[BigMackCam]

Here are some news ...
My dealer called me this morning to tell me that he had received my GR III repaired by the authorized dealer of THAILAND
I went to get it, and as expected, it was not exchanged but repaired, which I do not like
I had lost the lense ring because it was too loose, it was replaced for free, but it is still so loose ...
As for the wobbly wheel, it has not been changed because supposedly not wobbly enough ... ..to be changed, it must be like on the video Ricoh, that is to say that when we move the center, it turns the outside, it is actually not the case on mine, it is just wobbly.... what does not seem to me very normal ...
Back home I photographed the sky at f16, f9, and f5.6, and there are actually no more spots, so I'll do with it.
I tried to negotiate to buy a Q2 by making the GR, but the dealer wanted to give me 35% less than the price paid, and no discount on the Q2 ...... so I dropped the case .......

That was a quick turn-around from the distributor!

I'm very glad to hear you've got your camera back properly cleaned under warranty. That much is good news, and whilst you'd have preferred a different solution, at least the warranty has been properly honoured.

Regarding the slight wobble on the control wheel, if it gets worse, you still have the rest of your warranty period during which you can have the problem fixed. I suspect, however, that it won't get any worse.

Is the Q2 you're referring to the Leica Q2?? If so, wow... expensive camera. In case you should buy one in future, bear in mind that there are reports of the Q suffering from dust on the sensor. Only time will tell if the Q2 is somehow immune to the problem, but as I said, all cameras are susceptible to it, and any fixed lens camera will leave you in the same situation as with your GRIII.

I'm not surprised the dealer offered you 35% less than you paid for your camera. Actually, that's a pretty good offer... bear in mind, he needs to be able to price the camera at a substantial discount from retail in order to sell it, and he's a business, so he needs at least a modest profit.

One thing is certain, I would never go back to Ricoh in Thailand again ...

In which case, extend that to any brand where East Enterprises Co. Ltd. is the official distributor. They seem to represent the following brands:

• Casio
• Hakuba
• Kodak
• PowerVision
• Pentax
• Ricoh
• Tamron
• Vanguard

As I say, you've received the service your warranty provides for, and promptly so. But, if that doesn't meet your expectations (and we're all different in this respect, I suppose), it's understandable that you'd avoid any future repeats.

I wonder if @HEXE has reached a resolution, yet?

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Last edited by BigMackCam; 05-10-2019 at 03:34 AM.

[opal]

BigMackCam.....I think that after a month and a very little use and problems of wobbly wheel , stains on the sensor and loose ring…… it would have been more honest and more commercial to change the camera….. there they did the minimum acceptable and this is not to the credit of this company.

Yes, I was talking about Leica Q2, of course it is not the same price but it is not the same quality and the same waranty service, Leica is a serious company that is due to its reputation.

I know there have been dust problems on the Q but the Q2 is weather sealed which limits the risk.

I find you very complacent with my dealer this camera has only one month and I have used it very little and buy it at less 35% is really excessive especially by buying him a camera 5 times more expensive…..

[victormeldrew]

Here are some news ...

Good news, they repaired the problem, and quickly too.


I don't remember if you said whether your unit is within the problem range of serial numbers that Ricoh released? The centre part of the dial does move a certain amount (presumably a tolerance to allow for up/down movement of the outer dial when you press the directions) and it is only those serial numbers that might have excessive movement (like 20 degrees and more) and need repair. If not, more good news.


Personally I have nothing but love for this camera. I hope you can get past this experience and enjoy using it.

[opal]

victormeldrew.....Yes, my serial number is part of the numbers concerned

[BigMackCam]

I find you very complacent with my dealer this camera has only one month and I have used it very little and buy it at less 35% is really excessive especially by buying him a camera 5 times more expensive…..

I look at this way, François...

Even though your camera is only one month old and little used, it is nonetheless a USED camera. The dealer most likely buys NEW cameras at 10 - 15% less than he sells them for. If he were to buy your USED camera, he'd need to price it at least 15% lower than the retail price of a NEW camera if he's to stand any chance of selling it in a reasonable time frame. For him to make a 10 - 15% profit on your USED camera, he'd therefore need to pay you 25%-30% less than you paid for it when it was NEW. But he'll also need to provide a six month warranty for the camera at his own risk, since the manufacturer warranty isn't transferable to the next owner. Plus, his money is tied up in that camera until it is sold. When you consider those factors, the price he offered you isn't unreasonable, in my opinion.

As for no discount on a Leica Q2, this camera has only just been released. I can't imagine any dealer offering (or being able to offer) discounts at this stage. If you were negotiating against, say, a used Q that he had in stock, you might have better luck getting a good deal...

[HEXE]

Thanks to the efficient involvement of Marcel, competent boss of the shop L'Instantané in Paris where I bought my GR III, Ricoh-Imaging made a commercial proposal by allowing the exchange of my new camera whose sensor was spoiled by textil debris.

The exchange has just taken place this morning on May 11th. I can only congratulate myself for having bought my GR III from Marcel whose professional conscience is demonstrated by the unfailing assistance that he provides to his customers after the purchase, which is not always the case with other retailers, especially in Thailand (Opal).

I thank him very much as well as Ricoh-Imaging management for satisfying my exchange request.

[BigMackCam]

Thanks to the efficient involvement of Marcel, competent boss of the shop L'Instantané in Paris where I bought my GR III, Ricoh-Imaging made a commercial proposal by allowing the exchange of my new camera whose sensor was spoiled by textil debris.

The exchange has just taken place this morning on May 11th. I can only congratulate myself for having bought my GR III from Marcel whose professional conscience is demonstrated by the unfailing assistance that he provides to his customers after the purchase, which is not always the case with other retailers, especially in Thailand (Opal).

I thank him very much as well as Ricoh-Imaging management for satisfying my exchange request.

That's fantastic news, HEXE! I'm delighted for you. Thank you for updating us, and kudos for mentioning the supplier. They deserve your business

I do hope we'll continue to see you on these forums, now that you have your new GRIII to enjoy!

[Eyewanders]

BigMackCam.....I think that after a month and a very little use and problems of wobbly wheel , stains on the sensor and loose ring…… it would have been more honest and more commercial to change the camera….. there they did the minimum acceptable and this is not to the credit of this company.

Yes, I was talking about Leica Q2, of course it is not the same price but it is not the same quality and the same waranty service, Leica is a serious company that is due to its reputation.

I know there have been dust problems on the Q but the Q2 is weather sealed which limits the risk.

I find you very complacent with my dealer this camera has only one month and I have used it very little and buy it at less 35% is really excessive especially by buying him a camera 5 times more expensive…..

I'll be honest here... It seems you will not be satisfied. I've struggled with my share of warranty problems, so I can very much relate to your frustration, and even with (in my case) cameras and lenses that have a golden reputation (extensive issues with a brand new FA31/1.8 some years back)... it's par for the course. Of course it's understandable to have some frustration with this particular seller/distributor but it seems that you knew the risks with this avenue of purchase going in.

At the end of the day, your sensor issue has been corrected (and very quickly, all things considered - I waited over half a year once for warranty work), your misplaced ring replaced. And, I can assure you, the wobbly-dial issue is a really a non-issue. First impressions are important and your first impressions here are less than desirable; those might stick with your view of the camera which would be a bummer. But that said, I'd really suggest you get to shooting, or put your camera up for sale on the used market - at this early point in time you could likely get nearly full retail price due to its popularity. Just my two cents.

[opal]

Chickentender…….If you find that on a new camera it is normal to have a contaminated sensor, a wobbly dial and a loose ring it's your point of view but for me it's abnormal.

Ok, they repaired the camera in 15 days, it is not so bad, they gave me a new ring, ok but it is also loose and I will lose it again…. you must understand that there is a manufacturing defect, either the ring is too big or the lense is too small and the result is that we lose it, my dealer told me that many of his customers had also lost it….. I had 4 Ricoh cameras for 10 years and I never had this problem, the rings were absolutely not loose and I never lost one

I see that in France for HEXE, his dealer Marcel, whom I know for his honesty and Ricoh France have been honest and have changed the camera which is very nice but normal.

In Thailand, the commercial policy is different and I find it not very honest and I'm not sure Ricoh Japan approves of that, at least I hope so.

Ricoh must accept his mistakes if hey want to remain credible.

For me the subject is finished, I do not think I have been respected by Ricoh Thailand, I feel not to have to defend myself right here and I do not want to enter a useless polemics.

[BigMackCam]

Ricoh must accept his mistakes if hey want to remain credible.
...
For me the subject is finished, I do not think I have been respected by Ricoh Thailand, I feel not to have to defend myself right here and I do not want to enter a useless polemics.

For clarity, Francois, the main issue - your main issue, the one with aftercare service - is with East Enterprises Co., Ltd. who appear to be Ricoh's distributor in Thailand. They're not part of Ricoh, but a distributor...

[opal]

BigMackCam…….You're right, Yes, it's East Enterprises, but in my mind they're the representatives of Ricoh in Thailand, so I made the mistake of writing Ricoh Thailand, sorry for that

[HEXE]

I carefully tested my new GR III. No stains on the sensor, no wobbly wheel, le lens barrel is centered and the lens ring is more firmly srewed. The serial number of the new one is 25900, 15000 later than my previous faulty GR III. I guess that manufacturing process has been improved.

By the way i have a question: how to check the number of shots (exposure count) taken with a GR III?

[BigMackCam]

I carefully tested my new GR III. No stains on the sensor, no wobbly wheel, le lens barrel is centered and the lens ring is more firmly srewed. The serial number of the new one is 25900, 15000 later than my previous faulty GR III. I guess that manufacturing process has been improved.

By the way i have a question: how to check the number of shots (exposure count) taken with a GR III?

Good news, HEXE

If you take a JPEG shot (it must be JPEG, not raw), you can run it through an shutter count tool. We have one on this website:

Check Camera Shutter Count and Manufacture Date

[HEXE]

Thank you Mike.

[victormeldrew]

Good news, HEXE

If you take a JPEG shot (it must be JPEG, not raw), you can run it through an shutter count tool. We have one on this website:

Check Camera Shutter Count and Manufacture Date

Unfortunately the GR shutter count appears not to be reliable...there are several circumstances, intentional and not, where it can be reset.