Seriously CRIS? Really?

Cannikin · 10-19-2011, 04:46 PM

Sorry, a little rant here, but...

So a little over 3 months ago I dropped my DA* 60-250 on concrete. Sent it out to CRIS for repair. They claim 15-20 business days (3-4 weeks) turnaround time, so I had high hopes that I could get the lens back before summer was over. Well, let's just say it didn't quite work out that way. Here's the status updates from CRIS's website:

Date Received: 7/19/2011
With Estimator: 7/21/2011
Requires Attention: 7/27/2011
In Repair: 8/2/2011
Parts Hold: 8/12/2011
Parts Hold Backorder: 8/18/2011
In Repair: 9/30/2011
Process Hold: 10/12/2011
Parts Hold: 10/13/2011 <<<
Parts Hold Backorder: 10/19/2011 <<<

3+ weeks total "In Repair". 7(!) weeks on "Parts Hold" (the first time). After sending an inquiry, they apologized for the delay and assured me my order would be given the "highest priority" and expedited. And what do they do? They put me on "Parts Hold" again...

When I sent another inquiry, their response was more or less: "Sorry, we actually don't know how to repair this lens. We asked Pentax, and turns out we need different/more parts. At least we're not asking you to pay more." As if they were doing me a favor with that last part. So, what exactly were they doing those 3+ weeks "In Repair"?

Yay, I suppose 7 more weeks of "Parts Hold", and another ~2 weeks "In Repair"? 21 weeks at CRIS (including 19 since start of "repairs"), over 5 times longer than their estimated turnaround time!

Ricoh, please:
- Make sure Pentax Ricoh USA is well stocked with parts.
- Set up a first party repair center here.

Last edited by Cannikin; 10-19-2011 at 05:02 PM.

pz1fan · 10-19-2011, 05:04 PM

Originally posted by Cannikin

Ricoh, please:
- Make sure Pentax Ricoh USA is well stocked with parts.
- Set up a first party repair center here.

Also, please give free estimates without having to mail in the lens.

**crewl1** · 10-19-2011, 05:36 PM

Originally posted by Cannikin

Ricoh, please: - Make sure Pentax Ricoh USA is well stocked with parts. - Set up a first party repair center here.

Hmmm I don't think you will like this page info then Service Contacts / Support / Digital Camera?| Ricoh Global

USA, Canada, and South America:
Ricoh Service Center

C.R.I.S. Camera Services
Phone: 480-940-1103
Fax: 480-940-1329
www.criscam.com
Email: <ricoh@criscam.com>

SpecialK · 10-19-2011, 05:44 PM

Originally posted by pz1fan

Also, please give free estimates without having to mail in the lens.

How are they supposed to do that without seeing the lens? Makes no sense at all. Hopefully you were joking.

SpecialK · 10-19-2011, 05:48 PM

Originally posted by Cannikin

Sorry, a little rant here, but...

It seems they answered you. They are not experienced with that lens, asked for help from the factory after they got into it, and need parts they don't stock for a lens they don't see very often.

Unfortunate for you, though.

frank · 10-19-2011, 06:07 PM

They should have sent it back to Japan and let Pentax Japan to fix it for you. That's what our local agent has been doing now w/ Pentax repair. It's slow, yes, but it might be better for the users I guess...

pz1fan · 10-19-2011, 07:29 PM

Originally posted by SpecialK

How are they supposed to do that without seeing the lens? Makes no sense at all. Hopefully you were joking.

Sure, if you drop the lens and don't know what's wrong, you probably have to send it in.

But sometimes you know what's wrong with the lens. See post #20 in the thread below for an example.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/158958-fa-200-...d-i-ask-2.html

In fact, many repair companies give free estimates without taking in your car, lens, or camera if you know what's wrong. Nothing wrong with that and better in my opinion.

Last edited by pz1fan; 10-19-2011 at 07:47 PM.

sjwaldron · 10-19-2011, 07:58 PM

How could the DA* 60-250 be a lens they don't see often? That's probably one of the more popular high-end lenses they sell. It's hard to take the excuse about parts for products that are still in production and readily available new... If CRIS can't afford to stock at such a level, Pentax/Ricoh should step up to the plate and have an inventory. Maybe Pentax Japan needs to actually produce more spare parts or something?

I was stuck on the lack of parts bandwagon for the mirror flop issue and it took them around 4 months, after I got it back and they didn't fix it right, it only took them a single week to fix it again. Hopefully I don't have any more troubles with the K-5, but anyways they should really forgo lean stocking idea in favor of customer service in this regard.

**Clinton** · 10-19-2011, 09:55 PM

Originally posted by SpecialK

How are they supposed to do that without seeing the lens? Makes no sense at all. Hopefully you were joking.

If he was, I'm not. Not always, but usually, I can describe what is wrong with a lens. If they would even give me a shot in the dark price tag, that would be better than nothing.

Lets face it; if you call and say I've got a DA* 16-50 that wont autofocus anymore, they know exactly what the cost will be, probably without a technician even being involved.

Wheatfield · 10-20-2011, 06:25 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by sjwaldron

I was stuck on the lack of parts bandwagon for the mirror flop issue and it took them around 4 months, after I got it back and they didn't fix it right, it only took them a single week to fix it again. Hopefully I don't have any more troubles with the K-5, but anyways they should really forgo lean stocking idea in favor of customer service in this regard.

How much extra at the retail level are you willing to pay in order to get that?

dgaies · 10-20-2011, 06:33 AM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

How much extra at the retail level are you willing to pay in order to get that?

Exactly. I think sometimes people take for granted that longer warranties, better QC and superb customer service has a real cost. At the same time, people want to pay the absolute bottom dollar for the same products. Unfortunately you can't have it both ways. So the question becomes, do you want the $1500 body that has a 5% of having an issue or the $1800 body with a 2% chance of having an issue? Do you want to pay an extra $300 to have a repair center dedicated to a 3 day turnaround time?

Don't get me wrong, I'd like the best of both worlds too; low prices and outstanding quality/service. That said, I'm content with something in between. Now whether that balance point has been properly selected is a different question altogether

**Clinton** · 10-20-2011, 07:44 AM

Originally posted by dgaies

So the question becomes, do you want the $1500 body that has a 5% of having an issue or the $1800 body with a 2% chance of having an issue? Do you want to pay an extra $300 to have a repair center dedicated to a 3 day turnaround time?

Nah, I like it cheap. What I do think they should do is have a warranty repair of 20 business days turn around time or bust, and they send you a new product. 20 business days is a very long time to have something.

Blue · 10-20-2011, 07:55 AM

Originally posted by Wheatfield

How much extra at the retail level are you willing to pay in order to get that?

The camera body is a different thing, but Nikon's lens warranties in the U.S. comes with a 5 year warranty (1 + 4) even on a $349 50mm/1.4. Pentax could do that for the DA* and limited series given the price points of those and the fact its their marquis items.

dgaies · 10-20-2011, 08:20 AM

Originally posted by Clinton

Nah, I like it cheap. What I do think they should do is have a warranty repair of 20 business days turn around time or bust, and they send you a new product. 20 business days is a very long time to have something.

No disagreement here.

I personally prefer cheap as well and am willing to take my chances

I also agree that 20 business days is excessive and that in this situation the repair was not handled well at all.

dgaies · 10-20-2011, 08:23 AM

Originally posted by Blue

The camera body is a different thing, but Nikon's lens warranties in the U.S. comes with a 5 year warranty (1 + 4) even on a $349 50mm/1.4. Pentax could do that for the DA* and limited series given the price points of those and the fact its their marquis items.

100% agree. Given the issues associated with the DA*/SDM lenses, whatever the increased cost associated with offering a longer warranty would seem to be worth it in terms of giving people more confidence when purchasing a $500-$1500 lens. Then again, I could be wrong. Perhaps some bean counter at Pentax made the decision that the cost of extending the warranties was actually higher than the lost business due to the lack of confidence in DA* products.

10-19-2011, 04:46 PM	#1
Cannikin Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: SW Washington Posts: 833	Seriously CRIS? Really? Sorry, a little rant here, but... So a little over 3 months ago I dropped my DA* 60-250 on concrete. Sent it out to CRIS for repair. They claim 15-20 business days (3-4 weeks) turnaround time, so I had high hopes that I could get the lens back before summer was over. Well, let's just say it didn't quite work out that way. Here's the status updates from CRIS's website: Date Received: 7/19/2011 With Estimator: 7/21/2011 Requires Attention: 7/27/2011 In Repair: 8/2/2011 Parts Hold: 8/12/2011 Parts Hold Backorder: 8/18/2011 In Repair: 9/30/2011 Process Hold: 10/12/2011 Parts Hold: 10/13/2011 <<< Parts Hold Backorder: 10/19/2011 <<< 3+ weeks total "In Repair". 7(!) weeks on "Parts Hold" (the first time). After sending an inquiry, they apologized for the delay and assured me my order would be given the "highest priority" and expedited. And what do they do? They put me on "Parts Hold" again... When I sent another inquiry, their response was more or less: "Sorry, we actually don't know how to repair this lens. We asked Pentax, and turns out we need different/more parts. At least we're not asking you to pay more." As if they were doing me a favor with that last part. So, what exactly were they doing those 3+ weeks "In Repair"? Yay, I suppose 7 more weeks of "Parts Hold", and another ~2 weeks "In Repair"? 21 weeks at CRIS (including 19 since start of "repairs"), over 5 times longer than their estimated turnaround time! Ricoh, please: - Make sure Pentax Ricoh USA is well stocked with parts. - Set up a first party repair center here. Last edited by Cannikin; 10-19-2011 at 05:02 PM.

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10-19-2011, 05:04 PM	#2
pz1fan Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: United States Posts: 183	Originally posted by Cannikin Ricoh, please: - Make sure Pentax Ricoh USA is well stocked with parts. - Set up a first party repair center here. Also, please give free estimates without having to mail in the lens. Last edited by pz1fan; 10-19-2011 at 05:10 PM.

10-19-2011, 05:36 PM	#3
crewl1 Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Los Angeles, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,807	Originally posted by Cannikin Ricoh, please: - Make sure Pentax Ricoh USA is well stocked with parts. - Set up a first party repair center here. Hmmm I don't think you will like this page info then Service Contacts / Support / Digital Camera?\| Ricoh Global USA, Canada, and South America: Ricoh Service Center C.R.I.S. Camera Services Phone: 480-940-1103 Fax: 480-940-1329 www.criscam.com Email: <ricoh@criscam.com>

10-19-2011, 05:44 PM	#4
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,481	Originally posted by pz1fan Also, please give free estimates without having to mail in the lens. How are they supposed to do that without seeing the lens? Makes no sense at all. Hopefully you were joking.

10-19-2011, 05:48 PM	#5
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,481	Originally posted by Cannikin Sorry, a little rant here, but... It seems they answered you. They are not experienced with that lens, asked for help from the factory after they got into it, and need parts they don't stock for a lens they don't see very often. Unfortunate for you, though.

10-19-2011, 06:07 PM	#6
frank Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,202	They should have sent it back to Japan and let Pentax Japan to fix it for you. That's what our local agent has been doing now w/ Pentax repair. It's slow, yes, but it might be better for the users I guess...

10-19-2011, 07:29 PM	#7
pz1fan Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: United States Posts: 183	Originally posted by SpecialK How are they supposed to do that without seeing the lens? Makes no sense at all. Hopefully you were joking. Sure, if you drop the lens and don't know what's wrong, you probably have to send it in. But sometimes you know what's wrong with the lens. See post #20 in the thread below for an example. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/158958-fa-200-...d-i-ask-2.html In fact, many repair companies give free estimates without taking in your car, lens, or camera if you know what's wrong. Nothing wrong with that and better in my opinion. Last edited by pz1fan; 10-19-2011 at 07:47 PM.

10-19-2011, 07:58 PM	#8
sjwaldron Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,235	How could the DA* 60-250 be a lens they don't see often? That's probably one of the more popular high-end lenses they sell. It's hard to take the excuse about parts for products that are still in production and readily available new... If CRIS can't afford to stock at such a level, Pentax/Ricoh should step up to the plate and have an inventory. Maybe Pentax Japan needs to actually produce more spare parts or something? I was stuck on the lack of parts bandwagon for the mirror flop issue and it took them around 4 months, after I got it back and they didn't fix it right, it only took them a single week to fix it again. Hopefully I don't have any more troubles with the K-5, but anyways they should really forgo lean stocking idea in favor of customer service in this regard.

10-19-2011, 09:55 PM	#9
Clinton Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,910	Originally posted by SpecialK How are they supposed to do that without seeing the lens? Makes no sense at all. Hopefully you were joking. If he was, I'm not. Not always, but usually, I can describe what is wrong with a lens. If they would even give me a shot in the dark price tag, that would be better than nothing. Lets face it; if you call and say I've got a DA* 16-50 that wont autofocus anymore, they know exactly what the cost will be, probably without a technician even being involved.

10-20-2011, 06:25 AM - 1 Like	#10
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,981	Originally posted by sjwaldron I was stuck on the lack of parts bandwagon for the mirror flop issue and it took them around 4 months, after I got it back and they didn't fix it right, it only took them a single week to fix it again. Hopefully I don't have any more troubles with the K-5, but anyways they should really forgo lean stocking idea in favor of customer service in this regard. How much extra at the retail level are you willing to pay in order to get that?

10-20-2011, 06:33 AM	#11
dgaies Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Maryland / Washington DC Posts: 3,917	Originally posted by Wheatfield How much extra at the retail level are you willing to pay in order to get that? Exactly. I think sometimes people take for granted that longer warranties, better QC and superb customer service has a real cost. At the same time, people want to pay the absolute bottom dollar for the same products. Unfortunately you can't have it both ways. So the question becomes, do you want the $1500 body that has a 5% of having an issue or the $1800 body with a 2% chance of having an issue? Do you want to pay an extra $300 to have a repair center dedicated to a 3 day turnaround time? Don't get me wrong, I'd like the best of both worlds too; low prices and outstanding quality/service. That said, I'm content with something in between. Now whether that balance point has been properly selected is a different question altogether

10-20-2011, 07:44 AM	#12
Clinton Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,910	Originally posted by dgaies So the question becomes, do you want the $1500 body that has a 5% of having an issue or the $1800 body with a 2% chance of having an issue? Do you want to pay an extra $300 to have a repair center dedicated to a 3 day turnaround time? Nah, I like it cheap. What I do think they should do is have a warranty repair of 20 business days turn around time or bust, and they send you a new product. 20 business days is a very long time to have something.

10-20-2011, 07:55 AM	#13
Blue Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,377	Originally posted by Wheatfield How much extra at the retail level are you willing to pay in order to get that? The camera body is a different thing, but Nikon's lens warranties in the U.S. comes with a 5 year warranty (1 + 4) even on a $349 50mm/1.4. Pentax could do that for the DA* and limited series given the price points of those and the fact its their marquis items.

10-20-2011, 08:20 AM	#14
dgaies Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Maryland / Washington DC Posts: 3,917	Originally posted by Clinton Nah, I like it cheap. What I do think they should do is have a warranty repair of 20 business days turn around time or bust, and they send you a new product. 20 business days is a very long time to have something. No disagreement here. I personally prefer cheap as well and am willing to take my chances I also agree that 20 business days is excessive and that in this situation the repair was not handled well at all.

10-20-2011, 08:23 AM	#15
dgaies Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Maryland / Washington DC Posts: 3,917	Originally posted by Blue The camera body is a different thing, but Nikon's lens warranties in the U.S. comes with a 5 year warranty (1 + 4) even on a $349 50mm/1.4. Pentax could do that for the DA* and limited series given the price points of those and the fact its their marquis items. 100% agree. Given the issues associated with the DA/SDM lenses, whatever the increased cost associated with offering a longer warranty would seem to be worth it in terms of giving people more confidence when purchasing a $500-$1500 lens. Then again, I could be wrong. Perhaps some bean counter at Pentax made the decision that the cost of extending the warranties was actually higher than the lost business due to the lack of confidence in DA products.