d_g17

<p>I recently had a very unsettling and dishonest interaction with Paul Ebel, who I sent a 300mm Heliar in a Compound shutter to for CLA.<br>

I was shocked, upon receiving the lens back, to find that Mr. Ebel had chipped the front glass element of the lens with a tool and had then neglected to inform me of the damage, despite the fact that he was well aware of it.<br>

When I called and confronted him over the telephone, he immediately admitted that he had indeed chipped the glass. He then patronizingly and condescendingly asked me “how much do you know about large format lenses from the 1930’s”, following which he told me that: “this happens all the time with older lenses.”<br>

I have had many dozens of lenses serviced by other technicians over the years and have never encountered anything like this. It is hard to believe that he actually thought that a photographer would not notice a fresh chip on the front element of a lens.<br>

He then said to me that he had chosen not to tell me because “the chip will not effect the optical quality of the lens”, he didn’t think that I “would care,” and that the lens was “not really worth anything.”<br>

In fact, clean examples of this lens and shutter combination now regularly fetch about $1200 to $1400 on Ebay and I cannot imagine a photographer who would not care about obvious damage to an optical element.<br>

At the end of our conversation, Paul Ebel offered to refund the cost of the repair—which would hardly compensate me for the loss in value to the lens and which I declined to accept.<br>

If he had been upfront an informed me right away that he had damaged the lens and sought to resolve the matter I probably would have accepted it as an honest mistake and tried to find an amicable solution. As it is, I am simply very disappointed by the whole experience.<br>

Needless to say, I will not be sending any future repairs to Paul Ebel. I would under no conditions recommend his services to anyone. There are plenty of other honest technicians out there (e.g. S.K. Grimes, Carol Flutot, John van Stelten...etc.).</p>

<p>I recently had a very unsettling and dishonest interaction with Paul Ebel, who I sent a 300mm Heliar in a Compound shutter to for CLA.<br>

I was shocked, upon receiving the lens back, to find that Mr. Ebel had chipped the front glass element of the lens with a tool and had then neglected to inform me of the damage, despite the fact that he was well aware of it.<br>

When I called and confronted him over the telephone, he immediately admitted that he had indeed chipped the glass. He then patronizingly and condescendingly asked me “how much do you know about large format lenses from the 1930’s”, following which he told me that: “this happens all the time with older lenses.”<br>

I have had many dozens of lenses serviced by other technicians over the years and have never encountered anything like this. It is hard to believe that he actually thought that a photographer would not notice a fresh chip on the front element of a lens.<br>

He then said to me that he had chosen not to tell me because “the chip will not effect the optical quality of the lens”, he didn’t think that I “would care,” and that the lens was “not really worth anything.”<br>

In fact, clean examples of this lens and shutter combination now regularly fetch about $1200 to $1400 on Ebay and I cannot imagine a photographer who would not care about obvious damage to an optical element.<br>

At the end of our conversation, Paul Ebel offered to refund the cost of the repair—which would hardly compensate me for the loss in value to the lens and which I declined to accept.<br>

If he had been upfront an informed me right away that he had damaged the lens and sought to resolve the matter I probably would have accepted it as an honest mistake and tried to find an amicable solution. As it is, I am simply very disappointed by the whole experience.<br>

Needless to say, I will not be sending any future repairs to Paul Ebel. I would under no conditions recommend his services to anyone. There are plenty of other honest technicians out there (e.g. S.K. Grimes, Carol Flutot, John van Stelten...etc.).</p>

<p>I recently had a very unsettling and dishonest interaction with Paul Ebel, who I sent a 300mm Heliar in a Compound shutter to for CLA. <br>

<br />I was shocked, upon receiving the lens back, to find that Mr. Ebel had chipped the front glass element of the lens with a tool and had then neglected to inform me of the damage, despite the fact that he was well aware of it. <br>

<br />When I called and confronted him over the telephone, he immediately admitted that he had indeed chipped the glass. He then patronizingly and condescendingly asked me “how much do you know about large format lenses from the 1930’s”, following which he told me that: “this happens all the time with older lenses.” <br>

<br />I have had many dozens of lenses serviced by other technicians over the years and have never encountered anything like this. It is hard to believe that he actually thought that a photographer would not notice a fresh chip on the front element of a lens. <br>

<br />He then said to me that he had chosen not to tell me because “the chip will not effect the optical quality of the lens”, he didn’t think that I “would care,” and that the lens was “not really worth anything.” <br>

<br />In fact, clean examples of this lens and shutter combination now regularly fetch about $1200 to $1400 on Ebay and I cannot imagine a photographer who would not care about obvious damage to an optical element.<br>

<br />At the end of our conversation, Paul Ebel offered to refund the cost of the repair—which would hardly compensate me for the loss in value to the lens and which I declined to accept. <br>

<br />If he had been upfront an informed me right away that he had damaged the lens and sought to resolve the matter I probably would have accepted it as an honest mistake and tried to find an amicable solution. As it is, I am simply very disappointed by the whole experience.<br>

<br />Needless to say, I will not be sending any future repairs to Paul Ebel. I would under no conditions recommend his services to anyone. There are plenty of other honest technicians out there (e.g. S.K. Grimes, Carol Flutot, John van Stelten...etc.).</p>