[biz-engineer]

due to the absurd, $54 dollar shipping fee Precision wants to charge me to return the camera from the East Coast

It is expensive probably because the shipping includes an insurance fee, in case your KP is lost or damaged in transport.

Any shutter units for the KP will likely have already been manufactured at yesteryear prices and be in stock somewhere for the future.

What's the most costly isn't the shutter, it's manpower. I don't know how many hours are required to 1) disassemble a DSLR, 2) find where the problem is coming from (e.g the shutter may work but the command of the shutter may be the root cause) 3) repair or replace the faulty parts , 4) Re-assemble the whole camera body, 5) enter firmware in maintenance mode and perform AF calibration on a target with reference lens (because disassembly-re-assembly of the camera requires a new factory calibration), 6) cleanup the camera and the mess around the repair, 7) package and ship. If these steps take 4 hours, that's $250 @ $50 hourly rate, parts excluded, plus if the operator spend 6 hours , the day is over till he will start to disassemble another camera on his bench.

[pentaxus]

Nikon, Canon, Fuji or Sony do NOT actually look at the camera before giving an estimate. They just have two or three categories/prices for repairs. The only cameras that might get an estimate are really expensive ones that have a lot of damage. As far as parts availability goes, that is a problem for everyone. My son, working for Tesla, needed a part for a car he was working on. There was one in the world at a service center in Sweden. After that, people were going to have to wait. Many circuit boards and other parts are made in China. If the factory is in a city that is in Covid lockdown, nothing will be made for a while. For a long time, Japan's "just in time" method of obtaining parts worked. With todays constant disruptions that isn't working too well.

[UncleVanya]

Nikon, Canon, Fuji or Sony do NOT actually look at the camera before giving an estimate. They just have two or three categories/prices for repairs. The only cameras that might get an estimate are really expensive ones that have a lot of damage. As far as parts availability goes, that is a problem for everyone. My son, working for Tesla, needed a part for a car he was working on. There was one in the world at a service center in Sweden. After that, people were going to have to wait. Many circuit boards and other parts are made in China. If the factory is in a city that is in Covid lockdown, nothing will be made for a while. For a long time, Japan's "just in time" method of obtaining parts worked. With todays constant disruptions that isn't working too well.

Even many years ago I ran into a problem obtaining a rebuilt Honda transmission. My used van needed a replacement and the only factory rebuilt unit available in the United States was in Ohio. More were expected in roughly two months! We got ours but someone standing in line next was likely forced to go with a local rebuild. The just in time model works to reduce excess cost but it can be quite brittle when disruptions occur.

[mtgmansf]

Thanks to people for many responses. Many good ones. However, I am going to point out the following:
1. No Pentax shutter should fail or have problems at less than 500 actuations.
2. Pentax has stopped production of the KP, and with shutter issues always becoming an issue downt he line, extra shutter mechanisms should be readily in stock and, due to consumer protection laws world-wide, and are even required by law to available.
3. Precision's quote to me is without me even being able to enter or describe a problem or find a listing of pricing categories, so I am pretty sure I am at the low or medium end of a quote.
4. Today I called Precision and they still cannot tell me: 1. If they have shutters or parts in stock 2. What a shutter repair or replacment could or would run. So my option with them is to spend $75-$85 dollars on two way postage and get an evaluation/quote at that point. This seems like a big hassle for everyone and not the level of customer service I am used to.

[UncleVanya]

Thanks to people for many responses. Many good ones. However, I am going to point out the following:
1. No Pentax shutter should fail or have problems at less than 500 actuations.
2. Pentax has stopped production of the KP, and with shutter issues always becoming an issue downt he line, extra shutter mechanisms should be readily in stock and, due to consumer protection laws world-wide, and are even required by law to available.
3. Precision's quote to me is without me even being able to enter or describe a problem or find a listing of pricing categories, so I am pretty sure I am at the low or medium end of a quote.
4. Today I called Precision and they still cannot tell me: 1. If they have shutters or parts in stock 2. What a shutter repair or replacment could or would run. So my option with them is to spend $75-$85 dollars on two way postage and get an evaluation/quote at that point. This seems like a big hassle for everyone and not the level of customer service I am used to.

No disagreement. But I don’t think you will find any newer camera of similar vintage with a better repair story. The reality is this is the garbage that modern electronics repair has become.

[wadge22]

Agree with everyone saying that the state of the world sucks, as far as how expensive and hassle-ridden it is to repair things like this. But there's nothing any of us can do about it.


If I were in your shoes, I would look at buying another used KP; they can be had, shipped, for around $700 right now. I know you already answered that you don't like that idea, but it's probably the best option available to you. You can sell your current one as is (which may well bring your price down around or even under that $500), or keep it for parts/ ES-only backup.

[Terry C]

Same thing happened on my K70. Reset fixed it.

[mtgmansf]

I have contacted several repair shops from the U.S. repair shops listed here on forum, since Precision will not give me even basic information about availability and the possible cost of installing a new shutter, should that be required. I was bluntly informed by these independents, only Precision can now get parts for my broken KP. Note to Pentax - no one likes dealing with monopolies...

[UncleVanya]

I have contacted several repair shops from the U.S. repair shops listed here on forum, since Precision will not give me even basic information about availability and the possible cost of installing a new shutter, should that be required. I was bluntly informed by these independents, only Precision can now get parts for my broken KP. Note to Pentax - no one likes dealing with monopolies...

Tell the other camera companies. They all have outsourced repairs. It’s a sad state of affairs.

[kypfer]

The problem that we're all up against is that, over time, equipment in general has become more reliable, so fewer technicians are trained, so fewer repair facilities can exist.
I was in business equipment repair (latterly mostly personal computers and associated equipment) for most of my working life, from the early '70's onwards.
Initially, training courses were measured in weeks and conducted at manufacturers' specific training facilities and we were expected to be able to trace a fault down to a specific component and replace it.
Later, courses were in days, often in a hired facility, and we'd be expected to just replace modules, ie. whole circuit boards or mechanical assemblies.
The last "training" I was given, by a "major" IT manufacturer, involved reading a poorly edited pdf and answering a multiple-choice questionnaire!
The point to consider is that despite the almost total acceptance of electronic equipment in the normal office environment, the actual repair work was significantly less than it was 40 years ago!
The equipment in general is so reliable, and so (relatively) cheap to replace once out of warranty, that good old-fashioned repair engineers have become few and far between … and those that are left have still got to make a living, so prices are high!

[mtgmansf]

Tell the other camera companies. They all have outsourced repairs. It’s a sad state of affairs.

As long as they outsource to more than one repair place, I would be happy!

---------- Post added 07-08-22 at 02:45 PM ----------

The problem that we're all up against is that, over time, equipment in general has become more reliable, so fewer technicians are trained, so fewer repair facilities can exist.
I was in business equipment repair (latterly mostly personal computers and associated equipment) for most of my working life, from the early '70's onwards.
Initially, training courses were measured in weeks and conducted at manufacturers' specific training facilities and we were expected to be able to trace a fault down to a specific component and replace it.
Later, courses were in days, often in a hired facility, and we'd be expected to just replace modules, ie. whole circuit boards or mechanical assemblies.
The last "training" I was given, by a "major" IT manufacturer, involved reading a poorly edited pdf and answering a multiple-choice questionnaire!
The point to consider is that despite the almost total acceptance of electronic equipment in the normal office environment, the actual repair work was significantly less than it was 40 years ago!
The equipment in general is so reliable, and so (relatively) cheap to replace once out of warranty, that good old-fashioned repair engineers have become few and far between … and those that are left have still got to make a living, so prices are high!

Good to know. This will certainly influence my decision to buy used again in the future on newer electronic equipment, unless there is a reputable warrantly behind the item. Of course, I have fond memories of Pentax's extended, three year warranty for peanuts at the time of acquisition...