Another sensor statistic

[dhsimmonds]

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It's happened! My great little LC-1 has got the pink sensor image disease like so many other D2 and LC-1's reported here. It only happened today and I am missing it already. It is a late 2004 serial No. starting with D4SY00###. Approx 8000 images under it's shutter!

 

I have registered the fault with Panasonic UK service dept. by email and waiting an address to send it to them. Does anyone know how long it takes to be repaired in the UK and if they are likely to do it free of charge as they seem to do in the U.S.?

 

I will report on it's return date so we can track Pana's service here compared with US, Holland and Denmark who all seem to have different policies and repair times for this fault.

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[farnz]

Commiserations, Dave. Still, on the plus side, it gives you more opportunity to introduce yourself to your DMR's version 1.3 firmware.

 

Pete.

[dhsimmonds]

Thanks Pete, yep the R9/DMR is going to get a heck of a lot more use until I get the LC-1 back. It's just that the LC-1 is so convenient to quickly pick up at short notice and take on a walk for instance. However the R9/DMR comes into it's own for events and I usually use it for travel photography too, as heavy as it is.

[bill]

Dave, what email address have you used for Panasonic service? I haven't got any sense out of them at all with regard to my own dead sensor.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[dhsimmonds]

Bill, I emailed them using their contact address for Customer Support which is: CustomerCareAdvisor@eu.panasonic.com they replied advising me that they had put their service work out to regionally located sub-contractors, the nearest to me being at Horley in Surrey. The telephone number to ring, which you will have to do anyway is 0870 906 8357. They will give you the service repair station telephone number nearest to where you live.

 

I went back and forth a bit as you can imagine in order to put my case that this is a known serial product fault and as such should be dealt with as if in warranty!

 

Panasonic UK policy is that I had to pay up front to the sub-contractor a total of £61.10 to cover courier collection and return after repair which also includes £35.23 for inspection and estimate of repair. However if the fault is found to be a faulty CCD (which it is!) then Panasonic will re-imburse the sub-contractor for their costs, supply a new sensor F.O.C. and the contractor will then re-imburse me for the inspection costs but not the courier collection and re-delivery costs.

 

If that's how it works out then I will be quite happy with that.

 

Hope this helps you and anyone else with this problem in the UK.

[dhsimmonds]

Just to finish my experiences with Panasonic with this sensor failure:

 

I received my LC-1 back from the UK Panasonic service contractor in my area complete with new sensor and also a thorough check up of the exposure and focusing mechanisms. My camera was away for 10 days excluding time in transit (collected and returned by courier). It is working perfectly and the cost to me is just the courier charges.

 

This is in my opinion a good service for a 3 year old and well used camera, even though it is a known serial CCD defect.

[marknorton]

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Seems a reasonable outcome to me.

[ajthornbury]

Pity Leica aren't as quick, mine went back to Milton Keynes in June.