DVX100b Corrosion/corruption issue???

jbrandon

jbrandon

Active member
I bought a brand new DVX100b from EVS in February (3 months ago). I've shot about 50 hours of footage with the thing so far and have loved it. Since I'm planning to take the camera to Haiti for a few weeks and will not have acccess to any service centers down there, I decided to have the camera looked at and thoroughly cleaned by an authorized service center... than all hell broke loose.

I brought a functional camera into the repair shop yesterday and left to grab a coffee while they cleaned the cam. 30 minutes later I walk in and hear the news that my camera is in much worse shape than when I dropped it off, that he can't even get it to power up, and that 'corrosion' is the culprit. What? I just bought this thing 3 months ago! Can anyone tell me the causes of corrosion, is water the only cause, how long does it take to 'grow'?

Apparently this issue isn't covered under warranty, which I can understand. My issue is this: I brought a working camera in to be cleaned and now the camera won't even power up. This doesn't seem right to me and I feel like it's the responsibility of a repair center to return a product in at least the same working condition as how you dropped it off. Thoughts on this? Any magic phone numbers to call at Panasonic?
 
Wow, they didn't explain where the corrosion occured at? I'd first try talking to the manager of the place to see what they are willing to do. If they refuse to do anything, threaten them with legal action and assure them that they are in the wrong. If they don't budge, then there's a problem. Usually threatening to seek legal action is enough to get companies moving.
 
That doesn't sound acceptable at all. I had my original DVX for three years and used it in all sorts of conditions and never had any corrosion issue. If you never got the unit wet or near water, how could it be corroded?

Sounds like they're mixing up someone else's cam with yours. Good luck sorting that out, but unless you did something to cause corrosion, it just doesn't seem right.
 
Barry and dj200423, thank you for your responses! I'm hoping that the response I've been getting from Panasonic and this service center are not typical of Panasonic, I've never dealt with such indifference from such a large and seemingly respectable company... For example, yesterday I called up the repair center (a panasonic certified center) and told them I couldn't believe I brought my working camera in to be cleaned and that now they are telling me it can't even power up without at least $300 worth of work. The guy answered me by saying, "yeah, and sometimes patients die of heart attacks in the doctor's office too." I'm puzzled by this sort of approach to customer service.

So, my situation is clear: My $4,000 camera was functioning normally when I brought it in to be cleaned and now it is useless. He tells me that corrosion is the problem and showed me two boards that had some corrosion (I'm not even convinced that these boards were even from my camera, but maybe I'm just being paranoid). I don't understand how my camera could have become corroded so profusely within a matter of 3 months of buying the camera that it won't even power up any more. The only exposure to moisture that has happened that I can think of is 1) humidity, and 2) a stray drop of sweat here and there.

the repair people told me that I "brought in a failed camera that was waiting to fail." And that it was going to fail on me anyway at some point. Panasonic won't cover this under warranty because they keep listening to this guy saying that it's full of corrosion and water damage. My insurance probably won't cover it because it didn't fail due to a "sudden, accidental" event such as dropping it or theft.

I feel like Panasonic and this service center are giving me the middle finger.

dj200423: any suggestion on what sort of a lawyer I might seek out for this sort of things? I've never brought litigation before and want that to be a final straw effort when all else fails, but it doesn't hurt to know the steps.
 
and I almost forgot the most troubling part!! I'm supposed to be leaving tomorrow morning for 4 weeks of pro-bono charity video work in Haiti, so getting this camera running was a huge priority for me. This issue has forced me to postpone the trip indefinitely. But here is why: yesterday around 4pm I decided to cave in and pay this guy $300 for this board that he says will make my camera work. I didn't think it was ethical, but I decided to cut my losses because of my impending haiti trip. I asked him 'what is the soonest you could get the part and install it?' and he said 'hold on a second, let me check.' A couple of minutes later he is back on the phone saying "yeah, we have decided to decline service to you based on the events of earlier today. the camera is on the shelf and you can come pick it up, but we're not going to touch it anymore." WHAT? What events? Was he upset that I called him to voice my displeasure that my working camera was now dead? Was he upset that I called Panasonic to investigate my coverage under warranty?

At this point I'm hoping to get to haiti within 2 weeks. These guys are the closest service center to me (110 miles away). I just want a working camera and a positive customer service experience. What can I do now???
 
Wow this camera place sounds really shady. Their work ethic alone is enough to stay away from. Might I ask what comapny this is? I live in Indiana as well and would like to avoid this company at all costs.

I can't recommend for certain a type of lawyer that would handle this, most likely a small-claims lawyer.

I doubt you'll have to seek legal action ever, just call and as for the manager. When you speak to him, demand that they fix the damages. If he declines, just drop the two phrases "I will seek legal action" and "I will report you to the Better Business Bureau". Those are any company's worst nightmares and it's sure to get them moving.

You COULD call a local small claims firm and talk to them about it. I don't think they would charge you or anything for a simple phone call asking some questions.

Good luck man, I hope this gets worked out in time for your trip.
 
Like Barry mentioned: it might be a simple error of mistaken identity: if you call back, MAKE SURE they look at the cam and tell you the serial number; then double check against your records to make sure they are talking about your cam.
Of course, if they mixed the cams up AFTER they opened them, and have a disorganized repair facility, there might be little you can do about it...:-(
 
Aram: Isn't there something to be said about preventative maintenence? I thought that getting the thing maintenenced and cleaned by a certified technician was the best way for me to take care of my cam... At least I thought so.

... I just picked up my camera and it is indeed not functioning properly. The LCD screen and none of the controls work, but the viewfinder is working and it powers up. I have a feeling that they left the control panel board disconnected for one reason or another.

I'm in contact with Panasonic and hopefully we can work our way to a solution.
 
I know of only one 100B here in Chico, CA. and it had to be repaired due to corrosion. Had to do with the audio circuitry.

Hope this helps.

-a
 
bikefilms said:
I know of only one 100B here in Chico, CA. and it had to be repaired due to corrosion. Had to do with the audio circuitry.
Click to expand...

Could it be that there was a flaw with the first few batches of the 100b model? Any more stories like this?
 
I've herd of this problem before, I remember the guy talking about his air conditioner and that he lived on the beach.


Do you live by saltwater?

How low do you keep your air conditioner?


Or like Barry said, maybe someone did mix them up.
 
I don't live by saltwater and the only air conditioning that the camera has been in was in an airplane (it was safely stowed in the overhead compartment).

To answer the earlier question, this particular service center is located in West Dundee, IL and is called Fox Valley Video Services "FVVS." Apparently, they've 'worked on thousands of these' and have never had an issue like this before... I guess there is a first for everything. Maybe I'm the first person who has ever objected to this sort of treatment?
 
I'd lodge a Better Business Bureau complaint over the way you were treated. That sounds like horrible service to me. I can't say for sure if the camera was corroded or not, but their business practices seem shady in the least. At least you'll be able to officially voice your complaint and hopefully get them to wake up and treat people decently. Also, it will show up in their file as an official complaint and others may be alerted to the troubles you have had.
 
Tell them to reassemble your cam in front of you. If they wont do that then tell them you want the camera back with the part dissembled. If they wont do that then tell them fine, but you insist they note on the receipt that the camera was dissembled by them to inspect, and they re-assembled the camera.

Then pick it up AND ask for a detailed written description of what they feel is "wrong" with your camera. Make sure it’s on their stationary and signed by the technician. Have them also write down why they refused to service the camera on this receipt.

Then ask for the owner’s full name (or manager on duty- someone in charge that day) and the business address and phone number.

If they ask why tell them you need this info because you are going to have the camera looked at by another repair facility to get a second opinion. Then tell them you are logging a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (which you can do even if they are not a member) AND you are registering a complaint with the Illinois State Attorney Generals office AND you are registering a complaint with Panasonic

link to the BBB complaint forms:
http://complaint.bbb.org/

link to the Illinois State Attorney Generals Office Consumer Affairs Dept:
http://www.ag.state.il.us/consumers/index.html

link to Panasonic HQ/Consumer Affairs Division in Secaucus NJ:
http://www.trenton.bbb.org/nis/newsearch2.asp?ID=1&ComID=0221000029001077

These people have f**ked you over. Your camera was working fine and they screwed it up somehow. You must not let them get away with this, if you do its your own fault. You need to become a serious thorn in their side, and this will hopefully get your camera repaired- FREE.

When you have contacted the three above, ask for confirmation back from them, then make copies of that and foreword them on to this company, advising them you are considering taking them to small claims court.

This will take some hard work but you have to stand up for yourself and the American Consumer.
 
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