In the 80's, I worked as a photojournalist. My collection included three everyday use LXs, a fourth LX that was older (actually the first one ever I owned) and an MX in reserve. If I needed repairs or CLAs, I would call Pentax in Englewood and talk to one rep that was assigned to me and tell him what was heading his direction. Once they received it, they would have a repair estimate for me within one day. My rep would call me with the estimate, and get my permission to do the work. The work was completed within 24 hours, and Pentax would just send me a net-30 bill back with the item. Generally, with next-day shipping both ways, I would have my gear back in a week or less. They would also do walk-throughs in 24 hours. I don't know how you can get any better than that for service.
Also, my rep let me know about good class-2 stuff that was available. About 1/2 of my gear was class-2 stuff, and I also had the option to try gear before I bought it, or to borrow things if I needed them only for a short-term assignment. I don't know if they still do stuff like this for working pros (I changed careers in '89), but at one time they used to. -----Original Message----- From: P�l Audun Jensen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, February 22, 2002 3:26 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Pentax and support (WAS: PMA News) Bill wrote: >My guess would be that Pentax can't/won't go to the expense of furnishing >cameras, lenses, and support a la Nikon and Canon. They seem to be >perfectly happy with their niche among knowledgeable and discriminating >people like us :-) This is indeed true - they don't offer service at major events like the olympics. However, such photography is a small part of professional photography. Otherwise, Pentax is indeed sponsoring professional (and some not so professionals) either via good deals or simply equipment sponsoring. It's no secret that Matthias Klum, who has shot a couple of front pages for National Geographic the last few years, did not pay much for his Pentax equipment. So the myth that only Nikon and Canon offer professional service is mostly just a myth. Pentax may not pursue the professionals but if you are one, particularly a high-profile one, making a phone call to Pentax may make you good deals and speeded service to fit your professional needs. BTW In Japan, Pentax have professional service centers where registered users get free loaning equipment while theirs are at service. - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
