Canon Class Action Denied

Canon Class Action Denied
Judge Blocks Suit On Behalf of Shutterbugs
By Joseph S. Enoch
ConsumerAffairs.Com

In a heartbreaking loss for the many consumers affected by faulty
Canon cameras, a United States District Court judge in New York has
decided not to allow a class action lawsuit against Canon.

"He (the judge) considered only the defendant's version," Richard
Doherty, the lawyer who filed the case, said.

Doherty was seeking to file a class action case against Canon because
many of their cameras have a number of known defects.

Probably the most commonly known defect is the E18 error. Every camera
with a zoom lens feature has what is called a bellows claw. This part
is essentially the gear that physically extends and retracts the lens.

Doherty said a piece that holds the lens, the barrier plate, is not
large enough and can sometimes cause the bellows claw to malfunction,
resulting in a stuck lens and a message on the LCD screen that says:
"E18."

ConsumerAffairs.Com has received over 60 complaints about Canon
cameras failing. It is almost the same story every time.

"I bought a Canon Powershot digital camera to take family pictures and
upload to my computer," wrote Lupe of Salinas, Calif. "I have had it
for just over a year. It took great pictures and then one day I got
'e18' on the display screen. It will not turn on or do anything else.
I emailed cannon and they want $155 to repair. This camera cost almost
$300."

Canon cameras also have a known defect with their Charge-Coupled
Device (CCD). The CCD is to digital cameras what film is to 35mm. It
captures the light and converts it to a form that can be understood by
a computer and finally, the user. Canon's CCD can sometimes yield
blurred images or distorted colors.

In April of 2005, ConsumerAffairs.Com reported that Canon's Asian
website admitted there was a problem associated with the Sony-made CCD
found in Canon's cameras. Canon still has not made this news public to
U.S. consumers.

One other known issue is that the LCD screen found on the back of the
camera is prone to breaking. Canon increased the size of the screen,
but did not increase its support -- meaning it takes less pressure to
crack.

To make matters worse, the case that comes with many cameras is often
the cause of the LCD cracking. The case does not indicate which way
the camera should be placed. There is a snap-on button on one side. If
the user chooses wrong and places the camera LCD in the case facing
the button, that button with the right amount of pressure can crack
the screen.

Finally, Canon cameras also have issues with memory cards that store
the photos.

When a digital camera takes a photo, it sends the image to a flash
memory card for storage. If the photo does not arrive in the memory
within a set time period, the photo is lost.

Some flash memory cards require more time than others. However, Canon
has set their cameras to send the photo in 100 milliseconds, or one
tenth of a second. Some memory cards require more time than this and
thus, the camera will not work with those cards. Doherty said Canon
has offered fixes for some of their cameras to fix this problem, but
not others.

"I don't see any reason why it needs to be set that fast," Doherty
said.

Documentation proves that Canon is well aware of the defects in their
cameras, but is doing nothing for the consumers who purchased these
cameras, Doherty, of Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates, a Chicago law
firm, said.

"Canon has refused to stand behind the cameras, and offers consumers
who paid approximately $400 for what they thought was a high-quality
digital camera the option of a repair costing at least $150 or the
opportunity to purchase a refurbished, used camera for $175," Doherty
told ConsumerAffairs.Com in November 2005 when he originally filed for
class status.

Although Doherty has appealed the judge's decision, he said he does
not know how long it will take before the appeal is considered.

What To Do

Canon-lovers, what are your options? Well, be sure to hang onto your
purchase receipt. Keep a copy of your warranty. Keep copies of any
repair records. And keep your fingers crossed. It's always possible
you'll be one of the lucky ones who cameras don't experience any of
these problems.

If your camera does fail, notify Canon in writing, citing this article
and the numerous complaints on our site. File a complaint with
ConsumerAffairs.Com. Complaints filed with our site are made available
to class-action attorneys, including Doherty.

If you are willing to spend a little time and a few dollars, head for
your local Small Claims Court and file against Canon. Check our
state-by-state listings to learn more.

Are there more reliable cameras out there? Maybe, but it's important
to note that the internal workings of most digital cameras are pretty
much the same, and are often manufactured by the same supplier. It's
the optics and the "packaging" that differentiate one brand from
another.

Digital cameras are arguably more convenient than film cameras and,
while they are generally more expensive to buy, they may be cheaper to
use over the long run, depending on what process you use to print your
photos. But more reliable they're not, at least not yet.

For those can't-miss moments, it's still a good idea to keep a small
film camera in pocket or purse. Nothing beats a back-up.

jsmith wrote:
> Canon Class Action Denied
> Judge Blocks Suit On Behalf of Shutterbugs
> By Joseph S. Enoch
> ConsumerAffairs.Com
>
> In a heartbreaking loss ..... for dozens of ambulance chasing lawyers, ....

[groups adjusted]

Good. Too many cry babies looking for a handout.

--
john mcwilliams

"jsmith" <jsmith@q365.ca> wrote in message
news:uu39o29j1v5pslep34700s9mp16241n0pi@4ax.com...
> Canon cameras also have a known defect with their Charge-Coupled
> Device (CCD). The CCD is to digital cameras what film is to 35mm. It
> captures the light and converts it to a form that can be understood by
> a computer and finally, the user. Canon's CCD can sometimes yield
> blurred images or distorted colors.

I can attest to that one. My A70 failed in exactly that way. However,
Canon took responsibility for the problem plagued Sony CCD and repaired the
camera for free, including shipping both ways.

Bruce.

Bad. Too many jackasses like you willing to bend over and take the corporate
cock until the head pokes out your mouth.

ljc

"John McWilliams" <jpmcw@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:lMOdnSdy3uFyBhnYnZ2dnUVZ_qqrnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> jsmith wrote:
>> Canon Class Action Denied
>> Judge Blocks Suit On Behalf of Shutterbugs By Joseph S. Enoch
>> ConsumerAffairs.Com
>> In a heartbreaking loss ..... for dozens of ambulance chasing lawyers,
>> ....
>
> [groups adjusted]
>
> Good. Too many cry babies looking for a handout.
>
> --
> john mcwilliams

Little Juice Coupe wrote:
> Bad. Too many jackasses like you....

Such brave words from an anonymous little boy.

--
lsmft

"Little Juice Coupe" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:4584c42b$0$80076$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net...
> Bad. Too many jackasses like you willing to bend over and take the
> corporate cock until the head pokes out your mouth.
>
> ljc

And too many people that won't take care of the equipment and then want to
sue the company for it. I almost fell for this class action as being
legitimate until I got to the point where they complained that Canon was
responsible for the LCD breaking. If you hit the damn thing, it's going to
break, DUH.
Rob

Canon is not the only manufacturer with quality problems and large numbers
of cameras that fail shortly out of warranty. Canon is also not the only
manufacturer to have exorbitant minimum repair charges for out of warranty
cameras. If one searches the web it is not difficult to document these
issues.
Marketers, and Canon is one of the most aggressive marketers, have generated
ever shorter product cycles and have combined this with aggressive pricing
of low end cameras. It is no surprise that quality control both for parts
and manufacturing is so poor. Manufacturing has been shifted to whereever
the cost of labor and production is the lowest, currently China. Besides
poor construction quality the impact on the environment of unregulated
production is enormous. No westerner can travel anywhere in China and not be
appalled by what they see.
Unfortunately the class action product suit in the United States has become
little more than legal black/greenmail: shake the tree and see what falls
out. Consumers benefit little or not at all.

"Little Juice Coupe" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:4584c42b$0$80076$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net...
> Bad. Too many jackasses like you willing to bend over and take the
> corporate cock until the head pokes out your mouth.


Vote with your wallet and stop looking for a handout.

On Sun, 17 Dec 2006 09:51:16 -0500, "Scubabix" <Scubabix@comcast.net>
wrote:

>
>"Little Juice Coupe" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
>news:4584c42b$0$80076$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net.. .
>> Bad. Too many jackasses like you willing to bend over and take the
>> corporate cock until the head pokes out your mouth.
>>
>> ljc
>
>And too many people that won't take care of the equipment and then want to
>sue the company for it. I almost fell for this class action as being
>legitimate until I got to the point where they complained that Canon was
>responsible for the LCD breaking. If you hit the damn thing, it's going to
>break, DUH.
>Rob
>
The LCD thing surprises me; you'd think people would know that LCDs
will scratch and break.
Given the care and paranoia spent on car paint, you'd think people
would be more careful.
But nooooo.
--
Bill Funk
replace "g" with "a"

Closed-door Canon board meeting. Lets see....$50M or more for a
recall, or pay the judge
$100,000 and arrange for his secretary's abortion...tough choice.