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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
01-24-2015, 11:54 AM
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So, having received my K-3 with 17-70mm lens back from Precision Camera (after they had it for another three weeks), with a note saying they once again could not find anything wrong with my K-3 body, or 17-70mm lens, I called Pentax Customer Service. They suggested I try duplicating the problem with all of my lenses, and than to try the lenses on another K-3 body (which I was able to borrow to check the lenses). What I found almost immediately was that the 17-70mm lenses would intermittently refuse to auto focus when shooting outdoors at a medium distance to the object, and it failed on both K-3 bodies. My other lenses worked fine.
When I told this to Pentax CS, Joe Virgil, at Pentax corporate finally agreed to have me send my 17-70mm lenses directly to him for testing. I'm happy to report that Joe called me the day after Pentax received the lens to advise me they had duplicated my problem. Apparently my lens has a problem which manifests itself only at certain contrast levels, which cause the lens not to auto focus. He told me it is very rare and they don't know why, but rather than have my lens sent back to Precision Camera (since Precision could not find the problem after having the lens on two separate occasions, each time for three weeks, he arranged to replace my lens with a new lens.
It's a shame that Pentax has chosen Precision Camera to be their sole warranty repair company, as they obviously could not find my problem and kept insisting that there was no problem with either my k-3 body or lens. I still might have an issue with multiple shutter firings when there should only be a single shot, but I'll deal with that after I get my new lens. I want to make sure the multiple firing was not also somehow caused by the lens.
So for now, my thanks to Pentax Corporate for finally stepping up and doing the right thing. It will be great to finally have a fully functional system!
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-30-2014, 10:50 AM
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I heard from Precision Camera yesterday. They have not been able to duplicate my problem. I was told they checked with Pentax corporate and were told to return my equipment to me. As my problem appears to be intermittent I suggested they hold it longer and try again, but they would not, so it is being returned again without any resolution. I called spoke with Pentax customer service. They suggested that when I have my equipment back, I try shooting with each of my lenses to see if I can duplicate the problem on one or more of my lenses. If I do, I will need to call them to arrange for my equipment to once again be sent to Precision for repair. And so the saga continues.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-27-2014, 09:51 AM
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I've taken that tact lately, as my rants early on did not help any. None the less, both Precision and Pentax-Ricoh have not been willing to keep go beyond having me keep returning my K-3 and lens so they can keep trying to figure out what the problem is. Dale at Pentax, said he would try to see if "corporate" would offer another solution, but that has not happened, so I am still waiting for Precision to find the problem and fix it.
My concern with Pentax is is that there seems to be no time frame for how many times it has to go back for repair, or how long it might take for a repair to be done. It seems as if they just do not care anymore. Way back when, Pentax would replace equipment if it could not be repaired within a reasonable time frame (I believe five weeks).
I had a Canon point and shoot that I purchased for my wife. She had the camera for just over a year when I noticed that there was a problem with its white balance, so I complained to Canon. They found it could not be repaired and so they replaced it with a new one. When we found the same problem with the new one they sent, Canon offered to send her any point and shoot in their line, even if it was more expensive, and they did. Canon's primary concern was that their customer was treated fairly and kept happy with their product and service.
It's sad that Pentax-Ricoh seems not to care about their customers once their product has been purchased. I did ask Pentax customer service if they would send me a loaner, but that is not an option. The only option they keep offering me is to have Precision find and repair the problem, regardless of how long it takes.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-24-2014, 04:35 PM
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It's now going on five months since I first sent my K-3 to Precision for servicing, and still they have not been able to fix it. I have sent it back for the third time as they continue to tel me they cannot find anything wrong. This last time, I called Pentax, and was told to include a detailed written explanation of the problems so to make it as easy as possible for the technicians to replicate. Dale, a supervisor at Pentax also told me he would have Pentax technicians visiting Precision look at my K-3 and 17-70mm lens (both were returned).
After Precision had my equipment for over a week, I received a call telling me they could not find anything wrong. I told the Precision supervisor, Myles, in detail what was happening, when it happened, and asked if the technicians had checked it under those conditions. He asked me to write him an email explaining everything in complete detail so he could have his technicians read it as that would be a big help to them in trying to duplicate the problems I am having. I told Myles I had included a detailed explanation when I send my equipment back, and from what he told me, it was obvious no one bothered to read it. He than assured me he would have his technicians get my letter from the box I had returned my equipment in, and they would get back to me.
That was last week. I called Dale, at Pentax, Monday afternoon to apprise him of what was going on. He told me he would call Precision first thing Tuesday morning to find out what was going on, and he would get back to me. He did not call me, and so I assume he did not get to talk to anyone at Precision. Dale did tell me he was going to talk to "corporate" to find out if there is anything else he can do (other than to have me keep sending my equipment back to Precision), but nothing on that front either.
I asked Dale if my warranty would be extended, as it is now one year since I purchased my K-3, and I've only had use of it for seven months. He told me Pentax does not extend warranties, but they have my file to refer to should I encounter any other problems after they get these taken care of. That did not make me too happy, as I have no interest in the 90 day guaranty Precision offers for their work.
So here it is five months later and still without a working system!
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-13-2014, 04:46 PM
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I have called Ricoh Imaging Customer Service, and have talked with a number of people, including supervisors. Every time I called, I was told I had to send my K-3 back to Precision Camera, as there is nothing Ricoh Imaging can do. If you, or anyone knows someone at Ricoh Imaging I should contact, please let me know.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-13-2014, 12:20 PM
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And therein is the other part of the problem. If you have tried to call Precision Camera, or reach them via any other means, good luck. Most often they have not answered their phones, so there is a great deal of wasted time trying to reach them. I called Precision right after receiving my K-3 and realizing it was in worse condition than when I sent it to them. When I did get someone to answer the phone, they told me to ship it back at my expense (which did piss me off). Holding that aside, they told me they would have a supervisor call me back that day. That was over a week ago. Today, after multiple calls to Precision, I finally got someone to answer by using the selector to reach someone about paying a bill. The person I spoke with was more sympathetic, and said she would request a supervisor call me. And while typing this, a supervisor did call me back. He said he would send a return label and would do his best to expedite the repair. As I need my K-3 for the next week or so, I will be sending it back after my trip. Hopefully they will get it right this time. Stay tuned!
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-13-2014, 10:27 AM
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Monochrome, whoever you are, you obviously do not know anything about customer service. And from what you said, , it sound like you are with Ricoh. If that is the case, and that is how the officers at Ricoh think, that is very unfortunate.
And. actually my K-3 is still under the Pentax Factory Warranty, so why should I be concerned about a warranty from Precision Camera that will expire before my K-3 warranty runs out. Every manufacturer is required to stand behind their warranty. If they have delegated that responsibility to a third party company who cannot properly make repairs, that is on Pentax (or should I say, Ricoh), and Ricoh needs to be accountable. If not, this is one customer who will sell all his Pentax equipment and look for a more responsible manufacturer, one who values its customers, not ignores them.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-13-2014, 08:38 AM
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I purchased my K-3 from B&H. Unfortunately, the first time I encountered the problem was a couple of months after the purchase and so I called Pentax. Tech support said it could just be a one time glitch, recommended I do a firmware upgrade, and told me if it happens again it wold need to be sent it for a technician to adjust. It didn't happen again until I was on a trip in late July. Tech support than told me to ship ti to Precision Camera, as they were taking over the CRIS.
After Precision Camera returned my K-3 in worse condition than when I sent it, Precision told me not to be concerned because it was covered by their 90 day warranty, but I would need to ship it back at my expense. Repeated calls to Pentax corporate have been stopped at the tech support supervisor level, all to no avail. They have told me that all decisions with respect t repairs and/or warranty replacement are now controlled by Precision Camera. I asked what happens if I sent it back to Precision and they again fail to repair it properly. I was told I will have to again return it to Precision until they get it right, or they throw i the towel and ask Pentax to replace it. As far as I am concerned, this is unacceptable. Pentax should be embarrassed and ashamed of how they are now treating their U.S. customers.
ly/
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-13-2014, 07:03 AM
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I'm not a tweeter, but I tried tweeting @askRicoh and got a message telling me my message did not go through since they do not follow me. Any suggestions?
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-13-2014, 06:53 AM
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So the initial shutter problem was an intermittent problem where the shutter wold rapid fire when I pressed on it and the only way to stop it was to pull the battery. It only happened twice in six months. After the first time, I was told it could have been a fluke, but if it happens again, it wold be an easy fix, but the body wold need to be sent in for a technician to do. It happened again just as Pentax was changing to a new service center - Precision Camera. They claim to have repaired the problem, but now the problem is that I can press the shutter and nothing happens - it's almost as if the power is off. The unfortunate thing is that the K-3 is s wonderful piece of equipment. When Minolta sold to Sony, I switched to Pentax, starting with the K10D, than a K-5 and now the K-3. This is the first time I have had a problem. Unfortunately, Pentax has handed their warranty service to an independent company they are allowing to control all warranty issues, and that is not what they should be doing.
If I decide to leave Pentax, it will be solely because they have delegated their warranty work and decisions to an outside company, and that is unacceptable. I didn't spend $1,100 on my K-3 to have an outside company screw up what I was told was an easy fix. And to make matters worse, Precision Camera refused to pay return shipping, telling me I had to pay even thought they screwed up the repair. .
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-12-2014, 09:20 PM
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I have a K-3 body with a shutter problem. I had to send it to Precision Camera for repair, only to find after six weeks at Precision, they returned it, but now the shutter has a different problem - considerably worse than before. Apparently Pentax takes no responsibility for how Precision handles warranty work, and told me to ship it back to Precision Camera. I have called Ricoh Imaging, but they only refer me back to Precision, telling me there is no way I can talk to anyone in authority at their corporate office either here or in Japan. I want to write to Noboru Akahane, President of Pentax Japan and U.S., but have not been able to find his (or any) email addresses for officers of Ricoh Imaging. Does anyone have an email address for any corporate officers of Ricoh Imaging in Japan, or in the U.S.?
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