There’s something wrong with your photo gear and you need it fixed. Now what? After reading this blog, you’ll have a good idea of how we handle repairs and a list of the recommended local, independent workshops.
Note that Outdoorphoto does not have the facility nor the technical expertise to repair your gear and as such, we only act as the middleman by sending it to the manufacturer on your behalf, or advising independent workshops for products out of warranty.
Products under warranty
For products still under warranty, we recommend acting as the middleman on your behalf. Essentially, we’re the drop-off point for your gear. Unless there are signs of impact or water damage, we will not charge you a handling fee.
Where do we send the products?
Locally: We send Canon products to CameraTek, Nikon to their dedicated workshop and all other products straight to their suppliers.
Internationally:
- All major Fujifilm repairs go to the UK.
- Binoculars still under warranty go overseas for repairs. International courier fees are from R1400 and include an Outdoorphoto handling fee of R380 even when under warranty. The process takes anything from 14 to 16 weeks, depending on the amount of damage. For binoculars out of warranty, we advise sending them to Radiolens in Pretoria, South Africa.
© Sarah Dorweiler
Products out of warranty
If an item is no longer under warranty, you have two options:
- You can allow us to arrange everything for you, for which we will charge a handling fee of R380 to arrange everything for you, including courier and insurance – yes, you can trust us with handling your valuable gear.
- You can take the product directly to any of the recommended workshops below.
Note that, since many manufacturers choose not to supply independent repair shops with spares, these workshops may not be able to help in all circumstances.
The repair process
The process starts out with us getting the most affordable and suitable quote, including arranging transport. Depending on the damage, photo gear may take up to three weeks (with courier) to repair. If the repair requires extra parts, the process may take up to six weeks.
Our repair consultants will call you immediately with the extended timeline information as we like to keep you informed of each stage of the repair journey.
Independent workshops for out-of-warranty gear
For products out of warranty, we recommend taking your gear to these excellent workshops with trained technicians. (Note that we do not courier products to these stores and that it is the responsibility of the client to take the gear in themselves.)
On arrival to the workshop, there will be an assessment fee, which can be anything from R300 to R600 depending on the workshop and item you need repairing. A major bonus of these workshops is that they often stock parts of items that are out of production, so you might be able to get your vintage companion a great fix.
Address: Unit A9 Ridge Road, Laser Park. Honeydew, Johannesburg.
Website: www.fdcs.web.za
E-mail: admin@fdcs.web.za (ask to speak with Andrew or Jonathan for excellent service)
Cell: 073 635 2121 / 076 366 8516
Speciality: Radiolens offers excellent services for optics.
Address: 251 Lynnwood Road, Brooklyn, Pretoria
Tel: 012 362 3535
Address: 160 Lynnwood Road (nearest corner Duncan street), Hillcrest, Pretoria
E-mail: ludwigsphoto@gmail.com
Tel: 012 362 4268
Cell: 083 456 9702
Feature image courtesy of Smart Photo Courses.
I urge you expand this article to reflect Nikon’s SA’s policy of not providing spares to independent repair shops. When my D300 (carefully used and stored) refused to respond to battery insertion, I received the following from the C.T. service centre: “Repair Details: Camera is out of service period. Repair with no warranty if all spares are available. To replace I/F base plate, DC/DC’s and AF PCB unit. Clean and test. R4600.00” N.B. [1] Availability of spares for the flagship APSC model of its time not guaranteed. [2] No guarantee on parts / labour. [3] Price +/- = Used value. [4] Independent Photo-repair shops cannot assist.
This when the cause is a faulty component – this is a known problem per the web, but factory takes no responsibility. You & other retailers have zero chance of me ever considering another Nikon device !