Steve'sDigicams

smithmal · Jun 13, 2006, 11:04 PM

Well, after 3 months of Sony screwing around with my Z3, they finally called "uncle" and have decided to either refund my money, or offer me a "suitable replacement." I believed their excuse was they had problems acquiring the necessary parts. BTW, the part which was being replaced by Sony was the lens (this may indicate that the Z3 lens has a short shelf life?).

The replacement they offered with the Sony Cybershot DSC-H2. It's got 12x optical zoom, image stabilization just like the Z3. However it's 6MP which is an upgrade from the Z3's 4MP. The knock on the Cybershot is it only uses Sony's version of the memory stick (at least it's said only the earlier models do). Sony did offer to throw in a 512kb memory stick along with the camera. I'm trying to get them to offer a 1GB to offset the SD card I purchased for the Z3. I'll report back later to let yall know if they're negotiable with that.

So, what does everyone think of the replacement offer? Yeah or nay? I paid $280 for my Z3. Best price I could find for the H2 is $325. From the H1 review here on Steve's Digicams, the H2 would seem to be a pretty good bargin.

Just wanted to let you guys know in case you send your Z3 in. If my situation is any indication, they'll probably offer you a replacement or refund your money if you're within the warrenty period.

JimC · Jun 14, 2006, 9:27 AM

Trying to negotiate a larger Memory Stick?

You're getting a newer model camera that's worth more than you paid for your Z3 when you bought it (and "bang for the buck" has gotten better since then).

I'd say take the deal and be happy. :-)

sothye · Jun 20, 2006, 9:25 PM

Hi Guys!

U know what? Last night, I tried SWOTS (Soft Whack On THe Side).. And now my Z3 works fine!!!!!

I don't whack it down the stairs but just a hard throw on my bed couple of times. After several times.. hahaha.. it works fine now! I recommend u guys to test this out first, before u go whacking it down the stairs as the last resort... ;-)

smithmal · Jun 21, 2006, 11:31 AM

Final report: Sony ok'd the 1GB memory stick upgrade and they're sending the replacement unit out Monday June 26th. It's been a long road on this, but it would seem that Sony is willing to cut their losses with the Z3 and provide a replacement model since they've taken over the repair responsibilities of Konica cameras (at least in my case). Hope everyone has a quicker road to getting their Z3 fixed/replaced than I did.

smithmal

bpkbpk · Jun 28, 2006, 1:25 PM

FYI,

I ended up sending my Z3 to sony/konica to get the zoom problem fixed.

I finally got it back after about 8 wks. Cost of "minor" parts and fixing was about

$165.

BPK

buxtonguy · Aug 31, 2006, 7:17 AM

yep - so I got the fault after 11 months ... and now again (after warranty repair) at 18 months. Sony pass the buck to Konica (in spite of their website saying that they have taken over respondibility for customer care for Konica owners) , Konica dont reply, their repair centre in the UK quote £88 + P&P for a repair ... that I'm sure will happen again !

Has anyone succeeded in getting satisfaction (free repair or replacement) from either Sony or Konica ? .... I'm giving them a hard time and threatening legal action due to selling a camera with an inherant fault and selling an item unfit for purpose !

Failing any success with Sony I intend buying the Panasonic FZ7 !!!

Jon

buxtonguy · Sep 7, 2006, 5:02 PM

OK - Mr Sony he says .... tough ! You bought the camera ... its out of warrant y now... it seems you can only expect 12 months service for a £350 camera !

Based on my contention that a breakdown at 11 months and 18 months constitutes 'inherant fault' + the fact that all the guys on here also experience the same fault leads me to want to persue the matter further .... guess I'll have to contact the UK Trading Standards Authority ... and in the meantime pay out another £350 on a new (non-Konica or Sony !) camera since I cant afford to wait whilst these companies mess about with their consumer base ... aka me !

Clive Egginton · Sep 7, 2006, 6:54 PM

Buxtonguy:

I'm sure that Trading Standards will tell you that your beef is actually with the people who took your money, so - from whom did you buy it? Having said that, I bought mine from Amazon but I dealt with KM directly with my Z3's problems (although it was still in warranty then).

What you need to quote to them (the vendors) is from the Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002 and it covers goods purchased after 31 Mar 2003. There is a useful guide at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/consumers/fact...page24700.html

Keep up the fight.

Clive

buxtonguy · Sep 9, 2006, 10:39 AM

Thanks Clive - I'll bear this in mind ... camera was a present so have to check vendor...

BUT - guess what ... since I considered it dead, and was just about to order a Panasonic ZF7 from Amazon .... I thought I would give it the 'thump' test ... I hit it quite hard several times to no avail ... so in desperation hit it several times very hard against a table top (hitting the back of the camera body) .... IT WORKS AGAIN !

Dont know how long it will last or whether the thump repair will work again .... will keep you posted ... but saved myself £220 for the moment (and I actually quite like the Z3)

Cheers all

gadgetnut · Sep 10, 2006, 8:51 PM

Hi guys. I have a Z1 that has served me well. A friend of mine liked it enough to look into getting one for himself, but they've been discontinued for too long. In his searching he came across several refurbished Z3s on ebay. He got one for $150 and he's very happy with it. It seems to be in perfect condition and he got a warranty with it. Why am I telling you this? Two reasons:

1. If your Z3 breaks, do NOT pay more than $150 to fix it. You can replace it for that much.

2. Ther were so many refurbed Z3s available, I couldn't help but wonder why. It seems there may be a "known problem" with that model.

Just thought I'd mention it.

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Jun 13, 2006, 11:04 PM	#21
smithmal Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 7	Well, after 3 months of Sony screwing around with my Z3, they finally called "uncle" and have decided to either refund my money, or offer me a "suitable replacement." I believed their excuse was they had problems acquiring the necessary parts. BTW, the part which was being replaced by Sony was the lens (this may indicate that the Z3 lens has a short shelf life?). The replacement they offered with the Sony Cybershot DSC-H2. It's got 12x optical zoom, image stabilization just like the Z3. However it's 6MP which is an upgrade from the Z3's 4MP. The knock on the Cybershot is it only uses Sony's version of the memory stick (at least it's said only the earlier models do). Sony did offer to throw in a 512kb memory stick along with the camera. I'm trying to get them to offer a 1GB to offset the SD card I purchased for the Z3. I'll report back later to let yall know if they're negotiable with that. So, what does everyone think of the replacement offer? Yeah or nay? I paid $280 for my Z3. Best price I could find for the H2 is $325. From the H1 review here on Steve's Digicams, the H2 would seem to be a pretty good bargin. Just wanted to let you guys know in case you send your Z3 in. If my situation is any indication, they'll probably offer you a replacement or refund your money if you're within the warrenty period.

Jun 14, 2006, 9:27 AM	#22
JimC Administrator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Savannah, GA (USA) Posts: 15,159	Trying to negotiate a larger Memory Stick? You're getting a newer model camera that's worth more than you paid for your Z3 when you bought it (and "bang for the buck" has gotten better since then). I'd say take the deal and be happy. :-)

Jun 20, 2006, 9:25 PM	#23
sothye Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 2	Hi Guys! U know what? Last night, I tried SWOTS (Soft Whack On THe Side).. And now my Z3 works fine!!!!! I don't whack it down the stairs but just a hard throw on my bed couple of times. After several times.. hahaha.. it works fine now! I recommend u guys to test this out first, before u go whacking it down the stairs as the last resort... ;-)

Jun 21, 2006, 11:31 AM	#24
smithmal Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 7	Final report: Sony ok'd the 1GB memory stick upgrade and they're sending the replacement unit out Monday June 26th. It's been a long road on this, but it would seem that Sony is willing to cut their losses with the Z3 and provide a replacement model since they've taken over the repair responsibilities of Konica cameras (at least in my case). Hope everyone has a quicker road to getting their Z3 fixed/replaced than I did. smithmal

Jun 28, 2006, 1:25 PM	#25
bpkbpk Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 4	FYI, I ended up sending my Z3 to sony/konica to get the zoom problem fixed. I finally got it back after about 8 wks. Cost of "minor" parts and fixing was about $165. BPK

Aug 31, 2006, 7:17 AM	#26
buxtonguy Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 3	yep - so I got the fault after 11 months ... and now again (after warranty repair) at 18 months. Sony pass the buck to Konica (in spite of their website saying that they have taken over respondibility for customer care for Konica owners) , Konica dont reply, their repair centre in the UK quote £88 + P&P for a repair ... that I'm sure will happen again ! Has anyone succeeded in getting satisfaction (free repair or replacement) from either Sony or Konica ? .... I'm giving them a hard time and threatening legal action due to selling a camera with an inherant fault and selling an item unfit for purpose ! Failing any success with Sony I intend buying the Panasonic FZ7 !!! Jon

Sep 7, 2006, 5:02 PM	#27
buxtonguy Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 3	OK - Mr Sony he says .... tough ! You bought the camera ... its out of warrant y now... it seems you can only expect 12 months service for a £350 camera ! Based on my contention that a breakdown at 11 months and 18 months constitutes 'inherant fault' + the fact that all the guys on here also experience the same fault leads me to want to persue the matter further .... guess I'll have to contact the UK Trading Standards Authority ... and in the meantime pay out another £350 on a new (non-Konica or Sony !) camera since I cant afford to wait whilst these companies mess about with their consumer base ... aka me !

Sep 7, 2006, 6:54 PM	#28
Clive Egginton Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 43	Buxtonguy: I'm sure that Trading Standards will tell you that your beef is actually with the people who took your money, so - from whom did you buy it? Having said that, I bought mine from Amazon but I dealt with KM directly with my Z3's problems (although it was still in warranty then). What you need to quote to them (the vendors) is from the Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002 and it covers goods purchased after 31 Mar 2003. There is a useful guide at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/consumers/fact...page24700.html Keep up the fight. Clive

Sep 9, 2006, 10:39 AM	#29
buxtonguy Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 3	Thanks Clive - I'll bear this in mind ... camera was a present so have to check vendor... BUT - guess what ... since I considered it dead, and was just about to order a Panasonic ZF7 from Amazon .... I thought I would give it the 'thump' test ... I hit it quite hard several times to no avail ... so in desperation hit it several times very hard against a table top (hitting the back of the camera body) .... IT WORKS AGAIN ! Dont know how long it will last or whether the thump repair will work again .... will keep you posted ... but saved myself £220 for the moment (and I actually quite like the Z3) Cheers all

Sep 10, 2006, 8:51 PM	#30
gadgetnut Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 546	Hi guys. I have a Z1 that has served me well. A friend of mine liked it enough to look into getting one for himself, but they've been discontinued for too long. In his searching he came across several refurbished Z3s on ebay. He got one for $150 and he's very happy with it. It seems to be in perfect condition and he got a warranty with it. Why am I telling you this? Two reasons: 1. If your Z3 breaks, do NOT pay more than $150 to fix it. You can replace it for that much. 2. Ther were so many refurbed Z3s available, I couldn't help but wonder why. It seems there may be a "known problem" with that model. Just thought I'd mention it.