soundsgoodsg Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share #21 Posted June 9, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I emailed the Leica Store in Lille where I purchased the unit from, and they are beside themselves that Leica Singapore is choosing this scorched earth policy for a local customer, and a first-time customer at that; during our phone call, I told Leica Singapore their decision was not customer orientated and that I would contact Leica HQ; the woman rep told me, "yes, you can do that, but we will not do a one-to-one swap, we will send your camera to Germany, and it will be 6-8 weeks. Maybe it will be sooner!" Talk about a customer service fail... Leica Store Lille has written to Leica CEO for France for help, and I have written to Leica Germany for assistance as well, and hopefully that will make a difference, but I'm not getting my hopes up.... From the Leica website, they talk about their global network of Leica stores with pride, about customers being part of the Leica family, and state that "our specialists offer you the best retail and repair services". I have to disagree with Leica: based on my experience so far, the sales team hit the mark 100%, but local customer service has destroyed the goodwill the sales team built up. It's the equivalent of buying a Rolls Royce, discovering a misfiring spark plug on the drive home, and then your dealer garage tells you to take a hike and send the car back to England. Nice. I'm sure everyone who hasn't had such a negative encounter will fiercely defend Leica, but from a first timer looking at this objectively, I've concluded that Leica isn't in the same league as true worldwide electronics companies like Sony & Apple. Probably what I am most surprised at is that this lemon T managed to leave the factory and passed all the QC tests. "Manufactured in Germany" used to mean something. I'm sure Blackstone has plans to make Leica a bigger player in the luxury goods market and the T is designed to bring in a younger crowd, but from what I see, Leica isn't ready for prime time. Leica's sales revenue last year was 1/500th of Apple. Blackstone thinks they bought into the Ferraris of cameras; sorry equity fund guys, you bought into Koenigsegg. I'll keep updating this thread on any developments, but to misappropriate a quote from Han Solo / Obi Wan Kenobi / Anakin Skywalker / Luke Skywalker / Princess Leia and C3PO, "I have a bad feeling about this"... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 Hi soundsgoodsg, Take a look here Firmware Update Process. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
IkarusJohn Posted June 9, 2014 Share #22 Posted June 9, 2014 I got a call from their customer service rep about 6 hours later: it was indeed a faulty camera, but though it was only purchased on May 31st, because I purchased in another country, they were not obligated to do a one-for-one swap, and would instead be sending the camera back to Leica AG in Germany, and it would be 6-8 weeks before I have a T again. I'm so angry right now that I probably shouldn't post, but I have to vent somewhere... I fully appreciate your anger, and you have every right to feel aggrieved. However, I do think Leica has a regional problem. There's something about the way that the SE Asia region is run that simply doesn't ring true to my experience with dealing with Leica in Solms directly. Some one also mentioned that they had to buy a kit lens if they wanted to buy the Leica T (similar stories were floating around when the M(240) was released). If Leica has a problem with this, I suspect it's reasonably high up in their Asia/Pacific region. I have sent a number of items back to Solms (a faulty sensor, and electronic fault, a damaged lens, and camera for CLA and other lenses for calibration) - their service has been quick and the best I've experienced with any product before. They've replaced the sensor, electronics and other faults without batting an eye-lid. Their World-wide warranty is exactly what it says it is, regardless of where you bought your equipment (and I have bought from Germany, US, UK and NZ) - all warranty claims honoured without demurral. I really do think this is specific to Singapore, and not really indicative of Leica generally - certainly not Germany. If you haven't sent the camera off yet, I would recommend sending it direct to Wetzlar, with an explanation of what happened. I would also raise this issue directly with Leica in Germany, as it is not how global warranties work (Panasonic did this to me when I bought a camera for my wife in Australia - I will never buy another Panasonic product). My suspicion is that what Leica Singapore has done probably also breaches the warranty provision, and would certainly be unlawful in any country with half decent consumer protection legislation (not sure if Singapore has this). Good luck. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikasmg Posted June 9, 2014 Share #23 Posted June 9, 2014 The local Leica Store and service centre in Singapore is not a Leica owned operation I suspect, but some kind of franchise. Thighslapper is right. Try emailing Leica directly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted June 10, 2014 Share #24 Posted June 10, 2014 Tried to re-do the firmware update, but the dialog box said that the firmware was up-to-date, and only had an OK option. Did you try to reinstall the earlier version? If you can, then perhaps you could get another copy of the newer version and try again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundsgoodsg Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share #25 Posted June 10, 2014 It's not software. It's a manufacturing defect. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
koala54 Posted June 10, 2014 Share #26 Posted June 10, 2014 I beg to differ with the OP, though I do understand the disappointment. But it is not Leica that the OP that should be upset with, it is the way merchants are in SIN. My wife bought me a couple of shirts from a large store in SIN, they were too small, so she went back the next day for return / exchange for something that fits me better, know what? Flat out refused, excuse was that she should know my size, no returns / exchanges etc, basically too bad go eat sh#t. Know what, those shirts were less than a hundred dollars, now you want a dealer to change out a thousand plus camera, dream on, not in SIN. It just the way of doing business in SIN , not Leica or dealers. I know this because a brand new M240 was exchanged without question for me due to a defect detected after 3 weeks. That is Leica and a proper Dealer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanJW Posted June 10, 2014 Share #27 Posted June 10, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I would invest in a. Phone call to Leica in Solms or Wetzlar or wherever before I let the Singapore representative send it back. And if it does need to go back, you may be better off dealing directly with Leica tha with anyone in Singapore. I wouldn't trust the locals as you have described them as clueless. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundsgoodsg Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share #28 Posted June 10, 2014 I received a very sincere note from Leica Singapore's Managing Director today, explaining that the T has sold out in Singapore and they have no stock available, so a one-for-one swap wasn't even a possibility. He's agreed to extend the warranty by the same amount of time that I do not have my T, and has offered to loan a Leica compact until my T comes back. Would have been too good to be true if they had a demonstration T to loan me... Thinking about this, if the sales rep had been just a little more tactful and explained that they had no stock and sending it right back to Germany was going to get a working T in my hands the quickest (instead of insisting it was policy to send non-Singapore purchased cameras back to Solm for servicing), I would have probably cursed my bad luck at getting a lemon, put my 50mm Summilux into the dry box until its reunited with my T and not thought anything of it. No matter what the parent company does in trying to ensure a good end-user experience, all it takes is a frontline rep to undo all the goodwill. I'm happy someone high up did something to address the situation, let's see what happens in 60 days when my T is due back from Germany. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IkarusJohn Posted June 10, 2014 Share #29 Posted June 10, 2014 Damage control ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted June 10, 2014 Share #30 Posted June 10, 2014 Better than out of control.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spylaw4 Posted June 10, 2014 Share #31 Posted June 10, 2014 Honesty is always the best policy! But the rep. needs a lesson in tact as well as customer service! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundsgoodsg Posted August 4, 2014 Author Share #32 Posted August 4, 2014 So finally I get word from Leica Singapore to come and collect my Leica T that has been repaired, for a unit purchased May 30th... I get to their service office, they bring out the Leica T in a box, I pick it up and there's no battery. I insist it was there when I gave it to them to be repaired, they tell me it's not their practice to keep a battery for a unit that needs to be repaired. Their repair form correctly shows that I left the camera and EVF and that I collected the EVF once they told me they would be sending the T all the way back to Germany for 2 months to fix a manufacturing defect. They claim since it didn't say there was a battery on the form that I couldn't possibly have left the battery with them. I didn't want to be difficult by pointing out that their repair form didn't even have a T series picture when identifying which camera was being submitted for repair, they hand-wrote "Leica T" over the picture of the M. Mind you, when I brought the T in for repair, not only did I leave them the entire camera (I brought home the 50mm Summilux and M-T Adaptor) I also left them the EVF as their tech guy said they had no spare EVF and in fact mine was the first T to come back to the shop for a problem. So convinced by Leica Singapore that I did have the battery, I went home, stopping by a Leica Store to see if I could get a spare and a wrist strap, but they had no batteries in stock... when I get home, I search high and low, but there is of course NO BATTERY at home - I have everything, all boxes, certs, the charger, all adaptors, cables, etc. but NO BATTERY. Current status - I got on the phone with them and they're checking with their tech guy on this and will get back to me, but I just have a feeling that I am about to get screwed again. If Leica Singapore calls back and tell me that they don't have my battery and suggests I have to buy one (implying I lost the battery - people who know me know I am very careful with all of my kit) so help me, I will totally lose it. I bought this camera on May 30th. It is now August 4th. I STILL DO NOT HAVE A WORKING LEICA T. I have no idea how anyone puts up with this kind of crap from Leica. Maybe there are a load of people who work with their resellers and the reseller has to deal with Leica and the massive profit margins make it worth the aggravation. I don't accept that because they're the rep for Leica in Singapore and not Leica AG that somehow Leica AG is absolved from any blame - they must have vetted them when they granted the company behind Leica Singapore the license to be the authorized agent here. I was less than thrilled when I learned I had a lemon Leica. You can imagine what I feel now about Leica cameras in general. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundsgoodsg Posted August 4, 2014 Author Share #33 Posted August 4, 2014 If you're ever in Singapore and want Leica stuff, go to Cathay Photo (Peninsula Plaza or Marina Square) - they had a Leica T battery in silver, so now I have a powered working Leica T (I'll figure out how to get the camera UI back to English; it's currently in German...) and the price (they're an official reseller) was a pleasant surprise - less than what B&H was asking for, and that was before shipping. Hmm. This day might not be a total loss after all... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiutian Posted August 4, 2014 Share #34 Posted August 4, 2014 Yup, that's where I bought my T. Unfortunately, they were out of stock for the adaptor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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