[Leica] The death of quality and support? I must Demur...

[buzz.hausner at verizon.net (Buzz Hausner)]

I must demur.

I always buy my Leica equipment from my friendly local dealer.  The one
time I had difficulty with a new Leica item, a lens, my dealer took it
back with a handshake and a smile and on the spot gave me a replacement
lens in a sealed box.

I grant that "buying local" adds the 5% Massachusetts sales tax onto the
cost of an item, but given my experience, this is a worthy expense.
Certainly there are those among us who don't live anywhere near a Leica
dealer, but in the Boston area we are blessed with five or six from
which to choose.  At least one of these shops has the most astonishing
collection of used equipment and Leica exotica (ever played with an M6
Rooster?) you could imagine seeing spread before you.  (Contact me off
list for names, addresses and directions.)

These local dealers always seem to have plenty of time to discuss
equipment, let me play with the demos, and to parse the latest rumors
from their Leica Central representatives.  They charge the exact same
prices as B & H...sales tax added, but no shipping.  Also, what value
can one place on instant gratification?

	Buzz Hausner

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+buzz.hausner=verizon.net@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+buzz.hausner=verizon.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf
Of Adam Bridge
Sent: Monday, May 17, 2004 4:15 PM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: [Leica] The death of quality and support. Was: HELP WITH M6 TTL

On 5/17/04 <tedgrant@shaw.ca (Ted Grant)> thoughtfully wrote: 
>
>Certainly that would have been the way it was before the internet,
problem
>solved and surprise of surpises ... "you fixed the problem all by
yourself."
>Now for heaven sake people have to ask the internet world about every
>conceivable situation. Doesn't anyone think for themselves anymore?
>

Ted and I have had a brief interchange off-line. As I read both his
original
posting (abstracted above) and his note to me I realized what he's
really
responding to - and it resonates: no one gives quality support any more,
you
don't even remember what it's like, so you have to go to some community
of
people who know in order to find out answers.