OK, maybe abuse is a bit strong but, after all, I don't have such excellent command of the English Language as you, Rob.
However, I think it fair to say that some posts, from you and Kaouthia in particular, came over as rather abrupt and somewhat less than symathetic - certainly appearing to offer little in the way of constructive suggestions. I interpeted some comments as more of a lecture on how careless the OP must have been to make a mistake which you experienced pros would never make yourselves and to imply that he only had himself to blame so stop whinging about Nikon's service.
I apologise if I am wrong about this but the OP seemed to feel much the same. Maybe it's just me but I do sense there is an attitude of smugness, superiority and self importance from some sections of the pro and would be pro community running through a number of threads started by less experienced photgraphers asking for advice. Once again I am truely sorry if my sensibilites are askew on this and I am out of step with the groundswell of opinion on this forum.
I guess it might appear like that to you, but it's certainly not the intention - were that the case we'd only have a Forum of 20 pros all slapping one another on the back and telling ourselves how great we are...we patently don't, so there is maybe less of this than you might imagine...maybe you
are being overly sensitive...
It's hardly Nikon UK's fault if they cannot supply the part required...that's not bad
customer service, it's bad
supply from the parent company in Japan...if there are no parts, there are
no parts...
The point Kaouthia tried to make was that
all the suppliers were out of stock - that's how I read it (maybe also because I'm more aware of the difficulties
all suppliers are facing right now)...is it Nikon Customer Service's fault that Nikon-Japan is not supplying them properly - and why are they not doing so? Are other manufacturers in the same boat? Yes they are...Is there a wider problem here? Yes there is...
Global economics are FUBAR'd right now with subsidiary suppliers defaulting on contracts forcing larger suppliers to default on
their committments also... Japan's economy
isn't in a good way right now...global recession hit them very hard and their predictions for a long-term slowdown were slightly out - now the economic recovery is underway, they're finding it difficult to keep up with demand from overseas buyers...
Nikon UK
may be dealing with
many cases of bent pins, but that's because a lot of users are ham-fisted clods who don't care for their equipment and don't read the manual - many don't even realise there is a front and back to CF cards and that they can be inserted incorrectly...
If you buy a certain level of equipment, there is an assumption on the part of the manufacturer that there is also a degree of user-awareness of how to
use that equipment properly...
In 10 years of digital camera use, the only bent pins I've
ever seen have been caused by potato-head squaddies forcing the cards in backwards - but once they've paid for the repairs they start being a lot more careful...
People who buy their
own equipment should be more aware from the outset...
The OPs case
was slightly different - I certainly don't look into each card to make sure there are no stray pins from my card reader lurking in there...so it could happen to me too, but I'm fairly confident that I'd be able to feel the additional resistance and stop before damage was done - maybe that's the real difference between a Pro and a hobbyist - we're more familiar with our kit because we use it day-in and day-out...
On a personal note, I also have to say there's a hint of snideness about your posts which I find unattractive...
!
