Registering K20D IS A NIGHTMARE

[14mm 2.8l]

Pretty Pentax website, yet its IMPOSSIBLE to find a link to register this K20D purchase.

 

Anybody got a handy website link THAT WORKS to simply register a USA purchased K20D & its 2 year warranty

bump

card?

 

The warranty 2 year bonus card says go to:

 

www.pentaximaging.com/extendedwarranty

 

ARGH

 

Yet all I get is a "runtime error page" !!!

 

I've spent the last 3/4 hour wasting my time...

 

If you read thru the K20D materials you must register within 30 days of purchase, and I've got three more days to just

return this K20D instead.

 

I have a feeling Pentax will be tick'n off alot of new USA Market buyers this Holiday Season when simply registering

your new

dslr is such a hassle. Hassle meaning I went thru 3/4 hour and got it done, but I didn't!

 

Hmmm, instead of saying "Hassle"

 

I should say:

 

Its "Impossible" to register your USA K20D via Pentax USA Website since the webpage

does not

exist.

 

Thanks in Advance for a Functional "Register your K20D Website Link" if anybody's got this elusive link?

 

Lindy

[david_nevin1]

<A Href="http://www.pentaximaging.com/support/">http://www.pentaximaging.com/support/</A>

[bob_rapp1]

Just checked. Try:

 

http://pc-wweb.pentax.com/scripts/wsisa.dll/WService=wsbroker1/extopFs.htm

 

See what that gets you.

 

Bob Rapp

[marclangille]

Hi Lindy,

 

There was a major overhaul of the website recently, which explains the error message.

 

You need to go to https://secure.prodregister.com/pentax/digital.shtml

 

To get there: Click on the Support link in the Navbar at the top. It automatically goes to several tabs, the first

being "Register your Product". The links for digital cameras, etc. are all there.

 

Cheers,

Marc

[michael_kuhne]

I also liked their previous web site better. It was easier to compare camera models, and much more.

[michael_kuhne]

I have seen the same thing countless times with computer people. They get very good pay to take something that works just fine and screw it up!

[vegard_nervik]

Please, Lindy

 

If you used 3/4 hours and did not even check the domain name only (the part of the url before the first

slash) you kind of asked for the hassle yourself. Not to excuse Pentax, they should have put a redirect

on that page when they provide a printed link directly to it, or at least a link to their home page, but everyone is

allowed to use a bit of common internet sense.

 

The first thing to do when you get a greek error message is to try out the domain name, it is the

www.whateverstupidpage.com part of the address (or .co.uk, or .de or .net or .dotdotdot). This is the

street address for the people you are trying to talk to (more commonly know as the home page). Every

other page is like direct access to a room. If the room isn't there any more you have to check out their

home to find which rooms you can go to. Then try the most probable one, and in this case I would think

Lenses is not the appropriate link, but support may be. Voila there it is as a link on the main support

page.

 

Maybe I am a bit harsh, but having developed software for the web for some years now, I get a bit tired

of complaints about everything. Yes, there is a lot of crap out there, but most is quite good. And then

the users come along, discovers a bug, and by coincidence at the same time Hannibal starts cooking

and eating their brains.

[michael_kuhne]

Actually, now that I think back, I don't believe I bothered to register my K200D at all. Nor my K100D Super ,nor any number of lenses, etc over the last few years.

 

Just kept my receipts in case of warranty service issues.

[shaloot]

people register their product? I'm with Michael, keep the receipts and keep the junk mail from the companies away...

[14mm 2.8l]

Oh Silly ME ?

 

I've bought a dozen canon products this year and oddly enough registering each and every one of

their products is simple and easy. No extra deciphering required. I bet more than a few buyers of K20D promo will

get tripp'd up by this hurdle. But they all should know better right?

 

So In My Hand,

 

I have

 

the official trifold "Pentax Extended Warranty Card" that says in two places on it:

 

You must go to this listed "website" address within 30 days of purchase to register to then qualify for 2 additional

years

coverage:

 

www.pentaximaging.com/extendedwarranty

 

And instead of a Pentax K20D extended warranty registration page I get this:

 

Server Error in '/' Application.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Runtime Error

Description: An application error occurred on the server. The current custom error settings for this application prevent

the details of the application error from being viewed remotely (for security reasons). It could, however, be viewed by

browsers running on the local server machine.

 

Details: To enable the details of this specific error message to be viewable on remote machines, please create a

<customErrors> tag within a "web.config" configuration file located in the root directory of the current web

application. This <customErrors> tag should then have its "mode" attribute set to "Off".

 

 

<!-- Web.Config Configuration File -->

 

<configuration>

<system.web>

<customErrors mode="Off"/>

</system.web>

</configuration>

 

 

Notes: The current error page you are seeing can be replaced by a custom error page by modifying

the "defaultRedirect" attribute of the application's <customErrors> configuration tag to point to a custom error page

URL.

 

 

<!-- Web.Config Configuration File -->

 

<configuration>

<system.web>

<customErrors mode="RemoteOnly" defaultRedirect="mycustompage.htm"/>

</system.web>

</configuration>

[musings]

Why didn't you go to the root web page www.pentaximaging.com? Right there is the support page and you can register your product. I agree with Vegard -- it should not have taken 45 minutes to figure this out.

[les_lammers]

I could not register my extended warranty online either...so I am going to call the 800 number on the card. :- )

[michael_kuhne]

Yes, some years back when a Pentax USA extended warranty was offered routinely for film bodies, I did register in order to effect those extended warranties. I was not aware of any such for my K200D last summer, or I would have gone for that too.

[les_lammers]

Michael,

 

I think you can by the extended warranty separately. The one I need to register came with the K20D as a promo.

[vegard_nervik]

Maybe we could say welcome to Pentax. It isn't mainstream. They put features in their cameras they

forget to tell about, then forget to fix bad links on their web-sites. They produce weather-sealed entry-

level DSLRs and can't make people understand why that is important compared to the Canon Rebel

Fischer-Price range.

 

If you can't register the extended warranty, why don't you return the camera and stick with Canon.

Reason: Wasn't able to register warranty online. There is a first for everything.

[musings]

I like your style, Vegard...your post put a smile on my face this morning. :-)

[matthew miller]

Lindy, I think you're overreacting. But there's no excuse for Pentax to put the new web site up without having a list of redirects. All sorts of Google searches are broken by this too.

[14mm 2.8l]

Well behind the scenes this past week I was led to believe my K20D was not USA product & its included Trifold Card

2 year warranty add on was counterfeit. One cannot believe everything the "In The Know & Connected Pentax USA

sales people in Illinois say on pentaxforums is True. B&H this morning cleared up ALL the bad info I got, so I'll call

and register this K20D as Pentax foolishly put a dead link on their additional warranty card. But hey, there's still 5

weeks left in this pentax usa promo so someone else will likely wander in here to find out why the mandatory to

complete by Dec31st warranty card has bad links on it.

 

So....

 

This K20D is such a nice camera ;^)

 

So Much so that it made me cancel my SMC-A 400mm f5.6 for sale ad as its quite stellar with K20D !

 

Light, handholdable even for the tinyest of pentaxians:

 

For me its yeilds me an "isolated view" 400mm 5.6 w/ SR, or for you isolated view aps-c

croppers, it

means I've magically gained "supertelephoto reach" via my Pentax Made In Japan SMC-A "600mm" 5.6 Shake

Reduced

lens.

 

I am quite happy I got me a K20D, especially now that I know for sure my purchase of it 15 days ago was/is legit and

will

qualify for 2

additional year bump.

 

Lindy

[steve_t.1]

The warranty page says I need the following to get the extended warranty-

 

The following items will be required in order to register your

PENTAX Extended Warranty:

 

* Your Pentax Extended Warranty Card Control Number.

 

* The Dated sales receipt with the name and address of

your Pentax dealer.

 

* The model name (ie. IQZOOM 120SW, ZX-7, Optio 330) of

your camera.

 

* The serial number of your camera (usually found on the back

or bottom of your camera).

 

My problem is that I do not have a "Pentax Extended Warranty Card Control Number", I never saw such a card. I bought my K20D from Amazon on Nov 4, and as I look through everything that came with the camera, I don't see this card. For that matter, I see no registration card of any kind with my camera papers. A few manuals, a couple CD's, etc, but no warranty cards. Where does it come from? Was it supposed to be in the box?

 

I just registered the camera, but not through their extended warranty page, including the purchase date, serial numbers, etc. I'll call the phone number at the ext. war. page tomorrow and see what happens. I don't normally mail these cards, but to get the extension I need to register it.

[14mm 2.8l]

Weird promo huh?

 

You've got to have the special and official pentax trifold extended warranty card inhand, you know the one I found has an invalid website address listed on it that you need to process within "30 days of purchase to qualify".

 

My trifold bonus card, as received by B&H, was included outside the K20D box and was also separately listed on my invoice. Obviously Amazon failed to include it in your package since this 2 year bump promo began, I think, on Oct 12th and you bought your camera on Nov 4th or you bought a non usa ,grey market camera from them and you do not qualify for the promo.

 

You need the card inhand to validate this special pentax 2 year extended warranty offer.

 

Maybe contact your amazon dealer, or maybe one of the helpful people who replied to me in this thread can be of assistance to you?

 

Good Luck,

 

Lindy

[steve_t.1]

Ohhhhhh... they better not have sent me a gray market camera. It was sent directly from Amazon, not a third party retailer on behalf of Amazon. Nothing else was shorted from the package, everything that was supposed to be in the box was in the box. Page 16 of my manual, everything listed there is inside the box, I just inventoried it.

 

I'm calling Pentax this morning to get this resolved. E-mail to Amazon, too. Thanks.

[steve_t.1]

Just called Amazon customer service... they don't include the 3-year warranty program that is supposed to be with every Pentax K20D camera, they sell it for $59.99.

 

Next call is to Pentax when they open this morning. If Pentax can't resolve it (possible gray market purchase, bought directly from Amazon), the camera goes back to Amazon. I let Amazon have it in my call, in a very calm and business like manner. If I end up sending this camera back, I will never do business with Amazon again. At this moment, their reputation with me is severely tarnished, and I've bought plenty from them over the years. Updates at the end of the day.

[14mm 2.8l]

Here's the K20D page at pentax usa:

 

http://www.pentaximaging.com/slr/K20D/

 

 

when you click on the pretty three year bonus warranty "ribbon" it simply reloads the same page, instead of linking

you to the info for the promo warranty.

 

Pentax unlike Canon and Nikon do accept grey market for standard 1 year coverage repairs. Thats lame amazon

wants to sell you a plan when its supposed to be free.

 

If you return it, heres you hot shopping tip:

 

Sams Club (((ON LINE ONLY))) has:

 

K20D & Grip, Bag &18-55 II lens & 2 GB SD card & as advertised 3 year pentax bonus warranty for:

 

$899 and $7~ish to my door USA delivery

[14mm 2.8l]

Make that "$889", not $899

 

Here's Sams Club K20D & all the goodies bundled link:

 

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=416968

[steve_t.1]

Update-

 

Called Pentax, they told me that a warranty extension card for this promo would be sent to me by Pentax. I need to e-mail or fax a copy of my sales receipt to them, along with my name/mailing address. Then they send me the card that has a code. Then I send back that card code, along with another copy of the receipt, and the serial number of the camera, then my warranty will be extended.

 

I'm starting to feel like a dog chasing my tail...

 

I'd bought this camera regardless of warranty extension, but since it's offered I'm going to take it. But holy smokes, the run-around is getting ridiculous.

 

Should Amazon have included this information? I say yes, the Pentax site shows Amazon as an authorized Pentax retailer, so I think they had a responsibility to offer everything the manufacturer wants included. Looking closer at what Amazon is selling, it's a maintenance service plan, not the warranty extension. I guess if I use them in the future, I'll need to do my homework a bit more thoroughly.

 

Time to put this behind me and start shooting photos!