Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/01/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On 1/20/03 1:53 PM, "Kit McChesney | Acmefoto" <kitmc@acmefoto.com> wrote: > Okay folks, I've got the scoop from the director of warranty registrations > at Leica USA. This supports everything I've already mentioned here. You can > believe it, or not believe it, that's your choice, but this is how the USA > warranty works: > > 1) Leica USA warranties its products intended and registered for the U.S. > market. They are identifiable by serial number, and always come in a Leica > box with the seal that reads "Officially Distributed by Leica Camera, Inc." > This means that it was officially distributed through Leica USA, out of New > Jersey. If they are M or R cameras or lenses, they automatically carry the > USA Passport Protection Plan. If they are sport optics (other than the laser > rangefinders and Geovids) they are covered by the Lifetime Sport Optics > Protection Plan. > > 2) Leica USA considers any product not bought in the USA and warrantied > under their USA warranties to be gray market, for purposes of warranty > service. In essence, it does not matter whether you bought the non-U.S. > Leica product from a dealer in Germany, or from a dealer in the U.S. > (whether authorized or not), if the product was not imported and registered > through Leica USA, it's gray market. Period. Always ask if the product you > are purchasing is a U.S. product, if that's what you want. > > 3) If you have a U.S. product, and during the warranty period it fails (or > is damaged under the conditions covered by the USA Passport Protection > Plan), the product will be repaired by Leica USA. It will have to be sent to > New Jersey for repair. If you are outside the country, sometimes a non-U.S. > facility will agree to repair it, if they feel they can be reimbursed by > Leica USA, but in most cases, they will not. They will, however, forward it > on to Leica USA for you, and in such a case, that will save you the costs of > shipping to New Jersey yourself. You can do either; ship yourself, or have > an authorized dealer ship it for you. > > 4) If you have a non-U.S. product (bought outside the U.S., or not a U.S. > product) Leica USA may, at its discretion, repair on site. In most cases, > though, Leica USA will forward the non-U.S. product to Germany for repairs, > because the international warranties are serviced by Leica AG, in Germany. > > 5) Leica USA has more than a dozen skilled and certified technicians who > work out of its New Jersey location. Anything that requires repair can be > done in the U.S. Most of the technical staff are from Germany. So this > notion that the repairs can't be done here because the personnel are not > experienced, or lack the training, is nonsense. > > So there you go. > > KM > > -- > www.acmefoto.com | kitmc@acmefoto.com > -- > > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html Thanks for the research, Kit. I appreciate the information. I am left with one question, however.....WHY? Why do we have to pay substantially more for the same product in order to "guarantee" that service to the equipment will be done here? It's nothing but a shakedown, that is unless it has something to do we guaranteeing US distributors a certain margin, I don't know. I think it is a disgrace that a company with the reputation Leica has developed over the years (whether rightly or wrongly) allows their US subsidiary to squeeze more money from their US customers than they will get overseas. If I am going to pay $2000 for a 35mm camera lens, dammit, it should be repaired without cost to me and quickly for a generous period of time. Maybe we'll have to offer human sacrifice on the altar of Solms :-) (That damn Nikon F5 is looking better and better) Mike ___________________________________________ The Laurel Group On Site Creative Services Site Location: JOHNSON AND JOHNSON CONSUMER COMPANIES 199 Grandview Road Skillman, NJ 08558 908.874.2978 info@laurelgroup.com _________________________________________ Michael Cahill Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 www.michaelcahill.com mcahill2@comcast.net - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html