K-5 Sensor imperfection and useless B&H help

BONSTA · 01-18-2011, 02:13 PM

Hey K-5 users,

I'd like to share my horror story with B&H and ask for suggestions. I bought a K-5 in November from B&H and had it shipped to my brother's in Seattle, where I was going to visit. (I would have bought it in Canada, where I live, if I wasn't too sick to go shopping at the time). Anyhow, I spent 2 months travelling the US and taking several thousand photos. After returning home I discovered that there's an imperfection mostly likely in the glass covering the sensor - I have a series of bubbles noticeable in the centre of all photos taken at F8 or higher. (It's not dust, they don't move with cleaning and they're not dark like dust spots).

On top of this issue the exposure is quite often wrong. For instance, if I take 2 shots within a second of each other and without changing a thing (I only shoot in manual or bulb), one photo will be 4-5 stops darker than the other. I assume this is a software problem so it doesn't worry me so as much as the sensor issue.

I called B&H but they said that because I didn't discover the problem until after their 15 day return date that there is nothing that they can do. Then I called Pentax USA, who were the only people of any help, and they were willing to fix the camera and pick it up for free...until I told them that I'm Canadian. So they had me call Pentax Canada, who said that they can't honour my warranty because I bought the camera in the US. But they said they would fix it for a fee ($50) as long as I got an international warranty card from B&H. Then I called B&H, who now refuse to give me a warranty card (there wasn't even a US warranty card in the box when I bought it). So now I have to pay upwards of $300 to fix a problem on a brand new camera, not to mention the fact that I'll be without a camera for a month while it's being fixed or the 4000 ruined photos from my once-in-a-lifetime vacation.

Has anyone had problems like this? Or can you suggest a way for me to resolve this issue without getting my credit card company to reverse the $1600 charge from B&H?

Cheers,

Bonnie

betaPhoto · 01-18-2011, 02:24 PM

You have a sensor stain. It needs to be replaced.

Send it to the U.S. outlet and now you live with your brother in Seattle.

wlachan · 01-18-2011, 02:25 PM

Can the camera be shipped to Pentax USA for warranty fix? Should cost you $20 shipping only.

sewebster · 01-18-2011, 02:27 PM - **1 Like**

Warranty details are available on the website:

Digital Cameras and Accessories - Official PENTAX Imaging Web Site

You have to request an International Warranty Card if you want one (it tells you how). It says the coverage is the same as the standard Pentax (US) warranty, so I'm not sure why Pentax Canada would want to charge you $50.

BONSTA · 01-18-2011, 02:45 PM

Thanks guys!

wlachan, the camera can be shipped to the US for a warranty fix but I'd have to pay all the shipping and associated taxes and duties for the full value of the camera going both ways over the border. It would be cheaper for me to pay for the sensor replacement myself.

And I live down the road from Pentax Canada so it makes more sense for me to have it fixed here and avoid all the shipping/border-crossing issues.

sewebster, thanks for that link. I just spent 30 min on the phone with Pentax US and they wouldn't give me an international warranty card, so I hope what's written on that link is actually true. I'll give it a try, and maybe in a couple months I'll have a working camera.

causey · 01-18-2011, 02:48 PM

Your citizenship is irrelevant. Pentax US Center must have got wrong what you told them--they probably thought you got the camera from a Canadian store. As long as you got it from B&H you should be able to have it fixed in the US under its 1-year warranty.

But I think you should have your camera replaced--and my guess is Pentax US is going to replace it. From what I heard, Pentax's policy concerning sensor stains is immediate replacement of the affected cameras.

**Rondec** · 01-18-2011, 02:49 PM

You should be able to get it taken care of without problem with Pentax Canada. International warranty is only one year, versus the two year that you normally get in Canada. I have used it the other direction, bought from Prodigital 2000 and then had a lens serviced in the US without any difficulty. Wouldn't think it would be a problem the other way around -- a lot of folks in Canada buy from US companies. Warranty card is pretty much irrelevant. As far as I know, all you need is the purchase receipt.

BONSTA · 01-18-2011, 02:59 PM

Thanks causey, the problem isn't whether Pentax US will or will not fix it. It's that they won't ship it across the border. If I ship it to them I pay taxes and duty plus shipping. Then when they ship me a new one it has to be to an American address. I could use my brother's but then he'd have to pay to ship it to me and I'd pay taxes and duty again.

Rondec, I wish it were true the other way around. So far Pentax Canada hasn't been of any help.

JeffJS · 01-18-2011, 03:21 PM

Did you pay duty and taxes when you Carried it across the border? Perhaps you can invest some trust in a USA member near where you are and simply pick it up on arrival. That or if you know someone who travels across the border often, have them pick it up for you.

I really don't know what you would have expected B&H to have done, 2 months (?) after the fact nor do I know what you think your CC company is going to do about it.

Parallax · 01-18-2011, 03:23 PM

This is not about the K-5, it is about a warranty issue.
moving

to General Talk

geezer52 · 01-18-2011, 03:26 PM

That seems a bit odd - I bought a K-5 from B&H which I received on 14 Nov. Later when the stain issue announced itself, I tested my camera and found the dreaded issue. It too was after the 15 day period but B&H had announced an extended return window due to the Christmas season. I called B&H and the customer service rep was very helpful and e-mailed me an RMA form along with a pre-paid shipping label right away. I received a replacement K-5 in short order. I think I would try B&H again, specifically reference the stain issue because for certain it's become a known problem. I've no doubt they have heard about it already. As a major dealer B&H will have no problem dealing with Pentax, just because this problem has become so widely discussed

On a side note. It seems your brother lives in Seattle near Canada - does he go there? Couldn't he bring it into Canada and then ship it to you within country or does that sort of thing get checked closely? Been a long time since Ive crossed the border out of uniform.

bobmaxja · 01-18-2011, 03:27 PM

I believe you can contact Pentax Canada and Said you haveb the stain issue on your Camera. And that you know that Pentax give the OK to replace them .

grainbelt · 01-18-2011, 03:59 PM

I bet you declared it and paid GST on it when you brought it back from Seattle too, eh?

Should have addressed the warranty card and any related issues at time of purchase, not 60 days later. That said, as long as you still have your proof of purchase, not sure what their problem is with issuing a warranty card.

I lived in Canada as an expat for five years and became fairly well versed in this sort of stuff. Read the fine print, inspect at time of delivery. None of this is new in the cross-border online purchasing world.

BONSTA · 01-19-2011, 08:35 AM

geezer52, how long was B&H's extended return after Christmas? Maybe I can call them again and remind them of it. I received my camera around the same time as you.
And no, my brother couldn't bring it to Canada. He has enough troubles crossing the border while in the final stages of a Greencard application.

bobmaxja, already did that. No luck.

grainbelt, I did not buy in the US to avoid taxes or save money (I think I might have paid more in the end), it was simply easier to order online while I was ill. Yes, I do pay HST on everything I buy outside of Canada - credit card companies share information with the government and I get a bill in the mail for the 13% tax every few months.
I didn't realise there wasn't a warranty card. There was a piece of paper describing how the warranty covers manufacturers defects globally--at the time I thought that piece of paper was the warranty--but not an actual card with a stamp from B&H, which is what Pentax Canada requires (Pentax US does not require a card, which is probably why it wasn't in the box).
I couldn't have known about the stain until after my trip. I was camping in National Parks all around the US for over 6 weeks so it wasn't until I got home that I found the problem.

At the end of the day, Pentax needs to replace all the defective cameras it produced. All I need to have that done is a card with B&H's stamp on it. So my complaint is that they refuse to give me that card. And really, how will that affect their business?.

eddie1960 · 01-19-2011, 08:46 AM

I would contact Pentax US and ask for an international warranty to be registered (you have to ask for it) and then approach Pentax Canada. If you have no result then I would contact Pentax Japan and CC Pentax US and Pentax Canada an lodge a complaint with the bbb etc.
This is an acknowledged defect purchased through an authorized dealer and there is no reason it should not be replaced/repaired
Also If it is going back and forth to the US for warranty work and you have proof of the paid import taxes on the way in you should be able to avoid them going both ways with proper documentation, or at a minimum claim an HST refund for taxes paid twice on the same item.

01-18-2011, 02:13 PM	#1
BONSTA New Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 9	K-5 Sensor imperfection and useless B&H help Hey K-5 users, I'd like to share my horror story with B&H and ask for suggestions. I bought a K-5 in November from B&H and had it shipped to my brother's in Seattle, where I was going to visit. (I would have bought it in Canada, where I live, if I wasn't too sick to go shopping at the time). Anyhow, I spent 2 months travelling the US and taking several thousand photos. After returning home I discovered that there's an imperfection mostly likely in the glass covering the sensor - I have a series of bubbles noticeable in the centre of all photos taken at F8 or higher. (It's not dust, they don't move with cleaning and they're not dark like dust spots). On top of this issue the exposure is quite often wrong. For instance, if I take 2 shots within a second of each other and without changing a thing (I only shoot in manual or bulb), one photo will be 4-5 stops darker than the other. I assume this is a software problem so it doesn't worry me so as much as the sensor issue. I called B&H but they said that because I didn't discover the problem until after their 15 day return date that there is nothing that they can do. Then I called Pentax USA, who were the only people of any help, and they were willing to fix the camera and pick it up for free...until I told them that I'm Canadian. So they had me call Pentax Canada, who said that they can't honour my warranty because I bought the camera in the US. But they said they would fix it for a fee ($50) as long as I got an international warranty card from B&H. Then I called B&H, who now refuse to give me a warranty card (there wasn't even a US warranty card in the box when I bought it). So now I have to pay upwards of $300 to fix a problem on a brand new camera, not to mention the fact that I'll be without a camera for a month while it's being fixed or the 4000 ruined photos from my once-in-a-lifetime vacation. Has anyone had problems like this? Or can you suggest a way for me to resolve this issue without getting my credit card company to reverse the $1600 charge from B&H? Cheers, Bonnie

01-18-2011, 03:23 PM	#10
Parallax Senior Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Dakota Photos: Gallery Posts: 19,332	This is not about the K-5, it is about a warranty issue. to General Talk

01-18-2011, 03:26 PM	#11
geezer52 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: High Desert, California Photos: Gallery Posts: 231	That seems a bit odd - I bought a K-5 from B&H which I received on 14 Nov. Later when the stain issue announced itself, I tested my camera and found the dreaded issue. It too was after the 15 day period but B&H had announced an extended return window due to the Christmas season. I called B&H and the customer service rep was very helpful and e-mailed me an RMA form along with a pre-paid shipping label right away. I received a replacement K-5 in short order. I think I would try B&H again, specifically reference the stain issue because for certain it's become a known problem. I've no doubt they have heard about it already. As a major dealer B&H will have no problem dealing with Pentax, just because this problem has become so widely discussed On a side note. It seems your brother lives in Seattle near Canada - does he go there? Couldn't he bring it into Canada and then ship it to you within country or does that sort of thing get checked closely? Been a long time since Ive crossed the border out of uniform. Last edited by geezer52; 01-18-2011 at 03:34 PM.

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01-18-2011, 02:24 PM	#2
betaPhoto Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Minneapolis, MN Photos: Gallery Posts: 129	You have a sensor stain. It needs to be replaced. Send it to the U.S. outlet and now you live with your brother in Seattle.

01-18-2011, 02:25 PM	#3
wlachan Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canada Photos: Albums Posts: 2,625	Can the camera be shipped to Pentax USA for warranty fix? Should cost you $20 shipping only.

01-18-2011, 02:27 PM - 1 Like	#4
sewebster Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Vancouver, BC Photos: Gallery Posts: 544	Warranty details are available on the website: Digital Cameras and Accessories - Official PENTAX Imaging Web Site You have to request an International Warranty Card if you want one (it tells you how). It says the coverage is the same as the standard Pentax (US) warranty, so I'm not sure why Pentax Canada would want to charge you $50.

01-18-2011, 02:45 PM	#5
BONSTA New Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 9 Original Poster	Thanks guys! wlachan, the camera can be shipped to the US for a warranty fix but I'd have to pay all the shipping and associated taxes and duties for the full value of the camera going both ways over the border. It would be cheaper for me to pay for the sensor replacement myself. And I live down the road from Pentax Canada so it makes more sense for me to have it fixed here and avoid all the shipping/border-crossing issues. sewebster, thanks for that link. I just spent 30 min on the phone with Pentax US and they wouldn't give me an international warranty card, so I hope what's written on that link is actually true. I'll give it a try, and maybe in a couple months I'll have a working camera.

01-18-2011, 02:48 PM	#6
causey Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Arlington, VA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,757	Your citizenship is irrelevant. Pentax US Center must have got wrong what you told them--they probably thought you got the camera from a Canadian store. As long as you got it from B&H you should be able to have it fixed in the US under its 1-year warranty. But I think you should have your camera replaced--and my guess is Pentax US is going to replace it. From what I heard, Pentax's policy concerning sensor stains is immediate replacement of the affected cameras.

01-18-2011, 02:49 PM	#7
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,652	You should be able to get it taken care of without problem with Pentax Canada. International warranty is only one year, versus the two year that you normally get in Canada. I have used it the other direction, bought from Prodigital 2000 and then had a lens serviced in the US without any difficulty. Wouldn't think it would be a problem the other way around -- a lot of folks in Canada buy from US companies. Warranty card is pretty much irrelevant. As far as I know, all you need is the purchase receipt.

01-18-2011, 02:59 PM	#8
BONSTA New Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 9 Original Poster	Thanks causey, the problem isn't whether Pentax US will or will not fix it. It's that they won't ship it across the border. If I ship it to them I pay taxes and duty plus shipping. Then when they ship me a new one it has to be to an American address. I could use my brother's but then he'd have to pay to ship it to me and I'd pay taxes and duty again. Rondec, I wish it were true the other way around. So far Pentax Canada hasn't been of any help.

01-18-2011, 03:21 PM	#9
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	Did you pay duty and taxes when you Carried it across the border? Perhaps you can invest some trust in a USA member near where you are and simply pick it up on arrival. That or if you know someone who travels across the border often, have them pick it up for you. I really don't know what you would have expected B&H to have done, 2 months (?) after the fact nor do I know what you think your CC company is going to do about it.

01-18-2011, 03:27 PM	#12
bobmaxja Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Laval, Quebec Canada Posts: 2,171	I believe you can contact Pentax Canada and Said you haveb the stain issue on your Camera. And that you know that Pentax give the OK to replace them .

01-18-2011, 03:59 PM	#13
grainbelt Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Albums Posts: 587	I bet you declared it and paid GST on it when you brought it back from Seattle too, eh? Should have addressed the warranty card and any related issues at time of purchase, not 60 days later. That said, as long as you still have your proof of purchase, not sure what their problem is with issuing a warranty card. I lived in Canada as an expat for five years and became fairly well versed in this sort of stuff. Read the fine print, inspect at time of delivery. None of this is new in the cross-border online purchasing world.

01-19-2011, 08:35 AM	#14
BONSTA New Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 9 Original Poster	geezer52, how long was B&H's extended return after Christmas? Maybe I can call them again and remind them of it. I received my camera around the same time as you. And no, my brother couldn't bring it to Canada. He has enough troubles crossing the border while in the final stages of a Greencard application. bobmaxja, already did that. No luck. grainbelt, I did not buy in the US to avoid taxes or save money (I think I might have paid more in the end), it was simply easier to order online while I was ill. Yes, I do pay HST on everything I buy outside of Canada - credit card companies share information with the government and I get a bill in the mail for the 13% tax every few months. I didn't realise there wasn't a warranty card. There was a piece of paper describing how the warranty covers manufacturers defects globally--at the time I thought that piece of paper was the warranty--but not an actual card with a stamp from B&H, which is what Pentax Canada requires (Pentax US does not require a card, which is probably why it wasn't in the box). I couldn't have known about the stain until after my trip. I was camping in National Parks all around the US for over 6 weeks so it wasn't until I got home that I found the problem. At the end of the day, Pentax needs to replace all the defective cameras it produced. All I need to have that done is a card with B&H's stamp on it. So my complaint is that they refuse to give me that card. And really, how will that affect their business?.

01-19-2011, 08:46 AM	#15
eddie1960 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,666	I would contact Pentax US and ask for an international warranty to be registered (you have to ask for it) and then approach Pentax Canada. If you have no result then I would contact Pentax Japan and CC Pentax US and Pentax Canada an lodge a complaint with the bbb etc. This is an acknowledged defect purchased through an authorized dealer and there is no reason it should not be replaced/repaired Also If it is going back and forth to the US for warranty work and you have proof of the paid import taxes on the way in you should be able to avoid them going both ways with proper documentation, or at a minimum claim an HST refund for taxes paid twice on the same item.