I'd sent my 50-500mm Sigma lens in for repair several weeks ago. Something had gone horribly wrong in the zoom mechanism and the zoom tube would just freely slide in and out. When Sigma service returned the lens it looked really, really good, but was locked up and would not zoom at all. I called them and they emailed a shipping label for me to return it to them... that was last Tuesday. Per the tracking number the lens arrived at their Ronkonkoma, New York facility on Thursday. A few minutes ago there was a knock at the door. It was UPS with a package for me from Sigma. I looked at my wife with a big smile and said, "wonderful my lens is back!" To my utter surprise when I opened the package inside was a boxed, never opened 50-500mm lens! "Holy customer service, Batman!"
Keep in mind that the lens I sent in for service was purchased used and was an older model that wasn't optimal for digital use. When I sent it in for some repair last year they calibrated it and updated the firmware etc., somewhat optimizing it for use with digital cameras. It came back working much better than it ever had from a sharpness point of view. Hopefully this one will perform similarly... or maybe even better!
Anyway you look at it, that's some pretty awesome customer service.
That is the best customer service story I've ever heard! I would have been flabbergasted as well when I opened that box to find a shiny new Bigma. Good work!
Last year a month and a half before my trip to Africa my Sigma TC1.4 fell apart. I took it to Sigma Mexico. They told me they had to send it to Japan, since they do not do repair in Mexico. I asked them it it was going to be back before my trip to Africa. They assured me it would be back a month from the date of entering it. I called them 3 weeks later and they told me they hadn't even shipped it out to Japan. I got mad; I told them I would sell my sigma stuff and just buy Canon from now on and I'd write to all Sigma distributors about this. They called me back 10 minutes later and offered a brand new Sigma 1.4TC for the repair cost. I took the deal and I still use it.
I had very good service also. I brought a 150-500mm to their location (I am not too far). It was a second hand lens also. The contacts had been damaged. They called me back that afternoon to say it was ready, and no charge!
The service tech was most cordial.