[Leica] SMASHING RESPONSE FOR TINA. Right up to date time line! Speculation on the M8/M8.2/M9timeline

[rclark01 at comcast.net (rclark01 at comcast.net)]

Smashing good story, Dr. Ted!!! 



Robert 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ted Grant" <tedgrant at shaw.ca> 
To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org> 
Sent: Wednesday, September 9, 2009 11:59:03 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern 
Subject: [Leica] SMASHING RESPONSE FOR TINA. Right up to date time line! 
Speculation on the M8/M8.2/M9timeline 

Tina offered in response to: 
>>>>I bet Ted's had one all along doing field tests.>>>> ?S.d. 
Tina said: 
> No, Ted teed Leica off when he threatened to smash one of their 
> cameras on the steps of the capitol building in Canada. ?Leica has a 
> long, long memory. ;-) 

Hi Crew, 
Well Tina is certainly correct when she said I "teed them off!" 
However it wasn't because of threatening to smash an R4 on the front steps 
of the Capitol Building, it was the front steps of the Leica Canada head 
office building and do it ?before the Canadian national media, TV networks, 
wire services and Toronto daily newspapers were ready and waiting for the 
ultimate moment of destruction. 

The real reason Leica were/are still ticked off? Well that's a story for 
another day in private! 

I had bought my usual 3 bodies and motors, in this case they were brand new 
just out R4's. Unfortunately I had one body that consistently crapped out 
every time I went to use it. I shipped it from Victoria 5 times to Toronto 
for service in a matter of weeks. 

The last time it was returned I opened the box, tried to fire it up and it 
never worked! To say the least I was rather irate! I'm being quite polite in 
my expressions at the moment. 
Phoned Toronto and gave them an ultimatum. "I'm coming to Toronto in two 
days on assignment, I will call into your office and you will have a brand 
new camera or I will smash this one before the National Media on the front 
steps with an interview you'll wish Leica were never born! 
I arrived at the office and asked where my new camera was ? The response? 
"Ted, give the camera to the head of service and we'll take you out for 
lunch. When we get back it will be just as good as new!" 
Now that was a hell of an option, it wasn't any good when it was new a few 
weeks prior. 

I told them it was another camera new out of the box or they could watch the 
Leica smashing from hell on the 6pm news! They laughed, we went for lunch, 
they paid, we returned to the Leica building. SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Yep and right there was this great gaggle of media with TV cameras set up, 
stills photogs, radio guys and gals all waiting for the destruction if I 
were not given a brand new and properly working R4! 
"Hey ted when are you smashing that crappy camera, I got a tight deadline?" 
And similar phrases along with microphones in my face asking "Are you really 
going to smash a new Leica to pieces right there on the steps?" And it went 
on. 

I hadn't noticed the senior Leica staff had gone in the building, suddenly 
the door opened, out came the head chap ?with..... "YOU BET!" ?A new R4 in 
box and handed it to me quietly asking if I wouldn't mind unwrapping it and 
showing the media that Leica stood strongly behind their products because it 
is the best camera in the world for great photojournalists such as you. He 
was all smiles. 

I thanked him, unwrapped and brought out the camera! The media packed up all 
their gear with a fair amount of grumbling and bitching because it became a 
non-story. Not a picture taken nor TV camera rolling! 

How did the media know about it in first place? I phoned all my media 
friends and told them if they wanted to see a royally irate photojournalist 
smash a new Leica to smithereens on the front steps of the Leica Canada head 
office, be there! And they were, much to the surprise of Leica Canada 
officials! 

So Tina was close, it was the steps of the Leica building, not the steps of 
the Capitol building! :-) So there you go eh? :-) 

Dr. ted 


_______________________________________________ 
Leica Users Group. 
See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information