plasticman Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share #101 Posted January 15, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Update: received a letter from Malcolm today, saying that UPS had unsuccessfully attempted to deliver the lens and then returned it to him undelivered. The rather scrawled note states that he tried to ring me to advise me of the delivery in December “but received no response”. I had no idea the lens was on the way, and looking through the record of incoming calls on both my home and cellphone I can't see any calls made from the UK whatsoever for December, so I have to assume he's either dialed incorrectly or has a number from the company I was working at 5 years ago. I tried to ring him back straight away but only got through to the recorded ’not available and can’t leave a message’-voice several times. His note ended by saying I’ll need to “make your own arrangements for collection/delivery to Sweden”. Very disappointed by this new development, especially as I've had innumerable items delivered here (center of Stockholm) by UPS and other couriers over the years, so I'm not sure why the lens went back without anyone contacting me in any way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 15, 2014 Posted January 15, 2014 Hi plasticman, Take a look here After 3 years at Malcolm Taylor's, will my lens have fungus?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
pedaes Posted January 15, 2014 Share #102 Posted January 15, 2014 All you need is a Tracking Number to validate that story and see if the courier had the correct address for you. If you have paid nothing presumably no work has been done. Can you arrange a collection/delivery yourself? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted January 15, 2014 Share #103 Posted January 15, 2014 I smell bullshit. Demand a tracking number. Sent from another Galaxy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
almoore Posted January 15, 2014 Share #104 Posted January 15, 2014 Even by the reliably strange standards of the Leica ecosystem this is an utterly bizarre tale. Short of you and a team of forensically trained commandos storming this guy's place and taking it apart brick by brick, it really doesn't sound like you're going to get your lens back. You've been enormously patient and good humoured about this, but Taylor's conduct is disgraceful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaques Posted January 16, 2014 Share #105 Posted January 16, 2014 Is there any UK forum member who knows Malcolm and could collect the lens on your behalf? Perhaps a face to face intervention is called for here at this late stage of the game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted January 16, 2014 Share #106 Posted January 16, 2014 Update: received a letter from Malcolm today, saying that UPS had unsuccessfully attempted to deliver the lens and then returned it to him undelivered. The rather scrawled note states that he tried to ring me to advise me of the delivery in December “but received no response”. So his latest scrawl gets to you but his earlier notification and the UPS delivery doesn't? so don't accept the old work address argument! He doesn't advise you of the courier or tracking number and doesn't provide it to you? Bizarre! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
almoore Posted January 16, 2014 Share #107 Posted January 16, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Is there any UK forum member who knows Malcolm and could collect the lens on your behalf? Perhaps a face to face intervention is called for... Would anybody be brave enough? I'd be terrified of meeting the same fate as the lens, never seen again and slowly gathering fungus in a dungeon full of old Leicas... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted January 16, 2014 Share #108 Posted January 16, 2014 Is there any UK forum member who knows Malcolm and could collect the lens on your behalf? Perhaps a face to face intervention is called for here at this late stage of the game. The problem is he lives/works in the 'back of the beyond' so unless someone here is dropping off/picking up something it's not the kind of place you'll be just passing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted January 16, 2014 Share #109 Posted January 16, 2014 Update: received a letter from Malcolm today, saying that UPS had unsuccessfully attempted to deliver the lens and then returned it to him undelivered. The rather scrawled note states that he tried to ring me to advise me of the delivery in December “but received no response”. I had no idea the lens was on the way, and looking through the record of incoming calls on both my home and cellphone I can't see any calls made from the UK whatsoever for December, so I have to assume he's either dialed incorrectly or has a number from the company I was working at 5 years ago. I tried to ring him back straight away but only got through to the recorded ’not available and can’t leave a message’-voice several times. His note ended by saying I’ll need to “make your own arrangements for collection/delivery to Sweden”. Very disappointed by this new development, especially as I've had innumerable items delivered here (center of Stockholm) by UPS and other couriers over the years, so I'm not sure why the lens went back without anyone contacting me in any way. You should be livid over this! It's simply not acceptable. Seriously, I'd look into legal action to recover your lens or its value now. If you were to arrange for a courier who's to say MT will be at home when the courier turns up? Or, how about getting him to send the lens to someone in the UK, by Special Delivery so it's insured and has to be signed for, and having the lens shipped onto you? If you don't know anyone I would be willing to act as 'postbox' for you. PM me if you would like to try and arrange something. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted January 16, 2014 Share #110 Posted January 16, 2014 Another thought. Malcolm Taylor is listed on this site as a recommended repairer. I personally don't think we should be recommending someone whose service is so bad. Mistakes happen for sure but this is on a different level. I know many people say they have been very happy with his work, but I certainly wouldn't use him and I wouldn't refer anyone else to him either! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share #111 Posted January 16, 2014 I got through to Malcolm this morning and it turns out this is yet another example of UPS incompetence: they’ve returned the lens to him after claiming to have left a note at my address (they didn't), and then not taking any further steps to contact me to arrange alternative delivery options. Mr. Taylor gave me the tracking number and is leaving the UPS labels on the box when he re-sends (via Post), which I agreed to pay for (the UPS non-delivery cost him £90), so there’s no question that he actually tried to deliver the lens in good faith. I can understand the suspicions being expressed on the forum, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm also grateful for offers of help here - but I don't think they'll be necessary in this case - thanks anyway! I'm hoping the long-running saga is soon over. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
almoore Posted January 16, 2014 Share #112 Posted January 16, 2014 I can understand the suspicions being expressed on the forum, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt... I have to ask, if Taylor couldn't do the necessary work on this lens within the five years he's had it, what's his standard turnaround? Six years, ten years, twenty? Can any repairer be so spookily good that people are patient enough to wait from one decade to the next? Bizarre. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted January 16, 2014 Share #113 Posted January 16, 2014 I got through to Malcolm this morning and it turns out this is yet another example of UPS incompetence: they’ve returned the lens to him after claiming to have left a note at my address (they didn't), and then not taking any further steps to contact me to arrange alternative delivery options. Mr. Taylor gave me the tracking number and is leaving the UPS labels on the box when he re-sends (via Post), which I agreed to pay for (the UPS non-delivery cost him £90), so there’s no question that he actually tried to deliver the lens in good faith. I can understand the suspicions being expressed on the forum, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm also grateful for offers of help here - but I don't think they'll be necessary in this case - thanks anyway! I'm hoping the long-running saga is soon over. You are too kind!! dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted January 20, 2014 Share #114 Posted January 20, 2014 Another thought. Malcolm Taylor is listed on this site as a recommended repairer. I personally don't think we should be recommending someone whose service is so bad. Mistakes happen for sure but this is on a different level. I know many people say they have been very happy with his work, but I certainly wouldn't use him and I wouldn't refer anyone else to him either! I would not be very happy with a repairperson who damaged a retaining ring on a mint Apo-Elmarit doing a CLA…http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/market/listing/10896/APO_ELMARIT_R_F28.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share #115 Posted January 23, 2014 I'm not sure if this might be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, but I'm considering asking Mr Taylor to send the lens directly on to another technician who can actually do this conversion rather than straight back to me. Does anyone have recommendations inside the EU? IIRC there's someone in the Netherlands that can do the job? Maybe I'm tempting fate and the best thing to do would be simply sell the lens and forget all about it... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted January 23, 2014 Share #116 Posted January 23, 2014 I'm not sure if this might be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, but I'm considering asking Mr Taylor to send the lens directly on to another technician who can actually do this conversion rather than straight back to me. Does anyone have recommendations inside the EU? IIRC there's someone in the Netherlands that can do the job? Maybe I'm tempting fate and the best thing to do would be simply sell the lens and forget all about it... A more common sense approach would be to make sure it's in the same condition as when you sent it before sending to another technician. The lens has now had three transits and is about to have a fourth … and has been stored for several years. dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share #117 Posted January 23, 2014 A more common sense approach would be to make sure it's in the same condition as when you sent it before sending to another technician. I think common sense went out the window sometime during year two... But indeed you're probably right. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted January 24, 2014 Share #118 Posted January 24, 2014 You could indeed ask Will van Manen, but I don’t know if he would take the job. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenton C Posted February 2, 2014 Share #119 Posted February 2, 2014 I'd have crossed the "cost no object" line for legal remedy time by now. If you don't get your lens back, which I expect will be true, I'll donate the first $100. to a legal action fund. . . . And as they say in the listener supported radio business, I challenge other members to meet or beat my pledge! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbo Posted February 2, 2014 Share #120 Posted February 2, 2014 Here come the lynch mob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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