Poor Leica Service

[willeica]

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For the longer version, he presents his blog 'Intro'....  http://www.imx.nl/photo/index.html

 

Jeff

 

Life's too short for this kind of thing!

 

William

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[Herr Barnack]

Had an interesting conversation with another Leica shooter who had been struggling to get status on his repair at Leica NJ.  He had been unable to get Bill Weier, Head of Customer Care, to respond to his emails or to each him by phone.  So he called his supervisor, the VP for Operations.  That individual said he would get Bill Weier to call, but before ending the conversation said that any future calls regarding issues with Customer Care should be directed to the President, Leica USA. We can read into that what we will.

 

During the conversation with Bill Weier my acquaintance got the impression that Bill Weier was overwhelmed and understaffed.  Bill said that he receives over a hundred emails a day.  In my dealings with him I found him helpful and responsive - up to the point when all communication stops.  And that point seems to be "what is the status of my repair". I have no way of knowing the actual situation, but this seems consistent with someone who is overloaded and can only respond to more urgent queries.

 

I infer from the comment by the VP for Operations that whatever the problem is, it is beyond his authority to correct.  So perhaps the solution is to do what he suggests.

 

Bill Weier obviously needs an assistant to answer those 100+ daily emails and to keep the lines of communication open with those of us who send our megadollar cameras and lenses to Leica NJ for repair.  Since the repair department is so successful, paying the salary of an assistant should be a non-issue. 

 

A few sheckels well spent would eliminate much frustration and ill will that the above situation creates - and Ill will is much more costly to a company than an assistant...

Edited October 7, 2016 by Carlos Danger

[pico]

Had an interesting conversation with another Leica shooter who had been struggling to get status on his repair at Leica NJ.  He had been unable to get Bill Weier, Head of Customer Care, to respond to his emails or to each him by phone.  So he called his supervisor, the VP for Operations.  That individual said he would get Bill Weier to call, but before ending the conversation said that any future calls regarding issues with Customer Care should be directed to the President, Leica USA.

 

Unfortunately, that information is strictly heresay.

Edited October 7, 2016 by pico

[RPS]

I would like to add my story to this saga.

 

I purchased a new Leica camera back in June. Within a month or so the camera began having "issues" that required sending it back to Leica USA for warranty work. Leica USA confirmed receiving the camera on August 30.

 

Since receiving that confirmation, I have received zero further communication from Leica USA. I have made repeated polite calls, and sent repeated polite e-mail inquiries to no avail. Bill Weier never picks up his phone, nor does he respond to my inquiries made by phone or by e-mail. Roxana Lynch never answers her phone and her voice mail inbox is always full, meaning I cannot leave a message. The receptionist at Customer Care never answers the phone and voice inquiries left with her have not elicited a response. I did reach Carmen Vargas -- who was listed as a person to call for repair service when I registered my camera -- and she immediately said I had reached the wrong department and passed my call off to Roxana Lynch (see above).

 

By any standard this is abysmal customer service and unworthy of a company like Leica. 

Edited October 12, 2016 by RPS

[Manoleica]

Why not call Corp! ---- 

[RoySmith]

My M9, like so many others, has developed sensor corrosion. Because of the posts on this forum about the problems with Leica USA ,I elected to ship it to Leica - WetzIar.  My experience so far with Leica- WetzIar has been:

September 28, 2016 I dropped the camera at DHL Express here in Winnipeg, Canada

October 4th, 2016 it arrived in Wetzlar (according to the tracking history)

October 12, 2016 Leica Emailed a Confirmation of Receipt

October 14th (today) Leica emailed an "Order Confirmation" listing the following:

Item Description (Serial number) Qty Value/EUR

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10000 M9 black paint finish ( 3836777 ) 1 PCS

Cover,Corr-Lens -0,5

general condition of product

traces of use

top plate scratched

Labour costs 0,00

receiving inspection

Exchange sensor

adjust sensor

Firmware Update

adjust range finder

adjustment of all parts

cleaning and end control

This repair will be carried out on a good-will basis.

A guarantee -and/or warranty is therefore excluded.

 

(it appears I forgot to remove the diopter correction lens)

 

All of this with me just sending them the camera with a form stating my problems with the camera. I have not phoned or emailed them.

I understand the backlog of M9's in the que for this repair, and expect this to take possibly 2-4 months, but getting the emails and knowing that my M9 is in the process is quite reassuring.

I agree  with Luke Miller that part of the problem at Leica USA is not having a workflow that updates the customer automatically. This lack of communication leads to multiple phone calls and emails that further tax a repair facility that is overwhelmed and understaffed. Until Leica USA gets this situation sorted out North American customers should be aware that they have the option of sending their camera/lens to Leica - Wetzlar. The added shipping cost is worth it - in my opinion. So far I am a happy customer.

 

Roy

[JK Cameras (London) Ltd]

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I have found it best to organise repairs directly with Germany, primarily as Roy experienced, due to the email trail you get directly about your repair but have also found that my equipment then arrives in Germany quickly.

 

I've found shipping very straightforward as Germany would organise it for me and then, if need be, a quick phone call would usually give me a better idea as to the status of my repair.

 

Mark

[RPS]

UPDATE to my Oct. 12 post above: Interestingly, the day after I made the post above, I received a telephone call from Customer Care, telling me that my repaired camera would be shipped out to me later that same day. My camera arrived today and, insofar as I can tell, the warranty issue has been resolved.

While I appreciate having my camera back and I try to resist being cynical, I find the timing proximity between my post here and the call I received from Customer Care to be less than coincidental.

 

I have found that Leica USA has good people and those people do good work -- I appreciate what they have done for me on those few occasions when I've needed their support. However, I really wonder why Leica USA cannot do a better job keeping its [generally] loyal customers better informed about the status of the expensive equipment we entrust to their care.

During the 44 days that lapsed between Leica USA's confirmation of receipt and the call telling me it was on the way back I had no other communication whatsoever from Leica USA, nor was I able to speak directly with anyone at Leica USA during that time. Not knowing anything is much worse than receiving bad news. That does not seem an appropriate way to maintain, much less build, customer loyalty.

Still, I've very happy to have my camera back - thank you Leica USA.

Edited October 17, 2016 by RPS

[LMBSGV]

I am longtime lurker, but an infrequent poster. My situation seems to follow the same pattern as others on this thread. I think it’s important for Leica users in the U.S. be aware of what they may be dealing with when sending Leica gear to Leica New Jersey for repair.

My M262 was badly damaged in early August (circumstances too long to elucidate). I contacted Camera West in Walnut Creek, CA, from whom I had purchased the camera. Since they are two hours drive away from my home, they suggested taking it in to an authorized Leica dealer nearer to where I live. There is a Mike’s Camera location in Mill Valley so I took the camera into them. They sent the camera to their Sacramento store for shipping to Leica, which the Sacramento store promptly did.

I contacted Bill Weier at Leica to let him know the camera had been sent. On August 15, he replied, “If the camera is sent in by Mikes Camera; then we have to by law forward all information to them, and then they will pass it along to you.” I abided by his wishes and ever since have attempted to obtain information about my repair from Mike’s.

I phoned and spoke with the manager at Mike’s Sacramento store several times along with several emails. Each time he has been courteous and attempted to be helpful. According to the manager, he or one of his employees have attempted to contact Leica numerous times about the status of my repair. Their calls have never been returned. The only response they received was in September a receptionist informed an employee that they had the camera and the repair was proceeding under warranty. That was five weeks ago. I have heard nothing since.

I finally decided last week to again email Bill Weier and relate what has happened and request that he contact Mike’s Camera. I also phoned Leica repair and left messages. I have not received a reply nor has Mike’s.

Leica’s total lack of communication for over 9 weeks is a discredit to the brand.  Leica repair does not seem to bother to communicate even with their authorized dealers, let alone their customers who have spent thousands of dollars on their gear. I have used a Leica M camera since 1975 and am a gallery exhibited photographer. Due to the pathetic communication on this issue, I am now questioning my lifetime commitment to Leica cameras and lenses. If it is not a warranty repair, I definitely would never send anything to Leica New Jersey, but rather use one of the recommended repair places listed in the “Repair Specialists” thread.
 

Edited October 22, 2016 by LMBSGV

[LMBSGV]

A follow-up to my post above. Today, Bill Weier informed Mike's that due to water damage, they will not repair the camera. They will offer no compensation whatsoever. The camera is a total loss. So it took Leica 10 weeks to inform me they could/would not repair the camera. Fortunately, it was insured.

 

After this experience with Leica, I'm seriously considering a Fuji XT-2 or Pro-2 instead of another M262. I loved the M262, but Leica's failure to stand by their equipment and lack of communication in this situation has definitely encouraged me to consider other possibilities.After over 40 years of loyalty to Leica, I feel devastated.   

[erudolph]

In order to put your experience in context, can you say what sort of damage the camera incurred?

[LMBSGV]

As I said in my post, it was water damage.

[Jeff S]

I contacted Bill Weier at Leica to let him know the camera had been sent. On August 15, he replied, “If the camera is sent in by Mikes Camera; then we have to by law forward all information to them, and then they will pass it along to you.” I abided by his wishes and ever since have attempted to obtain information about my repair from Mike’s.

 

This is but one reason I use the procedure discussed in post #5....avoid the 'middle man' and establish lines of communication in advance.  And yes, use DAG (or similar) for out of warranty issues.

 

Smart of you to have insurance.....hope it's full replacement value with no deductible.

 

Jeff

Edited October 24, 2016 by Jeff S

[RayD28]

My 60-day old camera started draining battery life, had SD card problems, and was not powering off all the time.  I posted about the specifics in a thread about batteries so won't go into details here. 

 

I called Leica New Jersey and spoke to the service manager and described the symptoms and he said he'd fix it so I will have the camera back in three weeks.  Fed Ex Tracking showed they got the camera Oct 3.  Taking the advice I saw in another thread I called Leica NJ a few days later.  They said it was not in their system yet and I said OK I'll call them in a few days.  I called them on Oct 10 and they said the camera is not in their system.  I told them there is a problem here and I'm going to report to Fed Ex the camera may have been delivered to someone other than Leica NJ and I'm going to turn it into my insurance company as stolen.  That got their attention and they found the camera and got it into their system.  I told them about the three week turnaround and they put a RUSH on the repair.  I told them I wanted a loaner if they can't fix and return the camera to me by October 24.  

 

During the next two weeks I called and probably left about 15 messages asking for an update.  I called them each day, often more than once.  I sent several emails detailing and documenting each conversation. Yesterday I called the operator and told her I'll wait on hold until the service manager is available.  Twenty minutes later a customer service rep tells me the service manager is not available and someone will call me back.  I said I'll hold until I can talk to someone with authority about my order.  Another ten minutes waiting and they told me the technician is working on the camera as we speak and I'll have the camera the next day (October 25).  I said I want a tracking number and they said they'd email it to me.  I checked my emails last night and no email.

 

I woke up this morning thinking I'm going to spend my lunch hour on hold waiting for someone to explain why I didn't get the camera.  We get our UPS deliveries about 10:00 AM and the camera is there!  I don't know if the repairs solved my problems (see the battery thread if you want details) because they were sporadic.  

 

So, I got the camera one day late but I'm thrilled it's here.  The frustration during the last 14 days was excruciating and could have been avoided if someone at Leica NJ would just return a phone call.  If a repair shop tells me it will be longer than expected and gives me a good reason then I have no problems.  Stuff happens.  But it's unacceptable for Leica NJ to either ignore messages or be too busy to return calls after a couple of days.  

 

A final note, I belong to a Martin Guitar forum and if a well known and persistent problem is discussed, the owner of Martin Guitars or an officer will actually reply to a thread and address the matter.  You might not like what you read, but at least you know someone acknowledges your concern and cares enough to respond.  Does anyone from Leica AG ever reply to problems discussed on this forum?  For me it would mean a lot.  

 

Ray

 

[Jeff S]

  Does anyone from Leica AG ever reply to problems discussed on this forum?  For me it would mean a lot.  

 

 

 

Yes, either Leica management or a forum proxy, but typically only after a major uproar, like the M8 display issue, or the M9 sensor corrosion issue, etc....

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/186718-serviceability-m8-m82-displays/

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/249569-leica-m9-corrosion-sensor-replacement-starts-now/

 

Still waiting for something similar regarding S lens issues.

 

Jeff

Edited October 26, 2016 by Jeff S

[wildlightphoto]

Update on my 280/4 APO which was damaged after a fall:

 

It returned to me today, eight months after I sent it to Leica USA (7.5 months after they sent me confirmation that it had arrived).  It was not repaired because the parts are no longer available.  The damage: front rim dented, focus tight in a couple of spots suggesting a damaged focussing cam.  Still usable.

 

What I don't understand (apart for the grossly excessive turnaround time) is how Leica is so consistent about f*cking up obvious details.  The first time this lens was repaired (replaced front element) the lens returned with the aperture disconnected from the aperture control ring.  It was an easy fix so rather than sending it back after 4 months at Leica I fixed it myself.  The second time it was serviced (sticky diaphragm) the lens was returned without the front cap.  This time the lens was returned with a smashed rear cap.  I have no idea whether the cap was on the lens or not when it was smashed.

[masjah]

Update on my 280/4 APO which was damaged after a fall:

 

It returned to me today, eight months after I sent it to Leica USA (7.5 months after they sent me confirmation that it had arrived).  It was not repaired because the parts are no longer available.  The damage: front rim dented, focus tight in a couple of spots suggesting a damaged focussing cam.  Still usable.

 

What I don't understand (apart for the grossly excessive turnaround time) is how Leica is so consistent about f*cking up obvious details.  The first time this lens was repaired (replaced front element) the lens returned with the aperture disconnected from the aperture control ring.  It was an easy fix so rather than sending it back after 4 months at Leica I fixed it myself.  The second time it was serviced (sticky diaphragm) the lens was returned without the front cap.  This time the lens was returned with a smashed rear cap.  I have no idea whether the cap was on the lens or not when it was smashed.

 

Doug, quite apart from the accidental damage to your lens (for which my sincere commiserations) that sorry saga is just so depressing.

[wildlightphoto]

Funny thing is, from past experience I expected a long delay getting the lens back.  Eight months is excessive (but considering how long it took a few years ago to replace my R8's mirror box, not surprising).  I'm also not surprised that parts are no longer available for a lens made in about 1994 from a discontinued model line.  The smashed rear cap pisses me off and it may be the proverbial last straw.

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[wildlightphoto]

[pico]

It is a dirt cheap part.

Buy and move on.