Estimated Repair Times?

soppy · 05-08-2011, 01:28 PM

Hey everyone,

I bought my K5 in December, and it has the stain issue. Unfortunately due to working with the camera, I haven't been able to send it in to be repaired until now. Does anyone know what the estimated repair time is on these nowadays? I'm guessing the earthquake has affected replacement parts/cameras shipping to the US, much as it has the prices of new cameras. I am mostly just curious so I can schedule bookings around when I send it in (I know it pays to have a backup camera, but that's not in the cards right now) and I don't completely trust the Pentax reps estimates.

As a side note, does anyone who had their camera repaired recently (ie after the quake) know if they are replacing stained cameras or if they are just fixing/replacing the sensor?

Also, can it be sent to CISIS (I have no idea if thats how it is abbreviated, but I've seen something similar mentioned here on the forums) under warranty in the US, or will I have to pay extra to use that service? The reason being I saw they have some nice extra options such as a cleaning and calibration/tuneup that looked like they were free under warranty.

Lastly, is Pentax still extending warranties an additional year after the camera is serviced? I know with my K100D they serviced it for free a year after the last repair, but it was out of the original warranty.

Thanks so much for the help guys!

Note: I know the tragedy in Japan has much farther reaching consequences than how it affects camera equipment. Please do not take my comments as being ignorant of the larger consequences, but rather as looking for insight into how the tragedy effected a specific segment. My prayers and well wishes go out to all those affected by the earthquakes in Japan.

lonls · 05-08-2011, 03:02 PM

C.R.I.S. is a camera repair business in Arizona that handles Pentax warranty work in the US. I recently sent a stained K-5 to CRIS. I called Pentax, they contacted CRIS who emailed me a UPS shipping label. There are no shipping charges if you use UPS ground.

I sent my K-5 to C.R.I.S on April 6th. They received it on the 11th and sent a K-5 back to me on April 25th. I received it on May 2nd. The whole process took 26 days. Twelve days in transit and fourteen days at C.R.I.S.

What I got back was a K-5 with a 384xxxx serial (my old one was 386xxxx) with a manufacture date of 2-18-2011. The firmware was 1.03 and there were 12 shutter actuations. The sensor on the camera I received is stain free. So I am a happy guy.

soppy · 05-08-2011, 07:55 PM

Thanks for the helpful info. So it seems they are replacing the bodies... That's awesome given I have a minor scratch on the bottom of mine i wouldn't mine getting "fixed" for free. The turnaround time doesn't seem bad either.

yurko_yr · 05-09-2011, 05:27 PM

Hi,
I had the same issue - so send my K5 to be fixed. This is a tracking of the repair:
Processing 4/21/2011
Pending Replacement 4/21/2011
Repair Completed 5/4/2011
Ship 5/4/2011
I am expecting to receive my camera back on Thursday, May 12. So totally it is 22 days with including shipping time.
Best regards,
Yuriy

05-08-2011, 01:28 PM	#1
soppy Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Gainesville Posts: 347	Estimated Repair Times? Hey everyone, I bought my K5 in December, and it has the stain issue. Unfortunately due to working with the camera, I haven't been able to send it in to be repaired until now. Does anyone know what the estimated repair time is on these nowadays? I'm guessing the earthquake has affected replacement parts/cameras shipping to the US, much as it has the prices of new cameras. I am mostly just curious so I can schedule bookings around when I send it in (I know it pays to have a backup camera, but that's not in the cards right now) and I don't completely trust the Pentax reps estimates. As a side note, does anyone who had their camera repaired recently (ie after the quake) know if they are replacing stained cameras or if they are just fixing/replacing the sensor? Also, can it be sent to CISIS (I have no idea if thats how it is abbreviated, but I've seen something similar mentioned here on the forums) under warranty in the US, or will I have to pay extra to use that service? The reason being I saw they have some nice extra options such as a cleaning and calibration/tuneup that looked like they were free under warranty. Lastly, is Pentax still extending warranties an additional year after the camera is serviced? I know with my K100D they serviced it for free a year after the last repair, but it was out of the original warranty. Thanks so much for the help guys! Note: I know the tragedy in Japan has much farther reaching consequences than how it affects camera equipment. Please do not take my comments as being ignorant of the larger consequences, but rather as looking for insight into how the tragedy effected a specific segment. My prayers and well wishes go out to all those affected by the earthquakes in Japan.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Landscape Have seen better times	Lab	Photo Critique	11	04-12-2011 03:52 AM
Pentax Canada Repair times?	icywarm	Pentax DSLR Discussion	17	11-19-2010 10:15 AM
estimated $525000 to keep one canadian soldier in Afganistan	Reportage	General Talk	18	01-12-2010 09:10 PM
An "Estimated" price for the new 18-50mm WR's	Ben Hunt	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	5	06-22-2009 08:50 AM
Published! 4 times!	hamidlmt	Post Your Photos!	16	05-17-2009 07:14 PM

05-08-2011, 03:02 PM	#2
lonls New Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Newark, Delaware Posts: 8	C.R.I.S. is a camera repair business in Arizona that handles Pentax warranty work in the US. I recently sent a stained K-5 to CRIS. I called Pentax, they contacted CRIS who emailed me a UPS shipping label. There are no shipping charges if you use UPS ground. I sent my K-5 to C.R.I.S on April 6th. They received it on the 11th and sent a K-5 back to me on April 25th. I received it on May 2nd. The whole process took 26 days. Twelve days in transit and fourteen days at C.R.I.S. What I got back was a K-5 with a 384xxxx serial (my old one was 386xxxx) with a manufacture date of 2-18-2011. The firmware was 1.03 and there were 12 shutter actuations. The sensor on the camera I received is stain free. So I am a happy guy.

05-08-2011, 07:55 PM	#3
soppy Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Gainesville Posts: 347 Original Poster	Thanks for the helpful info. So it seems they are replacing the bodies... That's awesome given I have a minor scratch on the bottom of mine i wouldn't mine getting "fixed" for free. The turnaround time doesn't seem bad either.

05-09-2011, 05:27 PM	#4
yurko_yr Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Saarbrucken Photos: Gallery Posts: 332	Hi, I had the same issue - so send my K5 to be fixed. This is a tracking of the repair: Processing 4/21/2011 Pending Replacement 4/21/2011 Repair Completed 5/4/2011 Ship 5/4/2011 I am expecting to receive my camera back on Thursday, May 12. So totally it is 22 days with including shipping time. Best regards, Yuriy