ioriw Posted December 11, 2006 Share #1 Posted December 11, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm a brit student living in Germany and I registered on the website whenever it opened last week. This morning I got a call from Leica Customer Service... 'to arrange your pick up'... (Now if I hadn't been reading these forums, I would have absolutely *no* idea what the lady was talking about since I have had no letters or calls from anyone... the registration site was about ordering filters, no mention of any recall or return or .... anything like that. Right?) Anyhow, OK, I went with it, I know what's going on, so I said as soon as possible is fine, so DHL are coming (some time, don't know what time) tomorrow to take it away from me... I asked about turnaround and she said around ten days. Cool. Now the interesting bit. She said 'OK. Goodbye!'. I said, 'Er, oh just one thing, are you offering a lens discount scheme?'. She said, 'You registered on the website, so it told you your filters would be with you next year'... 'Er, yes, but are you offering a 30% discount on a new lens for M8 customers?'... Her reply was 'No. Goodbye...' I would have liked to have been told why my camera is being picked up and what exactly will be done to it. That's all. I don't expect any freebies but I do expect to be treated the same as anyone else who laid down US$5,540.70 cash (in my case, in Euros) and who may or may not get a letter, a call from a dealer, or an offer of 30% off a new Lens. So far I've had none of those things, so I'm thankful for this forum. It's early days, lets see what happens. In the meantime what exactly will they do to my sensor to eliminate the banding? How come the solution came so quickly? iori Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 11, 2006 Posted December 11, 2006 Hi ioriw, Take a look here Leica calling.... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
frc Posted December 11, 2006 Share #2 Posted December 11, 2006 Hmmm. strange call. Well, the speed Leica has shown in finding a solution for the banding on the M8 doesn't surprise me. It was, to my knowledge, a software-bug that only required recomputing. Another reason for the speed may be that they are trying to minimise the damage to their reputation. There was a lot of frustation and anger among the new owners, this was clearly expressed on the internet. Leica needs this cam to be a succes. About the 30% discount, as I understood everyone that bought the M8 in 2006 would benefit from this offer. Stange that they deny this by phone, but do realise that the people on the phone are trained to not promise anything that they are not certain about. Check this again by mail or at your local dealer. Fr. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
guywalder Posted December 11, 2006 Share #3 Posted December 11, 2006 Hi Lori, I'm also a brit in germany. I suggest you go to the shop where you bought the camera and talk to them about what Leica are offering their valued customers who have had to suffer these teething problems. I dropped by my local dealer at the weekend, and it was interesting to hear what was what from a source other than the web discussions (interesting as they are!). Apparently the re-work is a couple of hours per camera, and its a hardware change of some sort. If it was software I would have expected it to be fixed via firmware and not need a return to Solms, but hey, I'm no expert! Guy Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billh Posted December 11, 2006 Share #4 Posted December 11, 2006 Hmmm. strange call.Well, the speed Leica has shown in finding a solution for the banding on the M8 doesn't surprise me. It was, to my knowledge, a software-bug that only required recomputing. Fr. Actually it is a hardware replacement too, a new sensor board. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted December 11, 2006 Share #5 Posted December 11, 2006 If they could have solved it in firmware, they would have done. The expense and effort of a hardware recall was likely a last resort. My reading of the announcement was that the hardware change was required to ensure reliable operation, for example, as the harware ages. It's tough to know exactly what they are changing but I believe it's been said before that the sensor itself is not being replaced. As regards the 30%, it's quite possible that you were not even speaking to someone from Leica. They may well have contracted with DHL to make initial contact and arrange pickup, so called Business Process Outsourcing and in that situation, beyond some basic FAQs, the Agent might not even know what an M8 is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_x2004 Posted December 11, 2006 Share #6 Posted December 11, 2006 Just make sure you guys have my address right. I mean Leicas address right. Its PO Box 30 ............... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioriw Posted December 11, 2006 Author Share #7 Posted December 11, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) Of course I realise the sensor will not be replaced, a sensor could take a year or more to re-engineer and manufacture. Perhaps I should have said sensor-board. I agree with your reading of the 'note for users' Mark, I just wonder if this 'cure' will have any side-effects we don't know about, as it seems to have been cooked up surprisingly quickly, given the 2-4yr development time of v1, v1.1 is with us within weeks. I also realise the online announcement mentioned making an appointment for the camera to be 'cured' (!) but if I hadn't been an internet user and making an effort to check announcements and forums, I would be completely in the dark at this point. Yes that might be my dealers fault. But still. It may have been some contracted call centre at the other end but the lady introduced herself as Leica Customer Service, so I had to slip that little question in at the end... iori Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riley Posted December 11, 2006 Share #8 Posted December 11, 2006 more likely to score a bomb than an M8 i think Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott kirkpatrick Posted December 11, 2006 Share #9 Posted December 11, 2006 The dealer letter said that registrants up to dec 31 would receive a personal letter from Steven K. Lee, the Leica Camera CEO, that Mr. Lee would offer the 30% discount. So perhaps that is why the folks lower down in the supply chain are so mysterious about this. scott Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
frc Posted December 11, 2006 Share #10 Posted December 11, 2006 Iy's a hardware mod, OK, sorry for the confusing mistake. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted December 11, 2006 Share #11 Posted December 11, 2006 Hmmm. strange call.Well, the speed Leica has shown in finding a solution for the banding on the M8 doesn't surprise me. It was, to my knowledge, a software-bug that only required recomputing. Another reason for the speed may be that they are trying to minimise the damage to their reputation. There was a lot of frustation and anger among the new owners, this was clearly expressed on the internet. Leica needs this cam to be a succes. About the 30% discount, as I understood everyone that bought the M8 in 2006 would benefit from this offer. Stange that they deny this by phone, but do realise that the people on the phone are trained to not promise anything that they are not certain about. Check this again by mail or at your local dealer. Fr. Not a software bug actually, it requires a hardware change which is why the cameras have to go to Germany. Cheers, Sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
enboe Posted December 11, 2006 Share #12 Posted December 11, 2006 O.K. Maybe I'm a bit paranoid, but it would not be inconceivable for someone to run a scam where they pick your name from the forum, get your address of the web, and "contact" you to confirm DHL pickup. I would call Leica customer service at their web-listed phone number and confirm they were the ones who called you. Also confirm the correct address that the DHL label should show, and don't let go of your camera until all is confirmed. Eric Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
holgerf Posted December 11, 2006 Share #13 Posted December 11, 2006 O.K. Maybe I'm a bit paranoid, but it would not be inconceivable for someone to run a scam where they pick your name from the forum, get your address of the web, and "contact" you to confirm DHL pickup. I would call Leica customer service at their web-listed phone number and confirm they were the ones who called you. Also confirm the correct address that the DHL label should show, and don't let go of your camera until all is confirmed. Eric @Eric May be you’re a bit paranoid I can tell you that I got my call today and it was a call directly from Leica which could be recognized by the transmitted phone number on my display. @Iowi and all The lady from Leica calling my today had more informations. She told me: (1) That those registered will get a letter from a aboard member with the 30%-offer (2) The firmware upgrade in this particular case can only be made by the service. From my dealer I know that the 30%-offer is handled directly between Leica and us customers, no daeler in between. I expect that the first of us will get the letter and publish it here the very next days. Ciao Holger Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioriw Posted December 11, 2006 Author Share #14 Posted December 11, 2006 Oh Holger that is great news, if only my phone call had gone that way too... here´s hoping for a smooth pickup tomorrow and some other unexpected good news in the coming days Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted December 11, 2006 Share #15 Posted December 11, 2006 Oh Holger that is great news, if only my phone call had gone that way too... here´s hoping for a smooth pickup tomorrow and some other unexpected good news in the coming days Iori-- Thanks for bringing the matter to our attention. Good to know how it works. But how can you "hope...[for] unexpected good news"? If you're hoping for it, isn't it expected? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammam Posted December 11, 2006 Share #16 Posted December 11, 2006 I may be paranoid myself, but no one at Leica, NJ, with whom I exchanged several e-mails, bothered to answer the question as to why there was a Dec. 31st deadline to register (with a serial number or a proof of full payment) and be eligible to the 30% discount, seing that they have delayed all shipments of M8s until Nov. 27th. (if that) to fix the problems. They have answered all my other questions, but not this one. I have even submitted this "conspiracy" theory to them: the more the deliveries of M8s will now be delayed until January, the less 30% discounts they will have to honour. Unless you pay the full price by Dec. 31st without receiving your camera. In which case they will get your cash, and you may then have to wait for your M8 for who knows how long. They haven't refuted this either. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrc Posted December 11, 2006 Share #17 Posted December 11, 2006 I suspect that Leica would be delighted to offer as many 30% discounts as they possibly can, until their dealers start complaining. At a 30% discount of the suggested retail price, bought direct from Leica, I believe Leica is making their full profit...it's the dealer whose profit has been eliminated, not Leica's. 8-) JC Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonoslack Posted December 11, 2006 Share #18 Posted December 11, 2006 I may be paranoid myself, but no one at Leica, NJ, with whom I exchanged several e-mails, bothered to answer the question as to why there was a Dec. 31st deadline to register (with a serial number or a proof of full payment) and be eligible to the 30% discount, seing that they have delayed all shipments of M8s until Nov. 27th. (if that) to fix the problems. They have answered all my other questions, but not this one. I have even submitted this "conspiracy" theory to them: the more the deliveries of M8s will now be delayed until January, the less 30% discounts they will have to honour. Unless you pay the full price by Dec. 31st without receiving your camera. In which case they will get your cash, and you may then have to wait for your M8 for who knows how long. They haven't refuted this either. Hi Olivier No need to worry about this one - what do you think the dealer margin is? 35% maybe? certainly no less on an item like this. If Solms deals directly with the customer, then they're almost certainly making more money on these deals than they would by selling them directly. It's a fine offer, and I'm not trying to be cynical, but I very much doubt that Leica will lose out from it - even if the customer doesn't buy another lens. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giulio Zanni Posted December 13, 2006 Share #19 Posted December 13, 2006 I also got an e-mail from Leica this morning asking me for a suitable date to pick up my camera. Giulio Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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