Unhelpful dealer & U.S. wait time question

[smgorsch]

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Need some advice. I ordered a silver M8 2 months ago from my local dealer. Nothing. I called today & he nonchalantly tells me he received a black M8 recently. No clue when he'll get the silver. He seems rather uninterested in the whole scene.

 

I'm trying to decide whether to give up on my local dealer & start elsewhere from the beginning (or am I going to be waiting another 2 months?) or whether to just take the black and, as the Stones say.... "you can't always get what you want but if you try real hard, sometimes you get what you need..."

 

What would the US wait time be for a silver at this point? If I change dealers, where should I try? Any thoughts appreciated

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[ho_co]

Dealers are seldom aware of when Allendale is going to ship any particular item because Allendale is seldom aware of when they will receive it from Solms.

 

I can't speak to wait times, but dealer disinterest sounds to me like a dealer who has no real interest in Leica. That is, he can do just fine on the commodity brands and doesn't stock Leica deeply if at all.

 

But that attitude is the reason he would be getting slow delivery. If NJ receives 20 cameras, probably the first 12 to 15 will go to large, major dealers, and the others will go in rotation to those dealers who do less business with Leica.

 

I would say to ask places like B&H, Popflash, Adorama, Tamarkin about their expected delivery; you could place the camera on order at any of the last three. You might want to verify with your dealer whether you are committed for any cancellation fee; his lackadaisical attitude would imply probably not.

 

There have been several threads on this forum in which some camera watchers have been able to predict one day ahead that B&H is about to offer a limited supply of M8's. You might want to get some guidance by finding those threads.

 

Strictly personal opinion, of course.

 

Good luck to you.

 

--HC

[sdai]

I suspect that Leica has stopped making M8s in silver chrome simply due to their less popularity ... it's fairly easy to find a black one for now.

[stunsworth]

I was on the waiting list of a UK dealer for about 3 months before I got my M8. When I rang them about halfway through this to ask when I could expect a camera they said it was up to Leica - they didn't know when they'd be getting their next shipment or how many cameras there'd be in it.

[photolandscape]

I had just gotten on a list back in mid-December, and thought I'd be waiting for quite a while. But I decided to be proactive, and started calling and e-mailing 4-5 different dealers in the US (Tamarkin, Kurland, B+H, Camera West). Within two days I got a call from Camera West who had an extra silver M8, and I had it 2 days later.

 

If you take the passive approach, i.e., waiting in line, it could take a lot longer. I recommend taking charge and finding what you need yourself. You'll probably do a whole lot better.

[Jager]

I agree on taking an active approach. Though I would have preferred to deal with him, I deliberately refused to place a deposit at my local dealer because I did not want to be locked into a single retailer as my sole source. I put my name on several waiting lists at dealers who did not require deposits. But ultimately it was me, actively calling around, who located one (at a dealer a couple hours away I had never been to before). M8's are popping up with pretty fair frequency these days. You just have to be a bit assertive about looking and calling.

 

Good luck. It's worth every minute of the wait...

 

Jeff

[woodyspedden]

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I had just gotten on a list back in mid-December, and thought I'd be waiting for quite a while. But I decided to be proactive, and started calling and e-mailing 4-5 different dealers in the US (Tamarkin, Kurland, B+H, Camera West). Within two days I got a call from Camera West who had an extra silver M8, and I had it 2 days later.

 

If you take the passive approach, i.e., waiting in line, it could take a lot longer. I recommend taking charge and finding what you need yourself. You'll probably do a whole lot better.

 

Great advice.........couldn't agree more.

 

I would recommend the big guys like B&H (they get more product but they also have many more customers) and also wonderful guys like Popflash PopFlash.Photo (/Either Tony Rose or Alex Bishop will care well for you )and Dales Labs in Hollywood FL Dale Laboratories (ask for David Farkas). Guy Mancuso also is very high on Sean at Camera West in Monterey CA but I can't speak personally to this. The inventory situation is getting better all the time and you should not have to wait forever for an M8 at this point. It is interesting that back in November when I got my M8 everyone seemed to want a black body and all Leica was delivering was chrome-silver. Now the situation is reversed. Leica's marketing forecasts seem to be somewhat upside down.

 

Regardless of color, the files will be wonderful so get yourself a body and start shooting. This is very different from the film world days when you bought a Leica body anticipating a choice of a lifetime. Now, with the ever changing technology of digital, it is very unlikely that you will be shooting the same body five years from now. Sad but true

 

Woody Spedden

[stunsworth]

Am I the only one who thinks that placing orders with several dealers and then cancelling most of them is a little unfair on the dealers?

[smgorsch]

Aggresively seeking more interested delaers seems to be the consensus; even my wife (whose first opinion {Yes, I had to reveal how much the body and, um..., lenses were going to run} was to forgoe the purchase entirely) has suggested I shop elsewhere. Problem is that being exposed to everyone's posts/pics daily only makes the waiting more painful. Wish me luck & I'll call around. If I time it perfectly I'll get a silver w/ firmware 1.1. No how long for the WATE?

 

Thanks for the suggestions all

[arthury]

Need some advice. I ordered a silver M8 2 months ago from my local dealer. Nothing. I called today & he nonchalantly tells me he received a black M8 recently. No clue when he'll get the silver. He seems rather uninterested in the whole scene.

 

I'm trying to decide whether to give up on my local dealer & start elsewhere from the beginning (or am I going to be waiting another 2 months?) or whether to just take the black and, as the Stones say.... "you can't always get what you want but if you try real hard, sometimes you get what you need..."

 

What would the US wait time be for a silver at this point? If I change dealers, where should I try? Any thoughts appreciated

 

 

I would dump this dealer and go talk with

Brad Berger of Berger Bros.

Berger Brothers Long Island Photo Stores - Home Video, Meade Telescopes, Binoculars, Nikon, Sony, Canon Cameras

 

He told that they are getting a steady stream of M8.

 

or send him email, he respond to them ...

 

Brad5205 AT aol DOT com

[Jamie Roberts]

I'm going to vote for Tamarkin, in NY. They're a great Leica dealer, and I've bought a ton of R and M glass from them.

 

I didn't get my M8 from them because I was already on a list here in Canada. But the foks at Tamarkin are knowledgeable and helpful, and if anyone's going to get stock they must be among the first.

[AaronJ]

Unless there's an issue over a deposit, I see no reason to be loyal to your dealer. Clearly he is either unable or uninterested in expediting your order so...buy from someone else.

[ho_co]

Am I the only one who thinks that placing orders with several dealers and then cancelling most of them is a little unfair on the dealers?

Steve--

I distinguish between "placing orders" and "getting on a waiting list."

 

Yes, I agree with you that placing an order and then canceling is bad policy and will just about guarantee that you won't get service from that dealer in future.

 

But with a strong dealer who already has a quantity of M8's on order, I would tell him my predicament: "I want the camera. I have my name on lists at several dealerships, and I will take the first one that arrives. Will that work with you?"

 

With a small dealership who had to special-order the camera for me, I would bite the bullet and stay with him. That's also why the dealer has the right to charge a deposit and a cancellation fee.

 

I take what Aaron wrote just above as applicable to Stefan's particular case. In general, I owe a lot to my dealer--I can get his advice, his suggestions as to alternatives, a good connection when he gets used equipment, etc.

 

Personal opinion.

 

--HC

[tokenfemme]

I have been following the arrival of M8s at B&H (after learning how to do that through this forum) and I've seen only black ones there for the last few weeks.

 

A dealer I asked about this said he too had received only black ones lately. He pointed out that Leica manufactures the cameras in batches, and he speculated that they have shifted all production to black temporarily. On his waiting list are 8 black cameras for every chrome one...

 

The wait for a chrome camera may be a few more (excruciating) weeks, but on the plus side the wait lists are shorter for chrome and the next batch to be shipped will clear them quickly...

[wag]

A couple of thoughts.

No dealer will take you seriously if they don't have a deposit from you. Even if they do, a salesman that has full payment today from someone who also wants a lens today, will sell the camera they have to this guy even if you've been on a list and he hasn't. The name of the game to these guys is selling the merchandise now.

Now we all know dealers that are righteous and would never play those kind of games, but if you want an M8, have the cash ready and call the usual suspects each Wednesday and you should find a chrome body in two weeks.