Pentax Service

[jay_d5]

I recently purchased a used 35mm f3.5 645 lens and sent it in to Pentax for some

routine testing. Along with the lens I sent along my 45-85 and 645n body as a

precaution.

 

I called Pentax a few days later and was told that all 3 had repair estimates,

the total was around $350. When I tried to dig deeper to find out specific

information as to the nature of the problems, I hit a brick wall. Only generic

statements like "defective lens optics" were provided. I assumed these

self-explanatory but generic statements were correct. Not so. Later I discovered

there were no known defects.

 

After a couple of days of calling, I was finally able to get a bit more

information, but it turned out this was a generic laundry list of procedures for

any equipment sent in with my specific requests (ex: align optics, adjust

optics, clean or replace lens optics). Apparently Pentax does little testing

on their own in order to generate an estimate, and instead almost entirely

relies on a customer's comments. Communication and obtaining information was

complicated by the fact that the only people one can speak to are in North

Carolina, while the service repair store is in Colorado.

 

For example, with the 645n body, I asked them to perform a general check, paying

specific attention to the metering and shutter. What came back was an estimate

for $200 for a new shutter curtain, timing gear, and balance assembly. However,

no one could tell me what exactly was wrong with the camera or why those needed

to be replaced. Instead, again, it was a generated list based on my request

with perhaps a cursory check. A supervisor told me many times they perform

precautionary replacements, if they think a part may fail with significant usage

in the future. This is because when making any repair, regardless of how

trivial, the entire camera is put under warranty (according to a supervisor). I

found this out after making several phone calls and doing a lot of prodding and

questioning, and a good deal of attitude from employees at various levels of the

company.

 

My conclusion is that sending equipment at Pentax is a poor option for having a

piece of used equipment analyzed and checked, unless you have a specific known

problem, or if you are looking to unload on some extra money that is burning a

hole in your pocket.

 

Has anyone had a similar experience with Pentax service?

[shots worth sharing]

I've had no experience with Pentax service. It would never occur to me to send gear to Pentax for "routine testing" but if I did, I wouldn't be surprised by a three-figure tab. Fortunately, I have access to local repair professionals and since I tend to be hard on stuff in general figure I'll take gear in for cleaning and inspection at some point. I don't expect it'll be cheap, though.

[jay_d5]

I thought about taking the gear to a local repair store, but I learned Pentax neither trains nor certifies the technicians at any of the privately owned camera shops. I thought by sending it directly to Pentax, I would be getting the highest caliber diagnostics and inspection.

[jtk]

I'm sure you could find someone you could pay to do "analysis" and provide conversation. I don't know what the point would be.

 

$200 is dirt cheap for any kind of service work on a nominally "professional" camera.

 

It'd be cheaper to let them deal with your reported problem by doing a CLA or similar, which is apparently what they quoted

[jtk]

...worth remembering, used 645 were likely flogged hard in weddings, dumped when the former owner went digital: a thorough CLA would seem nearly manditory. It's not like 645's were often used by sensitive enthusiasts :-)

[jay_d5]

The issue is that they stated items were defective, when in fact they were not. It took hours on the phone to figure that out. Instead of inventing problems and charging money to fix them, the service department should clearly state what diagnostics have been done and specifically what problems they have found.

 

 

CLA is not a bad idea though.

[14mm 2.8l]

Back in the days before digital I'd buy a used camera or lens and shoot some film with it.

 

For $350 and roundtrip shipping you could easily test these items yourself? You know via a roll or two of film plus developing.

 

I find your story intersting inthat pentax is no longer repairing these items in Colorado (((now))) but instead they are outsourcing to a independent repair shop in the Carolinas. I mean why bother shipping any 645 and 6x7 equiptment to Colorado if pentax no longer repairs it inhouse? And what a hassle all the calls you're making to get little info... I wonder what will happen once they pull the shutter out? More parts, more expense and you never bothered shooting film with the equiptment. I mean why not upcharge their estimate since they need to fix everything to reward you with a waranty.

 

I played this game with brakes on my old toyota car. I just wanted pads. BUT they wanted to make everything new to guarantee it. $900 repair estimate for my $500 car. So instead I spent $30 on pads and did the simple install myself: 40,000 miles ago.

 

If I were you I'd get the stuff back and just shoot film with it, if it still functions. Then you can decide whats up. I've probably owned/own 25 mechanical film bodies over the years and I've never had need for CLA, or repair and none were bought brand new, but instead minty, mint- used.

 

Lindy

[jtk]

"...the service department should clearly state what diagnostics have been done and specifically what problems they have found."

 

"Should" is the key word. You think they "should" do things differently, the business think that would be unprofitable, inefficient customer service, and grief later, when the next part fails and you blame them for missing it: you'll be unhappy and criticize them here on P.N. You think they "should" buy into a no-win approach.

 

Same story with your junker Toyota: you didn't value warrenty on brake repair (I wouldn't either: I'm good at junker cars, but I don't repair junker SLRs). Others of us do value warrenty and are content to pay for thorough work.

[DWScott]

I have been told that Pentax do a CLA as a routine part of service for all items they are sent.

 

$350 for three items sound fine -- they are going to be well gone over, and you are going to get a warranty on them. That's eminently reasonable.

 

To get a local CLA from a reputable place costs $100 in Toronto. For three items, that's $300. But the local place doesn't warranty the whole camera, and I'm sure they don't have the parts or the motivation of protecting the brand to really tackle everything they see.

 

Estimates like this are often, by their nature, vague. They do not pull your whole camera apart, and inspect every inch to give you an accurate estimate. That would cost way too much, especially if the customer opts to NOT have any service done. They would incur the labour (and risk) of disassembling and reassembling a camera or lens, that they might have to return when you don't want to pay for any service, and they had better put those pieces back together well! Can you imagine how angry you would be to decline the service, and get a lens back that was not collimated? You would claim it was in worse condition than when you sent it in. (Correctly.) So, if they start disassembling, they know they are going to have to do the full job -- clean, lube and adjust -- just to make sure you get back an item which still operates properly.

 

Therefore, a quote like $350 is given not based on the specific vaguaries of your camera and lens. It's given based on their experience with similar equipment, and the general comments you provided in your notes. They don't YET know if they will find any optics that need replacing in your lenses, because they haven't opened them up yet. But they are promising that for $350 you will get back three pieces of gear in tip top shape. If they open up the gear and find anything untoward, the onus will be on them to make it work right. That might involve simple cleaning, it might mean a new part here or there. It definitely means properly and thoroughly adjusting everything upon reassembly. That's worth $117 per item.

[jay_d5]

No where did I say the cost was unjustified for the service rendered. You fellas ought to read the post more carefully. Engaging, in a repair under false pretenses, regardless of the price, is poor business practice. They should have told me up front that there was no KNOWN problem with the lens and camera. It's pretty simple: it's called TRANSPARENCY, and communication. This was complicated by the fact that, per the agreement with the seller, if there were known defects, I had the right to return the 35mm lens, and I also asked the seller to pay for repair of the defects. I believe she probably would have agreed to pay for defects which are possibly not there.

 

Again, stating that items were defective: "defective lens optics, defective diaphragm, and focus" was flat out unsubstantiated. Yet I was never told this until hours on the phone trying to uncover the problem. In fact, only when I talked to a local repair shop did I receive an explanation for Pentax's mode of operation: boilerplate generic comments that are not indicative of any real problem but based purely on customer comments. Pentax's operators intially told me the comments were based on tests done by the technicians and real issues that were uncovered, that is, that the lenses and camera were in fact defective.

 

I received the 35mm lens today, as I requested it be sent back with the plans to take it to a local repair shop.

Pentax's note in the packing slip reads:

 

"After disassembly of your Pentax equipment we have found damage that is not economical to repair or the product is not repairable for some other resason. Please read below fore specific information on your product."

 

There are no notes below! Pentax was never authorized to take it apart as I did not approve the estimate nor did I pay it. This has reached the level of comedy of errors. My guess is they never took it apart or did anything more than hold it in their hands and look at it. But it's just another thing I have to get to the bottom of.

[jay_d5]

Lindy, thanks for your thoughts. Just to clarify, Pentax does repair the items in Colorado, but when you call to get updates on the service of your product, you go through customer service in North Carolina. Communication between these two sites, I have found is slow. If you have days and days to wait, then you likely will not have a problem with the sluggishness.

 

Before sending the lenses in, I called Pentax and was told a technician would know within 2-3 days what needed to be repaired, and have an estimate ready. I found that not to be the case.

[andrewg_ny]

Jay, this is somewhat disappointing though perhaps not all that surprising.

 

Perhaps a more reasonable approach might have been for Pentax to charge up front a relatively nominal fee for non-invasive technical diagnostics and inspection. I don't really expect their technicians to put time into verifying that the items perform to spec for free. On the other hand you didn't want the additional risk or expense of needless reconditioning.

[jay_d5]

Andrew, that is a good point. My local repair store uses a collimator, checks the diaphgragm, and uses the lens on the camera body to make sure it's focusing correctly. I assumed wrongly that Pentax would do similar testing and inform me of the results, then if the lens failed any of their tests, would inform me of the necessary repairs in the estimate.

 

Instead they automatically generated a repair order. They initially told me almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong-- "defective lens optics, defective diaphragm, defective focus." Those statements were not true (at least not known), with no other information. No one ever could ever tell me what, if any testing, was ever done to them.

 

I spoke to Richard Eliot (spelling?) at Pentax (I was able to get his name as someone who works in Colorado), regarding the statement on the package slip about irreparable damage to the lens. He's at extension 1318 at the toll free Pentax number.

 

He was argumentative to the point of being adversarial, and informed me, that because I requested the lens be shipped overnight and put a time constraint on them, I caused the employees to make a mistake.

 

Love that customer service.

[jay_d5]

Note: The mistake was that the employees put the wrong comment on the package slip. The lens was never disassembled.

[andrewg_ny]

I understood your story and certainly wasn't defending their customer service efforts--the misinformation is rather appalling--and they should have been able to manage your expectations better at the time of your original call before you sent the gear to them.