Pentax uk rant regarding k3

nfraser · 02-01-2016, 04:39 PM

Hi all, I don't post here much, but I'm having a issue with getting my k3 fixed. I got a new k3ii for Christmas and within 500 shots the sensor developed a green line (a really notice le green line which indicates a sensor failur apparently). So the first thing I did was take it back to the shop, they sent it to the Pentax repair centre in the uk. That was 3 weeks ago and I've still not got it back. Has anyone else had any issues with slow turn around in the uk? Also the same company messed up the repair of my k30 a few years back. Starting to wonder if it's worth switching system to get a decent turn around time and maybe get a camera first time without having to send it back multiple times to get it fixed!! Sorry for the rant but any ideas of what to say/do are welcome.

**jatrax** · 02-01-2016, 04:49 PM

Why send it in for repair? I'm in the states but I would have expected them to just give you a new one within that time frame? Maybe different there.

Anyway, again it might be different here, but 3 weeks would be considered quite short. 2 to 3 months is not unusual. My k-5 went in for service here in July and came back in late October. The Ricoh warranty repair center in the states is not highly regarded for that reason among a lot of other things.

As to changing brands, sadly the grass is not greener regarding repairs unless you are part of (and pay for) professional service programs. Check the other brands' forums before you jump, you might find things no better there.

Still, 3 weeks does not seem long but you might try communicating with the shop to see what the status is. And don't forget to email Ricoh directly with a complaint, that's the only way they will know.

stevebrot · 02-01-2016, 05:16 PM

Originally posted by nfraser

So the first thing I did was take it back to the shop, they sent it to the Pentax repair centre in the uk. That was 3 weeks ago and I've still not got it back

The shop should have replaced it from their stock. Your issue is with them, not Pentax.

Steve

**c.a.m** · 02-01-2016, 05:36 PM

It's always disappointing and discouraging when new gear fails, especially equipment that has a relatively solid history.

Why not contact the shop or the repair centre to find out the status of the camera? Or have they not answered your inquiries?

I don't know about the typical turnaround time in the UK for Pentax repairs Over several years, several of my Pentax items needed to be repaired under warranty by Pentax Canada (with the retailer's shop also involved); I received the gear back in about four weeks on average. They serviced one item in about two weeks after I asked for a rush owing to an upcoming trip.

- Craig

bxf · 02-01-2016, 06:13 PM

Originally posted by jatrax

I'm in the states but I would have expected them to just give you a new one within that time frame

Originally posted by stevebrot

The shop should have replaced it from their stock. Your issue is with them, not Pentax.

Do shops really simply replace goods if a failure occurs more than a month after purchase?

**jatrax** · 02-01-2016, 06:28 PM

Maybe not a month, depends on the shop. Several I know of say 14 days, no questions asked.

Maybe I misunderstand but if he got it at Christmas and it has been gone three weeks, he only had it about two weeks?? Seems to me that it would be a lot easier for the shop to send it back as defective than to send if off to be repaired. But things might be different in different countries, of course.

bxf · 02-01-2016, 07:23 PM

Originally posted by jatrax

Maybe I misunderstand but if he got it at Christmas and it has been gone three weeks

Yikes, you are right. I neglected to factor in the three weeks

though we don't know how long before Christmas it was purchased.

nfraser · 02-02-2016, 01:31 AM

It was actually purchased at the end of November so it was out of the 30 days....... I still think that if your paying the best part of £700 that you should be able to get a decent turn around time. I have photo shoots waiting and I can't use me old k30 as it developed a problem(why I replaced it in the first place) and my other cameras (a old Olympus e420 and a 1929ish voiglander medium format) aren't suitable.

**jatrax** · 02-02-2016, 05:36 PM

Originally posted by nfraser

I still think that if your paying the best part of £700 that you should be able to get a decent turn around time.

No argument with that at all. The frustration level has been rather high on this side of the pond as well. I ended up buying a k-5IIs for a trip because my k-5 was in the shop for months. That's not good customer service.

Now I always have at least one backup body. If you are deriving income from photography that is only common sense IMHO. Sad, but that's the way it is.

gfurm · 02-03-2016, 04:51 PM

I got my brand new K3II (power off issue) fixed by them in 7 days with weekend in the middle. Just call the service centre and ask for status update.

awaldram · 02-04-2016, 08:02 AM

Originally posted by nfraser

It was actually purchased at the end of November so it was out of the 30 days....... I still think that if your paying the best part of £700 that you should be able to get a decent turn around time. I have photo shoots waiting and I can't use me old k30 as it developed a problem(why I replaced it in the first place) and my other cameras (a old Olympus e420 and a 1929ish voiglander medium format) aren't suitable.

If turn around is important you need a 'pro' warranty though you would have to prove you are a 'pro'.

Nikon use the same 3rd party repairers as Pentax in the UK

You should be entitled to a 'decent' turn around but unfortunate the wording is 'reasonable'

If your not happy speak to the shop and use words such as ostensible agent etc etc it may not get you naywhere but you'll feel better.

Also approach Johnson's they should be able to tell you what happening and how long it will be.

Repair Process - RICOH IMAGING UK LTD.

Stumpy · 02-04-2016, 03:43 PM

From the reports I have seen Pentax/Johnson turn around time is usually about 10 days, if the parts are in stock.
Also depends how quick the shop sent it off, staff are often motivated by sales and it may have just sat on a shelf until you made your first enquiry..
You could try to email pentaxservice@jpss.co.uk with as much info as you have and see if they can give you any answers.

Architecture · 02-05-2016, 09:58 PM

Originally posted by bxf

Do shops really simply replace goods if a failure occurs more than a month after purchase?

I work for an IT distributor house, so it's not a 1:1 comparison, but we warranty products for RMA for 90 days. In that window, we hand you a brand new product and then send off the faulty goods to our corporate HQ for testing and RMA submission. After that, you're stuck with the manufacturer's warranty and have to deal directly with them, though we are known to make exceptions for some of our most loyal customers.

TL;DR - it's dependent on the business, but the best stores will absolutely stand behind their products and make it as painless as possible for you for the simple sake of customer retention. We have fiercely loyal customers who are willing to pay twice Amazon's price for goods because of our best-in-class product knowledge and customer service.

nfraser · 02-07-2016, 03:21 PM

Well the sage is over, after nearly a month of not having a k3ii I finally got it back the other day. And it turns out the problem was terminal so it's a brand new camera.

02-01-2016, 04:39 PM	#1
nfraser Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 60	Pentax uk rant regarding k3 Hi all, I don't post here much, but I'm having a issue with getting my k3 fixed. I got a new k3ii for Christmas and within 500 shots the sensor developed a green line (a really notice le green line which indicates a sensor failur apparently). So the first thing I did was take it back to the shop, they sent it to the Pentax repair centre in the uk. That was 3 weeks ago and I've still not got it back. Has anyone else had any issues with slow turn around in the uk? Also the same company messed up the repair of my k30 a few years back. Starting to wonder if it's worth switching system to get a decent turn around time and maybe get a camera first time without having to send it back multiple times to get it fixed!! Sorry for the rant but any ideas of what to say/do are welcome.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Why are UK Pentax prices so high in the UK?	Theov39	Pentax DSLR Discussion	25	01-09-2016 11:17 AM
K3 II all recalled (UK)	peterh337	Pentax K-3 & K-3 II	18	08-20-2015 06:30 AM
Amateur Photographer UK says Pentax K3 is a giant step for Pentax	raider	Pentax K-3 & K-3 II	9	10-29-2013 03:18 PM
Blog poster trys out K3 in UK, (pre-prod)	solar1	Pentax K-3 & K-3 II	3	10-13-2013 06:51 AM
A brief interview with Pentax UK manager from the BJP - Regarding the K-01	crabclawhands	Pentax K-01	12	02-02-2012 01:10 PM

02-01-2016, 04:49 PM	#2
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Why send it in for repair? I'm in the states but I would have expected them to just give you a new one within that time frame? Maybe different there. Anyway, again it might be different here, but 3 weeks would be considered quite short. 2 to 3 months is not unusual. My k-5 went in for service here in July and came back in late October. The Ricoh warranty repair center in the states is not highly regarded for that reason among a lot of other things. As to changing brands, sadly the grass is not greener regarding repairs unless you are part of (and pay for) professional service programs. Check the other brands' forums before you jump, you might find things no better there. Still, 3 weeks does not seem long but you might try communicating with the shop to see what the status is. And don't forget to email Ricoh directly with a complaint, that's the only way they will know.

02-01-2016, 05:16 PM	#3
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by nfraser So the first thing I did was take it back to the shop, they sent it to the Pentax repair centre in the uk. That was 3 weeks ago and I've still not got it back The shop should have replaced it from their stock. Your issue is with them, not Pentax. Steve

02-01-2016, 05:36 PM	#4
c.a.m Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Ottawa, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,193	It's always disappointing and discouraging when new gear fails, especially equipment that has a relatively solid history. Why not contact the shop or the repair centre to find out the status of the camera? Or have they not answered your inquiries? I don't know about the typical turnaround time in the UK for Pentax repairs Over several years, several of my Pentax items needed to be repaired under warranty by Pentax Canada (with the retailer's shop also involved); I received the gear back in about four weeks on average. They serviced one item in about two weeks after I asked for a rush owing to an upcoming trip. - Craig

02-01-2016, 06:13 PM	#5
bxf Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Lisbon area Posts: 1,660	Originally posted by jatrax I'm in the states but I would have expected them to just give you a new one within that time frame Originally posted by stevebrot The shop should have replaced it from their stock. Your issue is with them, not Pentax. Do shops really simply replace goods if a failure occurs more than a month after purchase?

02-01-2016, 06:28 PM	#6
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Maybe not a month, depends on the shop. Several I know of say 14 days, no questions asked. Maybe I misunderstand but if he got it at Christmas and it has been gone three weeks, he only had it about two weeks?? Seems to me that it would be a lot easier for the shop to send it back as defective than to send if off to be repaired. But things might be different in different countries, of course.

02-01-2016, 07:23 PM	#7
bxf Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Lisbon area Posts: 1,660	Originally posted by jatrax Maybe I misunderstand but if he got it at Christmas and it has been gone three weeks Yikes, you are right. I neglected to factor in the three weeks though we don't know how long before Christmas it was purchased.

02-02-2016, 01:31 AM	#8
nfraser Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 60 Original Poster	It was actually purchased at the end of November so it was out of the 30 days....... I still think that if your paying the best part of £700 that you should be able to get a decent turn around time. I have photo shoots waiting and I can't use me old k30 as it developed a problem(why I replaced it in the first place) and my other cameras (a old Olympus e420 and a 1929ish voiglander medium format) aren't suitable.

02-02-2016, 05:36 PM	#9
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Originally posted by nfraser I still think that if your paying the best part of £700 that you should be able to get a decent turn around time. No argument with that at all. The frustration level has been rather high on this side of the pond as well. I ended up buying a k-5IIs for a trip because my k-5 was in the shop for months. That's not good customer service. Now I always have at least one backup body. If you are deriving income from photography that is only common sense IMHO. Sad, but that's the way it is.

02-03-2016, 04:51 PM	#10
gfurm Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Posts: 53	I got my brand new K3II (power off issue) fixed by them in 7 days with weekend in the middle. Just call the service centre and ask for status update.

02-04-2016, 08:02 AM	#11
awaldram Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Hampshire Photos: Gallery Posts: 732	Originally posted by nfraser It was actually purchased at the end of November so it was out of the 30 days....... I still think that if your paying the best part of £700 that you should be able to get a decent turn around time. I have photo shoots waiting and I can't use me old k30 as it developed a problem(why I replaced it in the first place) and my other cameras (a old Olympus e420 and a 1929ish voiglander medium format) aren't suitable. If turn around is important you need a 'pro' warranty though you would have to prove you are a 'pro'. Nikon use the same 3rd party repairers as Pentax in the UK You should be entitled to a 'decent' turn around but unfortunate the wording is 'reasonable' If your not happy speak to the shop and use words such as ostensible agent etc etc it may not get you naywhere but you'll feel better. Also approach Johnson's they should be able to tell you what happening and how long it will be. Repair Process - RICOH IMAGING UK LTD.

02-04-2016, 03:43 PM	#12
Stumpy Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Devon UK Posts: 105	From the reports I have seen Pentax/Johnson turn around time is usually about 10 days, if the parts are in stock. Also depends how quick the shop sent it off, staff are often motivated by sales and it may have just sat on a shelf until you made your first enquiry.. You could try to email pentaxservice@jpss.co.uk with as much info as you have and see if they can give you any answers.

02-05-2016, 09:58 PM	#13
Architecture Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Texas Posts: 147	Originally posted by bxf Do shops really simply replace goods if a failure occurs more than a month after purchase? I work for an IT distributor house, so it's not a 1:1 comparison, but we warranty products for RMA for 90 days. In that window, we hand you a brand new product and then send off the faulty goods to our corporate HQ for testing and RMA submission. After that, you're stuck with the manufacturer's warranty and have to deal directly with them, though we are known to make exceptions for some of our most loyal customers. TL;DR - it's dependent on the business, but the best stores will absolutely stand behind their products and make it as painless as possible for you for the simple sake of customer retention. We have fiercely loyal customers who are willing to pay twice Amazon's price for goods because of our best-in-class product knowledge and customer service.

02-07-2016, 03:21 PM	#14
nfraser Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 60 Original Poster	Well the sage is over, after nearly a month of not having a k3ii I finally got it back the other day. And it turns out the problem was terminal so it's a brand new camera.