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05-07-2015, 01:11 PM   #16
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Where do our Canadian neighbors send their gear to be repaired? Maybe we could send our gear North to be repaired?

05-07-2015, 01:23 PM   #17
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QuoteOriginally posted by woodywesty Quote
Where do our Canadian neighbors send their gear to be repaired? Maybe we could send our gear North to be repaired?
Pentax Canada contracts with Sun Camera Service in Vaughan, Ontario. Warranty repair is limited to cameras located within Canada. You can contact Sun directly to see if they will deal cross-border for cash work.


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05-07-2015, 01:37 PM   #18
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Pentax Canada contracts with Sun Camera Service in Vaughan, Ontario. Warranty repair is limited to cameras located within Canada. You can contact Sun directly to see if they will deal cross-border for cash work.


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Are they reliable? I (and other family members) travel back and forth enough to Toronto that it would be worth it to me to send repairs there.
05-07-2015, 01:57 PM   #19
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Yes, are they a good company to deal with? If they are then I send my gear to them before I take a chance with Precision. Toronto is closer to me anyway!

05-07-2015, 02:01 PM   #20
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It may be that Ricoh is re-organizing service in the US. On the Ricoh Imaging US website under support there are links to Ricoh Advantage. Earlier this year there were further links to Ricoh Advantage Silver and Ricoh Advantage Gold or Platinum (I don't recall which exactly). These led to a registration form or a "Thank you for registering" page. Now when you click on "Ricoh Advantage" you see the "Thank you for registering" briefly and then a basically blank page with a "Coming Soon" banner.

This may be a reworking of the Pentax Professional Services program. If you purchased a 645d/z you would get a letter inviting you to the program but you had to be a "working professional" (e.g. earn more than 50% of income through photography) to be enrolled. You can call the Ricoh customer service number and ask about the Pentax Professional Service program. I don't know if it is offered to professionals using K-mount DSLRs. Among other things the program had a 72 hour turn-around for repairs and loaners on equipment. A post on the RIAC Community boards says the program has gone downhill as well.
05-07-2015, 03:48 PM   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by April.H Quote
So in February my K3 got broken, the lens mount on the camera got ripped off and stuck on my lens. I sent the lens to Sigma and got it back in a week, cleaned with a new lens cap for free and shipped UPS or Fedex I don't remember which. The camera took a month, came back loose in the box with no cap and oil on the sensor even though they claimed to have cleaned it. I paid them over $300 and they shipped USPS. I called them about the dirty sensor and they said I'd need to ship it back at my cost and they'd clean it but they had no idea how long it would take. So I sent it to my closest camera shop 4 hours away and they got it back quickly.

After a couple weeks of use the mount on the camera got looser and looser and my 70-200 would no longer connect to the camera. I tried putting lighter zooms and primes on it but finally it pulled free at a session.
I had to send the camera back to Precision but I'm really not happy about it. I called Ricoh and they did at least send me a shipping label so I didn't have to pay for it to be shipped but I have 7 weddings in 8 weeks starting the 23rd. I need my camera back!

I do thankfully have the k5II for a backup but I'm really not sure what to do. It feels like Ricoh doesn't care about their customers or they'd get a better service center. I love pentax cameras and I don't want to switch brands but man, I don't feel real confident with the service if I need to have something fixed.
When I show up for a job, portrait session or event, there are two bodies in my bag. One will get a wide lens and one will get something longer. There is a 3rd body in my truck, just in case.

When I update bodies, I buy two of the same. I keep one of my old bodies ( worth more to me as a spare) and sell the other. If I lose a body, for whatever reason, l know I can get a used spare for not much in day or two. In your case, KEH has like new K-3's for $698 and K5IIs for $559, all with a six month warranty. .

Ripping the lens mount off a body, you might as well total it. My Business Liability Policy has an Inland Marine Rider but I keep my policy reasonable with $1,000 deductible so I wouldn't even make a claim for this, I'd just call KEH and have a new body in a day or so. And I'd get the Sec 179 Depreciation Deduction on my Schedule C.

With 7 weddings in 8 weeks, you should be able to cover the cost in Week 1. Nothing is faster than a ready spare and when the spares are cheap, its the smart play.
05-07-2015, 03:53 PM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
My understanding is that they lost the contract due in part to customer complaints regarding turnaround time and quality of repair. FWIW, I have friends who have sent non-Pentax cameras to C.R.I.S. and who waited months for parts and had to send the camera back due to poor repair. I also have a friend in the camera repair business who rolls his eyes when C.R.I.S. is mentioned.

I am appalled that Precision returned your lens to you with the infinity stop poorly calibrated. After all, we send our Pentax stuff to them because they are supposed to have the equipment and training to properly reassemble and calibrate to factory standards. OTOH, the industry standard seems to be pretty low with rework being deemed preferable to quality out the door.


Steve
Sure. My experience with CRIS was actually pretty decent -- their web site actually indicated what was going on. Communication is sort of key in these sorts of interactions. They fixed a 16-50 SDM problem and several camera issues for me, although I didn't send them a ton of gear (most of it actually works OK).

I couldn't get anyone at Precision to answer an e mail or phone call for a couple of months after they received the lens. It was only after I called Ricoh and asked if they would investigate that I got an e mail (from Ricoh) to say they were waiting on parts. The final straw is the lack of infinity focus and the fact that they are making me pay for shipping to their facility. Fix it right and I wouldn't be shipping it back.

05-07-2015, 10:21 PM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by geomez Quote
I've sent in my Ricoh GR to Precision three times over the last six months for warranty work. I'm actually supposed to get it back today. I find them unpleasant, slow, and unprofessional.
Back story: A couple months ago I sent my GR in to Precision because it was producing images that were half colored bright pinks and greens. They sent it back with a note stating they flashed the firmware and cleaned it inside and out. I noticed immediately after receiving it that there were sensor dust spots all over my images. So I sent it back in, stating that the sensor had dust on it. I just received it back today with a letter to me stating they could find nothing wrong with the camera and that it was operating within manufacturer specs. After taking a test image I noticed the dust was still there. I did some test shots against a white background and there is now even more dust than there was previously. At least twenty individual specs of dust.

I don't even know what to think. How can anyone run a business that poorly and stay in business? They have proven to me their utter incompetence.
05-09-2015, 07:13 AM   #24
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I was a bit concerned that I had sent my 16-50 lens to Precision for a zoom ring repair a little over a week ago. I, unfortunately, read these emails after sending it off. Much to my surprise it has returned in perfect shape all repaired in under 10 days, door to door. Maybe they have worked through the transition hiccups.
05-09-2015, 08:25 AM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by jthielen Quote
I was a bit concerned that I had sent my 16-50 lens to Precision for a zoom ring repair a little over a week ago. I, unfortunately, read these emails after sending it off. Much to my surprise it has returned in perfect shape all repaired in under 10 days, door to door. Maybe they have worked through the transition hiccups.
Maybe you got lucky?

But good news anyway. Glad it worked well for you.
05-09-2015, 11:37 AM   #26
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There have been an alarming number of posts about repairs not done, equipment returned damaged or needing additional cleaning, improper repair (click stops, focus on lens not working).

The transition period between C.R.I.S. and Precision was marked by no communications and interminable delays before work was started. This improved to little or no communication but work being satisfactorily (in most cases) completed in a time period comparable to CRIS and then to little or no communication with mostly shoddy or improper repairs. Involvement of Ricoh is required in most of the cases to get the ball rolling.

There is this current thread
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/6-pentax-dslr-discussion/289285-precision...anty-work.html

And this long running thread that has gone dormant:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/16-pentax-news-rumors/269090-repairs.html

What ever happened with guy and his 645d? Last I heard he got a loaner from either Precision or Ricoh (unclear as who it was from). Did end up taking the loaner in exchange? Did he get his 645d back (repaired or not) and kept the loaner out of spite? Is he still waiting for his 645d? I gave the guy the boriscleto treatment.
06-10-2015, 09:26 AM   #27
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QuoteOriginally posted by kkgiyer Quote
I would like to share my experience with Pentax/RICOH and Precision. I have a Pentax K3 and a 55-300 HD lens. I also have two Tamron lenses (10-24 and 28-75). The two Tamron lens worked OK with some MFA. But I was still not happy because it needed different adjustments at the wide and tele end. But with the Pentax 55-300 lens I had no luck even with MFA, probably because of the range that MFA could not support enough. I informed the issue to Pentax support and they recommended sending all the four items to Precision which I did immediately. I used their 6.95$ shipping label to send the items to them (a little cheaper). I had read all the horror stories about Precision messing up the repairs and esp. with the communication part. I went through the same thing.

1. Camera + 3 lenses sent on a Fri and they received it on Tue. All items were covered under warranty and I had individually wrapped the proof of purchase on the items that were separately bubble wrapped. I had clearly mentioned what the problem was and the ticket was created to fix the camera/55-300 lens and I had indicated that Pentax recommended sending the Tamron lenses also to show them that those lenses worked better than the Pentax. So it would help them calibrate the body. I also wrote a letter and placed it inside the box on top so they would see it as soon as they opened it. One thing to note - 28-75mm Tamron lens was purchased by my friend and was shipped to his office address originally and the receipt showed his address.

2. No updates. On Thu, I gave them a call and they promptly told me that the technician has fixed everything and will be shipped out on Fri. The tracking number they provided on the website was invalid. On Monday I came to know that they shipped it on Fri and that I would receive the items on Tue.

3. But on Monday evening, I received a small box with only the 55-300 lens in it. No camera and two Tamron lenses missing. Called them on Monday and they said the camera was sent separately and I will receive it on Tuesday. I asked them about the two Tamron lenses. Put me on hold for a long time and they found out that the two Tamron lenses are sitting in the Tamron factory in NY. I asked them if they opened the lenses and if they are repairing. She said YES, they are repairing them right now. I asked them WHAT??? No reply. They wanted to investigate and call back.

4. I immediately reported to Pentax. The person who attended the call first was speaking non-sense and I hung up. He was saying, Precision can choose to handle third party lenses they way they want and Pentax has no say...I was trying to make him understand. The Tamron lenses had no issues and i had just sent them to make sure the calibration they do to fix the 500-300 lens does not mess up the two other lenses. Again called and another person said, it should not have happened and he would report to the corporate...

5. Precision called me back and said - our apologies, we messed up the whole thing, we should not have sent the lenses to Tamron etc etc...I asked them why they started to repair without my permission and nowhere in the service request have I mentioned they need repairs. She said it is their routine to send all third party lenses to the manufacturer (without reading the request and my detailed letter???). Again apologies. I demanded that I wanted the two lenses back the next day at my address. They again called me back that they have asked Tamron to send it overnight to them and they will again overnight it to me today. I will have them tomorrow. Now, this time, they said the lenses had just reached them and they had not even opened the box. Should I believe her or the other lady who said the status shows they are working on the lenses now. Horrible experience so far.

6. I was waiting for the camera to be delivered yesterday and got a notification that it was delivered. I called home to ask my wife if the package is there and it was not there. I looked into the tracking# and it showed a different city. I almost guessed that they had sent it to my friend's address (that was stuck to the Tamron lens). I again called Precision and they confirmed the camera was sent to my friend. OMG...Thankfully they did not deliver it to somebody in another country. Again apologies and they did not know how it got messed up so much. They offered a solution. They can contact UPS to get it back and send it back to Precision and they will overnight the camera when they receive it. I cannot explain the frustration when they said this. I got the camera from my friend. Don't forget, the 55-300 lens was sent separately without any notification and I had received it on Monday.

7. I will let you know if I find anything wrong with the Tamron lenses. I am planning to call Tamron service center once I receive the lenses to find out if they opened them. But when I tested the 55-300 on the K3, let me tell you, I see a world of difference. The pictures are tack sharp!!

8. The note says, lens cleaned, calibrated and set to factory spec, camera disassembled, cleaned, calibrated to factory spec and firmware updated. The version was still 1.11. Poor guys, they do not know that 1.21 is released. Probably we have to tell them there is an update.
We need an email address of someone at Ricoh in Japan who is in the Pentax division.... Then I need an address of the official Pentax repair facility in Japan. I don't care what it costs or how long it would take. There is for all practical purposes no support in the U.S..
Happily, nothing has failed yet for me but in time something probably will and that is understandable but at that point I want someone who is knowledgeable and interested to work on my Pentax gear. My sympathy goes out to kkgiyer and the others who have struggled with repairs.
06-10-2015, 10:13 AM   #28
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QuoteOriginally posted by jatrax Quote
Complaining here feels good and you will get lots of sympathy but no help from Ricoh.

Go here: Home - RIAC Community and post a factual account and ask specifically for customer service to help, note that you are a working photographer and the need is time sensitive.

Precision is a complete mess IMHO and they are not going to do anything to help you unless Ricoh calls them and tells them to quit jerking you around and fix your camera. Been there - done that. Plenty of other bad Precision stories here and elsewhere and I won't waste anyone's time by repeating mine. But I can say once Ricoh got involved the problem was fixed. The difficulty is in getting Ricoh's attention to the problem. Post on the Ricoh site, that is what I did and eventually I got an email from and then a phone call from Ricoh. Once that happened the problem got taken care of.
I have posted the case on the recommended forum and there is no response in over 2 weeks. So, I really wonder if it is wise to purchase any Pentax lenses for poor QA and support. BTW, I have replaced DA* 16-50 with a Sigma 17-70 contemporary. The result is far superior on DA* 16-50 while it was functional. I admit.
06-10-2015, 02:16 PM   #29
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I guess the moral of the story is don't break your camera, and by all means don't send it in to precision.
06-10-2015, 05:05 PM   #30
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QuoteOriginally posted by kkgiyer Quote
I would like to share my experience with Pentax/RICOH and Precision. I have a Pentax K3 and a 55-300 HD lens. I also have two Tamron lenses (10-24 and 28-75). The two Tamron lens worked OK with some MFA. But I was still not happy because it needed different adjustments at the wide and tele end. But with the Pentax 55-300 lens I had no luck even with MFA, probably because of the range that MFA could not support enough. I informed the issue to Pentax support and they recommended sending all the four items to Precision which I did immediately. I used their 6.95$ shipping label to send the items to them (a little cheaper). I had read all the horror stories about Precision messing up the repairs and esp. with the communication part. I went through the same thing.

1. Camera + 3 lenses sent on a Fri and they received it on Tue. All items were covered under warranty and I had individually wrapped the proof of purchase on the items that were separately bubble wrapped. I had clearly mentioned what the problem was and the ticket was created to fix the camera/55-300 lens and I had indicated that Pentax recommended sending the Tamron lenses also to show them that those lenses worked better than the Pentax. So it would help them calibrate the body. I also wrote a letter and placed it inside the box on top so they would see it as soon as they opened it. One thing to note - 28-75mm Tamron lens was purchased by my friend and was shipped to his office address originally and the receipt showed his address.

2. No updates. On Thu, I gave them a call and they promptly told me that the technician has fixed everything and will be shipped out on Fri. The tracking number they provided on the website was invalid. On Monday I came to know that they shipped it on Fri and that I would receive the items on Tue.

3. But on Monday evening, I received a small box with only the 55-300 lens in it. No camera and two Tamron lenses missing. Called them on Monday and they said the camera was sent separately and I will receive it on Tuesday. I asked them about the two Tamron lenses. Put me on hold for a long time and they found out that the two Tamron lenses are sitting in the Tamron factory in NY. I asked them if they opened the lenses and if they are repairing. She said YES, they are repairing them right now. I asked them WHAT??? No reply. They wanted to investigate and call back.

4. I immediately reported to Pentax. The person who attended the call first was speaking non-sense and I hung up. He was saying, Precision can choose to handle third party lenses they way they want and Pentax has no say...I was trying to make him understand. The Tamron lenses had no issues and i had just sent them to make sure the calibration they do to fix the 500-300 lens does not mess up the two other lenses. Again called and another person said, it should not have happened and he would report to the corporate...

5. Precision called me back and said - our apologies, we messed up the whole thing, we should not have sent the lenses to Tamron etc etc...I asked them why they started to repair without my permission and nowhere in the service request have I mentioned they need repairs. She said it is their routine to send all third party lenses to the manufacturer (without reading the request and my detailed letter???). Again apologies. I demanded that I wanted the two lenses back the next day at my address. They again called me back that they have asked Tamron to send it overnight to them and they will again overnight it to me today. I will have them tomorrow. Now, this time, they said the lenses had just reached them and they had not even opened the box. Should I believe her or the other lady who said the status shows they are working on the lenses now. Horrible experience so far.

6. I was waiting for the camera to be delivered yesterday and got a notification that it was delivered. I called home to ask my wife if the package is there and it was not there. I looked into the tracking# and it showed a different city. I almost guessed that they had sent it to my friend's address (that was stuck to the Tamron lens). I again called Precision and they confirmed the camera was sent to my friend. OMG...Thankfully they did not deliver it to somebody in another country. Again apologies and they did not know how it got messed up so much. They offered a solution. They can contact UPS to get it back and send it back to Precision and they will overnight the camera when they receive it. I cannot explain the frustration when they said this. I got the camera from my friend. Don't forget, the 55-300 lens was sent separately without any notification and I had received it on Monday.

7. I will let you know if I find anything wrong with the Tamron lenses. I am planning to call Tamron service center once I receive the lenses to find out if they opened them. But when I tested the 55-300 on the K3, let me tell you, I see a world of difference. The pictures are tack sharp!!

8. The note says, lens cleaned, calibrated and set to factory spec, camera disassembled, cleaned, calibrated to factory spec and firmware updated. The version was still 1.11. Poor guys, they do not know that 1.21 is released. Probably we have to tell them there is an update.
Please don't spam the forum. Three identical posts on three different threads out of your total of 7 posts to date?


Steve
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