Phase One Repair Service

[Don Libby]

Sitting here waiting for FedEx to delivery my IQ180 as it makes its way back from the “spa”.

I began encountering problems with the IQ speaking to the XF early May just before a trip. After many(what seemed) hours of being of the phone with Capture Integration tech support Brad Kaye we decided it was either something wrong with the XF or, more than likely the IQ; either way we decided to ship both off to Atlanta. Once in Atlanta Brad discovered the trouble was with the IQ180 so off it went to Phase One; first stop New York where they took a look at it before sending it to the mothership in Denmark.

Phase One has 2-levels of support and forgive me as I don’trecall the exact names. The first level (beyond the dealer) is $600 for folks in the US. New York looks that the system trying to discover the issue and attempts to correct it, if they can, they do and return the system back to the dealer where they return it to the client. Brad did such agreat job of diagnosis that there was little for New York to do but sent it on.

The second level is much more involved and more expensive at$3000 (that amount also includes the $600 first level). Once at Phase One Denmark they (in this case) brought my IQ180 into their cleanroom and proceeded to recalibrate, replace the digital, utility and CCD boards as well as the interface circuit. They also performed a focus adjustment and CCD alignment and replaced the main flex board. All this for a mere $3000. I was told that so long as Phase One hadn’t discovered that I mistreated the back (dropping off a cliff or soaking in water) they would replace whatever needed to be replace/repaired to include the very expensive sensor all for $3000.

Long story short is they returned the back last Friday. Brad tested it Monday and it’s on the truck for delivery this morning.

If there was ever doubts of the usefulness of having a greatdealer as Capture Integration and to be clear there never has in the almost10-years, there are none now. Likewisethere has never been any doubts in Phase One standing up behind theirproducts. I’ve now owned 5-Phase Onedigital backs all but one was brand new.

Good work Capture Integration and Phase One. Don



- - - Updated - - -

In rereading what I just wrote I discovered I forgot to mention that the back was out of warranty by over a year, thus the need for me to pay for the service.

Don

 

[f8orbust]

All's well that ends well etc.

Is the $3k charge a flat rate ? I mean, regardless of the complexity of the fault, if the DB has to go back to Denmark, it's automatically $3k ?

If so, and the problem is complex, then this could be a deal; equally, if it was only a $10 PCB that needed swapping-out, it's a lot.

Jim

 

[Don Libby]

It's a 2-tier system. $600 for NYC and if they can't fix then $3,000 (which includes the initial $600). Also it's a flat rate so if the sensor needs to be replaced instead of $13,000 (I don't remember the exact cost and think its much higher) and no signs of the owner being dumb the it's covered by the $3000.

In the end a conversation with your dealer will help clear everything up.

 

[Christopher]

Sorry, but it might be s European thing but I would never pay 600 or 3000 without getting detailed information about what is wrong. The same goes for ANY device. I pay for what is actually fixed. I just imagine this praxis for cars.......

 

[Paul2660]

Don:

Glad it made it back from the mother ship!.

Paul C

 

[Bill Caulfeild-Browne]

Glad it's back, Don! I had an IQ380 problem too, but fortunately it was within the warranty period. (I believe my IQ3 100 has a five year warranty.)

 

[f8orbust]

...I would never pay 600 or 3000 without getting detailed information about what is wrong...

I wonder if it's simply more economical to swap out circuit boards etc. until the problem is fixed, rather than spend lots of time trying to diagnose the actual problem ? What do these things really cost after all ? My guess is ~$5k to manufacture - so the components are relatively inexpensive compared to the potential labor costs of trying to pin down the actual fault.

In any case, what choice do you have ? If you have a P1 DB (out of warranty) that's worth significantly more than the $3k charge, no one else can repair it.

The sad thing is that since you can buy pretty much any back up to and including a P25 for <$3k on the used market these days, this fixed cost makes these uneconomical to repair (i.e. just go out and buy another one). This just generates more eWaste - not the most environmentally friendly thing to do.

Jim

 

[kdphotography]

I think for many issues, Phase are able to pinpoint the problem based on testing the MFDB needing repair. I know in the one time that I had a MFDB sent back to the mothership, they were able to pinpoint the issue and make the repair. It was helpful having my dealer Capture Integration take a look at the back and try to address all issues before sending the back to Denmank. I know that in Don's case, it was a weird anomaly. And in such cases probably much better (efficiency and economically) to simply replace the innards. Regardless, the big picture is that such repairs are effective and in the scheme of things (when out of warranty) reasonable in cost to complete.

ken

 

[Paul2660]

If there is any downside IMO to the total replacement, is that from my experience no two backs are the same, each has a unique file response. I have seen three IQ180's shot side by side and 1 was extremely clean ever at ISO400, non Sensor plus, where as the other two were not much good past 100. My first 160, (wish many times I still had it and had stopped the climb) was really unique. I could easily push the base ISO of 50 and up to 200 as much as 2.5, and still have very clean files. Where as my IQ260, was just the opposite, in that I could barely push it past 100 without excessive noise.

Best example however is the old P45+, I had a very early one and it was just not that good in shadows, even at base, but looking at examples from P45+ backs that were shipped at end of of the line, the files are much better, smoother and just very nice overall, also much better control on highlights.

Which brings up a point, I know not on Don's post, but...

Phase One continues to tweak these backs long after announce, and it appears that some of the issues can be passed back to older backs via firmware, but others, can't and instead Phase has changed out the internals a bit. The changes they have made to the XF are also evident, in that now the camera is shipping with a much more defined grip, (one I would greatly prefer) since I do a lot of hand held work or at least try to and the current grip, really IMO is not a grip. So Don overall more than likely will benefit from this change, newer parts, maybe even a new sensor, no real way to tell, but odd's are that the parts he received are more modern than the parts that he sent out.

Paul C

 

[f8orbust]

Just wondering - is the DB warrantied for any period following it's sabbatical in Copenhagen ?

If so, is this a general warranty, or tied to the specific fault (assuming that was diagnosed rather than resolved through brute-force techniques of just swapping-out components) ?

I mean, if it develops a different fault in 2 months time, is that another $3k ?

The 'out of warranty' repair warranty for IQ backs is currently $1.7k per year, so if you assume you are going to have >1 'incident' every 2 years, this is obviously cost effective.

I think the sweet spot would be if they reduced that to $1k per year - i.e. cover for >1 'incident' every 3 years.

Just my 2c.

Jim

 

[vjbelle]

I have purchased all of my backs from CI and never paid for the 5 year warranty. It was established that my maximum out of pocket expense for repairs would be $3000.00 and in essence that resulted in my purchasing a 1 year classic warranty which could be done any time - even after the need for a repair. That means that the entire back is covered for one year from the payment date.

Victor

 

[Paul2660]

One thing that never seems to come up enough when comparing Phase to other MFD companies is the Value Add Warranty.

I have always purchased it, P45+, IQ160, IQ260, (Phase helped me here) and now the IQ3 come with a 5 year value add. Sometime during the run of the IQ2, Phase One started including the Value add with the purchase.

Many feel such a warranty is not important, however for me, at the price point of MFD, I find it very important. And I can state that with each of my back's except the IQ160, the Value add was more than worth it. My P45+ only had the 3 year value add, and I used it 5 times on that back, 1st time due to my mistake, the other 4 due to problems with the back. The main issues with my P45+ were that I had one of the backs that could not get to 1 hour without a chip replacement and the firmware update (which was released about 1 year after the initial ship date for the P45+), totally bricked the back. That feeling does leave a big hole in your stomach, at least it did for me. During the fix, period which lasted almost 2 months, as the back had to go back 2 times, I realized that the loaner P45+ I had was considerably improved over mine and was able with my dealer's help to get my back up to the same spec.

I know the prevailing theme on this site seems to be the other direction, but for me not the case and realize that it's a very personal decision. My backs are all on my books for the business, so I do depreciate the cost of the back.

In the case of Don's back, it seems that Phase One also has a very fair alternative for repairs out of warranty, one I was not aware of, if the repair covers anything else for 1 year from the date of repair. If after 90 days another issue comes up and you are out another 3K then the process might become a bit excessive, but based on the run rate to failure of the IQ1 backs, that issue is more than likely a non issue.

Paul C

 

[Don Libby]

The issue with my IQ began very suddenly about a week prior to going on the road. I would attempt to capture an image; the shutter would activate however during the period of capture the LCD screen on the XF would begin to count upwards as if I were in long exposure mode or bulb. We cut if off once after reaching 30-minutes. The only way to stop it was to shut everything down and restart. We attempted various firmware updates to both the XF and IQ with the same results. We removed the batteries and had lunch coming back to the same results. We changed the CF card; no joy. Spent the entire morning on the phone with Brad at CaptureIntegration. Brad also contacted PhaseOne who suggested various options all of which failed to work. Phase admitted they had never encounteredthis problem.

I did get it to work for about 10-test shots however it went right back into the error mode. I ended up sending a video of the problem to Brad who shared it with Phase One. At this time we didn’t know if it was a fault of the XF or the IQ and a decision was made to ship both back to Capture Integration so Brad could test with anotherXF and IQ. Brad told me he got it working again however for just a short period. By this time we figured it was the fault of the IQ after dumping the log for about the one-hundred time.

Brad checked the warranty status of the IQ and found it out of warranty which was a fact I already knew. We then began discussing options with both of us knowing that it would eventually lead to a trip to Denmark. There’s 2-levels (after the dealer tech) with the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] going to Phase One New York where they go over the IQ attempting to diagnose and possibly fix the problem. This is the first level and cost $600. If it’s deemed to be out of their reach then the back is sent to Denmark for the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP]tier which includes everything possible for $3000. I was informed of all this at the beginning and gave permission. The 2[SUP]nd[/SUP]-tier will fix and/or replace everything so long as they see no user damage such as me dropping the unit which has never happened or water damage which has never happened. In other words as long as I didn’t cause the damage anything and everything found wrong would be replaced.

As stated in my original post, Brad did such an in-depth job in Atlanta that it breezed through NY straight on to Denmark. Phase One Denmark had the back for about3-weeks before returning it directly to Atlanta.

I have the IQ and XF back since yesterday afternoon. The new focus screen was installed while wewaited the IQ. All the firmware is up-to-dateand working well.

The bottom line is everything is working as it should and I’mvery pleased with everything. Yes, Iwould have preferred that this never happened and I saved the $3000 however itdid. The communication between my dealerand I left nothing to the imagination as they kept me informed weekly of the status from Denmark. This is what customer service should look like both at the local (dealer) level as well as beyond. There is a warranty on the work performed however if something new were to happen it wouldn't be covered which if you think about it makes sense. Since just about everything that could go wrong has been repaired/replaced I have no problems and will not loose sleep over something I have no control over.

We're back on the road again in a week visiting the Palouse so I'm back to work.

Don

 

[existenceproduct]

Sitting here waiting for FedEx to delivery my IQ180 as it makes its way back from the “spa”.

I began encountering problems with the IQ speaking to the XF early May just before a trip. After many(what seemed) hours of being of the phone with Capture Integration tech support Brad Kaye we decided it was either something wrong with the XF or, more than likely the IQ; either way we decided to ship both off to Atlanta. Once in Atlanta Brad discovered the trouble was with the IQ180 so off it went to Phase One; first stop New York where they took a look at it before sending it to the mothership in Denmark.

Phase One has 2-levels of support and forgive me as I don’trecall the exact names. The first level (beyond the dealer) is $600 for folks in the US. New York looks that the system trying to discover the issue and attempts to correct it, if they can, they do and return the system back to the dealer where they return it to the client. Brad did such agreat job of diagnosis that there was little for New York to do but sent it on.

The second level is much more involved and more expensive at$3000 (that amount also includes the $600 first level). Once at Phase One Denmark they (in this case) brought my IQ180 into their cleanroom and proceeded to recalibrate, replace the digital, utility and CCD boards as well as the interface circuit. They also performed a focus adjustment and CCD alignment and replaced the main flex board. All this for a mere $3000. I was told that so long as Phase One hadn’t discovered that I mistreated the back (dropping off a cliff or soaking in water) they would replace whatever needed to be replace/repaired to include the very expensive sensor all for $3000.

Long story short is they returned the back last Friday. Brad tested it Monday and it’s on the truck for delivery this morning.

If there was ever doubts of the usefulness of having a greatdealer as Capture Integration and to be clear there never has in the almost10-years, there are none now. Likewisethere has never been any doubts in Phase One standing up behind theirproducts. I’ve now owned 5-Phase Onedigital backs all but one was brand new.

Good work Capture Integration and Phase One. Don



- - - Updated - - -

In rereading what I just wrote I discovered I forgot to mention that the back was out of warranty by over a year of camera ccd servicing, thus the need for me to pay for the service.

Don

Hi, I've tried nosing around the forums here and have found camera stores, but nothing on repair shops. Anyone have any advice?