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Leica repair wait times


jsl757

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I sent my MP240 to Leica in New Jersey 4 weeks ago for a focusing issue and haven't heard back yet. I called and left a message a few days ago but never received a call back and today I was put on hold for 10 min just to leave another message. Is this normal for them? Does anybody know how long repairs usually take? 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

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I called and left a message a few days ago but never received a call back and today I was put on hold for 10 min just to leave another message. Is this normal for them? Does anybody know how long repairs usually take? 

 

Unfortunately this seems to be normal with Leica, New Jersey.  In my dealings with them it became clear that there is no real repair tracking system.  They first assign a repair order number which goes into their system and is used to track your repair.  Next is a repair note which contains the assessment of needed repairs and (I assume) requires an authorization to proceed if costs are involved.  These are received by the customer via email. After that the item disappears into a black hole - (seriously) - by that I mean that no more information regarding the repair is available in their system until repairs are completed at the item is ready to be shipped back.  So if you call Customer Care to inquire as to the status of your repair they can tell you if it has been assigned a repair order number, if it has been assessed for needed repairs, or that it is on its way back to you.  Beyond that they have no information.  So if you want to know how long your repair will take all they can quote is the typical time for such repairs.  They can't tell you if it is currently on the repair bench (unless they leave their desk and go talk to the technician).  They don't know if your repair is next in line or if there are 20 others ahead of you and they have no way of finding out.  My impression is the Customer Care folk are very busy responding to customers whose questions they can answer.  The questions they can't answer seem to get ignored.

 

Unlike automobile dealer service centers, which are profit centers and often generate more revenue than the sales department, factory camera repair centers are overhead expense.  Overhead costs are something that managers are highly incentivized to keep at a minimum.  So they are often minimally staffed and poorly supported.

Edited by Luke_Miller
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Unfortunately this seems to be normal with Leica, New Jersey.  In my dealings with them it became clear that there is no real repair tracking system.  They first assign a repair order number which goes into their system and is used to track your repair.  Next is a repair note which contains the assessment of needed repairs and (I assume) requires an authorization to proceed if costs are involved.  These are received by the customer via email. After that the item disappears into a black hole - (seriously) - by that I mean that no more information regarding the repair is available in their system until repairs are completed at the item is ready to be shipped back.  So if you call Customer Care to inquire as to the status of your repair they can tell you if it has been assigned a repair order number, if it has been assessed for needed repairs, or that it is on its way back to you.  Beyond that they have no information.  So if you want to know how long your repair will take all they can quote is the typical time for such repairs.  They can't tell you if it is currently on the repair bench (unless they leave their desk and go talk to the technician).  They don't know if your repair is next in line or if there are 20 others ahead of you and they have no way of finding out.  My impression is the Customer Care folk are very busy responding to customers whose questions they can answer.  The questions they can't answer seem to get ignored.

 

Unlike automobile dealer service centers, which are profit centers and often generate more revenue than the sales department, factory camera repair centers are overhead expense.  Overhead costs are something that managers are highly incentivized to keep at a minimum.  So they are often minimally staffed and poorly supported.

 

 

I agree with this assessment having sent my camera into nj twice in my two years of ownership of my leica m240. The last time I physically dropped the camera off to NJ and requested to be called so I can physically pick it up. A month and a few weeks later I received an email that my camera was being shipped and would arrive the next day. Saved me a trip but I wish they would have let me pick it up or at least let me know when the repair was going to be done, etc. But hey it's Leica, they have such a small repair staff there... 

Edited by Future2001
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Unlike automobile dealer service centers, which are profit centers and often generate more revenue than the sales department, factory camera repair centers are overhead expense.  Overhead costs are something that managers are highly incentivized to keep at a minimum.  So they are often minimally staffed and poorly supported.

I believe this is a solvable business problem. Are they pricing their services properly? If not then justifying additional headcount would be difficult. On the other hand if they only see intermittent backlogs it is hard to justify staffing up and training a new person if they are only dealing with peak in demand.

 

My M-P needs to go in for CLA but I'm waiting for my T to get back from service where it has been for some time. My normal plan B would be to buy a used M240 to use in the mean time then resell it for about the purchase price on eBay when the M-P comes back but with the potential new camera announcements at Photkina and now possibly on Sept 30 I worry about the stability of the market.

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I believe this is a solvable business problem. Are they pricing their services properly? If not then justifying additional headcount would be difficult. On the other hand if they only see intermittent backlogs it is hard to justify staffing up and training a new person if they are only dealing with peak in demand.

 

 I suspect the M9/M-E/Monochrom sensor replacement program has created a peak load situation, which is causing increased repair times for all customers.  Leica most likely does not want to add staff for a relatively temporary situation.  Since fully qualified Leica repair technicians are most likely not readily available in the job market, adding new staff requires training and supervision by current staff, which reduces their productivity.  While some repairs are out-of-warranty and done at the customer's expense, I have to believe the revenue is but a fraction of the cost of the repair operation.  An organization funded out of overhead experiences the natural conflict between having enough staff to keep customers happy and keeping the cost of that staff low enough to keep the accountants happy.   

 

I can accept the current repair time if I knew what it was.  I have no doubt that Leica, New Jersey knows exactly what is in their new product warehouse and exactly where it is located.  Providing that same level of inventory management to the repair side of the house would allow the Customer Care staff to answer repair questions more easily and accurately.  That would go a long way in helping customers set realistic expectations as to when they will get the repaired item back.  But that requires some investment.

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I suspect the M9/M-E/Monochrom sensor replacement program has created a peak load situation, which is causing increased repair times for all customers. Leica most likely does not want to add staff for a relatively temporary situation. Since fully qualified Leica repair technicians are most likely not readily available in the job market, adding new staff requires training and supervision by current staff, which reduces their productivity. While some repairs are out-of-warranty and done at the customer's expense, I have to believe the revenue is but a fraction of the cost of the repair operation. An organization funded out of overhead experiences the natural conflict between having enough staff to keep customers happy and keeping the cost of that staff low enough to keep the accountants happy.

 

I can accept the current repair time if I knew what it was. I have no doubt that Leica, New Jersey knows exactly what is in their new product warehouse and exactly where it is located. Providing that same level of inventory management to the repair side of the house would allow the Customer Care staff to answer repair questions more easily and accurately. That would go a long way in helping customers set realistic expectations as to when they will get the repaired item back. But that requires some investment.

You would be disappointed to see your camera in que for 2-3 months and then a technician repaired it in 15 minutes. Another 2 weeks to prepare for shipping and shipping

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As a comparison from this side of the water: a lens rebuild a couple of years ago took 3 months, advised in advance. A factory RF calibration of a body and lens took a bit less than 6 weeks, again advised in advance. Yes, I'd like it shorter, but knowing it would take that time was a help. In both cases I dropped the kit off at Leica in London (where, unlike NJ, they don't do repairs AFAIK).

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  • 2 weeks later...

if i told you that leica usa in allendale had my monochrom for 14 months would you believe it?   and that was after it was sent to me as completed in the 3rd month...i received a camera in which the sensor looked even more flawed than when i brought it in...

 

luckily,  i had received a loaner from them and was thus (more or less) unaffected...but after a year went by - i certainly was wondering!  it seems they have had some serious personnel issues which have caused some internal chaos...

 

in any case, is now completed!    

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if i told you that leica usa in allendale had my monochrom for 14 months would you believe it?   and that was after it was sent to me as completed in the 3rd month...i received a camera in which the sensor looked even more flawed than when i brought it in...

 

luckily,  i had received a loaner from them and was thus (more or less) unaffected...but after a year went by - i certainly was wondering!  it seems they have had some serious personnel issues which have caused some internal chaos...

 

in any case, is now completed!    

 

 

I would have started demanding a new camera from four months into that saga...

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It depends, Leica do have a 'professional service' in that if you are a working photographer and can send them your company number and VAT details etc then repairs etc are usually 'within a week'. On the two occasions I've needed repairs they have organised DHL and dropped it back in under 7 days

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Last time I sent something to Leica in NJ (my 50mm Summilux ASPH) it took the 6 months to repair it and send it back. 

 

More recently I was going to send my M-P in for a rangefinder adjustment (under warranty) and I was told that I was better off to pay a local repair shop to do the work, since Leica had switched to some new software that was causing a massive backlog (how, I do not know). I got the local shot to do it and had the camera back in two days. 

 

It depends, Leica do have a 'professional service' in that if you are a working photographer and can send them your company number and VAT details etc then repairs etc are usually 'within a week'. On the two occasions I've needed repairs they have organised DHL and dropped it back in under 7 days

They don't seem to have this service in the USA, or at least it's never been offered to me as a working photographer. 

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I'll definitely update this thread once I receive my camera back, but I'm still waiting at the moment.

I emailed customer care last week who in turn forwarded my email it to their estimates department but I still haven't heard a response yet.

 

It would be nice if Leica offered a time range for repairs so customers would know what to expect.

Edited by jsl757
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I agree with this assessment having sent my camera into nj twice in my two years of ownership of my leica m240. The last time I physically dropped the camera off to NJ and requested to be called so I can physically pick it up. A month and a few weeks later I received an email that my camera was being shipped and would arrive the next day. Saved me a trip but I wish they would have let me pick it up or at least let me know when the repair was going to be done, etc. But hey it's Leica, they have such a small repair staff there...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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I received my camera back today!

 

It took 7.5 weeks from delivery in NJ to receiving it back in my hands. In that time frame I received two emails, one once it was received and one from UPS with a tracking number for delivery. They didn't tell me what the issue was with my MP240 but it appears to be fixed and I'm excited to use it again.

 

Thanks all!

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I received my camera back today!

 

It took 7.5 weeks from delivery in NJ to receiving it back in my hands. In that time frame I received two emails, one once it was received and one from UPS with a tracking number for delivery. They didn't tell me what the issue was with my MP240 but it appears to be fixed and I'm excited to use it again.

 

Thanks all!

Hmmm... did you receive a mail immediately after they received it? I have sent my camera (infinity focus with long lens) to NJ and it has been two days since they received it. But no email. I will call them tomorrow.
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  • 1 month later...

I sent my 50 Summilux FLE into New Jersey on 11/18/16 (UPS standard) and just received it today!  

 

It went in for a loose mount and I asked if it could be made to focus smoother without the FLE bump.  Back today and its focus is smooth and silky and the mount is solid.  

 

I'm impressed with 3 1/2 weeks including shipping times and holiday(Thanksgiving).

 

Rick

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