Another Leica USA repair nightmare (OK ending)

[frank_revi]

<p>This past summer, I was walking around Folsom Lake. Long story short, I got a dollop of very fine silty lakebottom sand splashed onto my Leica right where the lens (50mm Summilux) meets the body.  Got right into the lens barrel, at a slight touch I could feel it grinding, so I didn't touch it further and sent the whole thing back to Leica USA in New Jersey to have it cleaned.</p>

<p>Approximately 7 weeks after approving the repair, after hearing nothing from Leica, I emailed to ask about the status of the work. The reply came back 3 days later that the body was in the mail (it was), but the lens was "...not yet complete. They are working on it. As soon as it is complete it will be shipped back..."  Pardon me, but the response to "please tell me when it will be returned", "When it's ready", is at best rude.  But hey, it's not like I'm Jim Marshall or Sebastio Salgado, maybe I'm expecting too much from such a famous company.  Leica's kind of old school, maybe a 7 week wait for some of the gear to be returned and a don't-call-us attitude about the rest is...normal...?</p>

<p>Four weeks later - for a total of almost three months since it was sent in - the lens arrives (with no contact from Leica in the meantime).  Overjoyed, I remove the lens from its heat-sealed transport bag and check it out - focus is very smooth; but wait, what's this new feeling, this resistance in the aperture ring, it won't even go  to f11.  Looking down the lens barrel, it's clear to see that the diaphragm blades are somewhat scrambled, bending out of the aperture plane, the hole itself is a strange oblong shape, grotesque....</p>

<p>Yes, after three months, they'd sent my lens back with a freshly broken diaphragm.  Think about this. Who worked on this lens? How could anyone not notice such an obvious problem? How, after THREE MONTHS, could they send it back to a customer like this? Do they have any quality control at all? What does this say about Leica, the most prestigious camera company in the world?</p>

<p>Not wanting to deal any further with Leica USA, I sent an email to Leica Germany explaining the situation and asking for them to replace the lens.  The result of that was a voicemail from Dave Elwell, head of Customer Service at Leica USA, "...sorry if [i was] not satisfied with the repair work"... and giving his phone number. Incidentally, doing some web surfing about Lieca repair at this point is how I found photo.net....</p>

<p>I spoke with Dave, who had no explanation for how this could have happened. I asked nicely if they had any quality control over there, and Dave explained that sometimes they do spot checks on outgoing repairs, but mostly they rely on the quality and experience of their repair technicians, because checking everything would be too expensive. It sounded like he said this with a straight face. (I did not ask Dave if it would be reasonable to expect, for a $2500 50mm lens, for it to be checked over a little, much less repaired properly in the first place.)  Dave offered, if I would send the lens back to New Jersey to his attention, that it would be repaired properly and checked by a supervisor before being returned in a timely manner. Against my better judgement I accepted this offer and sent the lens back via 2-day air, with a note asking for the lens to be put on an optical bench and verified to be within spec and to provide me with a report of this.</p>

<p>Dave politely sent me an email letting me know that they'd received the lens and that it was expected to be done within a week and go out before Thanksgiving. He sent another email letting me know that it had been overnighted and would in fact arrive the day before Thanksgiving, which it did.  No optical report was included, however.  The lens looks and feels great at this point, and after being asked via email, Dave said that the lens had been checked and verified to be within spec.</p>

<p>I think I'll be sending my Leica elsewhere if it ever needs further work.</p>

 

[ronald_moravec1]

<p>Now you see why DAG, Sherry, and John do a booming business.</p>

<p>You need to be very careful if you send them some of the latest lenses because even Leica USA does not have the proper tools to do all the work on them, at least that was true at one time.  These were the aspherics and or APOs. Leica USA had to return them to Germany.  Maybe this explains why the long wait.  It should not be as it goes air freight and two days each way door to door would be about right assuming no customs problems occur.</p>

<p>In their defense, I will say they have a hard time keeping techs.   It is like auto repair,  most people who are in smart enough to be good at that work, will not go into that business.  The exceptions are listed above.</p>

 

[emraphoto]

<p>after 15 years of shooting m's I recently bailed on leica due to far too many stories of this nature( combined with my own 2 month ordeal trying to get my hands on my brand new $5,000 camera that wasn't functioning right the first time i used it).</p>

<p> </p>

[SCL]

<p>Ditto what Ron said. After 6 months to get a meter repaired at Leica USA (about 10 years ago), I switched to DAG and have never looked back.</p>

[Robin Smith]

<p>A better option in the past was to ship it direct to Leica Solms, where they do a great job and very professionally, although not perhaps with "US style" customer relations. I too would recommend DAG, who is excellent.</p>

[SolaresLarrave]

<p>The soul of this operation is Dave Elwell.  Every time I have a gear or compatibility question, I check with him.  When I wanted a vented hood for my Elmarit 28mm, he got me one and shipped it quickly to my home.  When I asked him about the cost of the PC caps for my Leica bodies (I lost one), he sent me a free replacement.  If I ever need to send a camera to Leica for any reason, I'll contact him first.  </p>

[jeff_z.]

<p>For anyone needing Leica work you might try Terry Grandfield. He's done great work for me, albeit non-Leica, but I know that he is one of the few people qualified to do the cloth-curtain shutter repairs on Leica. In one instance he had to fabricate a part for a telephoto lens as it was not available anymore; quite impressive. His prices were very reasonable, too.<br>

http://www.southernexposurecamerarepair.com/</p>

[galileo42]

<p>This is depressing. There are countless horror stories with Leica USA. I'm very nervous at the thought of my M8 maybe breaking and havng to send it to these people. Did you notice that bad attitude almost invariably goes with incompetence and calelessness?</p>

<p>BTW, there is also Gerry Smith, at Kinderman in Toronto. He does a heck of a good job.</p>

[akochanowski]

<p>This was one of the reasons I sold my M7 and a couple of lenses after about a year and a half of use. I had the Leica Passport warranty on the 50/1.4 which came tumbling down on a brick road along with its owner one day. I sent it off to Leica NJ. A few weeks later I gut an "estimate" of damage repair of about $500. I called and asked WTF, and after a few back and forths got an acknowledgment that the repair would be covered under the warranty. So off it went to Germany where it promptly disappeared from anyone's consciousness. After about 3 months, I started emailing the corporate suits anywhere I could find them and letting them know how displeased I was and how US consumer laws work around here. Miraculously the lens was found within a week, and I got it back  a month or so later. Mind you, all that had been damaged on it was the retractable hood, and it needed no optical disassembly at all. I found the whole experience ridiculous. And don't even get me started on the "authorized dealer"  experience. Little wonder their new camera sales these days are sustained by newbies and rich dentists.</p>

[brucecahn]

<p>Ronald: Who is DAG and how may he or it be contacted? Won't bore you with the details, but I had a bad Leica USA repair experience this year too.</p>

[SCL]

<p>In case Ron misses the quest. it is Donald Goldberg: www.dagcam@chorus.net<br>

address 2128 Vintage Dr., Oregon, WI 53515. Check his website..he has lots of info on service, parts, etc. www.dagcamera.com</p>

[brucecahn]

<p>Thanks Stephen</p>

[amorteguy]

<p>DAG or Sherry. The only choices. I say that having never used DAG, but I say that with experience and total confidence in Sherry. You didn't ask, but here's her info for you (or others) who need Leica assistance.<br>

~<br>

Sherry Kräuter (Golden Touch Camera Repair)<br />118 Purgatory Road<br />Campbell Hall, NY 10916<br>

~<br>

Email: repair (at) sherrykrauter.com</p>

[alan_wilder1]

<p>Don (DAG) does great work and his prices are very reasonable BUT don't expect a fast turnaround and be advised his estimates on repair completion time can be overly optimistic. He's a one man operation and his popularity makes turnaround quite slow, typically three months or more. I once asked he would give me any break in price for a recent big referral and he jokingly responded that he should charge me more.</p>