[Leica] Broken Leicas

[lrzeitlin at gmail.com (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

Just a question. What happens to all the broken Leicas that have been
returned? As I understand it, under US law a refurbished product cannot be
resold as "new." In the consumer electronics industry refurbished TVs, hi-fi
receivers and amplifiers, video recorders that have been fixed by the
manufacturer are sold as "B" stock and must be clearly labeled as
refurbished. The selling price is usually a good deal below the new price. I
have a house full of "B" stock Sony electronics bought at a Sony outlet
store.  My local electronics guru tells me that the quality is often better
than new since the weak components have been replaced and the device is
tested more thoroughly than newly manufactured products. Is there a Leica
outlet store somewhere? Do the broken Leicas get disassembled and the parts
fitted to new cameras? Are they kept as spares for repairs? Are the cameras
fixed and sent back to dissatisfied customers that want replacements?
Enquiring minds want to know.
Larry Z