[stevebrot]

The issue is getting them to respond to email.. it is like pulling teeth.

You are not alone in that complaint. I read other people's posts here on the email experience and opted to simply call them on the phone. I had no trouble getting through and followed up via email as a means of generating a paper trail. We got it all taken care of nicely enough, but I was left with the impression that their receiving room was sort of a huge hanger-like structure with a huge pile of boxes heaped in the middle and a lone lackey trying to work through the heap...or something like that.

btw you've posted 10 times in less than an hour to this thread.. this must be a hot button topic for you!

Not so much a hot button as it is that I am bored. Most people's expectations of post-sale customer service is pretty high, myself included. I dread the day when the K-3 develops a problem and I have to find a repair solution. The simple reality of the camera repair business is that outside of true professional services for true professionals, service sucks and the options are limited.


Steve

[stevebrot]

Steve - my dad has a Nissan truck. 3rd party warranty. This past week a part in his steering system failed. He took it to the dealer and they gave him a loaner and he went home. They tested it, determined what they though the problem was and ordered it for overnight delivery from CA. (He is in TN BTW.) The part arrived it was for the wrong model year. Despite being "compatible" there was a concern that it might not calibrate exactly the same. So an hour later they had the factory in Nashville pack up an entire subassembly off the line - and DRIVE IT TO KNOXVILLE. Later that day his truck was working again. And they did not ask for his copayment required by his third party warranty - they ate it.

They likely have a customer for life.

I wish I had his dealer!

Steve

[amoringello]

Sorry, not my experience. The customer service reps might be ineffective, but they have always been courteous, helpful, and informative when I spoke with them.


Steve

Not to say she wasn't courteous. But when you ask that something be done, and you ask that a manager be involved because their staff is quite blatantly being paid to for not doing their job, yet all you get is "well, I'll try to see if I can forward that to someone because management normally doesn't talk directly to anyone"... well, TRY is not good enough.
Hearing that management would rather not be involved is FAR from good enough!

I can't say the support person wasn't courteous and I don't believe I (or I hope that I ) did not inferred that... The support person was very bubbly and courteous. But that aside, they are either completely in-genuine or they are utterly and completely aware that they work in place that cares absolutely nothing for their customers and they have totally given up on even trying so they answer in the happiest of tones that they are completely incapable of doing more than placating false sympathy towards your issue.

My experience with first their support at Precision is much like trying to work with Verizon or Comcast support.
I'd rather chew off my left testicle than deal with the total BS...

---------- Post added 09-17-15 at 11:47 PM ----------

I would expect them to replace it at this point.

Keep at them. I believe after the third time they will replace.
It has been inferred a few times... but they are quite adamant that processes and procedures be followed up to that point.
(I can sort of understand their point on that)

I love how upon knowing I will send it in for the third time Joe Virgil had to quite intently state that they have to follow procedures and would not want to replace the item before giving them chances to fix the item.
I had to tell him; "I DO NOT WANT IT REPLACED, I JUST WANT SOMEONE TO DO THEIR G.D JOB!"
If it has to be replaced, well too bad so sad... but it should not require three attempts to discover that fact.

My case, at least, is a blatant example of someone simply not even looking at the item and sending it back without doing any work.
That is fraud and that is theft of money Precision and potentially that Ricoh is paying that employee.
They need to resolve that issue above and beyond the issue that I am having with this one item.

I think that actually finally sort of sunk in. I guess we will see in a week or so when I get the lens back.

[mee]

You are not alone in that complaint. I read other people's posts here on the email experience and opted to simply call them on the phone. I had no trouble getting through and followed up via email as a means of generating a paper trail. We got it all taken care of nicely enough, but I was left with the impression that their receiving room was sort of a huge hanger-like structure with a huge pile of boxes heaped in the middle and a lone lackey trying to work through the heap...or something like that.



Not so much a hot button as it is that I am bored. Most people's expectations of post-sale customer service is pretty high, myself included. I dread the day when the K-3 develops a problem and I have to find a repair solution. The simple reality of the camera repair business is that outside of true professional services for true professionals, service sucks and the options are limited.

Oh I see..

hmm yet they could resolve much of their woes with repair services by reopening parts availability to the broader world. Then the KEHes of the world can also repair more Pentax equipment and thus there would be more options for repair work.. plus the crafty (and/or daring) of us can just repair our own lenses when they're already out of warranty.. at least then I'll know it's done right.

[philbaum]

Its easy to maintain Grade A service when times are good and the budgets are fat. Its a much different situation to be a manager and have your budgets cut without anyway to manage to that new budget but lay off people or cut warranty service (i was in a similar situation once) In case some haven't noticed, DSLRs are in a downward slide and service will harder to get - just the way it is.

A more interesting question: Why buy a lens with USA warranty when one can buy a gray market lens at markedly less money. USA warranties aren't what they used to be, at least for lenses. I think there is a crack in that dam thats going to get larger.

[stevebrot]

I'd rather chew off my left testicle

You can reach your left testicle? Impressive!


Steve

[stevebrot]

Why buy a lens with USA warranty when one can buy a gray market lens at markedly less money

Probably because the gray market stuff has to be shipped to Japan if warranty service is needed. Now if the price is cheap enough, I guess you just throw it away rather than seek repair/replace.


Steve

[ofer4]

Ricoh (UK, at least: DA 12-24mm F4) is still selling the 12-24. Parts availability isn't the issue. Ricoh's unwillingness to cannibalize a new lens for parts or give you a new one is the issue. A reasonable compromise would be for them to charge you the equivalent of the repair and give you a new lens.

[philbaum]

Probably because the gray market stuff has to be shipped to Japan if warranty service is needed. Now if the price is cheap enough, I guess you just throw it away rather than seek repair/replace.


Steve

AFter reading the posts above, it doesn't appear getting some repairs done in the USA is quicker than shipping the lens back to Japan in the first place, which is where all the parts seem to be Just kidding.

I have bought several lens in the last 8 years and have yet to need repairs on any of them. One lens i'm looking at now costs $900 for a usa one, but only $700 for gray market, and the gray market ads are getting more prevalent - someone is buying them Just saying....

[Edgar_in_Indy]

Just a thought, but if you bought the lens with a credit card, the credit card company might be able to help you out. My Visa card doubles manufacturer's warranty up to an additional year, basically covering the cost of repair/replacement during that time period.

[UncleVanya]

Gray market is sometimes as cheap as used. No more risk really.

[Not a Number]

It would be nice if things actually worked that way, but I am unaware of any manufacturer anywhere that will custom machine parts for repair of a consumer product....even very expensive consumer products. There are shops that specialize in vintage camera repair that are capable of replicating a factory part for a collector's camera, but it ain't cheap.

Yes, sounds nice but think a bit. You have to take a machine off-line to reprogram it, do all the safety checks, locate the raw stock, find someone trained to QC the finished part or subassembly. In the meantime the downstream production line goes idle waiting for all this to happen.

Steve - my dad has a Nissan truck. 3rd party warranty. This past week a part in his steering system failed. He took it to the dealer and they gave him a loaner and he went home. They tested it, determined what they though the problem was and ordered it for overnight delivery from CA. (He is in TN BTW.) The part arrived it was for the wrong model year. Despite being "compatible" there was a concern that it might not calibrate exactly the same. So an hour later they had the factory in Nashville pack up an entire subassembly off the line - and DRIVE IT TO KNOXVILLE. Later that day his truck was working again. And they did not ask for his copayment required by his third party warranty - they ate it.

They likely have a customer for life.

Nice anecdote however they weren't dealing with a part/assembly no longer in production nor with manufacturing plants spread out in 3 or 4 different countries each of which may depend on parts or subassemblies coming from the same or even more countries. And in many cases those parts coming by container ship. Pulling something out of a production line is simple - it's done all the time for on the spot QC. Bringing a line down to reprogram a process for a one off is an entirely different matter. And what if some of the parts come from an outside manufacturer and those are no longer in production or available? Wait for them to knock out a one-off too?

[Edgar_in_Indy]

Nice anecdote however they weren't dealing with a part/assembly no longer in production nor with manufacturing plants spread out in 3 or 4 different countries each of which may depend on parts or subassemblies coming from the same or even more countries. And in many cases those parts coming by container ship. Pulling something out of a production line is simple - it's done all the time for on the spot QC. Bringing a line down to reprogram a process for a one off is an entirely different matter. And what if some of the parts come from an outside manufacturer and those are no longer in production or available? Wait for them to knock out a one-off too?

I think you missed the point of the anecdote. It was about an experience with Nissan's warranty and customer service, and it was in direct response to another anecdote about Nissan. I don't think it was intended to apply specifically to the Pentax lens discussion.

[Not a Number]

I think you missed the point of the anecdote. It was about an experience with Nissan's warranty and customer service, and it was in direct response to another anecdote about Nissan. I don't think it was intended to apply specifically to the Pentax lens discussion.

So what relevance does it have at all with "Pentax DSLR Discussion"?

[Edgar_in_Indy]

So what relevance does it have at all with "Pentax DSLR Discussion"?

I don't know why I should have to explain this, but somebody threw out a negative Nissan anecdote to, in effect, normalize the bad Pentax experience, and somebody else countered with their own positive Nissan experience. That was the connection.