MJLogan Posted June 27, 2008 Share #41 Posted June 27, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'll soon be joining in with progress reports on my 14-150 repair. My kit lens (knock wood) is still flawless after 18 months or so. Only one month after I received the 14-150 from Panasonic Direct (and only a few days into a 3-week vacation in France, Spain and Holland) the zoom got stuck, and something inside started rattling around. I e-mailed Panasonic to see if they could exchange it in Europe, but no--it is only under warranty in the US. I'll be home on Tuesday, and send the lens off that day. When the lens arrived via UPS, it came in a big box, with only a couple sheets of crumpled paper as "cushioning." I'll be sure to mention that to them when I send them the lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 27, 2008 Posted June 27, 2008 Hi MJLogan, Take a look here My L1 Leica 14-50 LENS REPAIR. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
d_lague Posted June 28, 2008 Author Share #42 Posted June 28, 2008 I am the one who started this thread when my lens failed on a trip to Chile. I sent it back to Panasonic 2X and have been using the camera with the new replacement lens. The front element is still a slight bit loose, but the lens is working quite well. All of this was done under warranty. So I am happy that it failed under the original warranty. I got a letter in the mail from Panasonic asking me if I wanted to buy an extended warranty. At first I scoffed, but then I read the offer. $99.00 USD for 2 years! That is a good deal when you don't trust the lens! I know Leica has a longer warranty than Panasonic does, but do the math. $1100.00USD for the L1 with one year warrantee, then $99.00 to add another 2 years. That is a total of 1200.00 for an L1 with 3 years of warranty. Not bad. Bottom line is that I still love the camera and I will continue to shoot the heck out of it.. if it breaks, back it goes with that warranty. I would recommend this warranty to anyone who owns and L1. Dick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLogan Posted July 30, 2008 Share #43 Posted July 30, 2008 I'll soon be joining in with progress reports on my 14-150 repair. My kit lens (knock wood) is still flawless after 18 months or so. Only one month after I received the 14-150 from Panasonic Direct (and only a few days into a 3-week vacation in France, Spain and Holland) the zoom got stuck, and something inside started rattling around. I e-mailed Panasonic to see if they could exchange it in Europe, but no--it is only under warranty in the US. I'll be home on Tuesday, and send the lens off that day. Well, I sent my broken lens to the repair facility in Illinois on July 3, and got a package from them today. The letter said they had replaced my broken lens with a new one. The only problem is that the new one is the wrong model: I'd sent them my 14-150, and they sent back a 14-50 L1 kit lens. I've written them, asking that they pick up the package at their own expense and send me the proper replacement ASAP. I suppose it was an easy mistake to make, as the two lenses look very much alike unless the zoom is extended. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted July 30, 2008 Share #44 Posted July 30, 2008 Well, I sent my broken lens to the repair facility in Illinois on July 3, and got a package from them today. The letter said they had replaced my broken lens with a new one. The only problem is that the new one is the wrong model: I'd sent them my 14-150, and they sent back a 14-50 L1 kit lens. I've written them, asking that they pick up the package at their own expense and send me the proper replacement ASAP. I suppose it was an easy mistake to make, as the two lenses look very much alike unless the zoom is extended. What's a hundred millimeters between friends? It just baffles the mind how some companies do these things. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLogan Posted July 30, 2008 Share #45 Posted July 30, 2008 I got an immediate and apologetic reply to my email. I suppose that everybody makes mistakes; it's how they deal with correcting them that counts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_lague Posted July 31, 2008 Author Share #46 Posted July 31, 2008 In general I am not really impressed with their service. I called them many times. A couple of times I got someone who was helpful and knowledgeable. The rest of the times.....well it ranged from a recording to talking to someone who could be of no help. I got a new lens.....the right one, and it is still slightly loose, but does work well. I bought the extended warranty on the L1K, so I may have to deal with them again sometime.....I hope I don't need it but if I do I will not be paying like I did for the LC1 sensor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLogan Posted July 31, 2008 Share #47 Posted July 31, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Two days after I received that "immediate and apologetic reply" I'm still waiting for the promised UPS return label, which they said they would email to me right away. Amusingly, the day before the (wrong) replacement lens arrived, I got a survey in the mail from Panasonic about the service experience. I'm waiting to see how this all plays out before I fill it out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_lague Posted August 1, 2008 Author Share #48 Posted August 1, 2008 I never got my e-mail the first time. I had to call them back. I guess it was not just me. I too have filled out a nasty survey to them. They just don't seem to have it together back in Illinois!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLogan Posted August 18, 2008 Share #49 Posted August 18, 2008 So--I eventually got a label for a return. I sent the wrong-model replacement lens back, with very clear documentation of what happened. I got a letter saying that they were going to repair the lens I just sent them! Once again I emailed the repair people, and we exchanged several messages in which they seemed clueless. Finally, this morning, I got a message saying that "upper management" says that their facility does not even repair the 14-150 lens (!) and that they were sending my broken lens (odd that they still even have it, six weeks after they declared it unfixable!) to California for repair. The California facility would send it back to them, then they'd send it to me. I finally got mad, and demanded to talk to someone in "upper management." At this point I just want my money back from Panasonic Direct. They can keep the @#$%£& lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLogan Posted August 25, 2008 Share #50 Posted August 25, 2008 My story ends well, finally. A couple of days after asking to be put in touch with "management," I got a very timid little e-mail asking if I'd be satisfied if they sent me a brand new 14-150 lens right away. I said yes. They sent it by UPS next-day air. It works perfectly (so far). But what a process! It certainly didn't reflect well on Panasonic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenophobia Posted October 29, 2008 Share #51 Posted October 29, 2008 Sent it in on 10-06-08. Received by Panasonic on 10-08-08. Zoom function stopped working about half way. Superb lens. I hope to get it back soon. I use it all the time on Olympus E-3. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLogan Posted October 29, 2008 Share #52 Posted October 29, 2008 I hope they learned from the comedy of errors I experienced, and that your repair or replacement goes smoothly and quickly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkb Posted December 26, 2008 Share #53 Posted December 26, 2008 Rats, my 14-50 lens is developing the same problems--front end wiggles and the zoom is starting to hang up. Lens is out of warranty. Anyone have any idea what Bigston Corp in Elk Grove Village IL will charge for the repair? Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
asta Posted February 20, 2009 Share #54 Posted February 20, 2009 I have the exact same problem but already since more than half a year and just lived with it and now I'm pretty glad that I found this thread. Now I know that I'm not allone and I hope that I'll get that fixed without any costs... I already wrote to Panasonic Germany but only got a standard reply mail without them saying anything about the problem being known...well... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wunderhund Posted May 1, 2009 Share #55 Posted May 1, 2009 I also have the problem with this lens - the zoom became stuck. Unfortunately, it happened out of warranty. I recently shipped off the lens to 'Elk Grove/Bigston' for repair. They just got back to me with a $515 estimate!?! Before I call them to plea with their better angels, has anyone here had an out-of-warranty repair done to their lens? In case Panasonic doesn't reduce their repair estimate, could someone recommend a lens repair shop (mail order or in SF Bay Area). Cheers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
audidudi Posted May 2, 2009 Share #56 Posted May 2, 2009 I also have the problem with this lens - the zoom became stuck. Unfortunately, it happened out of warranty. I recently shipped off the lens to 'Elk Grove/Bigston' for repair. They just got back to me with a $515 estimate!?! Damn! After a little over a year with a loose front element and the occasional hangup, mine broke completely last night and now all I have is a 14-18 zoom. I'm not sure I'm willing to pay $500+ to repair it, though ... perhaps there's a 14-150 in my future? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLogan Posted May 3, 2009 Share #57 Posted May 3, 2009 perhaps there's a 14-150 in my future? I've had two 14-150s break on me in less than a year. See above for the saga of the first repair (a 2-month comedy of errors). For the second broken lens, it took over a month of calling Panasonic just to get someone on the phone who has the power to consider giving me my money back instead of sending me yet another new lens. I'm currently waiting for an answer. I bought it as a "travel zoom" with the specific intent of leaving other lenses at home to lighten my camera bag. Having had two fail, each near the beginning of a long trip abroad, I'll never trust it for its intended purpose. So a new one will be useless to me. If they won't refund my money, I'll sell the replacement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wunderhund Posted June 16, 2009 Share #58 Posted June 16, 2009 I also have the problem with this lens - the zoom became stuck. Unfortunately, it happened out of warranty. I recently shipped off the lens to 'Elk Grove/Bigston' for repair. They just got back to me with a $515 estimate!?! Before I call them to plea with their better angels, has anyone here had an out-of-warranty repair done to their lens? In case Panasonic doesn't reduce their repair estimate, could someone recommend a lens repair shop (mail order or in SF Bay Area). Cheers. An update to my 'stuck' kit zoom from my L1: After tossing several emails and phone calls back and forth with the Elks Grove repair facility, the repair estimate was lowered to around $100. Much to my pleasure, a new lens was sent to me around three weeks after I sent the original lens and no charge was made to my credit card. No explanation was given -- I'm assuming that there are folks at the repair center who realize that some of these original lenses were prone to get stuck and they replaced it, even out of warranty. Very relieved that they accommodated my situation and happy to have the zoom back on the L1. Cheers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nivek248 Posted July 8, 2009 Share #59 Posted July 8, 2009 I have the same problem now. argh. mine is out of warranty but the guy I bought it from had an extended warranty through Amazon. The warranty people through Amazon want the camera and lens. But I was silly and thought that it would be better for me to send just the lens in to Panasonic, so I did, and got an estimate for $511.50. I am so upset, I was told that it would only be lowered by, "managment" at the 1-800 number, which if you have ever called is so painful to get ahold of anyone. Wunderhund, do you have any suggestions or emails or numbers you used? You could email me them if you don't want to post them on the forum, nivek248@gmail.com. My lens is still there at the repair facility. I'm calling the 1-800 number today, we will see. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyd Posted July 9, 2009 Share #60 Posted July 9, 2009 Mine was replaced. Six weeks out of warranty. I was able to go directly to the Panasonic service facility in Toronto, where I live. Once they saw that it wasn't dropped or abused they replaced it immediately. I was the original owner and they did want to see a reciept. Probably no help to you, but another indication that this is a very common problem due to a manufacturing defect. This all happened about 2 months ago. Bill D. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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