If It Doesn't Work...

If it doesn't work, there are a number of things you can do: a. Take it back and complain. Before you do, consider that there may be a number of reasons it doesn't work - and quite a few of them can be to do with you, not it... If you are full of juice but the equipment isn't, consider whether or not you've adequately charged it. In the case of anything with batteries, there are five places that can go wrong: 1. You. You plug things in and forget to turn on the switch at the power point. Don't ask me how I know this because I cry easily. 2. The power point. Box, cord, plug, Synergy...they can all be faulty, and sometimes you never suspect it. I have a collection of power boards that are like curate's eggs...parts of them are excellent... 3. The adapter. Look to see if you have a dead adapter. They are sometimes cheaply-made and prone to breakage even in moderate use. Try another one. 4. The battery. I have major-firm batteries that have gradually failed and after-market ones that have failed smartly. My car battery fails every three years. Don't expect eternal life. 5. The camera. Yes, they can have flaws in the power circuit. Not your repair job - this is a shop matter. Sometimes a warranty matter. b. Keep it and work it out yourself. If you've read the 5 things above you can start your own investigations and sometimes save journeys, time, trouble, and money. Also embarrassment - if you are missing the point, someone may point it out to you and laugh. The real problem is if it works, but doesn't do what you think it ought to - or need it to do - because you have more input here than you think - and in some cases you should have put it in beforehand. When you buy photo gear, tell the shop assistant what you want it to do. You need not admit to illegal activity like line dancing or cheese-rolling festivals, but give the person serving you a chance to see that what they're sending out of the shop will actually work. Be honest - you don't lie to your doctor or lawyer and retail shop assistants are no different. If you deliberately take out an inadequate item you can hardly complain when it proves to be so. Also, and this is Ron Frank speaking, don't buy lesser goods and hope to save expense. You'll buy three inadequate tripods before you buy the one you needed in the first place, and have three lots of trouble before you are happy. Buy the proper thing for the proper price in the first place and be happy for a lot longer. If you have ever been waved-off by the shop assistants when you come in all fired-up to buy the wrong thing, take it as a kindness. We do see people who have talked themselves into a bad decision, and while we cannot prevent you from buying the photographic equivalent of a case of tinned gefilte fish, we can clearly point to the warning signs.