A Letter to the CEO of Kodak

To:
Daniel A. Carp
Chairman and CEO
Kodak Corporation

Dear Mr. Carp,

I am seeking to have my camera repaired by Kodak free of charge. I believe the micro-switch inside the camera was poorly designed and not meant to last after thousands of on/off slides by a human thumb. An explanation follows.

I have enjoyed using my Kodak DC280 camera for two years. Recently the power switch quit working. It just "went loose." It seemed that something inside was broken. When I took out the batteries, a small piece of plastic fell out.

What happened?

A human thumb turns on the camera by sliding a power switch to the right. The power switch slide (which seems strong and very well engineered) pushes a tiny piece of plastic inside the camera which is part of a micro switch.

That tiny piece of plastic is what broke off in the attached photo (taken with my brother's Kodak digital camera.)

I contacted customer service and talked to a very nice customer service rep. However, she told me that Kodak's policy for digital camera repair is to charge an upfront, flat fee of $135. There would be additional shipping, parts, and labor fees. She sounded embarassed to admit this could add up to almost half the price of a new camera or more.

I told her I thought this was a manufacturing defect, and she said the policy still applies, but I could write a letter to her supervisor. I decided to write you because this kind of policy can drive away loyal customers. My first gut reaction was that if I had to buy another camera, I would buy Sony. But I'd rather see Kodak win. (I also buy Apple, Jeep, and Tivoli Audio.)

Please share this information with the Kodak digital camera engineers and also customer service. I hope you agree Kodak should stand behind internal parts if they have been inadequately designed.

Please stay in the consumer electronics business and keep improving your products. Many of us like to support American engineering and innovation, but quality and service have to back it up, not drive us away.

Sincerely,

Jeb Cashel