Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/10/03

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Subject: [Leica] M8 owners, please help me out - did it come with a warranty card?
From: red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Filippone)
Date: Fri Oct 3 08:28:54 2008
References: <48E55A3A.3070000@sympatico.ca> <48E560A9.1090205@san.rr.com> <00fb01c9251e$956105a0$c02310e0$@net> <A880BDDE6489451CB062673AE3DA14E7@dadquad>

A "gimmick" I remember was the rebate from the M6 I bought.  To get the
money, the dealer sent your name + address to Leica, the $$$ came back to
you.  Camera registered, whether you filled out the card or not.  Optional?
Maybe, but who would turn down $100?  There were a few more after this.....
the M8 free filter was another.....   Want 3 free $150 filters?  Send us
your name.....  Sounds easy and simple... camera registered, warranty
started.  No gaming.  I actually applaud it as being efficient and accurate.

The problem they had was in NOT filling in the cards on original purchase,
and using final sending in of the card as the purchase date.  I have ( note
present tense) a set of binoculars that were made in the early 90's.  The
warranty card is not filled out.  I bought them from another Lugger.  If I
fill out that cards, even though I am the second owner, I have warranty
service.  ( Lifetime to the original purchaser... just fill out the card.)
Leica was getting M3's back as originally bought in 1990 ( or other date)
and having to do warranty work on what was basically a consumer scam.  They
wanted to stop that behavior..... and cost.  I still see ads in Ebay that
offer unfilled warranty cards on old M cameras..... fill out the warranty
card and you have a newly filed warranty.

Yes, Vick can help the new buyer with warranty issues.... but in doing so,
in essence, Vick is scamming Leica.  Contractually legal?  No.   Would it
work?  Probably.  As long as Vick does not move to Vancouver ( which is
where I think he does live)  and the buyer to Toronto......  logistics, and
all that.

The US Warranty is not transferrable.  Never was.  Something I do object
to.....

No, I find no nefarious actions on Leica.....at all.

BTW, did you know that Leica tried to stop the resale of items through their
dealer network?  As dealers needed cash, bought too much stuff, or otherwise
wanted to move merchandise, they buy and sell to each other.
The cameras in the USA are all tracked.  Sold originally to dealer A, would
be warranted registered as bought through dealer B.  It actually was driving
Leica nuts.  They wanted to be able to know which dealer was really selling
the stuff, and really tried to follow the selling trail.  They made some
attempts to stop the practice ( a far off version of grey market goods
selling) but finally gave up.... and laid it back on the buyer.....  "from
an authorized Leica dealer"......   You need to buy directly from an
authorized dealer to get a warranty......  So you need to KNOW who is a
authorized dealer.....   and before the Internet, this was a big
deal......and I am not so sure that it is not a big deal now!  US law now
cuts through this somewhat.   ( Long, and somewhat boring technical
explanation..) 

This all had to do with the exclusive agent principle, company fiefdoms, and
the fact that at each fiefdom, a profit was expected.  So the fiefdom tried
to prevent the inter-country sale of items... read that as problems with
prices in Belguim being 50% higher than Denmark ( I got the countries
wrong... principle holds) because the country President of Leica Belgium
wanted to make more money than the country President of Leica Denmark.
Ditto the sale of a camera in Belgium being serviced in Denmark..... more
hassle.....  all nonsense.

Leica's warranty conditions are both archaic and unfriendly to
consumers.......   they should be the same conditions, terms, and , world
wide.  

Frank Filippone
red735i@earthlink.net


-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+red735i=earthlink.net@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+red735i=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
Geoff Hopkinson
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2008 1:44 AM
To: 'Leica Users Group'
Subject: RE: [Leica] M8 owners, please help me out - did it come with a
warranty card?

Frank, to me that seems a very cynical way of looking at things.
Registration is optional. If you choose to do so then Leica sent you two
filters. That sounds like pretty positive action by the company to make
amends for the design shortcoming.  I also get useful email that I opted
into. Just what is Leica going to do with our names once we hand them over
that offends you? In my case I messed up my order for the two free filters
and e-mailed Leica to say that I got it wrong. I got a very rapid response
(next business day) from Leica that my mistake was corrected and then
received my filters in fact very rapidly FedEx to me.
IF the new owner, who is apparently a fellow Canadian known to Vick, had a
problem then it would seem simple for Vick to assist with any camera return
to the service agent.


Cheers
Geoff
Aber Masse kann Klasse nicht ersetzen....Aber die R10 kommt. 
http://www.pbase.com/hoppyman/e
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/gh/

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
Frank Filippone
Sent: Friday, 3 October 2008 16:09
To: 'Leica Users Group'
Subject: RE: [Leica] M8 owners,please help me out - did it come with a
warranty card?

What he said...... 

And to boot, Leica has long since used gimmicks to get the name of the
original purchaser.. like the free filters.....

The new owner has no warranty.  ( or so I interpret the "rules").

Frank Filippone
red735i@earthlink.net


Vick,

Since the buyer is not the original owner,  what does it matter.

Just cut the price another Kilobuck to make up for it. :-)

Jerry


Vick Ko wrote:
> M8 owners, please help me out - did it come with a warranty card?
>
> I'm packing up the M8 for the new owner, and I can't find the freaking 
> card.
>
> I think I have everything else.
>
> Did the M8 come with a separate warranty card?
>
> I do have the inspection card, which has the s/n, and the store's 
> original bill.
>
> Vick
>
>


_______________________________________________
Leica Users Group.
See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information



_______________________________________________
Leica Users Group.
See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information



_______________________________________________
Leica Users Group.
See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information



Replies: Reply from glehrer at san.rr.com (Jerry Lehrer) ([Leica] M8 owners, please help me out - did it come with a warranty card?)
In reply to: Message from vick.ko at sympatico.ca (Vick Ko) ([Leica] M8 owners, please help me out - did it come with a warranty card?)
Message from glehrer at san.rr.com (Jerry Lehrer) ([Leica] M8 owners, please help me out - did it come with a warranty card?)
Message from red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Filippone) ([Leica] M8 owners, please help me out - did it come with a warranty card?)
Message from hoppyman at bigpond.net.au (Geoff Hopkinson) ([Leica] M8 owners, please help me out - did it come with a warranty card?)