Originally posted by hinman ...and I then asked what does Pentax USA do in terms of stocking parts -- the rep hints to "Nothing!" It is CRIS handling everything. Why don't Pentax USA not stocking parts for K-x and K7 and the answers go in circle.
I agree that all of the horror stories I've read about long turnaround times for Pentax service is completely inadequate for a pro.
But, since Pentax has chosen to outsource all of their service to CRIS, I wouldn't expect Pentax USA to stock any parts. Why would they? However, I would expect them to lean heavily on CRIS to keep an adequate supply on hand, or to raise cain with Pentax Japan, if that is where the bottleneck is. No matter who is really to blame for lack of parts, it is Pentax USA that gets the bad rap for it.
Pros really need to be able to walk into a store in their town, drop off their camera, pick up a loaner or rental and walk out. Further, they should be able to return 72 hours later to pick up their now-repaired camera. Shipping it to Arizona and waiting months to get it back is just wrong, even for consumers, let alone pros.
I don't care if Pentax releases a FF camera or decides to sell the 645D in the US, they will never succeed in cracking the pro market in any significant way with the kind of service they have now.
To be fair, though, is this really typical of Pentax repair? Of course, we hear the horror stories on the internet. Very occasionally, someone reports quick (less than two weeks, still unacceptable for a pro) return of their camera, but generally, people don't write about that sort of thing. It may be that they get most cameras fixed and in the mail in a matter of a few days, on average. Your experience may be an exception. Or it may not be.
I would expect that CRIS keeps statistics about average turnaround times, but I doubt that they will ever release that information.
Pentax USA should be keeping a very close eye on these things.