Monday 3 March 2008

Design Fault? Update



I loved my last Finepix Digital camera but it broke after two years constant use. Something wrong with the Zoom Feature. Not that I ever Zoomed. I loved it because it didn't have sticky-out bits like lenses. It nestled in my handbag or pocket along with my lipstick. It also had a dock for recharging the whole camera without removing batteries.

Above is the replacement camera bought one month ago. Again, no sticky-out bits like lenses but instead of a camera dock for recharging the whole thing it has a battery charger. I successfully charged the battery as soon as I got the Finepix Z10fd. This meant removing it, charging it and then replacing it. This worked fine. I had a happy month taking pictures and then the battery needed recharging. I removed it, sat it in the recharger, red light went off, charging over, so I put it back into the camera - the wrong way round.

I've replaced many batteries into many technological things the wrong way round, realised this, removed them and replaced them the right way round. Not this one. Jammed. Stuck. Broken nails trying to shift it. Sweating. Perplexed.

I re-read the information leaflets supplied with the camera. There are several slips separate from the main booklet with Cautionary Warnings such as If Battery Replaced The wrong Way Do Not Attempt To Force Removal. I have a sinking feeling.

If Battery Replaced The Wrong Way Round go to your main FujiFilm FinePix Dealer. I go to my High Street dealer. Roger disappears into his workshop with my camera for many minutes. He returns, perplexed.

'Can't understand this' he says 'Usually when a battery's put in the wrong way round it's easy to take it out and do it right'.

Roger 'phones Finepix.

'Oh yes' say Finepix 'This is a common problem. Send it back to us'.

So FujiFilm are selling a product with a known design fault?

Hopefully this will just cost me postage and insurance. Meanwhile I don't have a camera and I miss it. I need to photograph food and shoes.

UpDate:

Finepix replaced my camera with a new one within a week. Well done Fuji. The new camera included updated and clearer illustrated cautions about how to replace the battery. If I'd had these in the first camera I would never had put the battery back the wrong way round.
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6 comments:

kat said...

Definitely a design fault!
If it can't cope with user error it isn't a lot of use to a user.

Buggles Balham High Road said...

Thanks Kat. I think I should contact them. Although they would probably deny they said that to my high street camera dealer.

The amount of warning leaflets about the battery added to the box was alarming.

tea and cake said...

Erm, if the product isn't doing what it's designed to do - can't you get your money back, and buy something that does do what it says on the tin?

Just a thought. Karen xx

Buggles Balham High Road said...

It's back Karen! The same camera returned within a week. So now its up to me not to put the battery back the wrong way round.

I have missed it.

pal said...

A week is pretty good, but it is a week too long.

I guess they spent ages in the initial design department thinking about its eyecatching colour rather than the nitty gritty basics of battery housing!

Now its back lets see some more of your piccies, loved the food ones!

tea and cake said...

Hurrah! that it's back.

Can you put tippex or something on the battery to show you the right way round, to put it back in?

Ever practical me. Sorry.

Glad it's back, though. xx