Service in United States-Just skip New Jersey

[JeffWright]

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I have a couple of pieces of Leica gear that need repair, an M body and an S lens. Based on others experiences and reports, both will have to go back to Germany for factory service. To say that my service from Leica New Jersey in the past has been anything other than glacially slow would be an insult to the athletic prowess of glaciers.  Can I just skip New Jersey and send the gear straight back to Germany for service myself? It seems like Leica USA kind of tries to discourage that, but I just see Leica New Jersey as adding an unnecessary layer of nice, but bungling people piling on to the work queue.

 

Thanks in advance, and sorry for being kind of snarky. It does boggle my mind that I have routinely had 4-5 day service turnarounds for my Canon or Nkon equipment, while it takes Leica New Jersey a month to answer an email.

[swiss leica fan]

I have a couple of pieces of Leica gear that need repair, an M body and an S lens. Based on others experiences and reports, both will have to go back to Germany for factory service. To say that my service from Leica New Jersey in the past has been anything other than glacially slow would be an insult to the athletic prowess of glaciers.  Can I just skip New Jersey and send the gear straight back to Germany for service myself? It seems like Leica USA kind of tries to discourage that, but I just see Leica New Jersey as adding an unnecessary layer of nice, but bungling people piling on to the work queue.

 

Thanks in advance, and sorry for being kind of snarky. It does boggle my mind that I have routinely had 4-5 day service turnarounds for my Canon or Nkon equipment, while it takes Leica New Jersey a month to answer an email.

 

You can send your item to Leica in Wetzlar/Germany directly. However, in advance you have to send a repair and service pro-forma invoice to avoid customs issues and penalties. See here how it works: http://us.leica-camera.com/Service-Support/Repair-Maintenance

 

There is also a download with the repair and service proforma invoice form. They also offer a pick-up service that is run by DHL. However, I am not sure whether the pick-up also available in the US, but it likely is.

 

Kind regards

Swiss Leica Fan

[Jeff S]

Part of your past problems likely relate to sending in gear without discussion and/or using general department email. I first establish a personal contact relationship by phone, then call that person in advance of any work order to determine work load and scheduling, and then mail gear directly to that person. 

 

Would you ship your car in for service without contacting a service rep to schedule an appointment?  That's the way I look at my camera service.  And I keep the direct phone number and email of my contact person to check status at any time (when work is done at NJ).  

 

For one 'tricky' work order, my contact even transferred me to the technician working on my gear so that I could discuss the issue and potential solution.  [The bad news is that the technician said that he couldn't solve my issue, so I subsequently sent the gear to DAG, who fixed the problem immediately, and for little cost.....but that's a separate NJ service problem.]

 

My shipping approach shouldn't be necessary, but sometimes one needs to be resourceful and improvise.

 

Jeff

[JeffWright]

Part of your past problems likely relate to sending in gear without discussion and/or using general department email. I first establish a personal contact relationship by phone, then call that person in advance of any work order to determine work load and scheduling, and then mail gear directly to that person. 

 

Would you ship your car in for service without contacting a service rep to schedule an appointment?  That's the way I look at my camera service.  And I keep the direct phone number and email of my contact person to check status at any time (when work is done at NJ).  

 

For one 'tricky' work order, my contact even transferred me to the technician working on my gear so that I could discuss the issue and potential solution.  [The bad news is that the technician said that he couldn't solve my issue, so I subsequently sent the gear to DAG, who fixed the problem immediately, and for little cost.....but that's a separate NJ service problem.]

 

My shipping approach shouldn't be necessary, but sometimes one needs to be resourceful and improvise.

 

Jeff

 

 

A swing and a miss! Assumptions are always potentially dangerous, and often wrong, but that's another discussion. The car analogy certainly is an adequate one, but my car costs less than my Leica gear. Now that I think about it, my car, my wife's car, and my two adult children's cars are probably worth less than my camera gear at this point. Three of our four cars are German, and it doesn't take 3 months to get them fixed. We've even gotten car parts (for the other line of German M3s) overnighted from Germany, yielding a 4 day repair time. Two days of that was spent rebuilding the engine. 

 

On the other hand +1 for DAG, always a satisfactory transaction. Sadly, he does not fix what I need fixing. 

 

I've only had four experiences with Leica service in New Jersey over the past decade, and none in the past 3 or 4 years (thanks DAG!).  The two folks that helped me with those repairs are still there (and I still have their email addresses and phone numbers). Indeed, one of those folks told me that my issues could not be fixed in New Jersey, and would need to go to Wetzlar. They make every effort to be helpful and friendly, and I'm sure they are lovely at dinner parties. And yes, they've even asked me to speak with the technician looking at the problem. Of course I had an apparently unique problem with my R9/DMR, so apparently even the folks in Germany were quite curious at the time.

 

Three of my prior repairs took around 2-3 months, while the fourth took only 3 weeks. All of these were done with nice friendly antecedent communications about the nature of the repair and expected turn around times. For the record, it took them: (1) about 90 days to 6-bit code 3 lenses, (2) about 120 days to fix my R9/DMR, (3) 2 months to CLA and 6-bit code a 35 Summilux-M, and (4) 3 weeks to repair an M8.  In all 4 instances I really only got vague answers and assurances about turn around time and variable reporting about shipping. Only one time estimate (for the M8 repair, ironically the most complicated and shortest one) was correct. The shipping thing was particularly annoying–they just ship with no notification. Usually with the annoying tendency to do so when I am out of town.

[Jeff S]

Well, strategy is often only as good as the people executing it.  Either I dealt with a much more reliable contact, or my timing was much more fortunate.  As an example, I also sent 3 lenses in for coding (and calibration/inspection) along with a camera.....all back in my hands in 2 weeks.  Two other works orders over the years, using the same contact, were similar in turnaround.  BTW, my contact is not in the service department.  

 

Jeff

[JeffWright]

Well, strategy is often only as good as the people executing it.  

 

 

LOL, can't decide if you're trying to be helpful, insulting, or both at the same time. I'm pretty good at getting stuff done, without being a jerk at the same time. As a customer, I shouldn't have to bend over backwards to make sure they are doing their job of providing customer service, that's just asinine.

[Jeff S]

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If you read my comment you'll see I was referring to the reliability of the contact, not you.  And I wrote already that all this shouldn't be necessary.

 

Not trying to insult....only giving my experience.

 

Jeff

[albertknappmd]

I have always had great luck with David Farkas.

I ship the lenses directly to him after discussion and off they go to Wetzlar.

With the new Professional division, David said that future turnaround should be 1-2 weeks...

I will let you know!

Albert     

[John McMaster]

Is that David being in the Professional Division or you? I have sent my stuff direct to Wetzlar (after they provide me with a UPS label) so do not go through any dealer....

 

john

[djmay]

I have always had great luck with David Farkas.

I ship the lenses directly to him after discussion and off they go to Wetzlar.

With the new Professional division, David said that future turnaround should be 1-2 weeks...

I will let you know!

Albert

When I had my disaster with the S, Leica Store Miami was powerless to help. At the time they told me other customers were waiting on loaners also. Since then I deal directly with Wetzlar with better results.

 

Jesse

 

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