[Rondec]

My wife is super frustrated. She has called Precision multiple times over the last few days and can't get through. She tried to e mail them and can't get through that way either. She called Pentax and initially they referred her on to Precision and said they can't do anything about it. She called them back today and they told her they would "forward an email on to Precision" about the situation.

Her comment to me was "I can't shoot weddings if I'm going to get lousy repair service like this."

It's a problem and something that Pentax has to address.

[MJSfoto1956]

just got the following notice from Precision today:

Good morning Michael,
I am emailing you to let you know that we are providing you with a replacement camera from Pentax.
Thank you

So, while it took a long time to get to a resolution, it appears that the service is in fact working. I suspect that part of the problem is a likely delay from Ricoh headquarters whenever there is something "out of the ordinary" such as in my case. However, this does complicate things a bit for me -- rather than sell the replacement K-3 I'm now leaning towards keeping it as a backup to my K-3II "just in case". I should mention that while this repair was not covered under extended warranty, it probably helped get to a satisfactory resolution that I had an extended warranty for this camera -- at the nominal price they charge for 2yr Pentax extended warranty I hope everyone embraces that part of the price to pay. Will report back once the replacement camera arrives.

YMMV

Michael

[virusn3t]

just got the following notice from Precision today:

Good morning Michael,
I am emailing you to let you know that we are providing you with a replacement camera from Pentax.
Thank you

So, while it took a long time to get to a resolution, it appears that the service is in fact working. I suspect that part of the problem is a likely delay from Ricoh headquarters whenever there is something "out of the ordinary" such as in my case. However, this does complicate things a bit for me -- rather than sell the replacement K-3 I'm now leaning towards keeping it as a backup to my K-3II "just in case". I should mention that while this repair was not covered under extended warranty, it probably helped get to a satisfactory resolution that I had an extended warranty for this camera -- at the nominal price they charge for 2yr Pentax extended warranty I hope everyone embraces that part of the price to pay. Will report back once the replacement camera arrives.

YMMV

Michael

To me, appear that the repaie service isnt working... it is good that you have a replacement camera (check serial numbers maybe Ricoh have a few hundred returned to them), but, if Prescicion cant repair anything from lenses to cameras because theyre incompetetent or because Ricoh cant provide parts fast enough (or apropiate training to prescicion technicians) is a big problem to us and Ricoh itself

[sb in ak]

To me, appear that the repaie service isnt working... it is good that you have a replacement camera (check serial numbers maybe Ricoh have a few hundred returned to them), but, if Prescicion cant repair anything from lenses to cameras because theyre incompetetent or because Ricoh cant provide parts fast enough (or apropiate training to prescicion technicians) is a big problem to us and Ricoh itself

Pentax/Ricoh's repair service is unacceptable, and it's a serious problem for them if they want to market their cameras to professionals. That being said, even if you are shooting professionally with a bigger brand, you still need a backup camera in case it takes a dump on you in the middle of the shoot. It's still going to take a week to get a repair done.

In Pentax/Ricoh's case, you'd almost need two backup cameras as their repairs take so long.

[MJSfoto1956]

That being said, even if you are shooting professionally with a bigger brand, you still need a backup camera in case it takes a dump on you in the middle of the shoot. It's still going to take a week to get a repair done.

A week? hah! Both my daughter and I are members of NPS and have had several repairs done between the two of us and it generally takes at least a couple if not several weeks to get a repair through them. OTOH, they have generous loaner programs available that prevent any Nikon Pro from ever getting "stuck" with no options. Of course, Nikon Pro bodies sell for a lot more than Pentax bodies. So in some ways we probably can't have it both ways: pro-quality gear at consumer prices but expect pro-quality support. It's a conundrum for sure.

YMMV

Michael

[sb in ak]

A week? hah! Both my daughter and I are members of NPS and have had several repairs done between the two of us and it generally takes at least a couple if not several weeks to get a repair through them. OTOH, they have generous loaner programs available that prevent any Nikon Pro from ever getting "stuck" with no options. Of course, Nikon Pro bodies sell for a lot more than Pentax bodies. So in some ways we probably can't have it both ways: pro-quality gear at consumer prices but expect pro-quality support. It's a conundrum for sure.

YMMV

Michael

I should have clarified: Canon Pro Services. I'm not a member, but the people I've talked to report pretty quick repairs. I have sent in Canon stuff without being on CPS and it was around two weeks and that includes shipping from and to Alaska. They're pretty good.

[virusn3t]

A week? hah! Both my daughter and I are members of NPS and have had several repairs done between the two of us and it generally takes at least a couple if not several weeks to get a repair through them. OTOH, they have generous loaner programs available that prevent any Nikon Pro from ever getting "stuck" with no options. Of course, Nikon Pro bodies sell for a lot more than Pentax bodies. So in some ways we probably can't have it both ways: pro-quality gear at consumer prices but expect pro-quality support. It's a conundrum for sure.

YMMV

Michael

Not a pro service but a reliable service....

[MJSfoto1956]

Not a pro service but a reliable service....

Fair enough. But where is this magic line?
If two to three weeks is good enough for "pros" then is four to five weeks good enough for "amateurs"?
I might remind you -- most electronic goods these days aren't repairable at all.
We live in a throw-away society precisely because "the market" says that price is king.

IMHO, there will be two kinds of camera manufacturers in the future: those whose products reflect the price of repair and those whose products reflect the realities of commoditization where repair is unlikely (and because of price, not profitable for either the consumer or the producer).

Michael

[virusn3t]

Fair enough. But where is this magic line?
If two to three weeks is good enough for "pros" then is four to five weeks good enough for "amateurs"?
I might remind you -- most electronic goods these days aren't repairable at all.
We live in a throw-away society precisely because "the market" says that price is king.

IMHO, there will be two kinds of camera manufacturers in the future: those whose products reflect the price of repair and those whose products reflect the realities of commoditization where repair is unlikely (and because of price, not profitable for either the consumer or the producer).

Michael

Yes, even cars are not repairable anymore, some piece is broken? replace that... i understand that some cases are unrepairable but everyday domestic use or straight out of the box malfunction (k3ii) cant be the reason of those cases

And yes, im ok with 4-6 week wait IF i recieve a proper repair on warranty, if im paying the repair 3-4 weeks top, if im in a "pro" repair service 2 weeks.

[mee]

After testing in daylight today, I have come to realize my lens completely doesn't focus now in LiveView. It used to just be OOF at infinity (both in LV and through the VF) now even at nearby objects, it doesnt work at all in LV.

I emailed Precision and copied Pentax on the email last night.. still awaiting word. It was sent to Precision with lack of infinity focus. It came back with squeaking SDM, still quite soft (but better) at infinity, and LV completely not working with this lens. I paid 214 dollars for them to break my lens even more haha.

At one point in time, I had the ear of the director of operations for RI North America.. they wanted to talk with me on the phone about the issues the community was having with Precision, but we could never find a time that worked for us to discuss. (they claimed they called but I saw no history of them calling nor no voice mail) And, quite frankly, I didn't think a call would help. Now I'm wishing I had made time and found a way to talk.. even taking vacation time from work. I don't think they really know how lousy the support is from Precision. And it is going to cost them.

The fact that Ricoh Imaging is replacing your camera body instead of Precision repairing it, MJS, really indicates how out of alignment the repair services are at the moment in the US.

If they want to replace my lens, then great, but they could just fix the one I'm sending them correctly..... preferrably the FIRST time.

Now I'm expecting them to come back and say 'ok send it back with the body' so they can break the body now too. haha.

[Quartermaster James]

Now y'all have me very concerned as to in what state my camera will be returned to me!

[mee]

Now y'all have me very concerned as to in what state my camera will be returned to me!

Well it seems not ALL of their repairs are bad... so there is still hope, QM!


Depending on what Precision does next in my case, I'm tempted to rent a DA* 16-50mm from lensrentals and take a series of test shots with it compared to my lens just to show the difference a fully functional copy of this lens performs vs the work they did on mine. I think that is a last ditch idea though..

[amoringello]

My wife is super frustrated. She has called Precision multiple times over the last few days and can't get through. She tried to e mail them and can't get through that way either. She called Pentax and initially they referred her on to Precision and said they can't do anything about it. She called them back today and they told her they would "forward an email on to Precision" about the situation.

Her comment to me was "I can't shoot weddings if I'm going to get lousy repair service like this."

It's a problem and something that Pentax has to address.

If they did not forward you to Joe Virgil, contact him: Joe.Virgil@us.ricoh-imaging.com
He needs to hear both about precision and Ricoh's handling of these sorts of issues.

I have had mostly good luck with Ricoh personnel, but like any other corporation some people simply don't give a darn and need some pushing to actually do their jobs.
Joe Virgil does not always have great bedside manner -- he actually comes off sometimes as sounding like he really does not give a damn either, i.e. he is not one to chit-chat about the issue -- but he has gotten the job done, if it takes a bit of iterating just how bad your experience is.

[monochrome]

I don't think they really know how lousy the support is from Precision. And it is going to cost them.

You'd be surprised how little the people at the top of the tree know about what's going on at the bottom of the tree.

It's true of every large enterprise and I can say for a fact it is true of R.I.NA.

[Rondec]

If they did not forward you to Joe Virgil, contact him: Joe.Virgil@us.ricoh-imaging.com
He needs to hear both about precision and Ricoh's handling of these sorts of issues.

I have had mostly good luck with Ricoh personnel, but like any other corporation some people simply don't give a darn and need some pushing to actually do their jobs.
Joe Virgil does not always have great bedside manner -- he actually comes off sometimes as sounding like he really does not give a damn either, i.e. he is not one to chit-chat about the issue -- but he has gotten the job done, if it takes a bit of iterating just how bad your experience is.

My wife did finally get through to Precision and they just told her to send it back -- no offers to pay for shipping. However someone from Ricoh called her and told her they would get her a shipping label, so she feels better about it. Just overall, it is frustrating when Precision fixes stuff partially and sends it back. In the end, it reflects poorly on Ricoh, as they are the ones who have contracted with Precision to take care of their warranty work. I really had no issue with the turn around time -- it was about three weeks -- just fix it right the first time and test it before you send it back. Both lenses I had issues with were obvious within a few photos that there was something wrong.