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06-13-2014, 07:26 AM   #361
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I guess there is the grey import to consider.

06-13-2014, 08:16 AM   #362
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QuoteOriginally posted by Tjompen1968 Quote
I guess there is the grey import to consider.
I guess. This s a global problem though. Corporate Ricoh should stand up for their product and fund any repair, no matter where it was bought or serviced. It is still their product.

Just my opinion.
06-13-2014, 02:59 PM   #363
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QuoteOriginally posted by BillO Quote
I guess. This s a global problem though. Corporate Ricoh should stand up for their product and fund any repair, no matter where it was bought or serviced. It is still their product.

Just my opinion.
A consumer is obligated to follow at least a modicum of fair dealing in the purchase of product in order to receive the warranty. Fair dealing means the regional distribution arrangement is not bypassed which bypass would deny revenue to the regional distributor, who is then responsible for repairing the product.

Grey market goods violate this principle.
06-13-2014, 03:20 PM   #364
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QuoteOriginally posted by monochrome Quote
Grey market goods violate this principle.
...and gray market goods are still generally covered by the international warranty. Of course claims must be made through the maker...in Japan.


Steve

06-13-2014, 05:28 PM   #365
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QuoteOriginally posted by audiobomber Quote
Do other manufacturers support in-house repairs in Canada? My guess would be they all contract out. In todays' market, camera companies either need to get leaner and meaner or fold. At least Ricoh brought Dan back after Hoya terminated his position and others.
I have a K30 that has dirt behind the sensor, Pentax declined to help, and revoked the warranty as I wouldn't pay to have it fixed. I complained to Henry's and they sent it to Sun, but they couldn't fix it as Pentax had revoked the warranty, but I had my doubts as they didn't have a battery to fit it!

I'm wondering if anyone has had a warranty repair in Canada, or is it the same 'You must have used it'! excuse.

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06-14-2014, 07:27 AM   #366
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Since the mirror-flapping problem is a well-documented one, and one that is obviously a flaw with the camera, not something caused by the user, I honestly think Pentax should cover the repair regardless of warranty status. Of course, since the K3 was released in November 2013, everyone at this point should be covered... but moving forward, even after November 2014, everyone who runs into the issue should be covered.

I'm going to give Pentax the benefit of the doubt though... I think the wording that has accompanied emails instructing people to send their cameras in is just standard verbiage... not any solid proof or indication they don't intend to cover the repair regardless of warranty status.
06-14-2014, 08:22 AM   #367
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QuoteOriginally posted by tuggie76 Quote
I have a K30 that has dirt behind the sensor, Pentax declined to help, and revoked the warranty as I wouldn't pay to have it fixed. I complained to Henry's and they sent it to Sun, but they couldn't fix it as Pentax had revoked the warranty, but I had my doubts as they didn't have a battery to fit it!

I'm wondering if anyone has had a warranty repair in Canada, or is it the same 'You must have used it'! excuse.

Tuggie76
DA*300 focus mechanism quit, not SDM but some mechanical bit. They fixed it under warranty, and warranted their repair as well, had to send it a second time. I've had a few drops and damage issues repaired by them, and found the prices reasonable.

06-14-2014, 11:30 AM   #368
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The repair requirement for the Fuji X10 blooming problem was...it had to be a Fuji X10...that's it. They installed a new sensor, which was no minor repair. Their reasoning was that it was highly unlikely that someone else was making copycat X10 bodies.......maybe Ricoh is not so confident about that?

Regards!
06-14-2014, 09:57 PM   #369
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Bought my K-3 from B&H two months ago, I'm from South Africa. I'm experiencing the same problem, mirror-flop. Where can I send mine to? Thanks.

I've found the South African contact details, thanks guys!

Last edited by Gerdup; 06-14-2014 at 10:19 PM.
06-15-2014, 04:01 AM   #370
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
...and gray market goods are still generally covered by the international warranty. Of course claims must be made through the maker...in Japan.


Steve
Grey market often = smuggled

If local taxes are not demonstratebly paid then Sigma will not honour internatlional warranty in the UK.

Luckily when my personal imported SIgma lens required warranty repair I had paid import duty and local VAT so Sigma were happy to honour the 3 year warranty.

I think it unreasonnable to expect a commercial organisation to risk breaking local laws by handling a potentialy illegal product.

Pentax UK are a little less demanding and providing you cam prove you 'personally' puchased item and have an international warranty card will handle imported items.
06-15-2014, 07:52 AM   #371
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QuoteQuote:
Of course claims must be made through the maker...in Japan.
Of course, but it would cost Ricoh a lot more to have to ship back a product from Japan to, let's say, Brazil. Would it not be easier and cheaper for Ricoh to have it just fixed in Brazil?

QuoteQuote:
Grey market often = smuggle
Sure, but then it could be just that it was brought in another country while the person was on holiday, or away on an extended work assignment, or sent as a gift. Either way, the proof of purchase would not be local to the country and it would be deemed 'grey market'. With the case of the US and Canada, since there are no consumer cameras or lenses manufactured in either country there are no duties to be paid.

It happened to me a few years ago when was living temporarily in the US, I bought a Tokina lens there. One of the barrels came loose within the warranty period but I was back in Canada when that happened. THK Canada would not honor the warranty, even though they were just a contracted satellite of THK in the US. I did send it back to the US an they fixed it, but what a huge waste of time and effort. In that particular case, this was a one off situation where a screw came loose because it was not installed properly.

In our case here it's a widespread problem. I am just saying it would be cheaper and easier for Ricoh Japan to just admit the fault and authorize and pay for the repair locally. It would be easier and cheaper for them too.

Anyway, I don't want to get into another brawl over this You are all quite welcome to disagree with me. I just think in some cases where a company has made a large error they should be a little less petty about fixing it and take responsibility for there mistake rather than putting the onus on their faithful customers. Receipts get lost or destroyed all the time, If there any Candians on this forum, you all know what Canadian Tire receipts are like. They are intenionally designed to fade to unrecognizable in about 3 months.

Not that I have to worry about it. I bought mine at Canada's largest Pentax dealer, and unless they stiffed me with an illegal product I should be golden. That's if our designated repair center ever gets up and running. I just hope there are not too many folks left holding a useless camera after parting with their hard earned money.

Have a great father's day all you daddy's out there and may your K-3 behave!

---------- Post added 06-15-14 at 10:59 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by awaldram Quote
Pentax UK are a little less demanding and providing you cam prove you 'personally' puchased item and have an international warranty card will handle imported items.
I have to hand it to them. They are going by the spirit rather than the letter of the rules. Kudos to them and I'll admit I'm a little jealous. It's nice to hear that in some small corners of the world there are companies that appreciate and respect their customers.

It's seen less and less these day's.
06-15-2014, 09:39 AM   #372
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Despite the fact that we think there is now a ONE WORLD economy, it is cmore complex than trading across USA state or Canada Province lines - or EU country borders.

The regional companies are DIVISIONS of Ricoh Imaging Company - they aren't actually directly the same company. They're legally separate companies. They operate under consumer and corporate laws, court jurisdictions and tax administrations unique to each region and have individual cost structures and profit / loss structures..

There is also the matter of capacity of repair facilities (or limitations to the use of authorized repair facilities under the contract).

We cannot know from the outside whether it actually would be cheaper for Ricoh to just authorize local repairs - it actually might be more expensive to repair Grey Market items locally than to ship them to where the warranty is accounted for.

It isn't only the individual K-3 repair that matters - it's that, once a precedent is established, what's to keep a jurisdiction from demanding similar treatment for another 'problem' that's totally unrelated, and in much larger volume - say with a lens? What's to keep unscrupulous lawyers in the USA (where plaintiffs don't have to pay legal fees if they lose, unlike the EU) from mounting actions just to get a quiet payoff to go away (quite common here)?

It's very complex.

Last edited by monochrome; 06-15-2014 at 09:45 AM.
06-15-2014, 11:52 AM   #373
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If I buy a Pentax product outside of Canada and send it to Pentax Canada for warranty repair, they charge a $50 service charge to honor the international warranty. The Canadian warranty is 2 years vs 1 year, Sigma does something similar with a 10 year warranty if purchased in Canada.

Agree or not, I would rather have warranty service available here, and if I want it I have to pay for it either through service charge or higher prices.
06-15-2014, 12:21 PM   #374
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QuoteOriginally posted by monochrome Quote
Despite the fact that we think there is now a ONE WORLD economy ... It's very complex.
Good points. I can see for a company like Ricoh it could a be a bit complicated.

I guess I may just be looking at this from my perspective. I own a small manufacturing firm and we are very customer centric. If a customer has a problem with one of our products within the warranty period we send a new one or offer a 100% refund. No repairs, no hassles and we pay for the return if we deem it's necessary to get the faulty item back. But we have 3 things going for us. 1) We deal directly with our end customer. 2) our initial dissatisfaction rate is less than 0.05% and 3) our products are unique. Virtually no competition, so we can price with enough margin to support our customers the way we feel is right. I'm sure that from time to time we get hit by a dishonest person trying to take advantage of us, but at a total initial rate of less than 0.05%, they are few and far between. I'd much rather have a current customer say to a potential customer that there is zero risk in dealing with us, than have them say it was a nightmare getting support.

Don't know if any of you had the opportunity to work with DEC back in their heyday. Incredible products, incredible support and incredible success in making it to being the 2nd largest computer company in the world. Then the modern-day executive types moved in and they were going to increase profits and cut expenses, so they cut back on R&D and they cut back on support, and ended up cutting their own throats. Where are they today?

I may just be too old fashioned for today's way of thinking. To me it's seeming like the phrase 'good value' has only historical significance.

Last edited by BillO; 06-15-2014 at 05:06 PM.
06-16-2014, 01:56 PM   #375
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Do any recently purchased K-3 have the mirror issue or was it the early ones only? I want to trade up, but don't want one with an issue right out of the box.
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