RD-1 Refurb just arrived LCD will not turn on!

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cysewski

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Just picked up my second RD1 from FEDEX. The LCD will not turn on, I made sure that the battery was charged and also compared it with my other RD1, I could not get it to work. I sent in a request for a return, It seems that a minimal check would have found the LCD problem. Frustrating! Any ideas?
 
cysewski said:
Just picked up my second RD1 from FEDEX. The LCD will not turn on, I made sure that the battery was charged and also compared it with my other RD1, I could not get it to work. I sent in a request for a return, It seems that a minimal check would have found the LCD problem. Frustrating!
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I have posted in other threads that I believe many of these refurbished R-D1 bodies are samples that had been taken back because of various issues (alignment of rangefinder, framelines, sensor, and others). Considering this and the lack of a quality control (the cameras could leave the Epson factory without sensor no one would notice it), buying such a refurb is like russian roulette. Send the camera back and pray for a better one.

Didier
 
Didier said:
I have posted in other threads that I believe many of these refurbished R-D1 bodies are samples that had been taken back because of various issues (alignment of rangefinder, framelines, sensor, and others). Considering this and the lack of a quality control (the cameras could leave the Epson factory without sensor no one would notice it), buying such a refurb is like russian roulette. Send the camera back and pray for a better one.

Didier
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All of this may be true, but the refurb shop should be aware of the problems and fix them before they send them out. However, problems like the one he just encountered are electronic and it could have been working fine when it left Epson's repair facility and failed after rough handling in shipment. An articulating display like the Epson's is more prone to failure because of the complexity of the connections. The conector has probably failed, rarely it could be the LCD. In any case, while a PITA I'm sure Epson will just replace the unit.:D
 
based on my experiences with rd1 refurbs, i believe the "refurbishing" to be downright minimal to none. a tech probably picks it up, looks through the rangefinder and puts it in a refurb box with a new battery. i doubt they even turned on the lcd to check. my second refurb was so misaligned, it was impossible to focus using the viewfinder. in fact, they didn't bother to put the refurb box in a shipping box; they threw the fedex sticker on it and sent it off without even taping the box!!! even the most rudimentary QC would have caught that.
 
The Epson is one camera I would only ever buy new, or from a known-reliable former owner.

Ian
 
depressing thread

depressing thread

Threads like this one are a sad commentary on the quality control process. I seriously wonder if Epson bothers to spend more than a couple of moments per camera. I bought a scanner that came with an additional part, that belonged on a totally different unit. It took 3 emails to not get that straightened out. You read the last sentence right... Situation never resolved.

The RD-1 is obviously a dinosaur already. A lovely idea disowned by its parent, with the adoptee left hanging. I was tempted when they came out, and very happy I didn't plunge. There is much to be said for our 50-75 yo mechanical wonders... and they can be fixed :angel:

Harry
 
Well, I only bought one but it came well packaged and looked like new. It had less than 500 shots taken. There is nothing I could really complain about the unit. Maybe it's playing roulette but I wonder how many of the problems are caused by rough handling in shipment. If you have ever seen the way FedEx and UPS toss packages in their trucks you know what I mean. Even with very good packaging you are potentially subjecting the camera to very high G shock forces that few electronics are designed to withstand. A 3' drop to a hard surface is considered a severe shock test. Try adding a 10' toss before the drop and see how many items with 600 grams of mass survive unscathed. I think the refurb shipping packaging is not as good as the original for shipping. The M8 comes triple packed. An outer box, an inner box and the camera is in a third inner box. The foam packing used is far better quality too. Just a theory.
 
My RD-1 was perfect out of the box and continues to work flawlessly. I know it was just luck and can head south at any minute but at $1395 it gives me something digital to use my Leica lenses on while I wait to see the outcome of the M8. By the time the warranty is up on my RD-1 the end of the year, I'll either buy the Leica, or I'll sell the lot of it and go seriously Canon.
 
My R-D1 wasn't perfect out of the box, but after a simple rangefinder adjustment and a firmware upgrade it became as nearly perfect as anything like this can be. I'm with Ben. My mouth waters over the M8, but I'm not about to buy a camera that's still in beta test. Once the screws stop falling out and Leica finds a reasonable way to solve the IR problem, I'll switch to an M8 too. In the meantime, the R-D1 does exactly what it's supposed to do.
 
harry01562 said:
Threads like this one are a sad commentary on the quality control process. I seriously wonder if Epson bothers to spend more than a couple of moments per camera. I bought a scanner that came with an additional part, that belonged on a totally different unit. It took 3 emails to not get that straightened out. You read the last sentence right... Situation never resolved.
Click to expand...
I remember when I had an issue with a printer a few years ago. It was the most frustrating experience I've ever had with any "big brand" company. My situation was also never resolved.

I've decided I'm never getting another Epson product again until I see a trickle of constant kudos from new Epson customers. It's a shame, really, because their printers are great (when they work). Their scanners aren't bad at all. But I dread the day something breaks; it'll be many hours spent resolving nothing. If it's their plan for you to just buy something new from them, well, guess again.
 
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