Nikon this week went live with a global NPS (Nikon Professional Services) site. This is good news, as the former sites were getting a bit stale and not updated well, nor did they provide a complete picture of worldwide events having NPS support. A quick perusal of the new site pulled up a few eyebrow raisers, though:
- "Digital products are not currently covered by 'The Nikon Worldwide Service Warranty' but NPS Global Support and Services will apply a one-year service warranty from the day of purchase at the NPS Global Support and Service Network to them, even if they are registered in a different country. Proof of warranty and purchase date should be presented." So, continuation of the same old non-global policies, with an exception for NPS members. But there's still the same old gotcha: in the US, camera bodies don't come with proof of warranty ;~). Moreover, it's unlikely that pros travel with warranties and receipts for all their equipment. Who exactly is thinking out the logistics of these initiatives? My advice to all pros: scan all that paperwork and carry it with you on your laptop. So much for the "ease" portion of "Our goal is to keep NPS members shooting with certainty, ease, and a feeling of security that comes with dedicated support."
- Non-NPS members currently have access to all of the site except for a couple of articles. But that means that you have access to the D3s Technical Guide and D3x Technical Guide PDFs. If you own those cameras, download them and read them.
- Apparently NPS South Africa doesn't count, as they're not in the Americas, Europe, or Asia/Oceania.
Overall, it's an odd mix of global (the new site is hosted at the global nikonimaging.com site) and non-global ("There is no common global NPS membership system apart from the NPS membership systems operated and managed by individual countries or regions."). In other words, standard Nikon operating procedure: subsidiary differences abound.