Camera Obscura Repairs UK.... Problem 😔

[Glas Y Dorlan]

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On 12/2/2024 at 11:50 AM, eternalppat said:

as of today, I filed a fraud report against him.

i am also considering, to have a private investigator to chase down my property.

or at least to get an answer..

Who did you report to?

Edited December 3, 2024 by Glas Y Dorlan

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[eternalppat]

4 minutes ago, Glas Y Dorlan said:

Who did you report to?

I reported to

actionfraud.police.uk 

i got an automatic reply (partial message here): 

Experts at the NFIB will examine the information you provide. Where possible, the information is also matched against other available data in order to enrich and corroborate the details of the fraud. An assessment will be made as to whether there are viable lines of enquiry that would enable a law enforcement body, such as the police service, to investigate. The NFIB aim to provide you with an update on your report within 28 days.

 

if nothing works out, I will reach out to a private investigator, which will take about 20 days+/- for an initial report. but I have to pay a bit. 

 

[eternalppat]

11 minutes ago, Glas Y Dorlan said:

Which address did you send the complaint letter to? 

I sent to his email. 

nothing worked.. therefore the legal solution + proper authority is in formed and on the way.

[Glas Y Dorlan]

I finally got my camera back! Although I don't believe I would have done without ongoing intervention. 

I haven't put a roll through it yet, so I can't comment on its functionality, but the cosmetic work is of a very good standard, although the latch on the baseplate was put on at 180º so I had to correct that before I could attach the baseplate.

My camera was received by Alexander in January 2024, I paid for the customisation in March. I've been chasing it up since the summer and had many emails ignored.

If there are any issues with the camera after shooting a roll, I will be sending it elsewhere to be serviced, otherwise I might not see it for another year.

[yawpitch]

42 minutes ago, Glas Y Dorlan said:

I haven't put a roll through it yet, so I can't comment on its functionality, but the cosmetic work is of a very good standard

Put that roll through ASAP, and check focus especially carefully. My M4-2 came back with the rangefinder completely out of calibration, turned out (on getting it to Alan @ Cameraworks UK, paying full price for another CLA, and being without the camera for several more months, which meant not being able to take it on the trip it was purchased for) that a clip that holds one of the rangefinder optics in place was never reinstalled at all. Shutter speeds were also still off; as far as I can tell the only work Alexander / Camera Obscura actually did was the installation of his AR viewfinder window and the replacement of the leatherette, he botched the one very minor paint request, despite extremely clear instructions.

I’m very glad you got your property back, but I’m afraid I also very much doubt you’ve got a properly functioning camera back.

Edited December 24, 2024 by yawpitch

[LocalHero1953]

1 hour ago, Glas Y Dorlan said:

I finally got my camera back! Although I don't believe I would have done without ongoing intervention. 

I haven't put a roll through it yet, so I can't comment on its functionality, but the cosmetic work is of a very good standard, although the latch on the baseplate was put on at 180º so I had to correct that before I could attach the baseplate.

My camera was received by Alexander in January 2024, I paid for the customisation in March. I've been chasing it up since the summer and had many emails ignored.

If there are any issues with the camera after shooting a roll, I will be sending it elsewhere to be serviced, otherwise I might not see it for another year.

Did he just mail it back? Did you take legal steps? Did you have any communication from him before it was returned?

[Glas Y Dorlan]

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2 hours ago, yawpitch said:

Put that roll through ASAP, and check focus especially carefully. My M4-2 came back with the rangefinder completely out of calibration, turned out (on getting it to Alan @ Cameraworks UK, paying full price for another CLA, and being without the camera for several more months, which meant not being able to take it on the trip it was purchased for) that a clip that holds one of the rangefinder optics in place was never reinstalled at all. Shutter speeds were also still off; as far as I can tell the only work Alexander / Camera Obscura actually did was the installation of his AR viewfinder window and the replacement of the leatherette, he botched the one very minor paint request, despite extremely clear instructions.

I’m very glad you got your property back, but I’m afraid I also very much doubt you’ve got a properly functioning camera back.

I'll put a roll in it and shoot a load of pics in the garden or something. I only sent it off for a repaint but he said that the shutter speeds were off and calibrated it for me free of charge due to the delay.

Was your rangefinder visibly out through the VF or did you find the focus was out on the film? I attached a Summicron 50 and the RF is aligned on infinity through the VF. Although it's crude, I have used an iphone app for measuring speeds before with reasonable accuracy, I may try that to get a ballpark idea of speeds.

[Glas Y Dorlan]

1 hour ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Did he just mail it back? Did you take legal steps? Did you have any communication from him before it was returned?

After hearing nothing since August, I sent two recorded delivery letters to the London address where my camera was sent to, neither were signed for. At this point I was starting to doubt I'd ever get my camera back (or my money). Alexander's LinkedIn profile shows that he's the co-founder of PERA Health LTD. Companies House shows that the registered address for this company changed in September 2024 from the same London address as Camera Obscura to the Leigh-on-Sea address that was mentioned before in this thread, this is all public information provided by himself. I sent a letter to the Leigh-on-Sea address and he replied in a couple of days. The letter stated he had 14 days to complete the camera, and I think it's likely that he did the majority of the work after this letter was received, it took about 3 weeks but I got it back at least. It's been quite stressful dealing with this, and I've wasted hours of my time emailing, phoning Citizen's Advice, writing letters etc. I think it's out of order to treat customers like this, especially when they have paid in full in advance like I did. It's a mystery as to why he's operating like this, I don't think he set out to scam people (it's a bit niche for that), but I think he's ignoring his responsibilities and shouldn't be taking on the work.

[yawpitch]

Just now, Glas Y Dorlan said:

Was your rangefinder visibly out through the VF or did you find the focus was out on the film?

On the film. After the first roll came back — and man, do I wish I hadn’t used that roll to take meaningful photos of things I never get to see again — and every frame was substantially out of focus I set the camera up on a fixed mount, focused the rangefinder on an object, then measured from the film plane to the object, then checked that against the len’s own focus distance markings. The lens is brand new, so I expected it to be the most accurate representation of distance to subject. Every single measurement of the rangefinder focus was about ~15% further away than the lens focus distance, and that jived with what I found on the film (ie focus on an object at 10 feet sitting on the ground and what was actually in focus was the ground at roughly 8.5 feet).
 

With a brand new lens that’s properly shimmed and calibrated from the factory the rangefinder distance should be pretty much exactly what that barrel marking indicates… older lenses may have shifted out of collimation, so this is a real rough test, but it was born out when Alan took a more careful look at the RF and found this missing piece.

[Glas Y Dorlan]

2 minutes ago, yawpitch said:

On the film. After the first roll came back — and man, do I wish I hadn’t used that roll to take meaningful photos of things I never get to see again — and every frame was substantially out of focus I set the camera up on a fixed mount, focused the rangefinder on an object, then measured from the film plane to the object, then checked that against the len’s own focus distance markings. The lens is brand new, so I expected it to be the most accurate representation of distance to subject. Every single measurement of the rangefinder focus was about ~15% further away than the lens focus distance, and that jived with what I found on the film (ie focus on an object at 10 feet sitting on the ground and what was actually in focus was the ground at roughly 8.5 feet).
 

With a brand new lens that’s properly shimmed and calibrated from the factory the rangefinder distance should be pretty much exactly what that barrel marking indicates… older lenses may have shifted out of collimation, so this is a real rough test, but it was born out when Alan took a more careful look at the RF and found this missing piece.

That's really disappointing and frustrating. I may try mine with a few different lenses and try not to take any meaningful photos! In fact I shall do some proper focus test shots with markers.

[Glas Y Dorlan]

2 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Did he just mail it back? Did you take legal steps? Did you have any communication from him before it was returned?

Are you still waiting for something from him?

[LocalHero1953]

17 minutes ago, Glas Y Dorlan said:

Are you still waiting for something from him?

No - a couple of years ago I tested him out with a CLA of an Elmar 5cm f/3.5 LTM - its main problem was sticky focus. It came back later than promised (5 weeks compared to the 2 promised), but in good condition. I might have used him for other things but by then the warning signs were beginning to show so I went elsewhere for more valuable/complex items (Malcolm Taylor).

But I have enough older items that I maintain a general interest in UK servicing options - though this is one I would not trust again.

Edited December 24, 2024 by LocalHero1953

[earleygallery]

On 12/3/2024 at 6:41 PM, eternalppat said:

I reported to

actionfraud.police.uk 

i got an automatic reply (partial message here): 

Experts at the NFIB will examine the information you provide. Where possible, the information is also matched against other available data in order to enrich and corroborate the details of the fraud. An assessment will be made as to whether there are viable lines of enquiry that would enable a law enforcement body, such as the police service, to investigate. The NFIB aim to provide you with an update on your report within 28 days.

 

if nothing works out, I will reach out to a private investigator, which will take about 20 days+/- for an initial report. but I have to pay a bit. 

 

Action Fraud don’t take any action, they just gather data. 

[eternalppat]

17 hours ago, earleygallery said:

Action Fraud don’t take any action, they just gather data. 

Any other suggestion would help, please. I am all ears.  

 

[Ted Lemon]

On 12/24/2024 at 5:38 PM, Glas Y Dorlan said:

I sent a letter to the Leigh-on-Sea address and he replied in a couple of days.

I have searched this thread for the Leigh on Sea address but cannot find it. Can you provide the full address, please? 

[250swb]

On 12/3/2024 at 6:31 PM, Glas Y Dorlan said:

Which address did you send the complaint letter to? 

Is this any help?

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/w1Q_Ls6S4Co5B5CEjayLuFMADrI/appointments

If you cross reference this company Director address with his Linkedin profile

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-spencer-57295a95/?originalSubdomain=uk

you will see he is involved with Halo Health (although these may also be fantasy projects)

And if you put the address into a search engine you will get a street view.

Edited December 29, 2024 by 250swb

[Glas Y Dorlan]

On 12/28/2024 at 5:31 PM, Ted Lemon said:

I have searched this thread for the Leigh on Sea address but cannot find it. Can you provide the full address, please? 

I got it from here: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/15540321/filing-history

[250swb]

13 hours ago, Glas Y Dorlan said:

I got it from here: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/15540321/filing-history

That's very interesting when you start digging into Pera Health Ltd or Pera Health UK. Shame he doesn't put as much effort into fixing cameras as he does listening to peoples bowels.

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[Shotmatt]

Hi all, I also have had little or no response, since sending my M3 & Lens last year for CLA and Prism repair.

I was informed by email, it was being prepared for dispatched on the 6th December, I have requested a response and still waiting...

 

[Shotmatt]

On 1/10/2025 at 12:02 PM, Shotmatt said:

Hi all, I also have had little or no response, since sending my M3 & Lens last year for CLA and Prism repair.

I was informed by email, it was being prepared for dispatched on the 6th December, I have requested a response and still waiting...

 

I have just visited https://cameraobscurarepairs.co.uk today and it states they reopened on the 17th of this month? I mean 'fuming' is too nice a word.