[KiloHotelphoto]

Well since he shipped it to Precision on January 6th and they sent it to Japan on the 12th that was long before any of this, that is horrible service.

And in the end they sent him a new lens, that should’ve happened in January not April.

[MarkJerling]

Well since he shipped it to Precision on January 6th and they sent it to Japan on the 12th that was long before any of this, that is horrible service.

And in the end they sent him a new lens, that should’ve happened in January not April.

No, according to the post, they shipped him a repaired lens with a new lens barrel and new serial number. Coincidentally, my K-1ii is still in Japan. This whole Covid-19 business has pretty much stuffed international courier services and many repair services. This would be a poor time to use this as an attempt to lambaste any service provider.

[c.a.m]

Coincidentally, my K-1ii is still in Japan. This whole Covid-19 business has pretty much stuffed international courier services and many repair services. This would be a poor time to use this as an attempt to lambaste any service provider.

Sorry to hear your K-1 II hasn't yet returned from its journey. You'll be happy to see it when it arrives back in tip-top shape!

Yes, all sorts of services are messed up. I would imagine that the combination of increased demand, reduced staff levels, physical distancing, and the need for personal protective gear has thrown a spanner into the normal works.

As for delivery services, even regional and local deliveries are affected here. My wife ordered some supplies several weeks ago, and we're waiting for the last two shipments -- apparently one is stalled at a local suburban centre. In normal times, our national Canada Post is very prompt to deliver within their service standards, so I have no issues with their delays at the moment. We're aware that their staff is overloaded, but working hard. The same for the other major couriers, I would think.

- Craig

[KiloHotelphoto]

Just wanted to update the thread to say that the D FA* 2.8 70-200 that I shipped in to Precision for recalibration on January 6th finally made it back into my hands on April 25th. Short version is that Precision shipped it to the factory where they replaced "Optical Parts" and "Lens Barrel". Since the Lens Barrel was replaced, the lens does have a different (and newer) serial number on it.

"Optical parts and lens barrel", that's a new lens. Do you really think they replaced the glass and barrel and then put the old tripod collar, AF motor and front and rear lens caps back on.

And you can't blame any of this on Covid 19 when they shipped it back in the beginning of January.

[volley]

"Optical parts and lens barrel", that's a new lens. Do you really think they replaced the glass and barrel and then put the old tripod collar, AF motor and front and rear lens caps back on.

And you can't blame any of this on Covid 19 when they shipped it back in the beginning of January.

I'm not sure how much business interaction you have had with a Japanese company. When the factory in Japan states they have replaced optical elements and lens barrel then this is exactly what they have done,

[c.a.m]

"Optical parts and lens barrel", that's a new lens.

If we consider that this complex zoom lens has multiple barrels, optical groups, and assemblies, a replacement of "optical parts" and a "barrel" may not necessarily mean that the old lens was replaced with a new one. I think that it's possible that an optical block, which included its barrel, could have been replaced. I'm not familiar with the exact construction of this lens or the original problem, so I can't be certain of the actual repair. However, I'd think that it was more likely a parts replacement rather than a complete lens swap. On the other hand, receiving a lens with a new serial number seems odd, unless it was an exterior barrel that was replaced.

you can't blame any of this on Covid 19 when they shipped it back in the beginning of January.

I think it's difficult to determine the factors for the apparent door-to-door service time. I'm not aware of the postal and courier situation in the US, but here in Canada there have been significant delays compared to normal service. Staff are working hard, but the sheer volume and necessary precautions have overloaded the system. For example, the deliveries of a couple of our orders have been delayed for a couple of weeks, on products shipped from within our own province.

The lens in question was shipped "to Japan," possibly to another location for actual repair, back to Precision, then finally to the owner. Precision probably took some time to process the item at the end of the period and get it out their door. According to Precision's original estimate of 5-6 weeks turnaround back to Precision, the end-to-end process seems to have taken an extra month and a half.

Anyways, it's great to hear that @CoreyC has the lens back, hopefully in perfect condition.

- Craig

[MarkJerling]

"Optical parts and lens barrel", that's a new lens. Do you really think they replaced the glass and barrel and then put the old tripod collar, AF motor and front and rear lens caps back on.

And you can't blame any of this on Covid 19 when they shipped it back in the beginning of January.

I've just got off the phone with the Ricoh agent in New Zealand. My K-1ii was shipped to Japan at the end January and arrived in Japan early Feb. With the Covid-19 issue and parts of Ricoh's operations being shut the repair was completed on the 25th of March. Since then, it's been in shipping limbo, again due to Covid-19. We're hoping to have it back in NZ by next week.

Under normal circumstances, you're looking at a week lost, both ways, with shipping and customs clearing in any event. Best thing to do, at present, is to be patient and if you use your gear professionally, then it's up to you to have back-up equipment a others have pointed out. It's easy to blame Precision or whoever, but when you're dealing with multiple entities, shipping and Covid-19 delays along the way, then nothing goes as quickly as it should.

I'm not at all surprised, therefore, that a lens sent to Prevision in January has only now winged it's way back from Japan.

[Not a Number]

For a little more information on the shipping situation to and from Japan see Albert Siegel's post on the subject:

Repair for FA* 400mm - PentaxForums.com

As for whether or not Precision should have just replaced the lens, refer to the Ricoh Imaging North America warranty (see link below). The word "replace" is only used in the warranty for sports optics.

Warranty Information - Ricoh

Sure Ricoh North America has replaced photo equipment under warranty but then again Precision is not a dealer and only has limited parts in stock. Any replacement would have to come directly from Ricoh NA which may have to have it shipped from overseas adding to the delay.

Back in the 70's I had to wait over a year for some audio equipment parts from Japan. A few years ago I bought some new-old-stock Minolta equipment from a seller in Singapore. I'd bought equipment from him before and it took at most 2 weeks for shipping. The last item I purchased somehow got delayed/mislayed along the way and took eight months to show up. It had slipped my mind for those eight months and just as I was going to make some inquiries of the status it turned up at my Post Office. Tracking showed it leaving Singapore 3 days after I purchased it. After that, nothing.

[stevebrot]

Four months to basically just give you a new lens, they should've done that a lot sooner, horrible service.

The entity paying the bill (that would be Ricoh) determined they would opt to repair instead of replace, hence the trip to Japan. Three or four months for a "sent to Japan" repair is pretty much the norm, industry-wide, so that is not surprising. In case it is not clear, Precision does not broker lens, camera, or flash replacements. It may also not be clear that for warranty repairs, they follow the lead of their customer, that being Ricoh.

This explanation may not be acceptable to you, but it works for me.


Steve

[monochrome]

"Optical parts and lens barrel", that's a new lens. Do you really think they replaced the glass and barrel and then put the old tripod collar, AF motor and front and rear lens caps back on.

And you can't blame any of this on Covid 19 when they shipped it back in the beginning of January.

The 150-450 has 18 elements in 14 groups, at least 2 barrels and at least 11 seals. If they said they replaced optical parts and a barrel, that is perfectly consistent with repairing a lens by replacing damaged or faulty parts and re-assembling the lens using the original remaining lens element groups, interior barrel, electronics and connectors, focus motor, mount and contacts, replacing the seals and restoring all the other little bits and pieces and buttons and switches and brushes inside a lens. And the tripod collar and front and rear caps.

[MarkJerling]

I've just heard back from the NZ Ricoh agent. (Relatively) normal shipping ex Japan will recommence on 7 May. So, if anyone is waiting for stuff from Japan at the moment, not a lot of stuff is leaving before 7th May.

[RICHARD L.]

My FA 80-320 mm f/4.5-5.6 lens died on me last month. It cost me something like 115 $ on eBay many years ago. So, no repair, instead I bought a second-hand DA 55-300 mm HD on eBay to replace it and I fell on a surprisingly good sample. Sometimes you have to move on and stop agonizing on the past. As for really costly items, then you may have to be patient or buy a replacement.

OTOH my Canon G3X compact developped a stain on the sensor when it was fairly new. I sent it to Canon in Toronto and it came back repaired 3 days later. Apparently the sensor alone was an 800 $ part while the whole camera cost 1200 $ new, so their service was beyond reproach.

[sculptor666]

precicison has zero information about being open or closed from covid... so waiting to hear back before sending anything.... although the contact form goes through ricoh, so?

[Not a Number]

The contact form should go direct to Precision. Call Precision's 800 number during business hours and press 1. If a customer service rep is there they will answer. Either way the recorded message should tell you if they are open or not. Sigma 800 number tells you they are closed and nobody is answering the phones.