Re: [Leica] Leica Quality Control

["B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>]

At 12:20 PM 4/24/99 -0400, you wrote:
>We seem to be expending a tremendous amount of energy discussing this
>topic.  Over the past four years, it seems this has been a constant 10%
>posting topic.
>
>Folks, if you are unhappy with Leica quality, then you have two choices,
>and two choices only:
>
>a)  Buy LOTS of Leica stock.  Own the company, and then YOU can tell them
>what to do.
>
>b)  Sell all your Leica gear and invest in some other system.
>
>Simply bitching about it neither accomplishes much nor, frankly, makes the
>various bitchers sound very nice 

A few quick thoughts:
1. Bitching here serves an extremely important purpose that, quite frankly,
aids Leica - it allows those who have complaints to vent to other Leica
users, and then go about their business - rather than get so frustrated
they mistakening dump Leica in favor of some inferior ( :-) ) brand;

2. Bitching here about QC problems does give those with such problems a
sense of how alone they really are or aren't, as others respond;

3. Given that a number of LUGers contend that this list is closely watched
by either Solms or Leica USA, bitching here is, in effect, bitching to
Leica, and if the folks in Jersey and Solms aren't brain-dead, they will
take note of the types of bitches and look into what problems may or may
not exist;

4. Yes, the LUG represents only a small proportion of Leica users, but it
is an extremely savy, loyal, and picky small proportion. If there are a lot
of complaints among this group of True Believers about a Leica problem,
Solms better believe it has a real problem;

5. There's nothing any more annoying about reading QC complaints on the
list than there is about reading the endless "no good photograph ever has
been or can be taken with anything other than a Leica (or a 40-year-old
Zeiss or Rollei product ;-) ).

Have a good weekend.

B. D.

P. S. Speaking of QC - The mount flange on my 35 ASPH Summilux - the one
that fell apart after a few months and Leica USA put back together -
started to come loose the other day. Yes, I tightened the screws and now it
seems okay, but I have NEVER had that happen with any older L, N, C or O
lens. Are they serving beer in the Solms cafeteria at lunch time these days?