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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-10-2018, 04:40 PM
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I think the quoted post should be attributed to the OP rather than me, but otherwise, I concur :o
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-10-2018, 02:43 PM
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I'm sorry to hear that :(
Given that you're in the UK (as am I), I think you have a few of options... One is to visit the Citizen's Advice Bureau with full details of your case, and ask their advice on legal recourse. Another is to take JL (and, if you paid by credit card, your credit card provider on a joined liability basis) to small claims court for the cost of the nearest equivalent current camera, given that the warranty states it will cover such. Still another option is to approach the Financial Ombudsman Service, again with details of your case. Or, finally, decide if this is a matter of principle that you intend to see through to completion regardless of inconvenience, or if you'd prefer to accept the refund already offered, move on and strike JL from your future supplier list...
You might also consider contacting Martin Lewis of Money Saving Expert, or one of the various newspaper article writers / radio station programmes that deal with consumer affairs. If I recall, BBC Radio 4 has such a programme (it could be "You and Yours", but may be something else... I forget) and is generally successful at getting companies to see sense, if for no other reason than they don't want bad publicity :p
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-04-2018, 12:51 PM
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That's great news - in which case, you're quite right to push for the repair :) Let us know how you get on?
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-02-2018, 06:21 PM
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Wherever you end up, Kim, and whichever brand you end up being loyal to next (Pentax or otherwise), I sincerely hope you find satisfaction. I like Pentax simply because I like Pentax. But I have no loyalty to any brand. I'm just a consumer who expects what he expects and votes with his feet if he doesn't get it and can't get it elsewhere. In these commercially turbulent and profit (rather than customer) focused times, that serves me pretty well. All I can go by is whether-or-not the brands I buy into serve me well enough at this moment in time. If they do, I'll continue to furnish them with my business. If and when they consistently don't, and if that should repeatedly affect my enjoyment of the hobby (or, should I ever be in the position, my business), I'll switch - with very little emotion involved, in all honesty. It would be a pain to have to unload all of my K-mount lenses and cameras, but it's doable - just unlikely, in my particular case :o
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-02-2018, 06:04 PM
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Understood :) I guess it still comes down to whether Ricoh felt it had much upside in supplying to LCE and keeping one of them as a "Pro" centre, based on the demand. Whatever the rights and wrongs, it obviously felt there wasn't enough upside, whereas dealers like SRS sell volume that makes it worth Ricoh's while. It's a shame, for sure, as I'd like to see every major camera store supplying Ricoh - but so long as I can buy what I need from SRS and the like, I'll be happy enough. We must all place our support where we feel most comfortable, but mine remains happily with Pentax for now and - I'd guess - the considerable future...
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-02-2018, 05:40 PM
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Thanks, Kim. I don't doubt any of that, and it makes absolute sense. LCE (and the mom and pop shops it acquired, including here in the North East) have never been a volume seller of new Pentax equipment - at least, not during my time in the hobby. I wouldn't be surprised if any manufacturer or distributor should close trade accounts with retailers that consistently aren't selling enough product. That's exactly what happened with Camera World some time back. Similarly, I'd expect any retailer producing good numbers to maintain decent on-going relationships with the manufacturer and distributor - and that appears to be happening with the likes of SRS and others...
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-02-2018, 05:17 PM
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Can I ask, Kim, do you have a definitive source of information confirming this?
I can understand why it might be the other way around - i.e. retailers choosing not to stock Pentax gear because the volume of sales and / or the terms and conditions with the distributor. This is what happened with Camera World a couple of years back, for example. But I've heard nothing that suggests Ricoh Imaging has "ceased" supplying to many retailers. It's possible, of course, and if there's an official source that says so, that would be news indeed...
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-02-2018, 03:24 PM
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No worries :p
There have been some legal challenges here in the UK based on the fact that other European states - Germany, for example - commonly expect and are typically protected by - this two year warranty, but it's by no means standard here and there's no standard guarantee of it. Typically, standard warranties in the UK are one year only. Everything after that is at the manufacturer's discretion.
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-02-2018, 03:13 PM
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Only if you buy through a "Pentax Pro" dealer, so far as I'm aware, Steve. An example of such would be SRS Microsystems (my dealer of choice on many occasions). It's one of the selling points to using these "Pro" dealers. With others, you have the one year warranty as standard, plus any additional supplier warranty if offered.
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-02-2018, 03:10 PM
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I think the point here, Steve, is that the camera is outside of Pentax warranty, but covered instead by the supplier's own warranty. I may be mistaken, but I believe that's the case given the length of time the OP has owned the camera...
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-02-2018, 02:46 PM
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^^^ EDIT 2:
I recently bought what to me was an expensive new custom-specification laptop to replace my ageing HP that I've had for nearly six years, and on which the screen is almost falling off despite several repairs I've done myself to extend its life. I paid extra to have the machine built and delivered somewhat faster than this reputable company's usual timescale.
The new laptop had a fault when I received it (flickering screen). I sent it back. After some days, I received the supposedly repaired laptop, and it had a different fault (bezel around the replaced screen badly fitted). I'm now three weeks in, by the way. I sent it back and asked for a refund as I wasn't satisfied with the purchase experience. After considerable back-and-forth e-mail discussion with the company's reps, I got a full refund. The whole process took about a month from my original order, after which I was able to order a different new laptop - from HP, at twice the cost - with a three week delivery timescale, and that should be delivered shortly (in the mean-time, I'm making do with the "broken" HP I've been using for almost six years). The inconvenience, however, is mine to deal with - not the original supplier's.
FWIW, I don't have money to burn either (I'm only occasionally on any income at all - by choice - and living off savings from the last 32 years), and I can't be without a working laptop. I'm very happy I got my refund, which was the correct outcome, and gets me back to where I was before I bought that PC. I'm dealing with the rest of the solution myself :)
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-02-2018, 02:28 PM
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I completely understand your situation, but I truly believe JL is being completely honourable in offering the full refund. No disrespect, but they don't care about your financial situation and commitments - JL's a huge retail business, as you know. So the full refund you've been offered is a huge win on your part.
If I were you, I'd grab the refund and run. You can buy a lightly used, fully working flagship model K-5 or K-5II in the same excellent cosmetic condition as your faulty K-50 for less money ;)
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-02-2018, 02:15 PM
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Putting you back to where you were financially is the situation you were in originally before your transaction with the seller, isn't it?
If you were to make a legal issue of this (and I realise that's not your intention), no judge would rule in favour of putting you in a better situation than you were before you bought the product.
It's JL's right to decide whether they prefer to fix, replace or refund (that's VERY common in warranties). Refunding you is clearly the cheapest and easiest option for them whilst fulfilling JL's contractual obligations with you, and it puts you right back in the position you were in before you bought the camera, which - as you rightly acknowledge - you've had two years' use out of.
I'm not criticising you, but trying to paint how this appears to me as an outsider. Before you bought the camera, you had £X in your bank account. You paid £X for the camera and used it for two years. Now it has developed a major fault. JL has the right to decide whether to repair, replace or refund, regardless of whether-or-not you think the repair can be done cheaply (and you may well be correct - but for whatever reason, JL disagrees or feels it would rather not go through the operational trouble). It has chosen to exercise its option to fully refund you and put you right back where you were before your purchase. You're getting back everything you had before you bought the camera, but as a bonus, you had two years' use out of it. That seems to me like an awesome deal :)
A court of law in the UK, when engaged in this sort of case, would only approve restitution that puts you back to where you were when you started - not in a better position. Whether you think JL's appraisal of the repair costs is inaccurate or not wouldn't matter in the slightest. A judge would consider JL to be doing the right thing by giving you every penny of your money back :o And, with respect, that's what I think too...
EDIT: I bought my last 2-in-1 tablet from John Lewis for precisely this sort of *excellent* warranty service, coupled with a sale price that matched the lowest available anywhere else... |
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-02-2018, 01:08 PM
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Honestly, I think for them to offer you every penny of what you paid for the camera - especially considering you've had full use of it between the date of purchase and the fault occurring - is pretty darned honourable by any warranty standards. They're making full financial restitution, and that's the best you can ask of any warranty or supplier. You've effectively had a "rent free" K-50 all this time. We should all be so fortunate ;)
I would take the refund, be happy that you got a great deal and treatment from the supplier, and put it towards your next camera - even if that means you have to save for a little while.
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