Passport validity, duration and discount?

[tashley]

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It is widely and commonly stated that the famous Leica passport gives three years' worth of protection, but when I look at mine they are valid for two years for lenses and one year for M8 bodies. Since I am new to Leica gear within the last year, I am keen to know if this period has quietly shrunk of late, or whether there's just a common myth that the passports are valid for longer than they actually are? After all, when I convince myself that yet another £2,000 lens is a sensible purchase, the additional length of guarantee over the competition is one of the things I use to justify buying Leica.

 

As a footnote, when I asked Solms about the passport for my 30% discount lens, a WATE with finder, they said that they were not offering a passport scheme themselves but that I should contact Milton Keynes to find out if they were. I have yet to do this but if there is no scheme (other than the presumably mandatory 1 year guarantee) then this will possibly affect the resale value of these items, even though as Guy point out eBay has gone crazy for Leica gear.

 

Best

 

Tim

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[scott kirkpatrick]

The famous Passport warranty (three years, no questions asked) is offered by Leica US on lenses purchased in the USA. It's a good deal and it would be great if more countries offered it.

 

The M8 body has a more restrictive (2yr, I think) warranty.

 

scott

[wattsy]

Passport warranties are provided by the importing subsidiary not by Leica AG in Solms. The Leica UK passport warranty has traditionally been for two years for both lenses and cameras. There have been some exceptions - e.g. during a promotional period a few years ago, Leica UK offered five year passport warranties on all lenses. The stingy one year passport for the M8 is unusual and, in my opinion, a rather cynical move on the part of Leica UK. Especially so when you consider the time wasted last year waiting for filters to become available and the trip(s) back to Solms.

[marknorton]

I paid for my second camera in advance of 31 December, on 13 December actually, and the passport was registered from this date even though I didn't receive it until about 6 weeks later.

 

I decided not to wake Leica UK from their usual comatose state to discuss because the passport isn't valid any more anyway. That camera was the one which was, how shall I say, "anatomised".

 

Has to be said, Leica UK are pretty short of marketing initiatives - higher prices than euro-land, no lens coding offers, 1 year passport on M8 bodies, no M7 gift vouchers. They do have someone called "Nobby" though. I once had a pony called "Nobby" with a viscious bite to him, long since gone to the great glue factory in the sky, I've no doubt.

[wlaidlaw]

I bought my M8 in Spain in January from an official Leica Dealer and no passport was offered there at all, just the normal one year guarantee. They had availability and the price was lower than the UK. I was worried I would not get filters either but I have.

 

Wilson

[wlaidlaw]

I paid for my second camera in advance of 31 December, on 13 December actually, and the passport was registered from this date even though I didn't receive it until about 6 weeks later.

 

I decided not to wake Leica UK from their usual comatose state to discuss because the passport isn't valid any more anyway. That camera was the one which was, how shall I say, "anatomised".

 

Has to be said, Leica UK are pretty short of marketing initiatives - higher prices than euro-land, no lens coding offers, 1 year passport on M8 bodies, no M7 gift vouchers. They do have someone called "Nobby" though. I once had a pony called "Nobby" with a viscious bite to him, long since gone to the great glue factory in the sky, I've no doubt.

 

.....and talking to Nobby is a bit like one imagines talking to Eeyore - "probably rain later or maybe sleet".

 

Wilson

[wattsy]

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They do have someone called "Nobby" though.

 

Ah yes, Nobby "nobody has complained before about any IR/magenta problem" Clark, Leica UK's digital expert. It's probably bad form to slag somebody off in a public forum so I'll leave it there.

[jaapv]

European consumer laws (ah- I know this is anathema to some of my UK friends ) will make it very difficult to limit guarantee on the M8 body to one year. Products will have to meet reasonable life expectancy - and I'm sure any German court will take at least five years as the norm for a 4000 Euro camera, if not longer. I happen to know some good German lawyers, if need be

[wattsy]

European consumer laws (ah- I know this is anathema to some of my UK friends ) will make it very difficult to limit guarantee on the M8 body to one year.

 

It's just the passport warranty that is limited to one year. The standard Leica two year warranty isn't affected.

[Venkman]

[...]and I'm sure any German court will take at least five years as the norm for a 4000 Euro camera, if not longer. I happen to know some good German lawyers, if need be

 

Jaap, not a chance

 

"Gewährleistung" is what we have here by law, it's mandatory/regulation based and is meant to accertain that the product you are buying is (on delivery/purchase) free of faults.

 

It's 24 months and while in the first 6 months it's commonly accepted that any fault you might find was there from the beginning, the remaining 18 months will be vice versa - the customer has to prove that the fault was there (hidden) from the point of purchase/delivery on.

 

The "Garantie" (warranty) is completely voluntarily in it's length and in what's covered by it.

 

And no, the timeframe is not based on the price of the merchandise. On the contrary, any court will suppose that you know what you are doing when purchasing such high priced goods

 

So, basically it's all depending on Leica and their internal policy on how to retain customers.

[doug_m]

Can someone clarify for me what the best M8 warranty is in a country other than the USA?

In the US there is no Passport on the M8 but there is a "regular" 2 year warranty. In the US, a Leica Passport warranty means that if you drop it etc. and it breaks Leica will fix it at no cost even if the damage was the user's fault. In the US, Leica lenses come with a three year Passport warranty.

 

I am interested in this issue because if a M8 Passport is provided in any non US country it might help get Passport protection for US M8 purchases. I have personally communicated with the President of Leica USA about this topic and will discuss it further if M8 Passport protection- even 1 year- is definitely provided in another country.

 

Thanks,

 

Doug

[stunsworth]

Ah yes, Nobby "nobody has complained before about any IR/magenta problem" Clark, Leica UK's digital expert. It's probably bad form to slag somebody off in a public forum so I'll leave it there.

 

Just to put another side to this, it was Nobby who supplied the large format photography book signed by the photographer for the prize in last years challenge, and it was Nobby who sent me the lapel badges to hand out on the day.

 

It was also Nobby who came over to say thank you at a Leica UK event and let me know how much he'd enjoyed my photographs after I had an 8 page feature in AP a few years ago.

[wlaidlaw]

Just to put another side to this, it was Nobby who supplied the large format photography book signed by the photographer for the prize in last years challenge, and it was Nobby who sent me the lapel badges to hand out on the day.

 

It was also Nobby who came over to say thank you at a Leica UK event and let me know how much he'd enjoyed my photographs after I had an 8 page feature in AP a few years ago.

 

Yes Steve but was he smiling?

 

Wilson

[stunsworth]

Who cares. He works for a camera manufacturer not the comedy store.

[tashley]

Can someone clarify for me what the best M8 warranty is in a country other than the USA?

In the US there is no Passport on the M8 but there is a "regular" 2 year warranty. In the US, a Leica Passport warranty means that if you drop it etc. and it breaks Leica will fix it at no cost even if the damage was the user's fault. In the US, Leica lenses come with a three year Passport warranty.

 

I am interested in this issue because if a M8 Passport is provided in any non US country it might help get Passport protection for US M8 purchases. I have personally communicated with the President of Leica USA about this topic and will discuss it further if M8 Passport protection- even 1 year- is definitely provided in another country.

 

Thanks,

 

Doug

 

 

Hi Doug,

 

I have passports for both my UK M8s and they are one year as is the standard warranty.

t

[tashley]

Just to put another side to this, it was Nobby who supplied the large format photography book signed by the photographer for the prize in last years challenge, and it was Nobby who sent me the lapel badges to hand out on the day.

 

It was also Nobby who came over to say thank you at a Leica UK event and let me know how much he'd enjoyed my photographs after I had an 8 page feature in AP a few years ago.

 

I'm with you on this Steve, Nobby has always been very kind and helpful to me.

 

Tim

[guywalder]

when I took my M8 and a couple of lenses to Solms no one askd to see any paperwork, Obviously any M8 is still more or less new, but the technician even said that any work needed on the lenses wouldnt cost and that was before he had looked at the serial number. Sure enough everything done FOC, even though the 2 lenses have been in my hands for 18 months plus. I presume something was done to the lenses as neither were focussing spot on, while anoth lens was, and still is. The 50summilux also feels smother now, hurrah!

Guy

[Guest malland]

The famous Passport warranty (three years, no questions asked) is offered by Leica US on lenses purchased in the USA. It's a good deal and it would be great if more countries offered it.

 

The M8 body has a more restrictive (2yr, I think) warranty.

 

scott

To me it looks like a pretty lousy deal comparing the price you pay versus grey market lenses, or lenses purchased without the Passport warranty, say in Hong Kong.

 

—Mitch/Bangkok

Flickr: Photos from Mitch Alland

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[carstenw]

Dirk, Gewährleistung is not a good guarantee for things like digital cameras anyway. I found a scratch on my Canon 5D's sensor after nearly a year, and all Canon would do for me was to have every single person I had contact with tell me that I had caused it myself. Now, I have a RAW picture which shows the scratch from the third day of ownership, at which point I had obviously not even tried a sensor cleaning, but they will listen to nothing. After lots and lots of emails and contact, all they have offered is to knock the repair price down from €1320 to about €530. Since I have sold the camera to a friend I have little choice but to comply. I am currently trying out computeruniverse.net who is my vendor, but have not heard back from them yet. I have little hope. So, Gewährleistung is only as good as the vendor. In Germany, except in unusual circumstances, you pretty much have only the first six months warranty, of any kind, since you can rarely prove anything. The rest is up to the vendor.

[wlaidlaw]

Dirk, Gewährleistung is not a good guarantee for things like digital cameras anyway. I found a scratch on my Canon 5D's sensor after nearly a year, and all Canon would do for me was to have every single person I had contact with tell me that I had caused it myself. Now, I have a RAW picture which shows the scratch from the third day of ownership, at which point I had obviously not even tried a sensor cleaning, but they will listen to nothing. After lots and lots of emails and contact, all they have offered is to knock the repair price down from €1320 to about €530. Since I have sold the camera to a friend I have little choice but to comply. I am currently trying out computeruniverse.net who is my vendor, but have not heard back from them yet. I have little hope. So, Gewährleistung is only as good as the vendor. In Germany, except in unusual circumstances, you pretty much have only the first six months warranty, of any kind, since you can rarely prove anything. The rest is up to the vendor.

 

Carsten,

 

It does let us see how good in general, is Leica's attitude to warranties. Nearly every other company will go to great lengths to wiggle their way out of doing anything to mend their shoddily made products. I have a very large, expensive Scholtes induction hob that has never worked properly since day one. It has had four repairs and has gone wrong again. They are saying it is now out of warranty and do I feel lucky trying to sue them in a French court. Pretty similar to your Canon experience.

 

Wilson