[Joojoo2010]

Ok sensor is cleaned now, its clean enough for my landscape pics now. It was very stocky stuff there, did use so many sensor swabs and really scrub sensor back and forward so many times before i did get all that stuff out from sensor. But sensor looks just fine now...out of swabs now...

[PePe]

I did get my k5 back from sweden maintenance, one month and 10 days.
.

This is what I feared when I heard about the change. This is totally unacceptable, bearing in mind that until late last year Pentax used to have a quick and well-functioning service center in Finland the same way Nikon and Canon do.

[christiansen]

Perhaps the raw numbers of selled Pentax gear is disappointing for the Scandinavian region; thus, using only one service location for 3 neighbouring /relative nations makes sense. For those affected, this is by no means consolation. But on another track, it seems Ricoh is moving /changing /adjusting operations throughout the world, which can only mean good things for the Pentax worldwide customer.

[VisualDarkness]

So it may simply be the service center narrowing their direction and specializing rather than Pentax wanting to make it worse for Finnish users.

[PePe]

Perhaps the raw numbers of selled Pentax gear is disappointing for the Scandinavian region; thus, using only one service location for 3 neighbouring /relative nations makes sense. For those affected, this is by no means consolation.

I am not sure whether it is Pentax or the distributor who is behind this.
However, there is a real risk of ending up in a vicious circle. The more they upset customers, the more likely people are to look elsewhere. I do not think Pentax can afford going this way, they definitely need to expand their user base.
In my case this situation is holding back my upgrade to a K-3.

[Kameraten]

I am not sure whether it is Pentax or the distributor who is behind this.
However, there is a real risk of ending up in a vicious circle. The more they upset customers, the more likely people are to look elsewhere. I do not think Pentax can afford going this way, they definitely need to expand their user base.
In my case this situation is holding back my upgrade to a K-3.

I've been told it's a decision by Focus Nordic, which makes sense since they are the customer. And they decided to take away the servicing of Tamron and Metz likewise.
PePe makes a correct assessment of the effects on sales, sadly.

I will get first-hand experience of this new arrangement sooner than I wished: I had to send my broken K-01 to Kungsör yesterday.

But after all, it should have been a surprise if it had lasted a whole year without problems. Only two of my six Pentax bodies have.

[gazonk]

But after all, it should have been a surprise if it had lasted a whole year without problems. Only two of my six Pentax bodies have.

Really? The only of my 6 (including my wife's ME Super) Pentax bodies that so far has needed service, was my LX back in 1983 (it would need a new service now for a growing mirror-stickiness-problem, but I use it so rarely that I have postponed that)

[Kameraten]

My concern is not that Kameraservice would not be skilled or service-minded enough; by all accounts they are. Instead, it's the logistics that are the problem: They received my camera yesterday afternoon at the earliest. Given a three-day turnaround time, with JAS I would have been getting my camera back by that time.
Since I cannot depend on just one body in my work, I've ordered another K-01 as backup for now and the future. With very mixed feelings, as you may imagine.
[ edit: actually I can see now from the package tracking that Kameraservice won't get the package before today. So I will get my new K-01 before it's back, anyway.
Well, at least I didn't reward Focus Nordic by getting a K-3, or even the K-01 through them.]

[Kameraten]

It's even worse than I feared: the postal service is delivering my package to the repair shop only today. So if they need three days and it comes back at the same snail-mail pace I will have the camera back around the 26th of February, almost three weeks after it broke.
Which is totally unacceptable if you work with your camera.
Now, I'm getting another body as a stop-gap. I can do it since it's cheap and delivers about the same quality as the camera being serviced. But you cannot do it if the camera being serviced is high-end and impossible to keep a spare for. This is why Pentax does not succeed in the high-end market – not the pixels, not the AF or the touch-screen. The competition simply offers 24-hour turnaround time in servicing, and/or a replacement if need be. I would not dare to depend on a 654D.

[_quicksilver_]

It's even worse than I feared: the postal service is delivering my package to the repair shop only today. So if they need three days and it comes back at the same snail-mail pace I will have the camera back around the 26th of February, almost three weeks after it broke.
Which is totally unacceptable if you work with your camera.
Now, I'm getting another body as a stop-gap. I can do it since it's cheap and delivers about the same quality as the camera being serviced. But you cannot do it if the camera being serviced is high-end and impossible to keep a spare for. This is why Pentax does not succeed in the high-end market – not the pixels, not the AF or the touch-screen. The competition simply offers 24-hour turnaround time in servicing, and/or a replacement if need be. I would not dare to depend on a 654D.

Sorry to hear about the delay.

I have tipped my toes into another camera system as I´m getting more and more clients, so I will have service close by at least to the other brand´s equipment. (I live 1 km away from JAS service center) This whole service episode might just push me completely into the other camp.

Please keep us posted.

[VisualDarkness]

How come the shipping is that slow between Finland and Sweden? I've receive packages from Norway, Britain and Germany quicker than your experience between Sweden and Finland.

[PePe]

My concern is not that Kameraservice would not be skilled or service-minded enough; by all accounts they are. Instead, it's the logistics that are the problem: They received my camera yesterday afternoon at the earliest. Given a three-day turnaround time, with JAS I would have been getting my camera back by that time.
Since I cannot depend on just one body in my work, I've ordered another K-01 as backup for now and the future. With very mixed feelings, as you may imagine.
[ edit: actually I can see now from the package tracking that Kameraservice won't get the package before today. So I will get my new K-01 before it's back, anyway.
Well, at least I didn't reward Focus Nordic by getting a K-3, or even the K-01 through them.]

It's even worse than I feared: the postal service is delivering my package to the repair shop only today. So if they need three days and it comes back at the same snail-mail pace I will have the camera back around the 26th of February, almost three weeks after it broke.
Which is totally unacceptable if you work with your camera.
Now, I'm getting another body as a stop-gap. I can do it since it's cheap and delivers about the same quality as the camera being serviced. But you cannot do it if the camera being serviced is high-end and impossible to keep a spare for. This is why Pentax does not succeed in the high-end market – not the pixels, not the AF or the touch-screen. The competition simply offers 24-hour turnaround time in servicing, and/or a replacement if need be. I would not dare to depend on a 654D.

This exatly is the point here. By doing this Focus Nordic is driving the remaining current users away from Pentax and giving another strong sales argument to Canikon. With entry-level cameras they might get away with this, but as Pentax is rolling out several high-end products ( K-3, D645 II, FF ) they are really shooting themselves in the foot.

Really? The only of my 6 (including my wife's ME Super) Pentax bodies that so far has needed service, was my LX back in 1983 (it would need a new service now for a growing mirror-stickiness-problem, but I use it so rarely that I have postponed that)

Lucky you! My service record is somewhat different. My current K-5 has been serviced once - after being replaced completely in the very beginnning. The K-7 went to service twice, as did the K-10 before it. In addition to the bodies, the DA*16-50 has been serviced once, and the same with the FA*80-200 .
This is at least an order of magnitude more than I needed in the film days.
Dismal after-sales service may easily be lethal for sales. Had each of the previously mentioned cases taken 4-6 weeks to sort out, I would definitely be shooting with something else by now!

[thibs]

This should all go to Ricoh ears somehow...

[gazonk]

Lucky you! My service record is somewhat different. My current K-5 has been serviced once - after being replaced completely in the very beginnning. The K-7 went to service twice, as did the K-10 before it. In addition to the bodies, the DA*16-50 has been serviced once, and the same with the FA*80-200 .
This is at least an order of magnitude more than I needed in the film days.

Well, if I count lenses I haven't been that lucky, my DA70 had to go to service because two internal screws had gone loose - apparently the Vietnam factory had forgotten to glue them
(Quick and friendly service by Camera.no - Raskest på service og reparasjon. Norges største verksted. btw) Also, two of my film day lenses are of no use anymore (focusing rings don't work properly) - but those were made by Tokina and Vivitar…

[Kameraten]

So how did the travel story of my K-01 end?
Embarrassing for me in that the Kameraservice found the reason for my trouble was most likely a user error: the AF-MF switch was probably in an in-between position, and there the screwdrive-AF does not work but the lens motor focusing does. So they found nothing wrong with the body.
Their communication and service skills where quite good, except I didn't get a tracking code for the camera when it was on it's way back.
But the point of my lament remains: The service being in Sweden instead of next door means many more days waiting just for the transport. In this case at least nine days more - enough to force me to buy a backup body in the meantime.
Far-away service can be a solution only if you don't need the equipment daily, or you can afford to have a backup for everything. The people having to use top-of-the-line equipment only will look elswhere.