her a different brand. There is no doubt that Sony products are good, but it should be matched with good service also.
I am not willing to spend any more money on the camera, as I feel it is not worthwhile. I have made seven trips to Indiranagar office for this camera and the same issue and I am still not in a position to use the camera after spending all this money. I have taken great care in using the camera in the last three years and in a matter of a month the Indiranagar service center has ruined my camera, rendering it useless after spending all the money.
I want the money spent on the camera refunded, or have the camera replaced with a brand new one. A camera, that works. I was so sick and tired of running behind this that I had put everything aside for some time, but I have decided to do something about it now as one should not be allowed to get away, after ruining the customers hard earned money.