Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/01/19

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Tri Elmar Repair
From: "Kit McChesney | Acmefoto" <kitmc@acmefoto.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 00:26:33 -0700

John et al--

One more point. Equipment bought from an authorized distributor CAN indeed
be gray market. If a U.S. dealer sells products that are not intended for
the U.S. market, and sells them in the U.S. to customers who assume they are
U.S. products, that is gray market. There are plenty of authorized dealers
who sell gray market products alongside their authorized U.S. products, you
bet there are.

There are ways to discern if the product is gray, but the best way is to
check the serial number with Leica; one can also check to see if the product
contains the documentation and the packaging that comes with a U.S. product.
But the serial number is the determining factor.

Kit McChesney

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acmefoto | acme online sales, inc
post office box 777 | louisville, colorado 80027 usa
www.acmefoto.com | kitmc@acmefoto.com
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- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of John
Collier
Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2003 11:06 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] Tri Elmar Repair


Any equipment bought from an authorized distributor anywhere in the
world can be repaired under warranty (typically two years) at any
official distributor's repair facilities. Assuming that the repair
facility has the ability to do the repairs. Equipment bought from an
authorized distributor is not grey.

Apparently the Tri-E has been very difficult to repair in the field and
now all such repairs go to Leica Germany. At least that is what Leica
USA told the owner of the lens. I see no reason to doubt them. Leica
USA has said in the past that repairs on grey equipment have to be paid
for by the customer. The customer has the option of having Leica USA
ship the equipment, at the customer's expense, to Leica Germany for
warranty repairs.

This is all extensively covered in the archives where you find a
statement from Leica USA, kindly relayed to us by Sal DiMarco, to that
effect.

Passport warranty is nothing but a glamourous insurance policy. At
times quite useful but mostly window dressing. The two most likely
causes of loss, fire and theft, are not covered.

John Collier

On Sunday, January 19, 2003, at 07:44 PM, Kit McChesney | Acmefoto
wrote:

> Mike--
>
> Because you bought the lens in Germany, and not in the U.S., your
> warranty
> must be serviced in Germany, rather than by Leica USA. All non-U.S.
> warranties are international warranties, and Leica USA does not honor
> them
> (re: pay for repairs). They will forward the camera or lens on to
> Germany
> for you, which will save you shipping costs, but they will not service
> the
> product under the warranty. If you want to pay for the service, they
> will
> undertake the repair in the U.S. There is a U.S. repair facility, and
> they
> can undertake repairs of any Leica product, but they only provide free
> or
> warranty coverage for Leica USA products.
>
> Conversely, if you bought your lens or camera in the U.S., with a full
> Leica
> USA Passport Protection Plan warranty, and were outside the U.S. and
> needed
> a warranty repair, Leica AG (Germany) would be happy to repair the
> product
> for you for a fee, but would not honor the USA warranty. Leica USA
> will not
> pay for warranty repairs on non-USA products; likewise, Leica AG will
> not
> pay for repairs on USA Passport Protection Plan warranties.
>
> This is why the USA Passport Protection Plan warranty is so valuable,
> especially for U.S. buyers, and why so many non-U.S. buyers will
> purchase a
> Leica USA product. Even with the extra shipping costs from outside the
> U.S.,
> the USA warranty makes it more than worth it.
>
> This illustrates another reason why it is always important to be sure
> that
> you haven't bought a "gray market" product in the U.S. that is not a
> genuine
> Leica USA warrantied product. The USA warranty is the best in the
> world. It
> is also more comprehensive than a standard international warranty,
> covering
> accidents like dropped equipment, etc.

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