California Beaches Blog

I just saved about $60 on my Canon Sure Shot camera repair. How? I went to a camera store rather than accept Canon’s factory repair price.

I have gone through at least four Canon Sure Shot cameras in the past several years. They are cheaply made with mostly plastic parts. They simply don’t hold up to more than casual use, and even when they fail before the year warranty, Canon doesn’t always honor its own warranty. That said, Canon consumer cameras are lightweight, simple to use, and host a variety of  features allowing me some limited manual operations I often prefer, while having access to video for website clips.

So, when I noticed that Canon is veering away from the popular style of Sure Shot I have enjoyed and are raising rates to make more money on the still cheaply made cameras, I sent one of two of my broken down Canons (neither over a year old) to Canon for a repair. Instead of simply cleaning the internal parts of the lens, they sent me a note back stating they would charge a flat fee of around $150 to fix. This form letter didn’t sit well with me, as they didn’t even make mention in the letter of the item I listed as needing attention.  I only paid $220 for the camera a year ago when it was new (the camera was supposed to be under warranty, but Canon didn’t want to honor it).   I let them mail the camera back.

Upon my web search, I found a Canon repair store I’ve been to before in Irvine California. But why drive over to an official Canon repair center only to receive the same price estimate once again? Canon has a fixed repair fee that often is the price of a new replacement.

Digging deeper, I found a camera repair store in my local area that works on Canon cameras and most other models. I drove my camera to Advance Camera Repair, though I could have mailed it.  When I got the call about my camera and its repair situation, my resolution to my problem was an “honest Joe” answer that I could have only wished Canon employees would have provided.    I was ready to throw the camera away after learning about Canon’s expensive price quote which nearly made me choke. Instead,  I am excited about gettnig my camera repaired, and extending its life.

I was so impressed with Advance Camera Repair company (has been around for over 20 years,) that I asked if I could help them by promoting them with a coupon. Like other small camera businesses, they have seen the economy and closure of major camera stores impact their business. If they lose, we all lose our options for service at a fair price, and like sheep, we will be forced to use Canon company to repair their own inferior products for a price that sometimes matches the initial purchase fee.  From what I’ve seen on the web, there are a lot more people like me who are not happy with the treatment and / or pricing they’ve received from Canon, and I am here to tell you there are often other solutions if you use my recommendation. You can also search your local area for the old-fashioned mom & pop shops that are disappearing far too rapidly. Use search terms such as “camera repair”.