Japan's camera giant Nikon yesterday apologized to Chinese buyers of its D600 cameras, which have been the subject of a dispute.

Disgruntled consumers should contact their local after-sales department to arrange for a free maintenance check even if their warranties have expired, the company said in a statement.

All postage fees will be covered by Nikon, as will the cost of the service and any parts. If all efforts to resolve the problem fail, the company will provide a replacement camera, it said.

Nikon did, however, ask people to first try to clean their cameras themselves using the instruction leaflet provided.

The dispute over the D600 cameras began when customers complained that the images they created were speckled with black dots. The situation escalated after the company was featured on the "3.15" news program shown on CCTV on Saturday, World Consumer Rights Day. On Sunday Nikon was ordered to remove all D600s from sale in China.

Despite the apology and offer of a replacement, some consumers remain upset that Nikon has not offered them the option of a refund.

"Nikon should pay us a refund ... instead it's just playing a word game," an unnamed netizen wrote.

People had earlier complained that Nikon customers in the US were better treated than their Chinese counterparts, as they had been given replacements. Nikon said it offers the same service to its customers regardless of where they are in the world.