R9 -- Ten weeks for repair

[craigrmurray]

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After barely two years of light use -- first with film, then with DMR -- my R9 shot craps: it worked in A and P modes, but not in T or M modes (wrong exposure data). Shipped my R9 to Leica New Jersey on Feb. 1st via UPS second day. I didn't receive the repair estimate until Feb. 28th, and paid it on the phone with credit card ($375.00!). The estimate was dated Feb. 21st, and shows that the repair was ordered Feb. 9th. Leica said it needed to replace the photocell, and give it a CLA.

 

So, it took four weeks from the time I sent the camera to NJ (I live in the middle of the US) to when the repair could actually commence. I just received the camera back yesterday, April 12th. So it took ten weeks from the day I shipped the camera to NJ to come back to Kansas City for a camera body (and, ironically, the only SLR now catalogued for sale) to get repaired!

 

Good thing I'm not a pro anymore.

[rsolomon]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I love my R9 , but am saddened each time i hear of the R line being treated like a second class camera system by leica. The focus at leica (as well as the forum) is so heavily on the M system. There are so many examples.....

 

i hope that your story of repair is not another result of the M system taking priority. While leica may sell more M8's then R8/9 & DMR's the cost of the R line body is more then the cost of the M line body .... i have no clue of which is more profitable (my guess is M by far) but as an R user who paid hard earned $$ i hate to hear these stories

 

 

rich

[robsteve]

When the meter cells in my R9 went bad last year, four days before a big vacation, Kindermann, the Canadain service agent, fixed it in two days. Mine was a couple months out of its three year warranty, so I had to pay.

 

Wouldn't yours still be under warranty or did you buy it used?

[craigrmurray]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I love my R9 , but am saddened each time i hear of the R line being treated like a second class camera system by leica. The focus at leica (as well as the forum) is so heavily on the M system. There are so many examples.....

 

i hope that your story of repair is not another result of the M system taking priority. While leica may sell more M8's then R8/9 & DMR's the cost of the R line body is more then the cost of the M line body .... i have no clue of which is more profitable (my guess is M by far) but as an R user who paid hard earned $$ i hate to hear these stories

Rich:

 

I've sent other cameras to NJ over the years and have usually had turnaround times of about a month. In Leica's repair estimate they postulated "3-4 weeks", which actually took six weeks.

 

Like you, I'm convinced the M8 fiasco has dominated the repair facilities in both New Jersey and Solms, but-- having sent my early M8 in for retrofit at about the same time -- am realistic enough to realize that a company makes a list of priorities. The R9 is still be sold, but face it, it now only earns "hand-me-down" status, both to the M8 and to the R10 that is now allegedly being designed.

 

Not that those facts can't and don't piss me off. Like the problems with the M8, Leica doesn't exactly have the best communication skills when it comes to admitting problems it well knows that it has.

[craigrmurray]

When the meter cells in my R9 went bad last year, four days before a big vacation, Kindermann, the Canadain service agent, fixed it in two days. Mine was a couple months out of its three year warranty, so I had to pay.

 

Wouldn't yours still be under warranty or did you buy it used?

Robert:

 

Thanks for sharing your tale of woe.

 

I know now to send it somewhere else if it needs service again. I'm afraid I bought a mostly new camera from an individual on eBay, with a warranty card -- but, as far as I know, without an original sales receipt from an authorized Leica dealer, Leica would not honor that warranty.

 

BTW, isn't Kindermann the old E. Leitz, Canado in Midland, Ontario?

[robsteve]

Robert:

 

BTW, isn't Kindermann the old E. Leitz, Canado in Midland, Ontario?

 

Kindermann is just in an industrial/business park just in the outskirts of Toronto. I think Midland is quite a bit further out of town.

 

Kindemann was the Leica distributor in Canada for a number of years and gave it up when Leica decided they didn't like distributors using just in time inventory, but required them to stock millions in inventory. This was probably about ten years ago when Leica had the first of the financial restructuring. They tried offloading the inventory on to the distributors. Kindermann gave up the distributorship, Lisle-Kelco took it on and within a few years, Lisle-Kelco was out of business and their doors closed.

 

Kindermann still having all the tools and training soon became the authorized Leica repair depot in Canada. I have always used them for both my antique and new Leicas and htye have always had fast and efficient service.

 

Robert