Paid $200 for a CLA on an old Pentax and got junk back

I sent my K1000 to a guy I found online for a full CLA. He said he'd clean the shutter and replace light seals. Cost me $200 including shipping. When I got it back, the shutter sounded off and my first roll had light leaks on every frame. I think he just sprayed some lube in there and called it done. Now I gotta send it to a proper shop and pay again. Has anyone else gotten burned by a cheap camera repair person?

2 comments

2 Comments

alex_coleman2d agoMost Upvoted

Did you at least try to get your money back from that guy? That's a bummer, sorry you got stuck with a halfassed job like that.

mila_mitchell2d ago

Whoa, hold up. I get you're frustrated but I gotta disagree here. $200 for a CLA is actually on the cheap end for a proper job. A real repair costs more because it takes hours of careful work. You found a bargain basement guy and got bargain basement results. That's not getting burned by a cheap repair person. That's getting exactly what you paid for. A proper CLA from a reputable shop runs $300-400 easy. Next time spend the money upfront. You'll save yourself another repair bill and a wasted roll of film.