Pentax Customer Service

Russell-Evans · 09-12-2009, 08:59 PM

Originally posted by seacapt

I fail to see any intelligence in defending bad business practices.

These business practices are not just practiced by Pentax. Cutting costs, running lean, trying to outsource everything is the normal business practice, especially now. Will mistakes be made, yes. Is service as good as it once was, probably not. Is it the same for every other company that is targeted at the consumer level, yes. Want proof? Why do Canon and Nikon have pro service centers to cater to professional shooters? If their consumer customer service organization was really that good, would they need it?

Would you personally have better luck with your particular issue, probably as I don't think the other manufacturers have changed their lens line up as much as Pentax. There are what, four lenses left from the pre-digital age for Pentax?

So what do you have? A tread of this, that, and the other, that probably is mirrored and is worse in countless Nikon or Canon forums, but the issue is that it won't hurt Nikon or Canon. People will still flock to buy C&N cameras. No one reading this thread will hear about the other times when Pentax service has just worked, or those special cases where Pentax service went above and beyond, like being able to ask the President of Pentax Imaging to help.

Someone that will read this will go, "OMG, I nearly bought into Pentax" and walk away, and you and I will be the poorer for it. No, I don't own any stock, but I do hope to be using my lenses and camera for a long time, and at some point in the future hope to buy that perfect Pentax camera.

Do I see this thread as unfair, yes. Does that make me a fanboy, no. I know that these issues are going to happen in any and every mass market. Maybe that's the issue? Long time shooters are used to the old days when plopping down a small fortune was special and the market wasn't about who had the latest sex symbol on a TV? I personally could never afford a small fortune, so I'm quite glad times have changed. I'll live with the poorer service.

Thank you
Russell

Last edited by Russell-Evans; 09-13-2009 at 04:57 PM.

Damn Brit · 09-13-2009, 05:02 PM

Originally posted by Russell-Evans

When you decide to have an intelligent conversation, not just a serious one, let me know.

Thank you
Russell

What's with the 'Thank you
Russell' on every post?
Even when your dissing someone it's still 'Thank you
Russell'

Is that some kind of Tourettes tic or are you just a very strange person?

seacapt · 09-14-2009, 06:30 AM

Originally posted by Russell-Evans

Long time shooters are used to the old days when plopping down a small fortune was special and the market wasn't about who had the latest sex symbol on a TV? I personally could never afford a small fortune, so I'm quite glad times have changed. I'll live with the poorer service.

Thank you
Russell

First off I did plop down what I considered a small fortune on my K20D(double what it sells for now) and what turned out to be a defective lens that Pentax tells me is perfect.
I chose the k20d because I thought (and stil believe) it was the best product available in it's class .When I pay more for a first class product , I expect first class service. Borno plopped down a small fortune for his FA *300 and was in his words "Blown Off"
In hard economic times , good customer service should be paramount. It costs very little , no R&D , no raw material , no imported commodities , no factory infrastucture and no waste dispossal fees. It has been proven over and over that after the sale service can make or break a business.
Personally I'd like to see something positive come from this so if anyone reading has the means to put this thread in the hands of a Pentax employee that can do something about it , please do . Better yet if anyone can get this to corporate in Japan please do. I realize that many times the US branch of a foriegn corporation is very limited in what it it permitted to say or do for the customer but that is still no excuse for rudeness or a " you don't know what you're talking about sir" attitude.
Bottom line is I didn't settle with a second best camera and I won't quietly settle for second best service!
Sorry Mel didn't mean to hijack your thread , I just get a little pissed off when I read stories like yours or Borno's and even more pissed when people find this kind of service acceptable.

dorianb · 09-14-2009, 11:48 AM

Hello, my name is Dorian and I work for Pentax Customer Service.

I just called Helen, trying to resolve this situation, but unfortunately, she did not have Mel's contact information, so I have sent an email through this site to Mel. I hope she will contact me back, because I would certainly like to make her feel better about the situation.

Our average response time for emails is 16 hours, so if someone has written an email to us and not gotten a response, it means it probably went into a spam folder on our end or their end. Spam filters are not perfect and we certainly do apologize if we have not responded to anyone, but it definitely was not our intent.
We are also available on the phones Monday-Friday 9:30AM-6:30PM EDT, at 1-800-877-0155, our average response time is less than a minute and we are happy to do whatever we can to help. As I am writing this email, I see that our phone response time is 29 seconds today!

As for this specific situation. If we were emailed about a K7 manual, we would reply. Since Mel never got our reply, either we did not get her email, or she did not get ours.
It sounds like she then contacted our literature request line and left her information to receive a K7 manual. This means that we will be sending a K7 manual as soon as one is available.
Unfortunately, K7 replacement manuals are simply not available yet, which means that it may be a while until one is sent out.

Phone or chat is the best way to get an instant response to any questions you have, and our email response time is pretty decent. If you need help, just contact us, we really are here to help.

I think there is a misconception in this thread that we do not care.
That simply is not the case.

I will scan this thread for the next few days and be happy to respond to anyone, but I do not regularly check this forum, so calling us really is the best option if there is a problem.

P.S.
wildlifephotog: I PMed you my contact info.
seacapt: I PMed you a potential resolution and my contact info.

P.P.S.
John C. is about as far from arrogant as you can get. Seriously, he is one the nicest guys I have delt with.

Last edited by dorianb; 09-14-2009 at 12:39 PM.

wildlifephotog · 09-14-2009, 12:32 PM

I got it and responded immediately.

dorianb · 09-14-2009, 12:38 PM

Originally posted by wildlifephotog

I got it and responded immediately.

Working on resolving this.

wildlifephotog · 09-14-2009, 12:58 PM

That's a good start.

Damn Brit · 09-14-2009, 01:04 PM

Originally posted by dorianb

P.P.S.
John C. is about as far from arrogant as you can get. Seriously, he is one the nicest guys I have delt with.

Then with all due respect, he needs to change the way he behaves on this forum.
This is where we've been perceiving that arrogance.
Stating in one of his first posts that we are less civilised here than on another forum - https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/613045-post1.html

Starting something and not following through, The K-7 Roadshow, he started a couple of threads and that fizzled out, we had to get the rest of the dates from Ned Bunnells blog.

Not responding to PM's that have been sent to him. And he calls us uncivilised?

If someone from Pentax is going to have a presence here, they should be prepared to respond when someone wants to talk to them because believe it or not, it's usually with good reason and it's good etiquette.

**monochrome** · 09-14-2009, 01:17 PM

Originally posted by dorianb

Hello, my name is Dorian and I work for Pentax Customer Service.

. . . . . .

Dorian - thank you for responding here, for your efforts to contact the OP and others on this thread, and to resolve these specific issues. This is a start to restoring these members' confidence.

You stated that neither you nor anyone else at Pentax monitors this website. You tell us the best ways to get your attention (Chat and telephone). We're telling you those methods often don't work to our expectations,.

May I suggest, as a proactive Customer Service Rep, that you refer this website of 16,000 loyal Pentax Users (since 1977 for me in particular) upstream to a supervisor / marketer who could establish a mechanism to respond here?

It would greatly elevate your reputation, and reputation is 90% of the battle.

wildlifephotog · 09-14-2009, 01:19 PM

Well I have to admit. I've heard more from Pentax in the last 20 minutes than in the previous 30 days.
I have submitted my 8X10 glossy colored photos with the circles and arrows to explain.

dorianb · 09-14-2009, 01:28 PM

Originally posted by Damn Brit

And he calls us uncivilised?

I can see how that would be offensive, even if he probably meant it as a joke.

Originally posted by Damn Brit

Starting something and not following through, The K-7 Roadshow, he started a couple of threads and that fizzled out, we had to get the rest of the dates from Ned Bunnells blog.
Not responding to PM's that have been sent to him.

This really is a sign of him just having a lot on his plate, not him being arrogant.

Originally posted by Damn Brit

If someone from Pentax is going to have a presence here, they should be prepared to respond when someone wants to talk to them because believe it or not, it's usually with good reason and it's good etiquette.

Calling our customer service at 800-877-0155 is the best way to resolve any problems you are having.

dorianb · 09-14-2009, 01:42 PM

Originally posted by monochrome

You tell us the best ways to get your attention (Chat and telephone). We're telling you those methods often don't work to our expectations,.
.

I don't think that is a fair assessment. I don't think OP tried either of those methods, nor did either of the people I PMed from what I could gather from this thread.
I am not blaming the victim here, I am just saying those methods DO WORK, you just have to try them.

Originally posted by monochrome

May I suggest, as a proactive Customer Service Rep, that you refer this website of 16,000 loyal Pentax Users (since 1977 for me in particular) upstream to a supervisor / marketer who could establish a mechanism to respond here?

I don't think we plan to make any official response through the forums.
That said, I will be happy to try to respond to anyone who wants to PM me here. I only ask that you try our phone or chat support first.
If they let you down, feel free to let me know, and I will resolve the situation.

dorianb · 09-14-2009, 01:46 PM

I am now in contact with the original poster(Mel), and have let her know what we can do for her.

wildlifephotog · 09-14-2009, 01:49 PM

I called every number I could get my hands on. I couldn't even get the parts number until given it by C.R.I.S. camera's lady.
Maybe it depends on who answers the phone.
I went to emails when the phone route failed.
Sorry, but several folks dropped the ball.

dorianb · 09-14-2009, 01:55 PM

Originally posted by wildlifephotog

I called every number I could get my hands on. I couldn't even get the parts number until given it by C.R.I.S. camera's lady.
Maybe it depends on who answers the phone.
I went to emails when the phone route failed.
Sorry, but several folks dropped the ball.

I am sorry you initially reached someone who could not help you.
The parts number is readily available in the FAQ on everyones desk that answers the phone here at 800-877-0155.

The information is also available in our knowledgebase on our website.

For anyone who needs internal camera parts:
Our parts department can be reached at 720-988-2653 from 7:30AM-3:30PM Mountain Time Mon-Fri.

09-14-2009, 06:30 AM	#48
seacapt Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: North Carolina , USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,271	Originally posted by Russell-Evans Long time shooters are used to the old days when plopping down a small fortune was special and the market wasn't about who had the latest sex symbol on a TV? I personally could never afford a small fortune, so I'm quite glad times have changed. I'll live with the poorer service. Thank you Russell First off I did plop down what I considered a small fortune on my K20D(double what it sells for now) and what turned out to be a defective lens that Pentax tells me is perfect. I chose the k20d because I thought (and stil believe) it was the best product available in it's class .When I pay more for a first class product , I expect first class service. Borno plopped down a small fortune for his FA 300 and was in his words "Blown Off" In hard economic times , good customer service should be paramount. It costs very little , no R&D , no raw material , no imported commodities , no factory infrastucture and no waste dispossal fees. It has been proven over and over that after the sale service can make or break a business. Personally I'd like to see something positive come from this so if anyone reading has the means to put this thread in the hands of a Pentax employee that can do something about it , please do . Better yet if anyone can get this to corporate in Japan please do. I realize that many times the US branch of a foriegn corporation is very limited in what it it permitted to say or do for the customer but that is still no excuse for rudeness or a " you don't know what you're talking about sir" attitude. Bottom line is I didn't settle with a second best camera and I won't quietly settle for second best service! Sorry Mel didn't mean to hijack your thread , I just get a little pissed off when I read stories like yours or Borno's and even more pissed when people find this kind of service acceptable. Last edited by seacapt; 09-14-2009 at 06:41 AM.*

09-14-2009, 11:48 AM	#49
dorianb Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 25	Response from Pentax Customer Service Hello, my name is Dorian and I work for Pentax Customer Service. I just called Helen, trying to resolve this situation, but unfortunately, she did not have Mel's contact information, so I have sent an email through this site to Mel. I hope she will contact me back, because I would certainly like to make her feel better about the situation. Our average response time for emails is 16 hours, so if someone has written an email to us and not gotten a response, it means it probably went into a spam folder on our end or their end. Spam filters are not perfect and we certainly do apologize if we have not responded to anyone, but it definitely was not our intent. We are also available on the phones Monday-Friday 9:30AM-6:30PM EDT, at 1-800-877-0155, our average response time is less than a minute and we are happy to do whatever we can to help. As I am writing this email, I see that our phone response time is 29 seconds today! As for this specific situation. If we were emailed about a K7 manual, we would reply. Since Mel never got our reply, either we did not get her email, or she did not get ours. It sounds like she then contacted our literature request line and left her information to receive a K7 manual. This means that we will be sending a K7 manual as soon as one is available. Unfortunately, K7 replacement manuals are simply not available yet, which means that it may be a while until one is sent out. Phone or chat is the best way to get an instant response to any questions you have, and our email response time is pretty decent. If you need help, just contact us, we really are here to help. I think there is a misconception in this thread that we do not care. That simply is not the case. I will scan this thread for the next few days and be happy to respond to anyone, but I do not regularly check this forum, so calling us really is the best option if there is a problem. P.S. wildlifephotog: I PMed you my contact info. seacapt: I PMed you a potential resolution and my contact info. P.P.S. John C. is about as far from arrogant as you can get. Seriously, he is one the nicest guys I have delt with. Last edited by dorianb; 09-14-2009 at 12:39 PM.

09-14-2009, 12:38 PM	#51
dorianb Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 25	Originally posted by wildlifephotog I got it and responded immediately. Working on resolving this. Last edited by dorianb; 09-14-2009 at 12:55 PM.

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09-12-2009, 08:59 PM	#46
Russell-Evans Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 1,553	Originally posted by seacapt I fail to see any intelligence in defending bad business practices. These business practices are not just practiced by Pentax. Cutting costs, running lean, trying to outsource everything is the normal business practice, especially now. Will mistakes be made, yes. Is service as good as it once was, probably not. Is it the same for every other company that is targeted at the consumer level, yes. Want proof? Why do Canon and Nikon have pro service centers to cater to professional shooters? If their consumer customer service organization was really that good, would they need it? Would you personally have better luck with your particular issue, probably as I don't think the other manufacturers have changed their lens line up as much as Pentax. There are what, four lenses left from the pre-digital age for Pentax? So what do you have? A tread of this, that, and the other, that probably is mirrored and is worse in countless Nikon or Canon forums, but the issue is that it won't hurt Nikon or Canon. People will still flock to buy C&N cameras. No one reading this thread will hear about the other times when Pentax service has just worked, or those special cases where Pentax service went above and beyond, like being able to ask the President of Pentax Imaging to help. Someone that will read this will go, "OMG, I nearly bought into Pentax" and walk away, and you and I will be the poorer for it. No, I don't own any stock, but I do hope to be using my lenses and camera for a long time, and at some point in the future hope to buy that perfect Pentax camera. Do I see this thread as unfair, yes. Does that make me a fanboy, no. I know that these issues are going to happen in any and every mass market. Maybe that's the issue? Long time shooters are used to the old days when plopping down a small fortune was special and the market wasn't about who had the latest sex symbol on a TV? I personally could never afford a small fortune, so I'm quite glad times have changed. I'll live with the poorer service. Thank you Russell Last edited by Russell-Evans; 09-13-2009 at 04:57 PM.

09-13-2009, 05:02 PM	#47
Damn Brit Guest	Originally posted by Russell-Evans When you decide to have an intelligent conversation, not just a serious one, let me know. Thank you Russell What's with the 'Thank you Russell' on every post? Even when your dissing someone it's still 'Thank you Russell' Is that some kind of Tourettes tic or are you just a very strange person?

09-14-2009, 12:32 PM	#50
wildlifephotog Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 924	I got it and responded immediately.

09-14-2009, 12:58 PM	#52
wildlifephotog Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 924	That's a good start.

09-14-2009, 01:04 PM	#53
Damn Brit Guest	Originally posted by dorianb P.P.S. John C. is about as far from arrogant as you can get. Seriously, he is one the nicest guys I have delt with. Then with all due respect, he needs to change the way he behaves on this forum. This is where we've been perceiving that arrogance. Stating in one of his first posts that we are less civilised here than on another forum - https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/613045-post1.html Starting something and not following through, The K-7 Roadshow, he started a couple of threads and that fizzled out, we had to get the rest of the dates from Ned Bunnells blog. Not responding to PM's that have been sent to him. And he calls us uncivilised? If someone from Pentax is going to have a presence here, they should be prepared to respond when someone wants to talk to them because believe it or not, it's usually with good reason and it's good etiquette.

09-14-2009, 01:17 PM	#54
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by dorianb Hello, my name is Dorian and I work for Pentax Customer Service. . . . . . . Dorian - thank you for responding here, for your efforts to contact the OP and others on this thread, and to resolve these specific issues. This is a start to restoring these members' confidence. You stated that neither you nor anyone else at Pentax monitors this website. You tell us the best ways to get your attention (Chat and telephone). We're telling you those methods often don't work to our expectations,. May I suggest, as a proactive Customer Service Rep, that you refer this website of 16,000 loyal Pentax Users (since 1977 for me in particular) upstream to a supervisor / marketer who could establish a mechanism to respond here? It would greatly elevate your reputation, and reputation is 90% of the battle.

09-14-2009, 01:19 PM	#55
wildlifephotog Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 924	Well I have to admit. I've heard more from Pentax in the last 20 minutes than in the previous 30 days. I have submitted my 8X10 glossy colored photos with the circles and arrows to explain.

09-14-2009, 01:28 PM	#56
dorianb Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 25	Originally posted by Damn Brit And he calls us uncivilised? I can see how that would be offensive, even if he probably meant it as a joke. Originally posted by Damn Brit Starting something and not following through, The K-7 Roadshow, he started a couple of threads and that fizzled out, we had to get the rest of the dates from Ned Bunnells blog. Not responding to PM's that have been sent to him. This really is a sign of him just having a lot on his plate, not him being arrogant. Originally posted by Damn Brit If someone from Pentax is going to have a presence here, they should be prepared to respond when someone wants to talk to them because believe it or not, it's usually with good reason and it's good etiquette. Calling our customer service at 800-877-0155 is the best way to resolve any problems you are having.

09-14-2009, 01:42 PM	#57
dorianb Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 25	Originally posted by monochrome You tell us the best ways to get your attention (Chat and telephone). We're telling you those methods often don't work to our expectations,. . I don't think that is a fair assessment. I don't think OP tried either of those methods, nor did either of the people I PMed from what I could gather from this thread. I am not blaming the victim here, I am just saying those methods DO WORK, you just have to try them. Originally posted by monochrome May I suggest, as a proactive Customer Service Rep, that you refer this website of 16,000 loyal Pentax Users (since 1977 for me in particular) upstream to a supervisor / marketer who could establish a mechanism to respond here? I don't think we plan to make any official response through the forums. That said, I will be happy to try to respond to anyone who wants to PM me here. I only ask that you try our phone or chat support first. If they let you down, feel free to let me know, and I will resolve the situation.

09-14-2009, 01:46 PM	#58
dorianb Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 25	I am now in contact with the original poster(Mel), and have let her know what we can do for her.

09-14-2009, 01:49 PM	#59
wildlifephotog Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 924	I called every number I could get my hands on. I couldn't even get the parts number until given it by C.R.I.S. camera's lady. Maybe it depends on who answers the phone. I went to emails when the phone route failed. Sorry, but several folks dropped the ball.

09-14-2009, 01:55 PM	#60
dorianb Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 25	Originally posted by wildlifephotog I called every number I could get my hands on. I couldn't even get the parts number until given it by C.R.I.S. camera's lady. Maybe it depends on who answers the phone. I went to emails when the phone route failed. Sorry, but several folks dropped the ball. I am sorry you initially reached someone who could not help you. The parts number is readily available in the FAQ on everyones desk that answers the phone here at 800-877-0155. The information is also available in our knowledgebase on our website. For anyone who needs internal camera parts: Our parts department can be reached at 720-988-2653 from 7:30AM-3:30PM Mountain Time Mon-Fri.