Kudos to Canon Canada. They’ve exceeded this customer expectations by fixing a camera that was well out of warranty – for free. Turns out it was a manufacturers defect, and they’ve been resolutely dealing with it for quite some time.

And kudos for JS Electronics of Surrey for being part of that ( sorry, they don’t have a website that I can find. Try 202-12899 76th Ave). Sure, they were probably as skeptical about it as I was, so they charged me an ‘inspection fee’ before taking a look. But, in the end, the camera is fixed, the charges were reversed, and I’m happy.

Here’s the story.

Back in November 2003 I purchased a Canon ZR70MC video cam. I managed to use it a couple of times before life just got in the way.  I had to put it aside, and it sat in the case in a cabinet until about December 2006, when I had more time to play.

When I pulled it out around Christmas to try again: dead. Well, not completely dead. Everything seemed to work except the view finder and  LCD screen. Fine, I could take my video (I think), but not know exactly what I was taking a video of.

I ended up putting it back in the cabinet until a week ago, when I pulled it out again, bent on seeing what I could do to get it working for the summer.

First step: google “canon  ZR70MC”, of course. At that point I ran across a few reviews mentioning a similar problem. It sounded like Canon was offering to fix that model, no matter what the warranty situation. Apparently it was a manufacturer’s defect in the CCD that came to light soon after the camera was released. However, there didn’t seem to be any dates on the reviews.

OK, off to Canon’s website, where I found a technical note. Sure enough, it was true. They were offering to fix the problem. But what about now; after 3 years, and no extended warranty?

I phoned the help line mentioned on the website. Yikes. I got someone on the line in a matter of seconds. After explaining what I was looking at (or rather, not looking at) the rep just said to take it into a repair center. They would repair it at no charge. He provided the local address for JS Electronics without a beat.

Off to JS Electronics, just a few minutes way. The fellow there that I talked to explained that yes, the repairs could be made for free, as long as the CCD was the root of the problem. Other things could also be at fault. It would cost me $50+tax for them to have a look and be sure. I’d know in a week.

I dutifully made a note to my skeptical self to give them a call a week later. Today, before I could call them, they called me. My camera was ready, there would be no charge, and they would be refunding the deposit I’d made.

All’s well. Talk about a warm fuzzy feeling. Today I’m a raving fan of Canon Cameras and JS Electronics in Surrey. So there.

Well done folks!

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