The Price is Fright(ful)!!

I decided to send my camera and some lens for a long overdue check and servicing, especially after a few overseas trips where they took a beating.

Brought them down to the Nikon Service Centre at Anson Road today, and explained to the staff behind the counter that one of my lens gave off a squeaking sound during autofocusing. She brought it to the room behind to get a quote from the technician (presumably), came back five minutes later, and wrote something on a slip of paper. While she was writing, i could see from where i was seated opposite her, that it was a bunch of numbers with a dollar sign in front that seemed like the cost of fixing the lens. She then turned to tap some numbers on a calculator. While she was doing so, I was straining to see the numbers, and even though it was upside down from my point of view, i made out a 7…2…6…decimal place…and something…

While I had no idea how much the repairs were going to cost, I didn’t think it would be anything above $100…$200 tops…

When I first saw the numbers, I thought to myself “Naaaahhhh…can’t be. Maybe it’s the serial number…right?” Then she turned the slip of paper around, and i got the shock of my life.

It costs $726.55 to fix the squeaky lens.

I don’t know if my expression then betrayed my previously cool demeanour, but I was kind of hoping she would go…”Hah! Gotcha! Just wanted to see your expression!”

Wishful thinking…

At this point, my mind was in a whirl and I wasn’t really thinking straight. I stifled a gulp/gasp, tried to look calm, and blurted out something (can’t remember what exactly) about looking for the warranty card…if one even existed. This is because I bought the lens online from some guy who brought it in from HK…and I couldn’t remember if I even saw a warranty card. The lady said sure…but I also would have to produce the receipt (i could’ve sworn her eyes narrowed as she stared at me, and issued me that challenge).

It became a game of bluff…Russian Roulette…a high-stakes poker game…and who blinked first would lose…

I then decided to go the whole hog (why not?) and asked to check out the other lens too. She disappeared into the back room, and came back with another bunch of numbers that seemed to be arbitrarily fished out of thin air…

“$400″…was the reply.

I had half a mind to go ahead with that, as I really liked this particular lens and wanted it to be in full working order. However, the other half (probably the left side) was furiously doing the math and came to the conclusion that the price to fix both lens could easily buy a new lens…or at least go some way to paying for one.

“Let me think about it”…my mouth spoke before my mind could react, lest the right half won. In the meantime, so as not to make it a wasted trip, I just asked for the sensor on my camera to be cleaned instead. It was a hollow victory…

At the end of the day, it was $26.75 instead of $1126.55 (and I got a clean sensor too!)

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Latest update on the saga: I found the warranty card! And the receipt! Best part…the guy who sold it to me had asked the shop in HK to leave the date column blank!!! Hahaha!!!

Victory is mine!