Crappy service from BMD.

My BMPCC arrived last Wednesday from an authorized BMD retailer in Los Angeles.

I did some tests over the weekend and discovered that the camera had an intense LCD flicker/strobing. Additionally, there was a small blemish on the LCD. I originally thought I'd seen the flicker in the recorded footage, (unfortunately, I didn't save that footage) but am having a tough time reproducing that so it seems that it's only an LCD issue.

After communicating with BMD (and sending them video of the flicker) I've been informed that, based on my description and the video I sent them, the LCD seems faulty and that I can send it in for a repair. I also explained that I had a shoot in Friday and intended to use this camera.

I understand that when mass manufacturing, there can be unforeseen issues with some units.

Doesn't it seem crappy though, that after waiting months for this camera, I receive a faulty one, contact BMD immediately and their solution is to REPAIR the camera rather than replace it? Not to mention the additional time a repair takes.

If you want it replaced, send it back to the retailer right? Does it make business sense for a manufacturer to replace all camera's that have an easily repairable issue? There is no magic button to push that would instantly replace or repair your camera. Sucks you have issues but you have to be realistic.

The retailer doesn't have any stock. They immediately told me to call BMD.

I do understand a repair if the camera was a few weeks/months old, but I contacted them 2 business days after purchase. I'd assume a replacement, if the camera arrived faulty would be in order.

Ask for an advance replacement. If you live in the US they'll ship you a new one before getting the old one back,

They said that they'd probably do an advance replacement yesterday, but sent me an email this morning saying they'll repair instead.

Talk to your retailer. Those folks generally do their best to offer customer service in order to retain customer loyalty, since they can't compete with the B&H and Amazon prices, so they'll probably be willing to help and know some folks that they can pester at Black Magic.

I did end up doing 3 shoots with my Panasonic while my BMCC was in for repair, and when it gave up again, I pushed to get it replaced ASAP. They shipped me a replacement the same day (and I need to send the old one back ASAP now).

I've been filled in on this case a little bit so I just wanted to make sure there's no confusion here.

In your situation, seeing that there's solely a problem with the LCD, which is repairable, we decided to go with that option. We understand your situation and want to resolve it for you as quickly as possible, which is why sending it in is the best choice for this matter. We will do our best to turn this around and get it back to ASAP.

Yes but he should have the option to have a new camera If its been caused by a fall or knock then more problems could arise later. Although maybe if everything else works on the camera Might be best to have a repair.

@ tony - okay, can you tell me Blackmagic Design's return policy?

@ tony - okay, can you tell me Blackmagic Design's return policy?

Why would Blackmagic Design (the manufacturer) have a returns policy? Blackmagic Design does not sell their products directly. The returns policy would be with whatever reseller you got the camera from.

@ tony - okay, can you tell me Blackmagic Design's return policy?

Sorry for jumping in: BMD doesn't have one as they don't sell directly to end users. They have a warranty which then is often in turn governed / affected by country and state laws.

That said, retailers and distributors have their own return policies (which vary by products), and in this case 1 month is a common return window, usually replacement or repair at vendor discretion. Some retailers may also offer a "no questions asked money back" return policy - probably larger houses who can afford it and have a streamlined returns processing operation. Being a small shop, I can only say that it's often cost-prohibitive for me to offer a blanket "no questions asked" return policy however much I'd like to offer it. So it's on a case-by-case basis, including Blackmagic products - which are actually easy to deal with in no small part thanks to their US distributor that offers fairly flexible and generous return policies.

Bottom line - as others suggested, talk to your retailer, see what they can do. It may not be much given limited stock, and repairing the camera (replacing the LCD) might just be the best choice.

Hope this helps.