Nikon Asked to Halt All D600 Sales in China After Scathing Nationally Televised Exposé

nikonheadquarters1

Nikon has probably had just about enough when it comes to the D600 and its sensor dust/oil issues. It started with user complaints, evolved to class action lawsuits from a number of different sources, and has now escalated to a full-on order by the Chinese government to stop D600 sales in China after a state-run television show featured a scathing exposé about the issue.

International attention from the likes of Business Insider and CNN may very well have been one of Nikon’s 2014 New Year’s resolutions, but this is NOT how they wanted it fulfilled.

The debacle started when the China Central Television show “3.15” (sort of like 60 minutes) not only accused Nikon of selling a defective product — something the company has pretty much admitted to at this point — but also featured hidden camera footage of employees denying returns and exchanges while blaming smog.

nikond600a

3.15 comes on once per year, and is closely watched by the major western companies that it typically targets (think Apple, Volkswagen and McDonald’s) because of the damage control often required after it airs. This year, the target was Nikon, and the show’s broadcast was followed by a government order that demanded the company stop all sales of D600s in China.

According to Reuters, the Japanese camera company made some $1.16 billion in China last year, and so it’s no surprise the response to the accusations has been swift. All D600s are being recalled and a spokesman is quoted as saying that they are taking the report very seriously.

For Nikon, this is a PR nightmare that could very well affect sales in a country where they make over a billion dollars annually. For us, well, we’re kind of sick of these stories, but at the same time kind of glad that Nikon has probably learned the lesson of a lifetime from this whole fiasco. Next time a Nikon product is defective, you can bet they’ll be recalled or fixed IMMEDIATELY.

(via Business Insider)


Image credits: Nikon Headquarters by Peter Dutton

Discussion