Lens fail... what now?

[AB007]

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My 35/2.5 is not working. I tried my 70/2.5 on my S2 luckily no problems with that. I need check my 120/2.5 before I call Leica on Monday. I was so lucky to have my D800 as backup otherwise I would have been super upset. I didn't expect lenses to quit working randomly

[John McMaster]

There looks to be no pattern to it other than the 120/2.5 seems the most common failure....

 

john

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[JeffWright]

My 35/2.5 is not working. I tried my 70/2.5 on my S2 luckily no problems with that. I need check my 120/2.5 before I call Leica on Monday. I was so lucky to have my D800 as backup otherwise I would have been super upset. I didn't expect lenses to quit working randomly

 

 

I just had a surprisingly good service experience with a failed 70/2.5 CS. About 15 days turnaround time from US to Germany; sent the lens directly to Germany skipping Leica US

[Jeff S]

I just had a surprisingly good service experience with a failed 70/2.5 CS. About 15 days turnaround time from US to Germany; sent the lens directly to Germany skipping Leica US

 

Did Leica pick up shipping cost?

 

Jeff

[JeffWright]

Did Leica pick up shipping cost?

 

Jeff

 

 

I didn't ask them to do so, perhaps I should have. From prior experience I suspect they would have told me to sent it to New Jersey first.

[RVB]

I just had a surprisingly good service experience with a failed 70/2.5 CS. About 15 days turnaround time from US to Germany; sent the lens directly to Germany skipping Leica US

 

Jeff, how did you deal with the US customs when sending and receiving the lens?

 

Rob

[JeffWright]

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Jeff, how did you deal with the US customs when sending and receiving the lens?

 

Rob

 

 

There's a particular code and forms you use when sending for repair or replacement (form is CBP 4455); I think I looked it up on line, or the FedEx shipping tool spoon fed it to me. The EU also wants a form, which you can email to Leica prior to shipping. Leica has instructions on the website. On return shipping, UPS charged me import and brokerage fees  , but I pointed out the error over a couple of phone calls and finally got it resolved in the form of a refund. In the past I have had problems with both FedEx and UPS trying to improperly collect import fees. Because those are services they subcontract out, the shippers aren't terribly sympathetic or helpful. USPS is much less efficient at collecting duty, even when it's owed. Unfortunately, in my neck of the woods, they are also much less efficient than FedEx or UPS in delivery. 

[erlingmm]

It is recommended that you go through local dealer/importer, they picked up all costs for me.

[John McMaster]

The NJ office is not getting glowing reports from Leica owners I know in the USA...

 

john

[R3D-D0T]

The NJ office is not getting glowing reports from Leica owners I know in the USA...

 

john

 

 

The lack of any communication from their NJ office is frankly unacceptable.

I don't think it's worth investing so much into an already risky system for such apathetic support.

[JeffWright]

It is recommended that you go through local dealer/importer, they picked up all costs for me.

 

 

That's nice if you have a local dealer. My local dealer went out of business. I'll probably start using the Miami Leica Store now as my 'dealer', and that's only about a 15 hour drive, so kind of hard to drop it off, eh? Shipping costs and times from here to Germany are nominally worse than here to Miami (1 flight to each place, 1 day longer due to customs and flight time for Germany, about $30 more).

 

The US service center in New Jersey is very unsatisfactory at last check, I've never even had an estimate for repair costs get to me faster than 2 weeks. They have never offered to pay my shipping costs to them, and return shipping costs were always charged to me, with one in-warranty exception. The Wetzlar service center was great to deal with--quick communication, online service tracking.