Toronto Camera Service Centre — Local services in Toronto

• Technical issues were not resolved • Warrantee was not honoured • Customer service was awful • At the end of a terrible experience I spent almost $500 on an un-repaired camera.

I’m a part-time photographer and photography instructor at Red River College in Winnipeg and was on vacation in Toronto when I dropped my Canon 70d. The camera wouldn't turn on and it was the first day of the trip so I took it to Toronto Camera Service and explained that I was only in town for a week and was hoping to have it repaired within that time, and if that wasn’t possible I would take it home to Winnipeg for repair. I was told by the service rep that it was possible so I left it with them for assessment and paid the estimate fee (which I wasn’t accustomed to). Three days later I received an estimate and expected turnaround for the repair which was later than I would be in town. The next day I returned to TCS to pick up my camera, (intending to swallow the estimate fee and get it fixed at home) but I was told that the camera wasn’t there and had been sent off-site for the estimate. I then asked when I could pick it up and was told it wouldn’t be back until the next week. I then asked where it was so that I could go retrieve it and was not given a location and told I could not pick it up. The only option I was left with was to have it shipped back to me at my expense. At this point I very reluctantly approved the camera repair as I was already invested for the estimate, and now the shipping; and didn’t want to have to start from scratch when I got the camera back in Winnipeg.

A few weeks later when the camera arrived in the mail it initially seemed to function correctly, but after reviewing a set of images on my computer there seemed to critical focus issues. At this point I did hours of extensive testing in different scenarios with several lenses. From the tests I concluded that there were significant focus issues, even in the the most controlled situations. (Tripod mounted with ample, consistent light and high contrast, stationary subjects.)

I shared the info and test results with with a service rep and they agreed that this would be considered a warrantee issue as the basic functions of the camera were not properly tested and serviced. However they would guarantee that it would be covered or that even the shipping expenses would be covered without first seeing it. I replied that I was not comfortable with investing any further given my experience thus far. They then recommended that I get in touch with a technician over the phone and that all of this correspondence along with my test results would be passed along. It was difficult to coordinate but weeks later, when I was able to connect with a technician they were completely unaware of my case and didn’t have access to my test shots and documentation so I had to start from scratch with them. I was given the same answer from the technician: No guarantee of covering the re-repair or shipping cost unit they see it. When reconnected with the original service rep I was told my test files were lost and was never connected with anyone who would offer another solution.

At this point I cut my losses and was left with a $1300 camera that I can’t trust to hit focus. I would never recommend dealing with Toronto...

I had a very disappointing experience with this shop. I brought in my Sigma lens because it was stuck between 50 and 70mm — I couldn’t zoom below 50. However, everything else was working perfectly: the autofocus, the image quality, everything.

Before I picked it up, I was told they couldn’t repair it and that I should take it to Sigma. But when I got home and tested the lens, it was in worse condition than when I dropped it off. The zoom now works, but the autofocus is completely broken — the motor behaves erratically and it won’t focus at all.

Even worse, I suspect I was given the wrong lens. The lens I dropped off had no rubber grip — I had removed it and replaced it with white vinyl a long time ago. The one I received has a rubber back on, plus visible dust inside that mine definitely didn’t have. It honestly feels like I was handed someone else’s gear.

To top it all off, the guy at the reception has the worst customer service I’ve ever experienced. He was rude, dismissive, and treated me like I was a nuisance rather than a customer. No respect, no care, and absolutely no professionalism.

I trusted them with a valuable piece of equipment, and not only did they fail to fix it — they returned it in worse shape and made me question whether it’s even mine. I cannot recommend this place to anyone. Be careful.

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About your reply, I need to correct several points:

When I dropped off the lens, the only issue was that it was stuck between 50 and 70mm. The autofocus worked perfectly, and there were no signs of internal dust or debris. The lens had never suffered a fall or any impact. It also had no rubber grip, as I had replaced it with a white vinyl wrap long ago — making it very easy to identify.

When I picked it up, the zoom issue was gone, but the autofocus was broken — the motor was erratic, and it wouldn’t focus at all. Even more concerning: the lens I got back now had a rubber grip reattached — clearly from another lens of the same model — not mine, and visible dust inside. How do you explain that? I never authorized any cosmetic changes, and this was not the condition of the lens I left with you.

I was also charged $25 for a diagnostic, and was told this covered opening the lens to inspect it. So it’s simply not true that the lens was never opened. If it wasn’t, why charge a diagnostic fee?

This has raised serious concerns for me about how equipment is handled. I trusted you with my gear, and it was returned in significantly worse condition — and possibly not even the same unit. I cannot recommend this place to anyone....

If I could give this company 0 stars, I would. I'll try and keep my review short:

I was referred to this shop by a friend and I brought my camera in to have two parts repaired. They charge $25 (plus tax) and ask for up to one week to give you an estimate on the total repair cost and time. Almost two weeks after I brought my camera in, I called them to figure out what was going on. They said that the manufacturer was not responding to their emails and that they had no update for me. I politely asked when I could expect my estimate and they told me they had no idea.

Another week and a half passed and I still heard nothing from them, so I called again. Once again I was told they had no new information and they were still waiting to hear back.

After one more week passed and I still heard nothing from them, no phone call or email, I called again. The man on the other end was unhelpful, and got very defensive when I asked why I was not being updated at all. In one month I called three times to see what was going on, and there was not a single courtesy call to let me know the parts had still not even been ordered.

Of course, I went and picked up my camera and will now have to send it elsewhere to be fixed. I wasted a month of my time, $30 on the "estimate" that I never received and time and money to drive downtown Toronto. I am outraged with the horrible service and lack of communication on their end.

For anyone looking for other options, there is a shop in Whitby called MTC Manufacturing and Technology Centre. They charge $50 for the estimate, however that fee is deducted if you decide to go ahead with the repair. They estimate the repair to be finished within 1.5 weeks if the parts are in stock. I will be going here with my camera next and will review it once I have first...