Leica monochrome warranty value

[Wayne]

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I am considering purchase of an Monochrome (CCD.) I am not going to be able to examine the camera before purchase and will be reliant on the integrity of the seller. I have had exceptionally good luck with many Ebay, and other auction, sellers. One thing that online stores seem to offer that is obviously superior to most Ebay sellers is seller's warranty....in some cases a warranty of 1 year is offered by online sellers. I am curious about the practical value of these seller warranties. I would value forum members opinions/input on the following:

 

Given the online seller is of high integrity and honors the warranty, i.e. honors the warranty and agrees to repair, replace, or refund during the warranty period, what value- as a percentage of purchase price, rather than $ figure- would you recognize such as warranty as having?

 

Thanks for your view.

 

Best

 

Wayne

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[jaapv]

In general, the higher the reliability of the shop, the less a monetary value can be assigned to a warranty, as the shop will consider its standard of trading and integrity as part of the deal. In addition, shops like Meister, Red Dot and other premier shops will work together with  Leica.

 

Example: I bought a Elmar 90 mm from Meister, which appeared to be mint.

When I sent it to Leica for coding, I got an estimate for repair ( I never found out what was wrong with it) that was close to the price I paid. Meister told me to leave it with them. The lens returned, coded and in perfect shape. There was no bill, not even for coding. When asked, Leica told me coding was  "courtesy".

So yes, it pays to deal with the top names in the business.

[Luke_Miller]

I think sellers' warranties are not created equal, so I second jaapv's recommendation to buy from a known-to-be-reputable dealer.  My online dealer sells many Leica Certified pre-owned bodies that carry a one (or sometimes two) year Leica factory warranty.  That gives me a lot of peace of mind and most of my Leica purchases are of the Certified pre-owned variety. The CCD Monochrom is not often found as a Leica Certified pre-owned these days, but with the sensor corrosion trade-in program I would expect to see some eventually.

 

My dealer conducts a lot of consignment sales and I will typically have him sell my old camera when I update to the new model.  With my M9 he required a letter from Leica stating that the body had either been inspected and found free from sensor corrosion, or that the sensor had been replaced.  I suspect that all reputable dealers would have a similar policy for accepting M9, MM, and ME bodies for resale.  And were I shopping for one of those bodies I would insist on it.  Even though Leica will warranty a corroded sensor it can be a lengthy process getting it replaced and I believe that depresses the used value of those bodies unless it can be demonstrated that the body is corrosion free.

 

The CCD MM is a marvelous body and has better high ISO performance than my M typ 240 - you won't be disappointed.

[Wayne]

Thanks for the responses. I guess another, and maybe more appropriate, way of asking the question: What is the cost of getting stuck, high and dry, with a web purchased camera that includes no warranty? I suppose having the camera completely checked by a knowledgeable retailer does have some considerable value.....Even without warranty considerations. I mean, even an honest, but unqualified, seller could sell you a camera with a pending problem and not even be aware of it.

 

I guess I answered my own question. I have read, what I perceive to be, horror stories of cameras being sent off for six months, or more, for repair. I do not fault Leica for this as I understand it is likely just a consequence of taking on the service of old cameras. Although having the service available is a blessing, it does not make the waiting easier. I remember that I could still, at considerable expense and wait, still source many of the parts for my 1957 BMW motorcycle, from BMW..........50 years after the thing went out of production. That sort of thing merits some level of loyalty. Even in the face of a certain level of anxiety related to impatience and expense.

 

Thanks again.

 

Wayne

[250swb]

Many, not all, independent Leica dealers seem to sell based on the customer doing the checking and in the hope it works properly, if it doesn't they take it back and refund the customer, if it does work OK they got away without needing to service or check it. So basically the dealer does as little as possible before sale in the hope they don't need to spend any money making it saleable, and any items that come back to them are the ones that get serviced and fixed. I've had this situation myself with shops others on this forum rave about, I guess they got lucky, but seeing the other side and having had bad cameras and lenses I know why they got lucky and it was in no part due to the skill or care of the retailer.

 

So going to a Leica Dealer is as good as you'd get, you will at least get your money back, or they may fix it for you (but not always by Leica themselves).

[earleygallery]

I think the OP is referring to 'seller warranties' offered via ebay. They are available to purchase also. You would really need to read the small print to find out what is and what is not covered.

 

I don't know, but for a specialist item such as the Leica MM, I would expect they'd be pretty much useless.

 

If you buy without warranty you're taking a risk. There's the risk that the seller knows of a fault they're not declaring and will state that the item was working perfectly when despatched to you. There's the risk that the item was working perfectly and something just happens to go wrong - stuff does break!

 

Whether the risk is worth it to you or not is your decision. Personally I'd buy from a dealer who offers at least 6 months warranty, ideally 12 months.

[jaapv]

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I'm with James. I would never buy an item like an expensive digital camera from some anonymous seller on eBay - The least requirement is a brick-and-mortar store with a good reputation.

[Wayne]

Thanks again for the input. In my original post I was not referring to seller warranties offered by Ebay sellers. I, maybe unfairly, almost completely discount the value of a warranty offered by an Ebay seller. My reason for doing this is that I have no idea, the state of affairs existing at a business that transacts strictly through Ebay sales. I suspect it runs the gamut  of clean, well organized operations, to a bunch of stuff stored in the sellers garage or basement. I recognize that nice cameras are available through Ebay, but, I do not wish to discover, through experience, a seller has no experience with Leica cameras. I have had good luck with my Ebay purchases; but then, I have never had to return an Ebay purchase for service/repair or refund.

 

For example:

 

Right now there is a "Pristine" monochrome available through an Ebay seller. The camera is reported to have 50 shutter actuations; and photos- along with the seller's rating- leave no reason to believe any of this information in untrue. The downside? The seller does not accept returns and does not include a warranty. This camera is priced about $200 below the price of a comparable, i.e. Excellent ++ rated, monochrome being offered by a reputable Lieca dealer I have done business with in the past. It boils down to- if all information given is accurate- a brand new monochrome being available for slightly under 10% less than another monochrome that has seen use, but has been well cared for.

 

I figure, since neither camera includes a manufacturers warranty, I am going to be at the mercy of Leica if ever anything goes wrong with either camera. That may go well......but it may not.  

 

Here is what I have gained from your input:

 

If I purchase the camera through an authorized Leica dealer I will at least have the benefit of any leverage the dealer may have with Leica. If I buy from an Ebay seller, I will have no leverage at all.

 

I think I will go with the dealer.

 

Thanks again.

[Luke_Miller]

Thanks for the responses. I guess another, and maybe more appropriate, way of asking the question: What is the cost of getting stuck, high and dry, with a web purchased camera that includes no warranty? I suppose having the camera completely checked by a knowledgeable retailer does have some considerable value.....Even without warranty considerations. I mean, even an honest, but unqualified, seller could sell you a camera with a pending problem and not even be aware of it.

 

My MM is off to Leica NJ for sensor replacement.  When it returns it will have a one year warranty on the entire camera.  I believe that warranty is not transferable should I decide to sell it, but a buyer would have the peace of mind that Leica had thoroughly inspected it.  So if you find a used MM with the re-designed sensor (which became available only this year) you can have some assurance that it has been fully inspected.

 

Regarding your 1957 BMW motorcycle  - I had a 1956 R60.  Great classic bike.

[jaapv]

50 actuations is highly unlikely. Factory mileage is at least triple that...

[earleygallery]

What warranty does the dealer offer?

[Wayne]

One year.

[earleygallery]

One year.

 

In that case for me it would be a 'no brainer' to go with the dealer.