Nikon Sweden Service Stupidity ???

[simsurace]

I understand the frustration when you expect an intelligent human rep and get monkey-like (or worse) responses. I have had similar experiences with non-standard inquiries here in Switzerland.

This is just one example of an overly secretive culture that tries to be on the safe side but burns bridges instead.

Any plumber, electrician, etc. can give you a rough cost estimate and they don't even expect business without giving a quote. Sure, there are problems that can arise, but anyone who would instist on not giving any quotes would certainly lose business.

I suppose that by building a service monopoly (not selling spare parts to third party repair shops), Nikon can afford to treat their customers badly, but there must be some negative consequences for them that they don't even realize. It's certainly funny (in a weird way) that Canon can do so easily what seems impossible for Nikon.

They presumably have a lot of statistics about the cost of routine service jobs, like swapping elements or rubber patches, so it is perfectly reasonable to expect them to share that information.

Maybe a rental company could answer the question for you. They have similarly large statistics about repair costs (after all, they need to assess the risks in order to calculate rental fees), and they shouldn't have any incentive to hide that information.

[Les Olson]

I do not think it is reasonable to ask a repair facility to answer questions about the cost of hypothetical repairs when the repairs are rare - replacing the front element of a 300/2.8! 

Sure, plumbers and electricians and plastic surgeons will give you quotes, but not without seeing the job first.  The only exceptions are extremely common tasks - the equivalent of a wet sensor clean. 

Every professional has learned from experience that many clients have preconceived ideas about what is wrong and what needs to be done - and that those ideas are, nearly always, wrong.  That makes them suspicious of anyone asking for a specific procedure.  Nikon, like other professionals, knows that its reputation has more to fear from doing work on request than from insisting on seeing the problem before it gives a quote to fix it.   

[simsurace]

Canon managed to give a cost estimate for replacing a front element. So are they unprofessional?

I would guess that replacing a front element is one of the most frequent replacement jobs on any lens, but I don't know for sure. There must be thousands of cases worldwide to base an estimate on.

Sure clients often assume they know what has to be done, and are often wrong. But I don't think this applies here. If my lens crashes and needs other repairs besides the replacement I asked about, it goes without saying that the estimate will no longer reflect the total repair costs. A simpler disclaimer would take care of potential issues.

I think that a customer that would go so far as to assess the risk of possible damages would know what an estimate is -- in a statistical sense.
The easier solution is to get insurance and let the insurance company work out how big the risk is. An insurance company specialized in photo gear probably has some data on replacement costs and actual rates at which lenses need replacement.

[burgass]

I had the same problem with them about a 17-35.  Don't waste your time in the future just call Nikon Berlin!!! They will give you the estimate on the phone and they will be happy to assist you.  And  prices are a lot cheaper!! In my case the estimated repair cost would be around 45% cheaper! DHL cost is no more tha 20-25€. It is a freaking no brainer!!! :-)
PS - The insurance company Trygg Hansa did not have any problem with that either!!!

[Pistnbroke]

If its 14mm you want go Samyang 14mm f 2.8  at about £200 or $275   who needs a repair ..brilliant quality ..just leave it at F5.6 and forget focusing.Want 24 mm just crop.