[reh321]

Not that it'll make any difference to their dire no, non existent, customer service. Had the mode dial failure on the K-1 and crazy mirror on the K-3. Emailed Ricoh through their UK website, got sent a customer service ticket and the name of the customer service agent. Then got sent to their official Pentax repair specialist, who turned out to be an auction house (?) who I looked up after I got no joy from Ricoh. I emailed them and never heard back.
Sent it to a general camera repair shop who fixed the K-1 mode dial for £90. Binned the K-3 as the repair quote came in at £280.
Pentax? Forget it. There's literally nothing there.
Never heard from anyone from Pentax/Ricoh again. Had that one email giving me a ticket number and that's it.
Anyway, the only items left to go are the FA 77 and a Revuenon 1.2/55. I may keep the K 1.2/50, but that's the only remnant of Pentax that shall remain.

I had processor issues with two consecutive Canon Rebels, so I switched back to Pentax. The Rebels ended up in the town dump because they won’t work at all. I got a K-30, which continued to work with film lenses that allow me to set aperture at the lens after solenoid issues prevented the body from doing it. I am quite happy with Pentax; I’m sorry that you aren’t.

[Smolk]

you have to use your loyalty points before Sept 5th, in short a clean slate.

I didn't even receive this email, just coincidentally used my points for a fast charger and a lens cap a few day ago. Would not be pleased if Ihad lost the about € 115 value the points represented.
But the website was crap, so I'm pleased to hear something new is appearing soon.

[Parry]

I had processor issues with two consecutive Canon Rebels, so I switched back to Pentax. The Rebels ended up in the town dump because they won’t work at all. I got a K-30, which continued to work with film lenses that allow me to set aperture at the lens after solenoid issues prevented the body from doing it. I am quite happy with Pentax; I’m sorry that you aren’t.

Canon Rebels are toys. The K-30 still broke?

Solenoid failure on Pentax seems to be quite common.

Had Pentax since 2010.

K-5 > K-5IIs > K-3 > K-1...

And that's the end of that.

I was going to keep the Pentax gear (a lot, the three FA Limited's, D-FA* 2.8/70-200, D-FA 2.8/15-30, D-FA 2.8/100 Macro and so on and upgrade to a K-1 MkIII if it ever appeared), but when no one from Pentax or their service agent even responds to your emails, forget it.

My local camera repair guy is well known in the UK, well regarded. He won't touch Pentax because the parts are scarce and very expensive. He turned down all the work. Said he's been there before and won't go there again.

Only one camera repair shop responded and it took them a month to fix the K-1. Think he must have used glue.

Things break. That's a given. But if you can't get stuff repaired, you have to take a view on things. What happens when I can't get parts for lenses too? No one will touch them and the official service and repair agent doesn't seem to actually exist and the company doesn't respond to anything.

Not worth the aggravation.

[slartibartfast01]

Canon Rebels are toys. The K-30 still broke?



Solenoid failure on Pentax seems to be quite common.



Had Pentax since 2010.



K-5 > K-5IIs > K-3 > K-1...



And that's the end of that.



I was going to keep the Pentax gear (a lot, the three FA Limited's, D-FA* 2.8/70-200, D-FA 2.8/15-30, D-FA 2.8/100 Macro and so on and upgrade to a K-1 MkIII if it ever appeared), but when no one from Pentax or their service agent even responds to your emails, forget it.



My local camera repair guy is well known in the UK, well regarded. He won't touch Pentax because the parts are scarce and very expensive. He turned down all the work. Said he's been there before and won't go there again.



Only one camera repair shop responded and it took them a month to fix the K-1. Think he must have used glue.



Things break. That's a given. But if you can't get stuff repaired, you have to take a view on things. What happens when I can't get parts for lenses too? No one will touch them and the official service and repair agent doesn't seem to actually exist and the company doesn't respond to anything.



Not worth the aggravation.

I've contacted John Pye Technical and had a reply and so have others here, maybe you were just unlucky...

[Parry]

I've contacted John Pye Technical and had a reply and so have others here, maybe you were just unlucky...

Never had a response off John Pye or Ricoh, apart from the first reply with a customer service ticket. Tried twice with both after that. Nothing. It's for common failures too, so I thought it wouldn't be such a big deal.

Is John Pye a camera repair specialist? Because their website shows them to be an auction house for antiques.

Just my experience, sad to say. K-1 with a mass of accessories sold last week and just two lenses left to go which I anticipate should be this week. The D-FA* 2.8/70-200 and 2.8/15-30 sold within an hour and the 31 and 43 within a few days. The 100 Macro took a couple of weeks. They all went quite cheap though.

Perhaps Pentax needs to address this as I had been a loyal customer since 2010.

I kept Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2.8/21 (Leitax converted), Distagon T* 2/35 ZK and Planar 1.4/85 ZK. I'm having Robin at Harrow Technical restore the K 1.2/50 which may be kept, not sure yet, let's see how it goes.

[reh321]

Canon Rebels are toys. The K-30 still broke?

Solenoid failure on Pentax seems to be quite common.

Had Pentax since 2010.

K-5 > K-5IIs > K-3 > K-1...

And that's the end of that.

I was going to keep the Pentax gear (a lot, the three FA Limited's, D-FA* 2.8/70-200, D-FA 2.8/15-30, D-FA 2.8/100 Macro and so on and upgrade to a K-1 MkIII if it ever appeared), but when no one from Pentax or their service agent even responds to your emails, forget it.

My local camera repair guy is well known in the UK, well regarded. He won't touch Pentax because the parts are scarce and very expensive. He turned down all the work. Said he's been there before and won't go there again.
Yes, this issue is common, but it is both fixable and {as I chose to do} one can still use the body without opening the case.
Only one camera repair shop responded and it took them a month to fix the K-1. Think he must have used glue.

Things break. That's a given. But if you can't get stuff repaired, you have to take a view on things. What happens when I can't get parts for lenses too? No one will touch them and the official service and repair agent doesn't seem to actually exist and the company doesn't respond to anything.

Not worth the aggravation.

Both a Canon Rebel and a Pentax K-30 cost me about the same.
A ‘toy’ is something my daughters played with.
This sort of camera is something for me to record their playing.
You can be scornful if you want to, but I still have those recorded memories twenty years later.
I was not aggravated - I simply adjusted my actions, then continued if possible.
Continuing was not possible with the Canon Rebels, so I tossed them.
I continued on with the K-30 - it never has been broken …. a function is no longer available, so I had to find another way of meeting that want.
By the end on this year, I will have gotten as much use from my K-30 + KP as with the two Rebels in recording history as it occurs.
You may curse Pentax if you want to; I hope you find something that works for you.

[Parry]

Both a Canon Rebel and a Pentax K-30 cost me about the same.
A ‘toy’ is something my daughters played with.
This sort of camera is something for me to record their playing.
You can be scornful if you want to, but I still have those recorded memories twenty years later.
I was not aggravated - I simply adjusted my actions, then continued if possible.
Continuing was not possible with the Canon Rebels, so I tossed them.
I continued on with the K-30 - it never has been broken …. a function is no longer available, so I had to find another way of meeting that want.
By the end on this year, I will have gotten as much use from my K-30 + KP as with the two Rebels in recording history as it occurs.
You may curse Pentax if you want to; I hope you find something that works for you.

I don't curse Pentax, as you can see my history with Pentax goes back to 2010 and through four cameras.

I just became aware of the risks of ownership when neither Ricoh or their own service agent would respond to communications and Dave Cole wouldn't even take on the work, only one camera repair centre out of the six I contacted wanted to know.

This weird "workshop" model of selling future Pentax models also got me spooked. Looks like a Japanese way of saying, we're not going to make cameras anymore and then there's this notion they can be the Leica of the DSLR world with prices to match.

So I'll pass on all that...

Just sayin'!

[reh321]

Canon Rebels are toys. The K-30 still broke?

Solenoid failure on Pentax seems to be quite common.

Solenoid failure was common amongst less expensive Pentax cameras at one time.
It turns out that another company had moved production to China and changed materials used.
At first, neither company realized that this change would make a difference, but it did over time.
Pentax kept trying slightly new designs, trying to preserve the low cost and small size which motivated that design.
Finally, Pentax seems to have found a variation that will continue to work.
I purchased a KP to avoid that design, but I would have no problem with the latest variation.

[Parry]

Solenoid failure was common amongst less expensive Pentax cameras at one time.
It turns out that another company had moved production to China and changed materials used.
At first, neither company realized that this change would make a difference, but it did over time.
Pentax kept trying slightly new designs, trying to preserve the low cost and small size which motivated that design.
Finally, Pentax seems to have found a variation that will continue to work.
I purchased a KP to avoid that design, but I would have no problem with the latest variation.

That makes sense now! I went on AliExpress looking for parts I became so desperate and there's load of solenoids for Pentax on there, but no mode dials.

The KP's a great wee camera. If I was to do Pentax again, it would be the KP.

[reh321]

I don't curse Pentax, as you can see my history with Pentax goes back to 2010 and through four cameras.

I just became aware of the risks of ownership when neither Ricoh or their own service agent would respond to communications and Dave Cole wouldn't even take on the work, only one camera repair centre out of the six I contacted wanted to know.

This weird "workshop" model of selling future Pentax models also got me spooked. Looks like a Japanese way of saying, we're not going to make cameras anymore and then there's this notion they can be the Leica of the DSLR world with prices to match.

So I'll pass on all that...

Just sayin'!

You are totally wrong.

You owned four camera bodies, but that was over only twelve years -
your recent reaction was why I commented the way I did.

I have owned six {I think that count is correct} over 16+9 years
{the first camera body drowned at Niagara Falls, but that wasn’t their doing}

The new model is Pentax’s way of getting closer to the market.
It may ‘spook’ you - I think it is inventive.

[thibs]

Guys, I sympathize. I really do. But this is completely OT.

[Serkevan]

This forum kills it.

Go figure, it's one of the reasons I actually shoot Pentax.


But yes, this whole spat is wholly off-topic.

[reh321]

Pentax is dead fella. It just is. If people like me are abandoning ship after all these years and all the money spent (and more to spend) because we see it and we feel it...
Tick tock... Especially going into an economic collapse. Of which there is absolutely no question that's happening.

This is such a nasty forum, one reason I'm so glad to free of this brand. This forum kills it.

See ya! Definitely wouldn't wanna be ya!

I’m sorry - twelve years is not “all these years”, and you won’t find many people bowing in your direction because of it.
Pentax is at least as healthy now as it was when I purchased my K-30 in 2015.
Any camera company could have financial issues - if you going to choose your next camera based on economics, that is saying you will purchase the camera from the company which ‘milks’ you most thoroughly ….. that would eliminate Pentax from the start. Most of the experts would hesitate in agreeing with your economic prediction.

As far as character of a forum is concerned, I find this place to be friendly. I’m sorry you don’t.
I would much rather face life with my attitude than with yours.

[Smolk]

It's not entirely off-topic, as the website and customer support are related. And given Ricoh's move towards online sales away from retailers, the website presence becomes all the more critical.
The EU website simply isn't good enough by a long way.
But I'm hoping the new one is going to make amends. It'll have to indeed.

[biz-engineer]

The EU website simply isn't good enough by a long way.

Technically (marketing) , I think the original idea of Ricoh having all products/brands under the same EU (and US) site roof is cross-selling, e.g a customer buying a Pentax camera or lens , also get to buy a Ricoh GR or a pair of binoculars or a 360 camera, or the other way around e.g a customer who buy a 360 camera discover Pentax via the EU site and discovers Pentax, eventually buy a Pentax DSLR kit. The downside of having all brands under the same roof , is what known as brand dilution, e.g Pentax doesn't appear as bold as Pentax alone, Theta doesn't appear as bold as pure play 360 imagery devices, GR doesn't appear as bold as the brand of pocket cameras. After year of selling all brands of products via Ricoh-Imaging common sites, Ricoh Imaging probably collected enough data to figure out that the cross selling wasn't happening as much as brand dilution, and that's probably why EU web shop will now go separate for each brand: show case each brand separately to make a clear statement about what the product is especially good at.