[Leica] The Zoom affair

["BT" <smpat@btinternet.com>]

Just to help put this in perspective - I had a very similar experience last
month when I tried to buy a house in London.

I made an offer, it was accepted, I arranged for a solicitor and a survey
(at my cost)... and then received a call telling me the house had been sold
by another agent in the same office to someone else! Further attempts to
purchase (at a higher price, of course) were unsuccessful.

Most of the world is aware that the UK housing market is a shambles (it is
amazing to me that a deal is never done until the very last moment) and the
estate agents manage to be both incompetent and corrupt at the same time
(reminding me of a favourite quote from an old movie - "How can you be a
mouthpiece and an **shole at the same time?") We need to be aware that the
Leica people we deal with come from a wide spectrum as well.

The entire experience has soured me to the point that I will probably not
buy property here (this year, at least). In a similar way, there is one
Leica dealer in London that I will not purchase from again. Nothing
fraudulent on their part - I just don't like the way they do business.

While I understand the frustrations involved in the "zoom affair", and while
I am more sympathetic to a Leica user or collector than to someone who
simply sees Leica as a commodity to be traded for profit ((i.e. a merchant
of any sort) we must be aware that all of these positions are what makes the
brand interesting and supports its long-term survival.

Steve Patriquen
London

CAVEAT EMPTOR, NO?