Digital Rev in 5D3 serial no. controversy.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Simon...was the box sealed?


gramps said:
Pay for a new camera then find it isn't new?
Then agree to a "repair and refund of shipping costs"?
I don't think I would be agreeing to this either, if I pay for a new item I expect it to be new and if it isn't I expect a refund or a new replacement.
Whether or not Canon are "spitting the dummy" wouldn't be my concern, my concern would be getting a 'not-new' camera for my 'new money'.
Click to expand...

I too would be pushing for a refund. hard. or a new camera.
 
Nope, like i said, it had the extra battery and memory card in, so i guessed they opened it to put them in Matty.
 
Have DR agreed to look into the issue of the label, or just the repair at this point?
 
No, they have offered a repair, and to have the serial changed, no mention of the label and serial, even after the letters where sent to them. I have flatly refused this now, and want either total refund or brand new exchange since I found out about the serial and label, the differing serials, the higher that expected shutter count ( it's showing 8,000 according to eoscount, I've only used the camera for 2-3 weeks, 1,000 or so of them where NYC for a week, another 200 or so various "snaps" ) the sensor problem ( according to canon in Glasgow).
 
srichards said:
Why on earth would canon change the serial number??? I'd assume they'd mixed it up with another to be honest...

The serial number should stay with the item for life. Changing it is just weird. I can't see why canon would do it.
Click to expand...

If you read all the threads here and elsewhere, they do change the serial numbers!
 
matty said:
i think this is canon europe spitting the dummy because the buyer bought a camera from outside its territory. on page 3 of the thread it looks like DR offer to repair and refund shipping costs, and will get an official note from Canon in the region to say its genuine...with that in mind it looks like FUD from canonUK have put the fear of god into the buyer who has popped on the internet, and the FUD has spread. good work Canon UK.
Click to expand...

Read it again, they did NOT offer to refund postage!

Are you defending because you gave them space here?
 
Canon have stated the LABEL which the serial is printed on is counterfeit, so is the serial. It is not a genuine canon label.
 
matty said:
Simon...was the box sealed?




I too would be pushing for a refund. hard. or a new camera.
Click to expand...

Why the question? He told you 38 mins ago that it wasn't sealed and more importantly, why it wasn't sealed?
 
Last edited:
Mikesphotaes said:
Read it again, they did NOT offer to refund postage!

Are you defending because you gave them space here?
Click to expand...

yes they did, quote:
DR offered a repair, yes, but offered to refund shipping costs, But only if they found there was a problem. They also stated that they wouldn't cover more than ÂŁ40, but the cost inc insurance for ÂŁ2,000+ to send back was ÂŁ160Â…. they quite insisted they send it back to them. Only when i pointed out that their warranty offers "local" i insisted i send it within UK.
Click to expand...
there obviously is a problem, its on the images. the label issue and shuttercount is a different issue which they SHOULD address. Perhaps
shop around on the shipping costs.

Im NOT defending DR, I have actually emailed them and asked them to look at this thread and comment, as its not good for them or for us, It is in our interest for them to sort it out though I think its more likely that the supplier to them has pulled a fast one, either way, they need to deal with it.



simon n said:
Canon have stated the LABEL which the serial is printed on is counterfeit, so is the serial. It is not a genuine canon label.
Click to expand...

was there any indication that the items in the box, instructions, strap, cables had been removed from there polythene bags?
 
Mikesphotaes said:
Why the question? He told you 38 mins ago that it wasn't sealed and more importantly, why it wasn't sealed?
Click to expand...

excuse me, but dont get so defensive. im trying to get the facts, DR do advertise here and by association it is in their best interests to get to the bottom of it.
 
No, the bags still had the Sellotape on them Matty.
Edited to add, that as far as shipping costs, they would only refund ÂŁ40 if i sent it back to HongKong, as I had to make sure the cost didn't exceed this... That's why I insisted on local warranty, to send to hk like they wanted, would cost ÂŁ160. That's not the issue now, I sent it to Glasgow for them to repair as I wasn't happy with the defect. This is when the proverbial hit the fan....

Edited to add, all the facts are on the Potn site matey, with images and letters as evidence, the photos of serials, exifs and shutter counts, I've also got emails from canon, canon Glasgow, images of the problem, emails, everything.
Thanks.
 
Last edited:
ok lets see if we can get any response from DR on the issue of the shuttercount and label.
 
Unfortunately DR aren't alone, I have a picture taken in the WEX warehouse of a box of 4 Sigma 150-500's (Nikon fit) clearly labelled from Sigma as refurbished, yet at WEX handwritten on the outer box saying to remove the refurb info before sale ..
 
Raymond Lin said:
The window for the focal distance was cracked.

They replaced the entire barrel it seems which is what the serial is etched on. I have the work order somewhere but it says something about cleaned, calibrated etc, if its a new refurb then they don't need to do any of that.

The work order also specifically states, in capital letters of the words NOTE NEW SERIAL.
Click to expand...
I guess then if they had to replace the barrel of your lens, that's why it came with a new serial - because it's part of the barrel.
 
Last edited:
simon n said:
Edited to add, all the facts are on the Potn site matey, with images and letters as evidence, the photos of serials, exifs and shutter counts, I've also got emails from canon, canon Glasgow, images of the problem, emails, everything.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

i finally saw it all after reading through all the thread, i was initially responding the thread here, DR dont advertise over there as far as im aware, so im trying to get the facts on here for easy reference.
 
OutLore said:
LOL!!! But no one else here does!!! If you'd have stated that they changed the barrel in your first response that would have made a big difference!
Click to expand...

I was quite surprised they changed the barrel, as it was only a cracked plastic on the barrel. It means the plastic window must be unremovable/separable from the barrel itself.

Total cost, ÂŁ95.

I guess what I am saying is that the camera in Simon's case may have damage in the first place and they replace the outer body, keeping the innards. This would explain the serial sticker not matching the EXIF.

Now, there is nothing wrong with that, the questions you got to ask are:

1 - Why was it sold as new?
2 - Why are the numbers in 2 different font size? It doesn't look like mine (both of them).

It all hinge on a few things though.

1 - Did DR know it was refurb?
2 - Did the camera come to DR as refurb from their supplier?
3 - Did DR know about the discrepancy in serial numbers between the body and the EXIF (I doubt they did)
4 - Does the serial between body and box match? (I don't think this matter as much as retailers don't tend to open up every product to check serial between product and box)
5 - Who changed the serial?

The problem is we might never get to the bottom of this if DR never knew the body was refurb if it came to them as New Stock. Even if DR did the unthinkable and sold refurb as stock, changing the serial sticker does nothing, if anything, one would make sure it matches, not make it different.
 
Last edited:
Raymond, does your label that the serial is printed on look different????

That's the fact pointed out by canon, the actual label on mine is counterfeit. I understand if you don't want to, can you post a pic of your label please?? ( you can edit out the actual serial) .
 
Raymond Lin said:
The problem is we might never get to the bottom of this
Click to expand...

I think that's about the size of it. Let's not forget that there are 2 sides to every story - for all DR know, the consumer could be trying to pull a fast one.

Would be interesting to see DR's response though.
 
simon n said:
That's the fact pointed out by canon, the actual label on mine is counterfeit.
Click to expand...

This is surely the crux of the matter - how does a counterfeit label get onto a 'new' camera?
I could understand any 'honest' supplier being dubious about such a claim on just the word of the customer but with evidence from the manufacturer? :thinking:
 
Just to be clear are we talking the label on the bottom of the camera or the 2 labels on the box? The 2 labels on the box does not look right to me?
 
OutLore said:
I think that's about the size of it. Let's not forget that there are 2 sides to every story - for all DR know, the consumer could be trying to pull a fast one.

Would be interesting to see DR's response though.
Click to expand...

Cheers mate, kick me while I'm down why don't you.
 
I have read posts in the past on other forums about cannon saying the camera serial number is counterfeit, these weren't purchased from DR but from other Asian suppliers
One of particular note was a canon 7d with a similar story to the OP's where it had been sent for repair at canon uk and they refused stating the label and serial were counterfeit
They did state that the camera however was genuine
I think these are some from of grade b or refurb unit
canon have their own refurb sellers whom I believe are not actually canon themselves
I wonder if nikon have a similar set up for these goods that fail quality control

I think they are some sort of returned item, refurbed item, grade B batch reject or factory test item
 
Last edited:
I must admit, when looking for a new camera myself, I considered DR and other grey import outfits. Saving ÂŁ100 jus didn't seem worth it to me at the time. Ok, so my total spend was just short of ÂŁ1k, and savings on a 5D3 would be much higher, but is it really worth it? Looks like it isn't to me. And it always worried me that a bank transfer results in a 5% discount (or whatever it is) - sure as hell doesn't cost them 5% more to process the payment, so could it be that they are factoring in the chance that a credit card company would do a charge-back in the cases that go wrong (like this one)? Even if this isn't the reason, it seems dodgy to me.

I guess this is a more extreme example, but one which has confirmed that having a little less kit is preferable to taking the risk that it goes horribly wrong. But what a stupid response from DR - they should ave just taken the hit and posted a (properly) new one out.
 
spacester said:
And it always worried me that a bank transfer results in a 5% discount (or whatever it is) - sure as hell doesn't cost them 5% more to process the payment,
Click to expand...

If they process through Paypal, as is often the case, then I'm not sure that you are right.
 
gramps said:
If they process through Paypal, as is often the case, then I'm not sure that you are right.
Click to expand...

Fair point. Paypal could charge more, although whenever I have paid through them (with other companies) no fees were added to my purchases.
 
spacester said:
Fair point. Paypal could charge more, although whenever I have paid through them (with other companies) no fees were added to my purchases.
Click to expand...

According to the PayPal US website (couldn't find the UK/HK one in a quick google), the CC fees are 2.9%, plus I guess currency exchange fees (which is borne by the purchaser normally).

https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/merchant-fees

So, I still don't think it costs them 5%!
 
This is why I shop locally (Castle Camera and Robert White) any problems are always rectified without questions. Yes, sometimes!! I pay a little more, but worth every penny to be able to take to a human
face to face.
 
simon n said:
Cheers mate, kick me while I'm down why don't you.
Click to expand...

Yeah I guess that kinda came out wrong - all I am saying is that they will want to ensure that everything is "above board" - they're in the business of making money - so will not want to be scammed themselves.

I didn't mean to imply that you're trying to con them - simply that they don't know that you're not.

It's crappy that you've had little (or no) feedback from them other than their standard responses for returns, when this clearly isn't a standard return.
 
spacester said:
According to the PayPal US website (couldn't find the UK/HK one in a quick google), the CC fees are 2.9%, plus I guess currency exchange fees (which is borne by the purchaser normally).

https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/merchant-fees

So, I still don't think it costs them 5%!
Click to expand...

3% pay pal fee for the seller + 2.9% if your pay pal account draws from your credit card but that might be a cost to you
 
It looks like someone else has found the same problem on POTN, serials not matching…..

WTF is going on here???
 
simon n said:
It looks like someone else has found the same problem on POTN, serials not matchingÂ…..

WTF is going on here???
Click to expand...

Mistakes DO happen, I've been accused of theft and threatened with arrest because a Policeman entered my motorcycle chassis number wrong & I've had a log book for a brand new motorcycle with the wrong details :shrug:.



**** does still happen & computers make it happen faster ;)
 
simon n said:
It looks like someone else has found the same problem on POTN, serials not matchingÂ…..

WTF is going on here???
Click to expand...

I would be more concerned more with a fake sticker more than a mismatched sticker.

I have 2 x 5Dmkiii, if i were to sell one of them and accidentally packaged up in the wrong box. It doesn't make the camera any less legit. Same thing could happened in the factory. Except this time, however it is the body sticker to the EXIF.

Canon isn't disputing the camera is a fake, nor disputing the sticker don't match, they flagged it up because of a fake serial.

Some one didn't put on a wrong sticker, someone put on a fake one.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I would be more concerned more with a fake sticker more than a mismatched sticker.

I have 2 x 5Dmkiii, if i were to sell one of them and accidentally packaged up in the wrong box. It doesn't make the camera any less legit. Same thing could happened in the factory. Except this time, however it is the body sticker to the EXIF.

Canon isn't disputing the camera is a fake, nor disputing the sticker don't match, they flagged it up because of a fake serial.

Some one didn't put on a wrong sticker, someone put on a fake one.
Click to expand...

But is it a refurb ID label as it does appear from what I have read that refurbs have the body serial number changed
 
According to the O/P Canon have confirmed that the cameras serial no label (i.e. the label stuck on the camera ... not on the box or in the exif) is a counterfeit label ... that is quite a separate issue to errors in placement of stickers or serial numbers changed following a refurb.
If it's counterfeit there is a serious problem beyond 'mishaps' in the factory!
 
gramps said:
According to the O/P Canon have confirmed that the cameras serial no label (i.e. the label stuck on the camera ... not on the box or in the exif) is a counterfeit label ... that is quite a separate issue to errors in placement of stickers or serial numbers changed following a refurb.
If it's counterfeit there is a serious problem beyond 'mishaps' in the factory!
Click to expand...

The way I understand it is that that these cameras don't have the factory label on
what we don't know is who exactly disposes of these grade B's and refurbs and what label they use when they change the serial number
I don't understand why canon refurbs have the serial number label changed anyway why not just leave the factory label and serial number as it was built
IMO these refurbs are deposed of by a third party independent company
which may explain the SN label change

There are some strange goings on in the corporate multi billion pound world

I remember buying a 3 months old ford cosworth many years ago and the registered keeper from new was Ford Motor company, by the chassis plate was an aluminium disc riveted to the slam panel that said no manufacturers warranty
 
Last edited:
Surely counterfeit means illegal ... out of the normal legitimate supply chain - a genuine refurb wouldn't have a counterfeit camera label would it.
 
I think canon uk are scaremongering and are canon UK fully familiar with canons Asian network and logistics
The cameras I have read about where canon UK say the label is counterfeit have been supplied from Asia
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top