[Leica] Leica Quality? or the tale of a new?? M6

[Ian Stanley <ian@mos.com.np>]

LONG POST

Greetings all,

	I have been holding off on posting this message for some time as I was
going to see the saga through to the end before telling the story.  Given
the number of postings and discussion of Leica quality lately I thought
that it was time to add my two Rupees worth.

	I had been using a M4-P, 50mm Summilux and a 90mm Elmarit-M as my 35mm
equipment for some time now for my forays into some of the more
inhospitable regions of the world.  This equipment was used in adverse
conditions on a year in year out basis rather than the odd vacation and
held up without complaint or problem.  I was in need of a second body so
about this time last year I took a trip to Singapore for a little R&R and
to pick up a new M6 - here the story begins.

	I arrived in Singapore after a very long flight (another story) and was
quite tired when I went over to the dealer to pick up the camera and I was
excited as well so I didn't inspect it as well as I should have while in
the store.  When I got back to the hotel I checked it over very thoroughly
and found that the covering had not been installed properly and did not fit
as it should.  I called the dealer and went over to exchange it for another
body which he did with no problem.

	Some time after returning to Nepal I noticed that the seal was not in
place on the top panel retaining screw and it was not until later that I
found out that they were not using that system any longer.  What it did do
though was to get me to inspect the camera with my magnifying glasses and I
found that the screws on the lens converting wheel and the rangefinder lens
correcting arm where marred.  It looked like a screwdriver had slipped
repeatedly on assembly.  At this point I notified the dealer who responded
immediately and said that he would pass my message on the distributer.  The
distributer wrote back to say basically that they do not sell cameras that
have been tampered with and that something like that would never slip
through the Leica quality control but they would look at the camera.  I
wrote back to say that I wasn't happy with that answer and mentioned how
difficult it is to send a camera from Nepal to Singapore.  They responded
by saying that the representative in Solms wanted to see the camera and
could I send it to Germany.

	Fortuneately, my wife was making a trip to the UK at that time so we
bundled up the camera and she sent it to the representative by courier from
the UK.  My wife kept in touch with Solms by e-mail to see what was
happening with the camera and was told that the representative was
travelling and would only be back in the office for one day before leaving
on holidays.  When reminded of the time constraints involved they said that
the camera had been reconditioned and would be sent out immediately.

	Instead of sending the camera to my wife by courier they sent it by post
and this was just two weeks before the Christmas.  The camera did not
arrive in the UK before my wife left to meet me in Bangkok.  The camera was
then sent by a friend to my wife's head office in New York and then was
brought to New Delhi by a friend in the office who was going there for a
meeting.  I then travelled down to New Delhi to pick up the camera.

	On the repair order Leica said that they had repaired the flash by putting
in a new switch (I didn't know the flash wasn't working) and that they had
adjusted to the rangefinder (I had thought my eyes were going).  They
didn't do anything about the flaws that I had mentioned to them in the
first place!!!!  When I returned to Nepal I sent of another e-mail to Solms
and they responded by saying that it was obvious that they would have to
replace this camera in order to restore my confidence in this product.  I
agreed and also asked for an upgrade (at my expense) to the M6HM.  So in
May wife is again going to the UK and will courier the old M6 to Solms and
hope that the new one arrives before she has to leave.  I will let you know
how this ends.

	So in one year I have had very little use out this new? camera, it has
cost me small fortune in faxes, shipping and a trip to New Delhi and I
still don't have a new camera.  My M4-P, on the other hand, continues to be
used on a daily basis and still nothing has gone wrong with it!!

	I really like Leica glass and if this new M6 turns out to problem free I
will stick with it.  This summer I am planning on buying a 35mm SLR system
as I need and advanced flash and some longer lenses but I am waiting to
hear what other problems people are having with the R8's before I buy.

	Sorry for the long winded post.  I feel better now though.

Ian Stanley,

Kathmandu, Nepal