scottgee1
RF renegade
At the suggestion of some folks at RFF I sent my Contax G2 to Camtex in Vancouver BC for repair because its viewfinder was out of alignment. I also sent a Pentax MF lens that needed only the little pin that provides the 'A' function.
It has turned out to be a complete waste of time and money.
First, the USPS tracking info showed "Attempted Delivery Abroad" on two consecutive business days. I called Camtex and was told Customs Canada demanded duty on the insured value even though the paperwork indicated it was being sent to a repair facility. NO-ONE contacted me to let me know what was going on -- neither Customs nor Camtex -- even though my contact info was on the forms.
I contacted Customs to discuss it with them. Turns out it was in the appeal process for the duty charges and I was told that when it was determined that duty had to be paid, it would have to be paid up-front but I could complete a form after I received it back to request a refund.
Then, without any further explanation, it showed up at Camtex without a duty charge. Camtex then charged me $35 to estimate the repairs on the G2 and the Pentax lens. I paid that with the understanding it would be credited to the repairs.
A week later, I got a call from Camtex. They wanted almost $300 to repair the G2 and $100 for the lens. Absurd when other service outlets charge a flat rate of $185 for complete G2 repairs. In addition the lens isn't worth that much and needed only a small repair. In fact, had my local guy had the part, he would have done it for $10 while I waited.
Of course I told them to pack it all up and return it to me unfixed. Apparently they're going to charge me around $50 more in shipping for that.
To sum up, I'm out $85 and a month.
Oh and just for fun, neither the USPS nor Canada Post tracking show that the package has been delivered yet. So much for "Priority" service.
In short, Camtex is, in my experience, a VERY BAD CHOICE for repair work especially if you're not in Canada.
It has turned out to be a complete waste of time and money.
First, the USPS tracking info showed "Attempted Delivery Abroad" on two consecutive business days. I called Camtex and was told Customs Canada demanded duty on the insured value even though the paperwork indicated it was being sent to a repair facility. NO-ONE contacted me to let me know what was going on -- neither Customs nor Camtex -- even though my contact info was on the forms.
I contacted Customs to discuss it with them. Turns out it was in the appeal process for the duty charges and I was told that when it was determined that duty had to be paid, it would have to be paid up-front but I could complete a form after I received it back to request a refund.
Then, without any further explanation, it showed up at Camtex without a duty charge. Camtex then charged me $35 to estimate the repairs on the G2 and the Pentax lens. I paid that with the understanding it would be credited to the repairs.
A week later, I got a call from Camtex. They wanted almost $300 to repair the G2 and $100 for the lens. Absurd when other service outlets charge a flat rate of $185 for complete G2 repairs. In addition the lens isn't worth that much and needed only a small repair. In fact, had my local guy had the part, he would have done it for $10 while I waited.
Of course I told them to pack it all up and return it to me unfixed. Apparently they're going to charge me around $50 more in shipping for that.
To sum up, I'm out $85 and a month.
Oh and just for fun, neither the USPS nor Canada Post tracking show that the package has been delivered yet. So much for "Priority" service.
In short, Camtex is, in my experience, a VERY BAD CHOICE for repair work especially if you're not in Canada.
feenej
Well-known
They wanted over $300 and "several months time" to fix and cla my Pentax SV at BDC in Madison, Wisconsin. I got it back and sent it to PentaxS.com and he had it done in a week and a half and charged about $70.
scottgee1
RF renegade
Glad to hear that! Hope I'll be able to post a similar follow-up . . .
W
wlewisiii
Guest
BDC does tend to be on the high end but I've found their work to be top of the line. As for months, I would wonder what their backlog was as opposed to the person at PentaxS?
William