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Sony Finds Defect In Digital Cameras
gbobeck writes "Sony announced Friday that it found a defect in 8 Cyber-shot compact digital camera models. 'The liquid crystal display screens of eight camera models might not display images correctly, images could be distorted or cameras might not take photos at all.' The affected models were sold between September 2003 and January 2005 globally. According to Sony spokesman Chisato Kitsukawa, 'Sony will repair for free only cameras that show signs of the problems.'"
Seriously, I cannot grasp why companies continue to do business with Sony. With the exploding batteries, defective CCD and LCD components, and their sneaky software practices, you'd think corporations wouldn't want to touch them with a ten foot pole. I certainly won't buy any of their products, and I'll try to avoid anything that contains a Sony component. /Dell-Sony battery recall really pissed me off.
..... CUSTOMER RELATIONS.
FTA:
"Sony will repair for free only cameras that show signs of the problems, Kitsukawa said. He refused to say how many cameras might be affected."
If I had one of these cameras, I want a NEW camera. Period. End of sentence. How do I know that the defect is gone if it is fixed? With their track record of late, I don't. Presumably they have fixed the defect in their manufacturing environment, so why not send a new one out (maybe with a free memory stick or something) to get some POSITIVE mindshare?
I guess that would make too much sense or something.
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
This is stuff that matters to people who own Sony cameras. It becomes a part of "news for nerds" because many nerds own cameras, or may even have to troubleshoot/fix the things.
It also continues the trend of defective Sony components, which extends beyond just digital cameras.
These cameras are almost entierly 2+ years old! (September 2003 - January 2005)
If I had a defective camera, I would not hold on to it for 2+ years, I would have returned it to the store that sold me the piece of junk in the first place.
Meh, I don't get it at all.
Do Or Do Not, There Is No Spoon, There Is Only Zuul. Everything in the above post is probably opinion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_bias
It is just you.
Only about four failures in one year and you are ready to condemn the whole company.
This
Only about four failures in one year and you are ready to condemn the whole company.
It's not just the failures, it's what they are. Frankly, after the whole root kit fiasco, I gave up on Sony. The rest is just reassurance that I made the right decision.
Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
I suspect that someone with a defective camera already knows he has a defective camera without reading it on Slashdot.
It also continues the trend of defective Sony components, which extends beyond just digital cameras.
And it follows the press-hated-of-Sony trend. And the Zonk anti-Sony-drumbeat trend. And the groupthink-hatred-of-Sony trend on message boards. Lots of interesting trends.
Most Sony stuff is still great. What's changed since the 1980's? The invention of the blogosphere. Sure, the rootkit thing was a mistake, but did it actually affect you? It sure didn't hit me.
I'm no fanboy but I think that Sony still makes high quality goods, but the nature of the internet means that every single problem instantly gets blown out of proportion. Sony makes millions of CCDs and millions of LCD displays; a small percentage went wrong and geeks everywhere took up arms.
Sony is still making great products, despite what a vocal, geeky, minority may tell you. I'm sorry.
Ok, I concede. Sony still makes great consumer products. The point I was trying to make was that they were far from being "crap".
/. for example, most consumers don't do that) and when it came to spending my own money on a laptop, this was the best deal I could find. I did a lot of research and I'm very happy with my purchase (I've had it about 18 months).
An example: I'm posting this from a Sony laptop, I'd class myself as fairly tech-savvy (I post on
Sure, If I wanted some audiophile hi-fi I wouldn't buy Sony, nor would I buy Bose for that matter. In fact, many of your arguments could easily apply to that brand. I guess it all depends on how much money you have to splash around.
Still, my point stands, Sony hasn't got any worse since the 1980's, but people have become vocal in their opinions. The beauty of the internet is that the crackpot ramblings of one man can be read by millions an a "news" site with a proven history of Sony bashing.
Don't forget the rootkit!. There's also the mini-disc, the memory stick, and other attempts by Sony to lock you into their proprietary technologies. Shades of Microsoft, I put Sony right up there in the pinnacle of company ethics. Couldn't have happened to a *nicer* company (tongue in cheek).
The problem is not Sony, the problem is You. Yes you.
On one hand you want products that costs less and does everything, on the other hand when you invest your money you want maximum returns.
Congratulations, young one. You have taken that important first step towards customer hatred. I think you will have a great future here at the RIAA...
Seriously - human demands are unlimited. If no one makes new cameras, or cheaper cameras, then we have no choice but to buy what's available. Don't blame the consumer because you're not capable of keeping up with the competition.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
It's echoing what others have already said, but there was a time I looked for the Sony name on electronics and bought their brand (or others that used their components) almost exclusively. Sony Walkman, Sony stereo, Sony Trinitron TVs and monitors...
Since my wife got hit by the Suncomm DRM on a Sony/BMG CD about a year ago, I've still looked for the name -- to avoid it. No one I know is buying a PS3 -- everyone wants a Wii and has or wants an Xbox 360. No one I know is buying high-def movies because they're waiting for Blu-Ray to inevitably crash and burn so the format war will be over. Seems like the last year or two Sony has lost it so badly it may be impossible for them to get it back.
We're a long way from "Sony -- because Caucasians are just too damn tall."
-- Old Man Kensey
There are a lot of reasons I won't buy Sony any more. They used to be at the top of my list of favorite tech companies, but because of the way they've embraced the worst of copy right protection schemes and other suppressive practices, I've given up on them, PS3 or no.
Microsoft, Sony... there are others on the list that I won't do business with unless I absolutely have to. In my work I needed a very high quality portable digital audio recorder and the Sony was the only one who had what I needed (at a cost I could afford), but the days of me grabbing a pair of earpods or mp3 player just because it said "Sony" on it are over.
I remember how I felt when I bought a CD/MP3 player because it was a Sony, only to find that I had to encode everything with something called "ATRAC". It was downhill fast from there.
You are welcome on my lawn.
They announce a problem with a model that is 2 years old - and say they'll fix it. Most warranties only cover a year or so, and some will even ignore the problem unless there's threat of lawsuits (think personal injury).
Compare this to Microsoft and the Windows OS.
Microsoft fanboys (including Zonk) may bash Sony like they're getting paid, but this is can be considered a positive for Sony's customer service.
On the other hand, Sony's hardware with the exception of the PS3, has been disappointing because all the company's resources are being diverted to the content and media side of the business. You can blame Howard Stringer and the rest of his media group for this.
Nintendo replaces defective product, everyone cheers. Sony replaces defective product, everyone boos. Any peripheral PR problems aside, I don't understand how making a mistake and offering to fix it makes Sony evil and anyone else virtuous. Really though, I guess this is a side-effect of branding. Sony isn't one entity, it's hundreds of thousands of people, making thousands of products and services of the varying levels of quality you'd expect from such a large group of people and products. Unless defective products can be linked to flawed policy, I don't think you can peg these things on the company--the people involved come and go, some were probably fired for this. I'll probably get attacked for defending corporations, but what I'm trying to say is that "corporations" don't exist. They want you to think they do, which is the point of branding and PR and instilling "company spirit" in employees, but a Sony factory executive in China and an Sony advertising executive in Europe work for virtually different companies...
Sendou Wave Kick!!