[Leica] Solms Service

[red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Filippone)]

I come from the Marketing and Sales side of the business in upper 
management.  Most companies I have worked for are Fortune 500.
They all have had monthly executive meetings to discuss the various aspects 
of business.  One of them is service.  Rarely has anyone
put resources in to service as it declines, especially when funds are tight.

Do I have direct knowledge of Leica?  No.  

However I pay attention to their track record, the complaints of their 
customers, the fact that several of the LUG members seem to
have the contacts to reach inside Leica and get what they want ( and 
therefore the uppers do know that there is some level of
complaints that can not be addressed through normal channels), and the 
business man inside me says... they know, but have no fiscal
way or no idea of how to fix it.  It costs money to fix customer service 
problems..... loaners cost money, repair techs cost money,
training techs is probably the most expensive problem, especially in the new 
M8 and DMR world.  They don't have spare change, no
less real money to fix these things.  On top of that, everyone in the SLR 
world wants a new Digital R10 with AF, same lens mount,
using the same old lenses, etc. etc. etc.  Where would you spend your 
dollars?  R+D for the future, or in spare M8 bodies to lend
out to customers that have already paid their drachmas?

The M8 is a problem in the service area.  We have pretty good documentation 
of that.  However, Leica has never been good... I had an
M6 in for a CLA and they put on someone else's body shell... it had a 
honking big dent in it that precluded the use of film on the
camera.  Did I get a loaner?  No.  Apology?  No.  I got my camera repaired 
in a few weeks.  Others, Brian and SD among them, have
had problems with customer service... lenses go missing for months into the 
Leica repair department....   Some of them brand new and
under US Passport Warranty.

No, it is not acceptable, but if you want the worlds' best glass, you learn 
to tolerate it......as best you can.

Or just use film.

Frank Filippone
red735i@earthlink.net 


Do you really know if they know that U.S. customers are getting such
poor service? What evidence do you have other than wanting to make
them out to be like most companies? (I completely understand that)


Dave