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Survey: Your Advice To The New Leica CEO


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Leica Customer Service is fantastic (God knows I've used them enough), but it's time to improve the communication with camera owners. I sent my 75 Summilux to Wetzlar in November last year, got no acknowledgement of receipt, chased them (they had an "email problem") and I finally got the lens back in March.

 

Now, I have a great relationship with CS, but I was told two weeks ago that my two cameras were complete and would be on their way once they cleared German Customs. Nothing since.

 

Please, establish an online tracking system so owners can monitor the progress of the repair of their equipment without emailing CS to find out.

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I would like to see much faster turnaround times with repairs and adjustments from Leica USA. Obviously we don't mind spending the money for the equipment but we should be taken care of in a reasonable time. (at most a week turnaround for bodies and 2 weeks for lenses). This is still slower than Canon and Nikon but much more acceptable.

 

M7 in 2015 - CLA (no repairs) took 5 weeks

35 FLE in November 2014 - 9 weeks

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  • 2 weeks later...

Mr Kaltner, welcome to our world of Leica. :-) I put it that way because for many of us Leica plays a significant part in our lives, sitting between our eyes and the world, in many applications.

 

As Andreas has requested, my suggestions for you are:

 

- always remember that the whole point of Leica cameras is for the photographer to see the picture forming and then prepare for it before taking it. Using an M camera causes the photographer to develop situational awareness, which makes for being ready to take good photos in the first instance, rather than selecting from hundreds taken to find a good one. Please ensure the M system (and the S) retain this quality, without compromise.

 

- while not compromising on the point above, innovate to provide versatility, such as with focus peaking and lens adaptions. For purists, provide scaled back models or basic modes.

 

- develop prestige models and special editions to your heart's content and sell them for a fortune to the uber-riche. Use the income to fund R&D and keep costs of products for real Leica users down.

 

- ensure that Leica optical, mechanical and ergonomic quality remains at best of grade across the entire product range, so customers are confident about purchasing diverse Leica offerings.

 

- always remember that customers are attracted to Leica products for the way their performance and quality impacts upon our vision. This forms a very powerful, emotional and enduring connection. Be careful to not damage this bond. Ask your colleagues about the R system. It appears that my R10 is on the same boat as my jetpack!

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Focus on the essence of Leica photography: e.g. speed of response from idea to shutter release to image capture, which means instant start up and wake up from sleep, and avoiding LV/AF unless they are near-instant. IMO the Leica T could have been a great camera, but misses out for this reason.

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  • 2 weeks later...

One strength to retain is the Barnack principle - keep the quality high and the form and weight small. Optics should be the world's best within a size / weight constraint. The 50mm APO lens is the example that comes to mind.

 

Zeiss equals/exceeds you in optics with their Otus lenses (which I also use), but at a hefty price in size and weight. Apples and oranges then. But where they beat you where they shouldn't is QC. The Otus lenses are flawless, copy-to-copy. Leica needs to up its QC on what leaves your factories if you want to maintain the prices that demand such quality.

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Add my name to the chorus of owners who've already mentioned the glacially slow repair process. In terms of products, I'd like to see the M's form factor get back to the size and weight of a film M. With miniaturization of electronics, there should be no reason for the bloated size of the digital M. Imagine the next generation Monochrom the size of an M7, with an updated LCD and QUIET shutter. I'd buy two -- 'coz you know one is going to be sent in for a 4 month repair at some point :)

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Please excuse this post being longer than one sentence.

 

So I was the first to post a reply here on March 4 complaining about slow service times following numerous problems in the past.  This post was prompted by my having just sent two lenses in for repairs and previous abysmal service delays. My lenses were received by the authorised Australian service centre on 14 Jan. I have received one lens back a week ago only because I complained as it was back to fix a previous unsatisfactory repair job.  I still don't even have an estimated date of return for the second lens and am soon to travel and I want to take this lens with me.  This is not the fault of the local agents.

 

With all due respect Mr Kaitner, this is crap service and incredibly disrespectful to Leica owners. I did not pay a small fortune for my equipment to spend such a long time elsewhere.  It is hard to remain polite about this situation!

 

PLEASE improve service and support. This would not be tolerated anywhere else.

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One strength to retain is the Barnack principle - keep the quality high and the form and weight small. Optics should be the world's best within a size / weight constraint. The 50mm APO lens is the example that comes to mind.

 

Zeiss equals/exceeds you in optics with their Otus lenses (which I also use), but at a hefty price in size and weight. Apples and oranges then. But where they beat you where they shouldn't is QC. The Otus lenses are flawless, copy-to-copy. Leica needs to up its QC on what leaves your factories if you want to maintain the prices that demand such quality.

...and then we send our new lenses back to fix under warranty but  they are gone for at least three months.

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  • 3 weeks later...

It's now 13 May (FOUR MONTHS since I sent my lens in to you for service) and I still don't know when it is coming back Mr Kaitner.

 

If I provided my patients with equivalent levels of care they would all be dead.

 

 

Hello. Is anybody out there.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Science - a camera and accessories for the astronomer, the microscope, the laboratory with features for time lapse, remote control, infra-red, under-water. Market - universities, schools, corporate labs.

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Congratulations on your new job!

 

I'm happily working with my S2-P with 24, 70CS and 120CS. I'd like the user base of the S system to grow further, it's a wonderful system. Perhaps the price of the S system should come down a bit, so that more photographers can enjoy the great IQ.

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Whatever you do, don't release a fixed lens full frame 'compact' with a 28mm lens and no built in viewfinder.

 

Yes, 35 mm lens and built in viewfinder.

But the 35mm guys seem to be now quite rare... in terms of global numers, obviously.

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Congratulations on your new job!

 

I'm happily working with my S2-P with 24, 70CS and 120CS. I'd like the user base of the S system to grow further, it's a wonderful system. Perhaps the price of the S system should come down a bit, so that more photographers can enjoy the great IQ.

 

Want to now the team composition?  :D  :lol:

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