One of my friends emailed me yesterday. She dropped her digital camera and now it isn’t working quite right. For most of us cameras are a large investment. Not to mention all the photos she is missing due to not having a working camera. Her daughter is a very active teenager, participates in several extracurricular activities and many different sports. She wanted to know my opinion if she should repair it, get a refurbished one or possibly replace it.
The camera is powering on fine, she can take one photo, the screen goes dark and she can’t take another photo. She purchased the camera about 14 months ago for around $600 and loves the quality of photos she has been getting.
She email Canon and found out she had two options with them. First she could send it in for repair. They will charge her $119 plus the price of parts to repair the camera. She will be without her camera for a couple weeks while they repair it. The negatives I see with this option are the parts could add up quickly and she is without her camera for several weeks.
The second option is to have Canon send a refurbished camera for $199. She would get the refurbished camera quicker and it came with a 6 month warranty. The drawbacks are I am always a little hesitant in getting a refurbished electronic item. I have no idea how it has been used or abused in its previous life.
Replacing the camera really isn’t an option at this point. If the cost to repair was more than half the cost of buying new it might be something to consider. I know my budget doesn’t allow me to spend $600 yearly on a camera.
My advice to her was to call Canon directly and talk to a customer support representative. If the camera didn’t power on at all it would be hard to diagnose but since has a very specific issue they might be able to give her a better idea of what the actual repair costs could be. I also suggested she find a local camera store this weekend. They may have another option for repairs. Of course always use a reputable company when handing over your electronic equipment.