DFA* 50mm f1.4 repair not offered by Precision Camera

nzondlo · 03-11-2019, 01:06 AM

I'm in the US. I dropped my K1 attached with this lens recently and the top plastic ring directly above the focus ring cracked all the way to the top of the lens. No lens elements were harmed, thankfully, but it's now exposed. After realizing the flagship prime lens of this company wasn't listed in the dropdown on Precision Camera's website, I was redirecfted to Ricoh's contact page. After emailing them explaining that repair of this 9mo old $1200 lens isn't listen on their official repair vendor's options and asking what my options were, I was told:

Quote:

I am sorry you are having problems. Below is the link to the one authorized repair center in the US. The number is their direct number.

Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation - Service & Repair

860-272-2100

Thank you for being a valued Ricoh Imaging customer.

Ok, so I thought I'd try calling Precision Camera directly and asking maybe they haven't updated their site yet?

"Yeah. We so don't offer repair on that lens unfortunately."
"...uhhh I'm surprised. This lens came out only 9 months ago from the company you're which the only authorized repair center. Does someone else do repairs on this then then?"
"Why don't you try contacting Ricoh Pentax. Would you like their contact info?"
"..."

So I guess we're playing pass-the-buck. And this is just for a non-warranty repair. I don't even know what would happen if the SDM or Aperture diaphragm failed within warranty.

Has anyone had to have one of these repaired yet? Am I unreasonable thinking repair of this lens should be offered by their official (and only) US authorized repair center?

biz-engineer · 03-11-2019, 01:32 AM

Originally posted by nzondlo

I dropped my K1 attached with this lens recently and the top plastic ring directly above the focus ring cracked all the way to the top of the lens. No lens elements were harmed, thankfully, but it's now exposed.

It won't be covered by warrantee, and you don't know if no lens element/internal were damaged.

Originally posted by nzondlo

"Yeah. We so don't offer repair on that lens unfortunately.""...uhhh I'm surprised. This lens came out only 9 months ago from the company you're which the only authorized repair center. Does someone else do repairs on this then then?""Why don't you try contacting Ricoh Pentax. Would you like their contact info?"

You could ask to have the lens repaired in Japan and ask for a quote with time of repair including shipment lead times.

**clackers** · 03-11-2019, 02:02 AM

Take up their suggestion of contacting Ricoh Pentax.

Ricoh Pentax obviously haven't updated the list of products Precision can work on, so the paperwork that gets them paid for the job isn't complete … onus is on them.

nzondlo · 03-11-2019, 02:16 AM

Originally posted by clackers

Take up their suggestion of contacting Ricoh Pentax.

Ricoh Pentax obviously haven't updated the list of products Precision can work on, so the paperwork that gets them paid for the job isn't complete … onus is on them.

I thought that's what I was doing when I asked them the first time and explained the situation.

I'm just disappointed I have to annoy them with emails to get their operation together.

**clackers** · 03-11-2019, 02:41 AM

Originally posted by nzondlo

I thought that's what I was doing when I asked them the first time and explained the situation.

I'm just disappointed I have to annoy them with emails to get their operation together.

Sure. Must be agonizing to have that great glass out of action. But it looks to me that Precision can't even raise the approval with Ricoh at the moment, so rather than trust Precision to bring about a change best to get in contact as high as you can in Ricoh.

If necessary, ask for the name of the person at Precision who is in charge of the Pentax account and ask for contact details of their liaison in Ricoh.

If Japan, so much the better, cut out the useless local middle bureaucracy.

I'm in IT so deal with vendors and their useless subcontractors on a daily basis.

**Rondec** · 03-11-2019, 02:50 AM

Precision does all warranty work for Pentax in this country. That doesn't say that they do everything in house and they send some things away to Japan to take care of. Certainly it is a situation that Ricoh needs to be made aware of and update their contract with Precision, even if this isn't warranty work, as such.

nzondlo · 03-11-2019, 03:02 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by clackers

Sure. Must be agonizing to have that great glass out of action.

Believe it or not, it actually still works just fine. It's truly just the shell that needs replaced. If the the top barrel piece was metal instead of plastic, the elements probably would have shattered.

Same as my K1. They actually do make fairly durable products.

Originally posted by Rondec

Precision does all warranty work for Pentax in this country. That doesn't say that they do everything in house and they send some things away to Japan to take care of. Certainly it is a situation that Ricoh needs to be made aware of and update their contract with Precision, even if this isn't warranty work, as such.

and I hope we do get this straightened out for the sake of the rest of the customers here in the US who are one drop away from being SoL at the moment, which is inexcusable.

Not a Number · 03-11-2019, 05:22 AM

How did you contact Ricoh? I suggest calling there customer service number (listed on warranty card) rather then using the web contact form. People report much better results from calling as opposed to email.

**UncleVanya** · 03-11-2019, 08:11 AM

There are other authorized centers for non warranty work. On my mobile its hard to search but there are threads that explain who still works on Pentax. Most likely these places will need to contact Ricoh but they may be less rigid about it.

**grahame** · 03-11-2019, 08:28 AM

When I had to get my K1 serviced, it was not on the drop off list. I was suggested to call precision and they sent me a PDF form where I manually put the information.
Even if precision does not have any parts for the repair, they need to contact Ricoh to get the parts. Saying sorry and no is very unprofessional.

**clickclick** · 03-11-2019, 08:41 AM

As others have said, I'd round back up with Ricoh. Do know I've had 3 lenses sent by Precision to Japan for me for Pentax to repair directly, so it can be done. I think you just need to get the right words to the right person to connect the dots.

KiloHotelphoto · 03-11-2019, 08:59 AM

Hopefully you're not relying on this lens for paid work.

dofmaster · 03-11-2019, 10:17 AM

Yeah this sounds like it sucks, but just kick up a storm. If Ricoh couldn't support this lens it would be the ultimate own goal.

Unfortunately you've had to deal with some bad luck with the lens, and now some admin nonsense. If you are just persistent with e.g. 2 weeks of continual contact I'm sure it will get sorted out. Get on the phone a bunch.

Not a Number · 03-12-2019, 08:58 AM

As mentioned above since it is non-warranty work you could send it to an authorized service center like Advance Camera in Oregon. Odds are they will either send it to Precision or to Japan themselves. Odds are it goes to Precision and from there to Japan.

03-11-2019, 01:06 AM	#1
nzondlo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Scranton, PA Posts: 186	*DFA 50mm f1.4 repair not offered by Precision Camera I'm in the US. I dropped my K1 attached with this lens recently and the top plastic ring directly above the focus ring cracked all the way to the top of the lens. No lens elements were harmed, thankfully, but it's now exposed. After realizing the flagship prime lens of this company wasn't listed in the dropdown on Precision Camera's website, I was redirecfted to Ricoh's contact page. After emailing them explaining that repair of this 9mo old $1200 lens isn't listen on their official repair vendor's options and asking what my options were, I was told: Quote: I am sorry you are having problems. Below is the link to the one authorized repair center in the US. The number is their direct number. Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation - Service & Repair 860-272-2100 Thank you for being a valued Ricoh Imaging customer. Ok, so I thought I'd try calling Precision Camera directly and asking maybe they haven't updated their site yet? "Yeah. We so don't offer repair on that lens unfortunately." "...uhhh I'm surprised. This lens came out only 9 months ago from the company you're which the only authorized repair center. Does someone else do repairs on this then then?" "Why don't you try contacting Ricoh Pentax. Would you like their contact info?" "..." So I guess we're playing pass-the-buck. And this is just for a non-warranty repair. I don't even know what would happen if the SDM or Aperture diaphragm failed within warranty. Has anyone had to have one of these repaired yet? Am I unreasonable thinking repair of this lens should be offered by their official (and only) US authorized repair center?**

03-11-2019, 10:17 AM	#13
dofmaster Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 53	Yeah this sounds like it sucks, but just kick up a storm. If Ricoh couldn't support this lens it would be the ultimate own goal. Unfortunately you've had to deal with some bad luck with the lens, and now some admin nonsense. If you are just persistent with e.g. 2 weeks of continual contact I'm sure it will get sorted out. Get on the phone a bunch. Last edited by MarkJerling; 03-13-2019 at 03:54 PM. Reason: No need for profanity.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
K-3 II just came back from Precision Camera after AF repair	bwDraco	Pentax K-3 & K-3 II	4	06-24-2017 01:37 PM
Disgusted with Pentax/Ricoh and Precision Camera Repair	gazelle01	Pentax DSLR Discussion	112	12-30-2016 11:19 AM
Precision Camera Repair	Lewser89	Pentax DSLR Discussion	48	07-12-2015 02:33 PM
K3 Warranty Repair, Precision Camera	K-Three	Pentax K-3 & K-3 II	3	06-10-2015 09:33 AM

03-11-2019, 01:32 AM	#2
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,252	Originally posted by nzondlo I dropped my K1 attached with this lens recently and the top plastic ring directly above the focus ring cracked all the way to the top of the lens. No lens elements were harmed, thankfully, but it's now exposed. It won't be covered by warrantee, and you don't know if no lens element/internal were damaged. Originally posted by nzondlo "Yeah. We so don't offer repair on that lens unfortunately.""...uhhh I'm surprised. This lens came out only 9 months ago from the company you're which the only authorized repair center. Does someone else do repairs on this then then?""Why don't you try contacting Ricoh Pentax. Would you like their contact info?" You could ask to have the lens repaired in Japan and ask for a quote with time of repair including shipment lead times.

03-11-2019, 02:02 AM	#3
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Take up their suggestion of contacting Ricoh Pentax. Ricoh Pentax obviously haven't updated the list of products Precision can work on, so the paperwork that gets them paid for the job isn't complete … onus is on them.

03-11-2019, 02:16 AM	#4
nzondlo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Scranton, PA Posts: 186 Original Poster	Originally posted by clackers Take up their suggestion of contacting Ricoh Pentax. Ricoh Pentax obviously haven't updated the list of products Precision can work on, so the paperwork that gets them paid for the job isn't complete … onus is on them. I thought that's what I was doing when I asked them the first time and explained the situation. I'm just disappointed I have to annoy them with emails to get their operation together.

03-11-2019, 02:41 AM	#5
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by nzondlo I thought that's what I was doing when I asked them the first time and explained the situation. I'm just disappointed I have to annoy them with emails to get their operation together. Sure. Must be agonizing to have that great glass out of action. But it looks to me that Precision can't even raise the approval with Ricoh at the moment, so rather than trust Precision to bring about a change best to get in contact as high as you can in Ricoh. If necessary, ask for the name of the person at Precision who is in charge of the Pentax account and ask for contact details of their liaison in Ricoh. If Japan, so much the better, cut out the useless local middle bureaucracy. I'm in IT so deal with vendors and their useless subcontractors on a daily basis.

03-11-2019, 02:50 AM	#6
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,666	Precision does all warranty work for Pentax in this country. That doesn't say that they do everything in house and they send some things away to Japan to take care of. Certainly it is a situation that Ricoh needs to be made aware of and update their contract with Precision, even if this isn't warranty work, as such.

03-11-2019, 03:02 AM - 1 Like	#7
nzondlo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Scranton, PA Posts: 186 Original Poster	Originally posted by clackers Sure. Must be agonizing to have that great glass out of action. Believe it or not, it actually still works just fine. It's truly just the shell that needs replaced. If the the top barrel piece was metal instead of plastic, the elements probably would have shattered. Same as my K1. They actually do make fairly durable products. Originally posted by Rondec Precision does all warranty work for Pentax in this country. That doesn't say that they do everything in house and they send some things away to Japan to take care of. Certainly it is a situation that Ricoh needs to be made aware of and update their contract with Precision, even if this isn't warranty work, as such. and I hope we do get this straightened out for the sake of the rest of the customers here in the US who are one drop away from being SoL at the moment, which is inexcusable.

03-11-2019, 05:22 AM	#8
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	How did you contact Ricoh? I suggest calling there customer service number (listed on warranty card) rather then using the web contact form. People report much better results from calling as opposed to email.

03-11-2019, 08:11 AM	#9
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,472	There are other authorized centers for non warranty work. On my mobile its hard to search but there are threads that explain who still works on Pentax. Most likely these places will need to contact Ricoh but they may be less rigid about it.

03-11-2019, 08:28 AM	#10
grahame Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 2,041	When I had to get my K1 serviced, it was not on the drop off list. I was suggested to call precision and they sent me a PDF form where I manually put the information. Even if precision does not have any parts for the repair, they need to contact Ricoh to get the parts. Saying sorry and no is very unprofessional.

03-11-2019, 08:41 AM	#11
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,904	As others have said, I'd round back up with Ricoh. Do know I've had 3 lenses sent by Precision to Japan for me for Pentax to repair directly, so it can be done. I think you just need to get the right words to the right person to connect the dots.

03-11-2019, 08:59 AM	#12
KiloHotelphoto Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Glen Mills, PA Photos: Albums Posts: 1,030	Hopefully you're not relying on this lens for paid work.

03-12-2019, 08:58 AM	#14
Not a Number Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Venice, CA Posts: 10,526	As mentioned above since it is non-warranty work you could send it to an authorized service center like Advance Camera in Oregon. Odds are they will either send it to Precision or to Japan themselves. Odds are it goes to Precision and from there to Japan.