Sony Corporation of China has suspended the distribution of six
of its digital camera models on the Chinese mainland after a
provincial quality inspection authority found flaws with them.
The cameras were found to have problems in their image
uniformity, liquid crystal displays, automatic exposure and white
balance, according to a survey conducted by the Zhejiang Provincial
Industrial and Commercial Administration.
"The six types of cameras have already been pulled off shelves
in Zhejiang Province," Pan Wei, an official from the administration
said on Friday.
On Monday, the administration issued an emergency ban on the six
substandard cameras.
It said of the 34 digital cameras tested, 13 failed to meet
national standards, according to testing results from the National
Camera Quality Supervision and Inspection Center. A total of 30
production batches were involved with the six reported types of
Sony cameras, namely the Sony DSC-H1, DSC-L1, DSC-P200, DSC-W7,
DSC-W5 and DSC-S90.
In a statement on Thursday, Sony promised to suspend
distribution of the six models, saying "it will protect the
consumer's legal interests on the basis of Chinese laws and
regulations."
For customers who had bought one of the six types of cameras in
question, a service hotline has been set up to query possible
problems, said the statement.
However, the company did not say how to return, repair or
exchange these cameras in detail.
(China Daily December 17, 2005)