Re: Update

I had my Ricoh GRD serviced in Germany awhen the camera had started freezing up after using the ADJ. button (following the second to last firmware update).

Ricoh took care of the problem within a 2 week time period (which is nice and fast). The camera came back:

With a large scratch on the lens![

I noticed it immediately. I checked everything before I sent in the camera and I know the scratch was not there before. In fact I took pictures of the camera on a newspaper showing the date on which is was sent to Ricoh, just to have a reference point of the cosmetic condition in case it came back with scratches on the casing. Unfortunately I did not take a picture of the open lens, never thinking that the lens would be in danger during a servie that involves the electronics of the camera.

I immediately called Ricoh and talked to a nice lady about the scratch. She read the description of the camera condition on file and it said nothing about a scratched lens (of course not). Strangely enough it mentioned a scrtached LCD screen and other obvious signs of frequent use. Well, not ths camera. The condition of my camera is "like new", there are no signs of use and I had installed an daproducts.com hardplastic LCD protectoron the first day of ownership.

So how in the world can they claim my LCD screen is scratched?

In any case, I was told to send an email with claim number to Ricoh Service directly.

Ricoh wrote back saying that there is no way, that they use special gloves when fixing a camera. They obviously opened the casing as the screws on my GRD were not black anymore (as they had been before), but you could see the silver shining through after they had been handled with a screw driver (no big deal, but obviously they had to have used a screwdriver).

So are they able to untighten screws with their special gloves? No, they used a screw driver and the scratch lookes exactly like someone had slipped with a sharp object, it is long and crescent shaped, almost covers the whole lens.

I heard back from them and now they claim that the scratch was noticed before the service. However, I had been read the notes on the camera condition word for word and nothing was ever mentioned about the lens. They said they would forward this to the "Kulanzabteilung", their division that deals with repairs to be made free of charge and that they would contact me.

No word. I send 2 emails all together asking Ricoh about all these mysterious happenings (why is my camera described as showing signs of frequent use, scratched LCD,etc.) and about any answers from the Kulanzabteilung.

No answer for almost one month. Before the week-end I sent another email, again asking all the questions I had asked in my other emails. Finally they wrote back and told me (in a short rather cold way). That there is nothing they can do for me, that the scratch could not have been made by any Ricoh service person as "we all use special gloves", and that they have noted the scratch before the service.

They never informed me of this, I never saw the original noted on the condition (when I had my Fuji camera serviced I was sent a note describing the cameras condition before the service). Luckily I asked the have them read to me over the phone. I know the name of the very helpful lady who read me the notes, so I need to contact her again as a witness...

In any case, I am extremely unhappy and need to decide what other steps to take.

I think I wil have to contact headquarters Ricoh Japan.

Really the funny thing is that I rarely have used my GRD without the adapter tube and UV filter or 21mm lens. I have only ever cleaned my lens with airpump and brushes and I know for 1000% sure that I did not make that scratch.
Unfair!

Anyways, I feel better now, thanks for letting me vent!!

D.

That's bad. I feel for you and wish you the best. I know the feeling when "the experts" just tell you "we did nothing wrong" as I've experienced it myself.
Keep us updated...

Good luck
Roger

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/roger_m/

Well, this sounds terrible. I hope for you that Ricoh DE changes their attitude and will replace the lens... Perhaps also consider describing your experience here: http://www.ricohforum.com/. That forum is (likely) monitored by Ricoh, so someone from there perhaps might help you dealing with Ricoh DE. I hope this is rather an exception, not a future "standard" there. Good luck!

Martin

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Martin Setvak, Kodak P880, Ricoh GX100
http://www.setvak.cz/timelapse/

Too bad to hear about problems like this. Just in case.. Did you check the serial number of the returned camera and if it's the same as the serial from camera you sent to repair? There is always a chance they just messed up the packages and you received someone else's camera?

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Ricoh GR/GRD/GX100 Forum
http://www.ricohforum.com

Thanks for the nice advice! I will definitely post this at ricohforum.com as well.

Good thought, I immediately checked when I got it...it is my camera...

BTW, if you drop me an email with your details (name, service reference number, etc..), I can try send an email describing your problem to my contact in Ricoh Europe.

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Ricoh GR/GRD/GX100 Forum
http://www.ricohforum.com

Hi Pavel,

I've sent you the email correspondence (in German) including the reference number...

Thanks for your help.

D.

Hi,

Just a few remarks on my experiences with my wife's R6, which showed fuzziness in the corners. After two repairs in Pirmasens (fairly fast compared to Canon...), which somehow improved the images but did not really solve to problem, I contacted Ricoh directly, saying that I would not undergo a third repair because of the results up to then. They asked me to send them the camera for replacement. The new camera still had some problems but we kept it...

My contact at Ricoh was Dirk Wutke, perhaps he can help you -- he was very responsive.
Best regards,
Gerd

I had similar experience with Ricoh service in Germany. In details it was even worse. Three years ago I've bought Ricoh Caplio GX (not 100!). It is one of the first cool Ricoh cameras - 5 mpix, 28mm, those days they even used optical viewfinder built-in - almost same specs like GX 8 besides it was 5 mpix.

I live in Poland. and have bought it from German e-shop. Camera came with one hot pixel. I could live with that - it wasn't big deal blue pixel in corner, rarely visible in real life pictures. Then after some time flash broken, I couldn't use builtin flash and iirc (you know about 3 years have passed) same was with external flash. I've decided to send it for repair in Germany. First I've contacted ricoh directly, but then decided to send it to e-shop through my brother who was living in Germany then.

IIRC it took them about 6 weeks and some emails from me to shop and them to send camera back to shop - then my brother shipped camera directly to me - unfortunately without opening box and checking camera.

I was excited about getting my fully working camera again. After opening box I couldn't belive in what I have seen:

- blue hot pixel was fixed but now I've got new pink pixel almost in the middle of frame, visible and noticeable in almost every picture
- iirc hot shoe doesn't work (I do not have my Pentax FTG360 flash to confirm that now)
- and now comes the best part I leave it without comments - picture will say everything

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/8674/1006139uc0.jpg

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/4181/1006142yf1.jpg

If you have just scratched lens my advice is - it is not worth your time and nerves to fight with this service. In future avoid Ricoh cameras as long as you do not have an access to Japan service.

As you can see from my experience and already from the way they are responding to you, they do not care about customers because "they are using gloves" (you can see on my pictures that this must be really strong gloves).

You can't prove state in which camera was sent and in which you have received it - so another advice with such "German quality service" it's better to send and receive cameras through local shop. As far as I know you won't find many shops with Ricoh cameras outside Japan.


I wasn't interested in another 6 weeks "repair" one was enough for me - at least returned camera was in working state:) I guess more emails couldn't help there too. I just don't believe that someone in Ricoh could be so incompetent to return camera in such state as mine - from my point of view it looks more like they likes such "games" with customers (especially foreign that have to pay more and wait longer for shipping and don't have easy and direct use of customers rights).

There is something really wrong with this German service...

Even with this bad experience I've been thinking about getting newer Ricoh (GX 100 or GR II) , but I do not like to have such experience again so I will avoid this brand. Thanks for sharing your experience - now I know Ricoh hasn't changed anything with European service.

My experience with service in Germany is also not perfect. I returned camera to seller, and seller sent it to service in Germany. Reason - stuck lens on my R4. Although lens was fixed and works well now, I found big piece of dust just under first lens ... Haven't found method to remove it by now... Service - frustration. R4 - still happy with it.

Pistacik wrote:

> I found big piece of dust just under first lens ... Haven't found
> method to remove it by now... Service - frustration. R4 - still happy
> with it.

My R4 one day showed a large piece of white dust on the back of the front lens. The camera had little use so it must have been inside when made.

My "fix" was to keep gently bumping the camera against my hand until the dust dropped off to somewhere else. Never saw it again, it is still inside somewhere, but at least not on the lens surface. Not a recommended fix but it did work for me and saved a one month trip to service (the usual Aussie service time).

Regards.............. Guy

I had similar problems with Ricoh Germany, described elsewhere on this forum;
You should keep on calling instead of writing emails, and get to the person in charge;
there definitively sometimes seems to be a flaw in their service procedures

What you can do: ask them to send you documenting photographs which they sometimes do when repairing cameras; I was sent a few fotographs after insisting to make my case; but I don't know if this is a regular procedure (I have had my camera sent in twice)

Wow, just got off the phone with Ricoh customer service. Very unhelpful lady on the other side. And she wasn't trying to be overly friendly as well.

I had a simple request, I wanted her to read me the service notes about the camera. Here is more or less how the conversation went down (leaving out a few unimportant exchanges and some minor unpleasantries from both sides).

Her response: "Well, I don't know what you mean, it was refused."

I said: "Please just be so kind to read me the notes. "

She: "It says that the camera has scratches on it."

Me: "Please just read me the exact notes."

She: "Well, I don't know what you want, I can just tell you that they saw scratches on the camera."

Me (now slightly impatient): "Please just read me the exact notes."

She: "Please hold."

She comes back and says that she will let me talk to the (very nice and helpful) lady (with the Dutch accent) that I had talked to 3 weeks ago.

(I hold for 2 minutes, calling from the US to Germany $$$)


She comes back (not the other lady): "The camera is scratched according to the notes."

Me: "Please read the exact notes, does it say anywhere tha the lens is scratched?"

She: It says "scratches on the camera".

Me: "What does it say exactly, is the lens mentioned?"

She: "It says that there are scratches on the camera and the LCD."

Me; "Well, then we have a problem, the camera I sent in looks like new, it has a daporducts hardplastik protection on the LCD and there are no scratches on the body. And the one on the lens was not there when I had sent it in...

She: "Well, the service team scanned the camera twice (??) and they say there are scratches on the body and LCD..."

Me (very impatient njow): "D-o-e-s i-t s-p-e-c-i-f-i-c-a-l-l-y s-a-y that there is a scratch on the lens?

She: "No"

Me: "OK, thank you, that is what I wanted to hear."

She: "You know, if we had made the scratch, we would not gain anything from trying to cover it up..."

Me: "I can just tell you that I am 100% that I did not make the scratch"

She: "OK, I will forward this case back to the Service Department, we will contact you..."

Me: "OK, thank you."


Next step, I will contact the German "Verbraucherschutz" offices, a place that helps and protects consumers, and tell them about this case.

If I have to bring this case to Ricoh Japan, I will. Ask them to do the honorable thing and replace the lens for me.

Anyways, just keeping you in the loop,

Thanks for all the helpful messages. It will really be helpful to show, thanks to your responses, that other customers have had problems with the service of Ricoh Germany .

D,

i actually had a good experience with them, probably not something you want to hear. my GRD froze with it's lens extended after only two months. i was told it would be fixed in two to three weeks and it was -- sent back to arrive Christmas Eve. complete lens assembly replaced and it's been flawless since.

not to say anything you've said is untrue -- just wanted to say that i had a positive experience with them.

i truly hope you're able to work it out. keep us posted.

Good to hear they fixed it!

Once they replace my lens assembly, mine will be flawless again, too;)

D.

Ok, I wrote another firm and detailed letter to Ricoh (almost 2 pages).

I asked them to repair or place the damaged lens and demanded an explanation about the confusing service report about my camera. The report said that the body and LCD were scratched but did not mention a damaged lens. Ricoh told me in 2 separate emails that they had taken note of the scratched lens, however, the service report I was read did not mention it.

After another phone call and this letter I received an email from Ricoh this morning.

Again, no explanations on the wrong assessment of my GRD's condition, but:

They not only will repair the camera for free, the will also pay for shipping both ways...

I am very happy, I'll get my GRD back. In any case, I wish I knew what happened here and why there have never been any explanations.

I am not complaining though, very happy. Thank you so much for your support and suggestions. And you're right, persistence paid off!

Thanks and have a great day,

D.

Thanks for the good news! Most of us here, in central Europe are in their hands, so this makes the future (if we need one day to send our cameras there) somewhat more optimistic :-)

Martin
--
Martin Setvak, Kodak P880, Ricoh GX100
http://www.setvak.cz/timelapse/

Thanks for the update.
Good for you, and good for both Ricoh and the rest of their customers, as I'm sure there will be some exchanges between the involved parties.
Hope to see some samples from your refreshed camera soon :-)

Cheers
Roger
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/roger_m/

Nice to hear the problem will be sorted out! Good luck with your "new" GRD! ;)

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Ricoh GR/GRD/GX100 Forum
http://www.ricohforum.com

Nice to hear these good news. Though Ricoh GERMANY sort of damaged its reputation. What morons they are!
Regards,
Alekc
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/alessandro_isnotaurelio/