Fell for a $200 'pro' CLA that left my shutter running slow

I paid a guy on eBay $200 to service my Pentax Spotmatic and now the shutter drags at every speed below 1/60 - did I just get scammed or is this normal for mail-in repairs? Anyone else have better luck with local shops instead of shipping out?

3 comments

3 Comments

knight.xena1mo ago

Yeah, that's a TOTAL scam, I sent my camera to some "pro" and got it back worse too.

jessicaw111mo ago

Oh man, that hurts my soul to read. $200 is a lot to drop just to end up with a slower shutter, especially on a Spotmatic which is usually a tank. I'd be so frustrated if I paid a "pro" and got that result, feels like they just sprayed some lube in there and called it a day. Did you try reaching out to the seller to see if they'll make it right or at least explain what they did?

wesley8011mo ago

First thing I did after getting my first Spotmatic serviced was drop it lens-first onto concrete. At least your shutter is still attached to the camera, mine needed a whole new lens mount. $200 is steep for a CLA that made things worse, though. I had a guy on Craigslist tell me he'd fix my Yashica for $80 and it came back with the shutter curtain hanging out. Now I just buy beat-up bodies and swap parts myself, cheaper than paying someone to mess it up worse.