Re: [Leica] Demo or Repaired Leica ??

[Harrison McClary <harrison@mcclary.net>]

>
>Is this a Leica USA or Leica Solms politic ?

Lucien,

I was talking with someone at the Leica NJ facility.  It was sometime 
between October and early December last year and I can't remember who it 
was, either a repair tech or customer service person (May have been 
Brenda Oelsin).  I just remember commenting to them I thought the Demo 
camera was a camera that had been used as a Demo unit and I was informed 
that it was a broken/defective camera that had been replaced under the 
passport warranty then brought up to spec and resold as a demo.  Had I 
known this going in I probably would have spent the extra $$$ and bought 
a new body.

During my experiences with Leica I had the devil of a time talking to a 
customer service person, kept getting voice mail and most of the time 
that mail box was full.  I kept telling Leica that I was a professional 
photographer and needed the camera ASAP, (gave references and even sent 
copies of some of some of our magazines and contact info for my agent for 
references) asked for the Leica Pro service application.  Was told 
several times they would send one...never got it.  Turn around on the 
repair was several weeks or longer, which I was annoyed with since I kept 
sending the blasted thing FOR THE SAME problem and they could not fix it; 
had they kept it for several weeks and fixed it I would not have minded 
so much.  I only had the camera to shoot with for a few weeks total 
between the first of October and the end of December.  The last time I 
sent it to NJ they LOST it.  Geesh they really underwhelmed me with their 
concern for this customer.  Heck I get better service at Sears and I find 
their customer relations intolerable.

Later, several months after sending in the camera for the last time and 
they replaced it Ms. Oelsin left a message at my office that the inside 
of the back had gotten some liquid in it and this was causing the 
problems.  Odd as I NEVER subjected my camera to anything wet, never  
used it in the rain.  Just typical Southeastern USA humidity.  They 
allegedly replaced the back, but makes me wonder if the person who had 
the camera originally got something in it.

Leica lenses are fabulous, the M6 is a nice little box, the R8, if it 
worked, was a great camera. But the total lack of concern for doing a 
repair job right I found INEXCUSABLE.  Heck one of the repair techs told 
me "well sometimes it is hard to diagnosis problems when we get the 
camera in shop" Gave me a song and dance about how hard it is to see if 
the computer chip is right...It was that moment I determined to sell all 
Leica SLR and go back to Canon.  If you can't fix the problem DO NOT SEND 
ME BACK THE BROKEN CAMERA!!!!
 

IMHO marketing a refurbished body as a "Demo" is misleading.

Harrison McClary
email: harrison@mcclary.net
http://www.mcclary.net
preview my book: http://www.volmania.com