Viewfinder Off Centre

The_Gatsby

So I took my Sony Alpha A100 out the other day for the first time and I noticed a problem. If I have an object in centre in the viewfinder and I take the shot, it comes out slightly to the right when I view the photo afterwards. As you can imagine, this is pretty annoying.

The worrying thing is I've googled it and it looks like it'll be pretty expensive to fix, possibly more than the camera is actually worth. I got it from adverts second hand and the seller didn't mention this problem. Do I have a right to ask for my money back? Also, do any of you think that maybe this problem could easily be fixed or would it be expensive?

Balfey1972

Gatsby check out this thread and Zerohamster might be able to give you a rough cost.
Great guy and highly recommended. Have got work done by him before.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056360566&page=21

I'd also message the previous seller and see what they say.

Salmon Leap

I have a Sony A390. This happened once on me, with a Sigma 18-200 lens attached. I took the lens off and re-attached it and also took out and re-inserted the battery. This cleared the problem and it appears fine since. (That was about 4 months ago).

zerohamster

It's the body IS that is faulty on this for sure so say that to the seller as it's a pretty common fault on the a100.

For the a100 it would be beyond economic repair to get it replaced but it could possibly be DIY fixed (or modded) to be centred.

The_Gatsby

Thanks for the replies. I suppose now it becomes an issue about adverts.ie. What should I say to the seller and what can I expect from him? Am I within my rights to ask for a refund or just some money back?

zerohamster

The_Gatsby wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. I suppose now it becomes an issue about adverts.ie. What should I say to the seller and what can I expect from him? Am I within my rights to ask for a refund or just some money back?

Depending on his feedback I guess would be a good basis as to how he will react.
I mean if he is an honest seller he will probably be glad to help however if he was aware of the fault he may avoid refunding etc...hard to tell how it can go but no hard in requesting a refund.

Just remember the Mods on adverts.ie can't make the seller give you your money back but they can help mediate if the seller refuses etc...

The_Gatsby

zerohamster wrote: »

Depending on his feedback I guess would be a good basis as to how he will react.
I mean if he is an honest seller he will probably be glad to help however if he was aware of the fault he may avoid refunding etc...hard to tell how it can go but no hard in requesting a refund.

Just remember the Mods on adverts.ie can't make the seller give you your money back but they can help mediate if the seller refuses etc...

He didn't know anything about the camera so I will contact him and see what he says. He has plenty of positive feedback so hopefully he'll be alright about it. The camera only cost me €130 and I can still shoot with it so it's not the end of the world if he doesn't refund me.

Setanta1974

Have a look on the Irish Consumer Agency website. I am pretty sure I read you have the sames right's while buying from from Ebay etc. as you would buying from a shop even if the goods are second hand. The seller should have mentioned the fault while selling if he or she knew about it.

DaireQuinlan

Setanta1974 wrote: »

Have a look on the Irish Consumer Agency website. I am pretty sure I read you have the sames right's while buying from from Ebay etc. as you would buying from a shop even if the goods are second hand. The seller should have mentioned the fault while selling if he or she knew about it.

Untrue. Private sales carry almost no protections at all. So long as the item matches the description made by the seller you've got no comeback at all. This is one of the reasons I never ever buy camera gear from people who claim to 'know nothing about photography' or who 'are selling it for their 2nd cousin once removed' or who describe something as 'looks good, but haven't tested it with batteries/film/etc etc'.

Setanta1974

I am pretty sure I read that but even if I am wrong I would recommend having a look on the ICA website or even better, give them a call and they will tell you your rights.

DaireQuinlan

Setanta1974 wrote: »

I am pretty sure I read that but even if I am wrong I would recommend having a look on the ICA website or even better, give them a call and they will tell you your rights.

From the National Consumer Agency website, http://www.nca.ie/nca/second-hand

Specifically:

Private sales

If you buy second-hand items through a private sale – like a second-hand car through a newspaper advert - you have no consumer rights as you are not buying from a business.

The goods only have to be owned by the seller and fit their description, so it is very much a case of "buyer beware". You should check the goods carefully and make sure you are happy before you accept them. For example, when buying a second hand car privately, you should consider having a mechanic look at the car first.

Setanta1974

I stand corrected Daire. Sorry I couldn't help Gatsby. I hope you get it sorted.

The_Gatsby

Ok well it seems I have no rights. Makes sense I suppose. I've sent him off a message anyway although he hasn't got back yet.

zerohamster

The_Gatsby wrote: »

Ok well it seems I have no rights. Makes sense I suppose. I've sent him off a message anyway although he hasn't got back yet.

If he refuses or ignores you give me a shout and I'll see what I can do to help.

The_Gatsby

zerohamster wrote: »

If he refuses or ignores you give me a shout and I'll see what I can do to help.

Thanks zerohamster. I sent him this message yesterday although I still have no reply. It hasn't even been 24 hours so I will give him the BOTD.

Hi,

I bought the Sony Alpha A-100 from you about 2 weeks ago. I took it out for the first time the other day and noticed a problem with it. Basically the viewfinder is off centre. This means if I look through the viewfinder and I have an object in what I think is the centre of the frame, it actually isn't when the photo is taken. I posted a thread on boards here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=84370847#post84370847

They basically said that the cost of the repair isn't worth it because of the age of the camera. As I say in my post in that thread, I would like a refund but I can also understand if you do not want to give one. The only thing I will say is that if I had a chance to view the camera before I paid, I would have noticed the problem. However, I also accept that this is the risk I take by buying from somebody who I can't meet with. If you want to give me a refund and I send the camera back to you then I would really appreciate it. If not, then I understand. As I also mention in the boards post, the camera is still usable even though there is a problem with it and I know that you did not intentionally hide the fact that there was a problem with it.

Thanks, Luke

The_Gatsby

Well he replied and to be fair has offered a full refund. I'll just have to find a good deal on a camera before I go to America now.

zerohamster

The_Gatsby wrote: »

Well he replied and to be fair has offered a full refund. I'll just have to find a good deal on a camera before I go to America now.

Glad to hear he was an honest seller and fair play to him.

If you aren't set on a Sony I have a 400D+50mm or 18-55m IS up on adverts you may be interested in and there are plenty of great deals up at the moment for DSLRs from the last few generations of models.