[niceshot]

I think in Ari's case, since he is a pro and apparently relies on his gear for a living, it's good that Ricoh made that move.

However, thinking a little bit further, with the current shortage in supply (which I'm sure Ricoh is working hard to mitigate), this "good service" to one implies that somebody else will get his body a little bit later. Suppose that guy would know it, I'm positive he/she would show up here and complain about the Ricoh policy of handling things in his case.

Maybe it would help if they allowed other repairs shops other than Precision to jump in and help do the repairs and also , make parts available to all of these repair shops. Seems as if Precision has a monopoly on camera repair. I t seems to me they would be better able to satisfy the customer with quicker turn around time. So make the parts more available and use more than one repair shop might be a very good start.

[MarkJerling]

Maybe it would help if they allowed other repairs shops other than Precision to jump in and help do the repairs and also , make parts available to all of these repair shops. Seems as if Precision has a monopoly on camera repair. I t seems to me they would be better able to satisfy the customer with quicker turn around time. So make the parts more available and use more than one repair shop might be a very good start.

Several members have been reporting good service from Precision of late. Granted, in the past, they seemed to provide less than sterling service to some users. But, lately, reports are good.

[niceshot]

Several members have been reporting good service from Precision of late. Granted, in the past, they seemed to provide less than sterling service to some users. But, lately, reports are good.

thats good too .

[clackers]

thats good too .

You're American? If you jump brand to Sony, you'll have to deal with Precision again.

[niceshot]

You're American? If you jump brand to Sony, you'll have to deal with Precision again.

LIKE I said a monopoly, like no one else can repair a camera?

[Ari]

Hm.

@all of you complaining: you have bought K-1 instead of, say, a Nikon D810. You got one of the first bodies, there is still a shortage. You have saved, how much? $600? $800? Buying in the US, you saved another, what, $200, compared to the EU (where I live).

Yet you are complaining that Ricoh is not quick in replacing your body (an understandable policy given the shortage of supply) but instead asks you to send in the product for repair, which will surely be free under warranty. And you are complaining about $10 for shipping.

Seriously?

Any company should have enough product to supply its retail chain, parts for service and replacements for an anticipated failure rate BEFORE bringing them to market. And yes - I am a pro and need the gear for my daily work. Ricoh was kind enough to send me a new body rather than wait longer to repair the camera than I actually owned it. It was the right thing to do Wether or not that shorted someone else, that isn't something I have any control with. And while it may unfortunately cost more money in the EU, that has to do with issues out of Ricoh's control. And there should be NO reason I should have to pay to ship a broken camera to get repaired under warranty. Which, once again, Ricoh was kind of enough to pay for. It's called asking for service and getting it. Fry, if it makes you feel any better, I did end up having to rent a k1 for the weekend for a wedding. Since you think it's so outrageous we Yanks don't have to pay VAT and I was able to negotiate free shipping.

[stevebrot]

Any company should have enough product to supply its retail chain, parts for service and replacements for an anticipated failure rate BEFORE bringing them to market.

Selling out of retail stock is not unusual with cameras and sometimes happens even with established models if they are part of a promotion. As for your replacement, I suspect that Ricoh may very well have replaced your camera using stock specifically set aside for that purpose rather than breaking up a pallet designated for delivery to a dealer. As for the shipping charges, if the dealer could have replaced from stock they would have done so at no expense to you. It was good of Ricoh to extend the same privilege on a warranty exchange.


Steve

(...still trying to figure out what EU pricing and VAT have to do with anything...)

[monochrome]

LIKE I said a monopoly, like no one else can repair a camera?

Nikon Forums

[Mock]

My mode dial has also failed, I've got over 3000 actuations on the camera. I really hope I can get the camera back in time for my vacation.

[monochrome]

My mode dial has also failed, I've got over 3000 actuations on the camera. I really hope I can get the camera back in time for my vacation.

I'm not normally an early adopter - but I couldn't resist. So far (fingers crossed) I haven't had any issues with my K-1, but if I encounter the Mode Dial Failure I will attribute it to the early adopter penalty.

[biz-engineer]

I'm not normally an early adopter - but I couldn't resist. So far (fingers crossed) I haven't had any issues with my K-1, but if I encounter the Mode Dial Failure I will attribute it to the early adopter penalty.

Same for me :-). But this time, I did not buy off amazon :-); I bought from a shop (yes!!! here in small town we have a shop selling the full Pentax lineup: K3+K3II+lenses+645Z+lenses+K1+lenses); and I discussed the case of camera defect with them as a condition for the purchase. So if my K1 develop a dial failure, it's easy, I'll return it to the shop (20 minutes away from home) and they'll give my a replacement K1 and deal with the repair / replacement with Ricoh. Looks like this shop is interested in doing business; so they'll do anything they can to make life of the customer easy, including lending a camera for trying (that's what made me purchase the K1, after I tried it for a while... I thought... wow this camera rocks), and of course, take money in exchange. Looks like while some shops are closing, they are growing.

Note: I like to pass by the Canon and Nikon shop and ask them for advice for someone have a $10K budget for a Pentax system upgrade, they're a bit uncomfortable and answer "I'm sorry, Pentax is good, but you don't have it" , So I reply "Oh really , you don't have ?, too bad" :-)

[stevebrot]

LIKE I said a monopoly, like no one else can repair a camera?

Huh?

As for this particular thread, the executive summary goes something like this:

• The OP had a failure on a new camera complicated by lack of inventory making remedy from the seller a matter of waiting for fresh stock. That option remained open, but undesirable.
• An option for repair under warranty was also available, but would have required time to ship and do the repair...also undesirable
• Ricoh is under no obligation to replace the body under the warranty terms. This is pretty much standard for cameras in the sub-$4000 price range.
• The OP felt that due to "pro" status, he should get special treatment
• Ricoh does not provide "pro" services (expedited service and/or express camera/lens replacement, field support, event support, and training) such as is provided to members of Nikon Professional Services (NPS)*
• Ricoh eventually agreed to replace the camera with free shipping. This happened within a few days of fresh stock being received by the major Internet retailers here in the U.S.

Now tell me again how any of the above relates to Precision or how many repair shops provide Pentax warranty repair.


Steve

* NPS membership is fairly exclusive and requires at minimum full-time professional standing and a fairly heavy investment in current Nikon product. Oh...and it is not free nor is admittance automatic. Edit: While NPS membership is currently free in the USA, dues may be levied for members in other parts of the globe.

[niceshot]

Huh?

As for this particular thread, the executive summary goes something like this:

• The OP had a failure on a new camera complicated by lack of inventory making remedy from the seller a matter of waiting for fresh stock. That option remained open, but undesirable.
• An option for repair under warranty was also available, but would have required time to ship and do the repair...also undesirable
• Ricoh is under no obligation to replace the body under the warranty terms. This is pretty much standard for cameras in the sub-$4000 price range.
• The OP felt that due to "pro" status, he should get special treatment
• Ricoh does not provide "pro" services (expedited service and/or express camera/lens replacement, field support, event support, and training) such as is provided to members of Nikon Professional Services (NPS)*
• Ricoh eventually agreed to replace the camera with free shipping. This happened within a few days of fresh stock being received by the major Internet retailers here in the U.S.

Now tell me again how any of the above relates to Precision or how many repair shops provide Pentax warranty repair.


Steve

* NPS membership is fairly exclusive and requires at minimum full-time professional standing and a fairly heavy investment in current Nikon product. Oh...and it is not free nor is admittance automatic.

It doesn't, having said that I believe Ricoh is doing themselves no favor by giving only Precision the Exclusive rights to repair these cameras. I believe competition would wake them up.

[stevebrot]

It doesn't, having said that I believe Ricoh is doing themselves no favor by giving only Precision the Exclusive rights to repair these cameras. I believe competition would wake them up.

Thread hijack! I got it!

[fry]

Any company should have enough product to supply its retail chain, parts for service and replacements for an anticipated failure rate BEFORE bringing them to market. And yes - I am a pro and need the gear for my daily work. Ricoh was kind enough to send me a new body rather than wait longer to repair the camera than I actually owned it. It was the right thing to do Wether or not that shorted someone else, that isn't something I have any control with. And while it may unfortunately cost more money in the EU, that has to do with issues out of Ricoh's control. And there should be NO reason I should have to pay to ship a broken camera to get repaired under warranty. Which, once again, Ricoh was kind of enough to pay for. It's called asking for service and getting it. Fry, if it makes you feel any better, I did end up having to rent a k1 for the weekend for a wedding. Since you think it's so outrageous we Yanks don't have to pay VAT and I was able to negotiate free shipping.

Ari, relax.