Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/07/12

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Subject: [Leica] Leica Quality Control & Customer Service (!)
From: AppleMac97@aol.com
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 01:16:04 EDT

Hi All!

As I wrote in a previous post, my Leica M6 TTL camera body died after only 3 
months of moderate use.  I mailed it to Leica in NJ last week.  I called them 
on Monday to find out if they had received my precious camera.  The woman who 
answered the phone at Customer Service sounded very bored, and turned out to 
be somewhat rude and unhelpful.  She said she was still processing Friday's 
mail, and that I should call them a few days later.  I was unhappy with this 
exchange, expecting better treatment from the purveyors of a fine camera like 
Leica!  So I called her back a few minutes later to ask if there was a list 
or log book or computer record that she could check to see if my camera had 
already arrived there.  Her reply was the same as before.  During this phone 
conversation, I was already mentally composing a letter to the Leica CEO to 
complain about the behavior of the Leica customer service people!  I was 
already very unhappy at having a brand new $2000 camera die on me in the 
middle of a roll!  So, to make a long story short, just when I was about to 
put all of this down on paper, the same woman from Leica in NJ called me at 
home to say that they had indeed received my camera on Friday.  It would be 
at least a week before anyone could take a look at it.  Then they would 
notify me in writing what repairs would need to be done and when I could 
expect it back.  Since the camera was covered by the 3-year Passport 
warranty, I was not too concerned about repair expenses, but I do want my 
Leica back ASAP.  

On a much happier note, I can report that on the same day, I received in the 
mail a replacement lens hood cap for my 35mm Summicron-M ASPH lens, sent 
GRATIS by Leica USA!  I had written them a letter last month complaining 
about how loose and fiddly that piece of plastic was, and how I had lost it 
somewhere in Yellowstone National Park.  They said in their letter that lens 
caps were not covered by the Passport warranty, but since mine had been loose 
fitting from the beginning, they were happy to replace it free of charge.

I am sorry about this long post, but my experience with Leica USA so far has 
left a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth!  I am so impressed with the quality of 
the Leica lenses that I would never go back to Nikon or Canon.  But I would 
like the cameras and lenses to be better built, considering how much more 
expensive they are relative to their competitors.  I will keep you posted on 
how long it takes Leica USA to fix my broken M6 TTL.


Muhammad R.K. Chishty, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Finance
Graham School of Management
Saint Xavier University
3700 West 103rd Street
Chicago, IL 60655, USA

Replies: Reply from "WILLIAM BUTZ" <WILLIAMBUTZ@prodigy.net> (Re: [Leica] Leica Quality Control & Customer Service (!))