UPDATE ON 6/10/10: Response received from Schoeps on 6/10/10. Schoeps did in fact have records on the MK6 from the recent repair shop refurbishment. These records simply hadn't made it back to the database.
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I recently have had two separate incidences of what I perceive to be potential problems with the quality and reliability of the data that is contained in the data source that Schoeps uses to validate historical information related to their products, so I'm curious to know if any others have had similar issues because so many people seem to use this information as the authoritative information source....although I have to say that based on my experiences I'm concerned about this assumption.
I'm interested to hear if anyone else has had similar experiences or a potential explanation for my experiences. Details below.
Two months ago I sold a pair of MK4V capsules that had a matching certificate attached. The buyer sent a message to Schoeps to independently verify the matching and the message was returned that the capsules were not matched since they weren't in their database as such. However, upon sending a photo of the certificate, Mr. Vollmer replied that he recognized the signature on the certificate and confirmed that the capsules were matched and apologized for the mistake. I'm not so concerned about the mistake as I am the fact that it was originally definitively stated that these capsules were not matched...which was false information which could have potentially devalued my gear if one assumes that Schoeps' data is always correct.
The second situation just revealed itself this morning when they responded to Nolafishwater (we're comparing capsule performance characteristics and negotiating a possible swap) that they have no information on one of my MK6 capsules in their database...but this capsule was just returned from Schoeps two weeks ago from having a complete refurbishment. Well, I suppose it's possible that they have yet to update their database from the recent maintenance done on my capsule, but this is concerning to me since it's the second consecutive potential information problem the I've come across independently (in only two attempts).
I'm not so bothered about potential glitches in data...stuff happens. But what is potentially bothersome is that consumers and Schoeps alike seem to be using their database as T-H-E authoritative source of information to validate things like capsule matching and maintenance history. I'm two-for-two in getting potentially flawed data back from their datbase, so I'm personally concerned about how much stock is being placed in the reliability and quality of the data that Schoeps has and how well they keep their database updated.
EDIT TO ADD: A message has been sent to Schoeps to attempt clarification of the recent MK6 capsule refurb and why there is no current information on that capsule...such as perhaps that the data is simply in limbo. I'll update this thread based on whatever response we get back.
Topic: Has Anyone Experienced Problems with Schoeps' Database?!? (Read 1700 times)