Nikon Customer Service Sucks

I am the ultimate consumer and referrer. If a have good experience with a company, I will rave about it to all my friends and I will insist that they need one too. In these tough economic times, I would like to believe that companies are really focusing on their customer service. I still believe that a product is only as good as the company behind it.

Below are companies with great customer service:

- Kitchenaid: I blogged about the company when I had trouble with my brand new Pro 600 mixer. I called them. The customer service person asked me a few questions and according to my answers, she determined that I had a defective mixer. She sent a new one out right away. A few days later, I got a brand new mixer. I put my old mixer into the box, affixed a FedEx label that they provided and shipped it back to them. Now that is awesome customer service!

- Williams-Sonoma: I bought a Le Creuset pot online and when I opened the box, it was a little scratched up. I called my local store in Cherry Creek and I talked to Chris. He was really nice. He put a new one aside for me and when I walked in, he handed me my new pot and I gave him my old one. Awesome customer service!

- Corningware: You know that company that makes the french white casserole dishes? Well I bought a 15-piece set on clearance and I knew that some of the lids were damaged. I went on their website looking for replacement lids. They didn't sell them. I emailed customer service to inquire about purchasing replacement lids. One day I open my front door and the UPS guy left me a box from World Kitchen, LLC. I was confused because I usually get all my purchases delivered to work. I opened the box and inside were replacement lids for my Corningware. Awesome customer service!

- Nordstrom: All I can say is, "I love Nordstrom."

So now let's talk about an example of bad customer service.

I bought a new Nikon over the weekend. I finally decided to suck it up and get one. One of the lens came out of the box defective. The autofocus was not working. We did some troubleshooting and even tried the exact same lens on the camera and that lens worked. So we determined the lens was defective. I called the store that I bought it from an they said they would gladly do an exchange but when they checked their inventory, they were out and were not planning on buying any more of this special limited time offer kit. I asked if they could switch out the lens since they still carry the same lens. They couldn't. They assured me that I could get a full refund.

I wanted to keep my camera because I already customized many of the settings and I was attached. I called Nikon for a resolution. I assumed they would send me a replacement lens and have me ship back the defective lens. They can fix it up and sell it as a refurbished product. Nope. They said I will have to send my lens back (postage paid by me) and they will do an evaluation. They do not guarantee that they will replace (and it is unlikely they will replace). The manager encouraged me to go return the camera and get a refund because if I send my lens in, they will likely send me an estimate of the repair cost. I was like, "you will charge me to fix an item that was defective right out of the box!?!?!? And I cannot believe you are encouraging me to return a pretty expensive product. And if I do return it, I am so scarred by my experience with your company that I will buy a camera from their competitor."

I just recommended a Nikon to a friend. She wants a DSLR to take pictures of the new babe. I told her about my experience. Let's just say she will not be buying a Nikon. I also told another friend. She has never dealt with Nikon customer service but she assumed their customer service would be just as good if not better than Canon's customer service. She had an issue with her Canon when she first purchased it. Canon replaced it. She will not be buying a Nikon as a backup camera.

I cannot support a company that will not do everything to make it right for the customer. The manager even accused me of trying to trick them with an counterfeit lens. WTF?!! I have a receipt. I have the box and documentation with serial numbers on the docs, box and heck even on the camera and lenses. I think they even embroidered a serial number on the darn Nikon carrying case.

I'm so frustrated. The camera is going back tonight.