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What is the turnaround time for CCD sensor replacement?


kuad82001

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my last post in this thread was over a month ago and i had waited 7 months then......talked to new jersey today and was told another 8 weeks because the sensors were being sent to them in such small numbers.....if indeed it is another 8 weeks that will be 10 months to get my sensor replaced THIS IS ABSURD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I dropped off my MM in person to Leica NJ 3rd week of May and am still waiting. Reading the much quicker turnaround from Leica Wetzler and the limitation being the availability of sensors sent from Germany, I would be upset at Wetzler and not NJ. I wonder if they have to maintain more stock as they do repairs internationally while NJ is only responsible for US repairs.

 

Given this, however, they should give NJ just a wee bit more in order to make the waiting times more similar.

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I dropped off my MM in person to Leica NJ 3rd week of May and am still waiting. Reading the much quicker turnaround from Leica Wetzler and the limitation being the availability of sensors sent from Germany, I would be upset at Wetzler and not NJ. I wonder if they have to maintain more stock as they do repairs internationally while NJ is only responsible for US repairs.

 

Given this, however, they should give NJ just a wee bit more in order to make the waiting times more similar.

 

i'm not upset with N.J. but with the way leica is handling the planning of getting enough sensors to do the replacements.....it's certainly not being done with customers in mind. 

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 Not that it makes the wait less annoying, but I think the bottleneck is with the sensor supplier.

It is an old type of sensor, the numbers required are small and Leica is a small company and no longer a customer.

The production process has to be interrupted for small runs, the resupply contracts probably only had a normal failure rate in mind.

Explanation, not apology.

I am sure everybody at Leica would wish it were different.

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I am sure everybody at Leica would wish it were different.

 

Perhaps it's the frustration involved but at the moment i'd say indifference to customers.......they've known for almost 6 months the number of sensors needed to replace those mm1's sent in up to the aug cutoff for replacement.

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I would be highly surprised if they hadn’t been ordered straight away. And on back order.

 

What may have happened as well that there have been cost-and-blame negotiations between the sensor maker and Leica, with the added complication that the sensor was originally a Kodak product. The sensor production facility went through a number of hands since that time.

Again -looking for reasons, not absolving.

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Leica dealer in UK told me yesterday that waiting time is currently 17 weeks.

 

I have an MM which I bought via eBay (in Mint condition but pre-owned) in April 2014 - its date of manufacture is 23 October 2012 when I check within the camera, so that puts it 3 months outside the 5 year limit.

 

I registered the camera when I bought it (April '14), and Leica regularly send me promo emails, all of which I do read. But I never received any mail about the delamination issue, and knew nothing about it till last week when I came across it by accident online. I've tested the sensor and I see some delam marks. Leica want to charge me the €825 plus 19% VAT - the guts of €1,000, which I don't have!

 

I'm wondering whether others have an affected camera, registered with Leica in Germany, but didn't receive any email about the problem?

 

If Leica won't replace the sensor FoC, I intend to take a European Small Claims case against them (something an EU member can do within the European Court of Justice, for a case up to €5,000); and in my view I have a good case, since they didn't notify me of the problem or of the free replacement programme or (last year) of their arbitrary time/age limit. Anyone else tried that? Trouble is, even if my sensor had NO delamination, it's worthless if I want to trade it in or sell it via a dealer, as dealers won't take the risk that it may develop the problem within their own warranty period. So I have a camera I can't afford to have fixed, and that's worthless. BAD Leica!

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Leica dealer in UK told me yesterday that waiting time is currently 17 weeks.

 

I have an MM which I bought via eBay (in Mint condition but pre-owned) in April 2014 - its date of manufacture is 23 October 2012 when I check within the camera, so that puts it 3 months outside the 5 year limit.

 

I registered the camera when I bought it (April '14), and Leica regularly send me promo emails, all of which I do read. But I never received any mail about the delamination issue, and knew nothing about it till last week when I came across it by accident online. I've tested the sensor and I see some delam marks. Leica want to charge me the €825 plus 19% VAT - the guts of €1,000, which I don't have!

 

I'm wondering whether others have an affected camera, registered with Leica in Germany, but didn't receive any email about the problem?

 

If Leica won't replace the sensor FoC, I intend to take a European Small Claims case against them (something an EU member can do within the European Court of Justice, for a case up to €5,000); and in my view I have a good case, since they didn't notify me of the problem or of the free replacement programme or (last year) of their arbitrary time/age limit. Anyone else tried that? Trouble is, even if my sensor had NO delamination, it's worthless if I want to trade it in or sell it via a dealer, as dealers won't take the risk that it may develop the problem within their own warranty period. So I have a camera I can't afford to have fixed, and that's worthless. BAD Leica!

Do it!!!! I have been shooting with Leica since 1985, but this is totally unacceptable. So bad.

Edited by kuad82001
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I just got off the phone with New Jersey.

 

My Monochrom was mailed on 8/3/2017.  Tracking showed it was delivered and signed for in New Jersey on 8/8/2017. 

 

It's now in the 28th week.

 

The very pleasant girl on the phone reiterated what we've all heard - that they are getting very few sensors in New Jersey.  She said they are only up through cameras received through May.  Assuming there would have been a slow increase in cameras sent in through the summer months - with a sharp upsurge entering August - one might presume I have quite a few more weeks yet to go.

 

She did follow-up with an email.  Optimistically, it states "There is a part missing for this repair; it will delay completion for a couple of weeks; we apologize for the inconvenience."

 

Of interest, the detail shows 3 hours labor to "Exchange sensor; adjust range finder; clean, lubrication, and adjustment."  "Leather covering" and "printed circuit, adjusted" are both noted in the parts manifest.

 

I'm fortunate to have an M246 and M10 to use in the interim.  But, yeah, this isn't Leica's finest hour...

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I live in Chicago, and took my Monochrom to the local Leica dealer for sensor replacement in early June 2017.  I called to check on the status in January 2018, and they told me that the current average turnaround time is 40 weeks.

 

By that estimate, I will receive my Monochrom in mid-April of 2018.

Very disappointing.  The worst part is that I only owned the camera for about two or three months before I took it in to the shop.  Sigh...

 

Jeff 

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I talked with Leica NJ a few days ago and they said that my M-9 was sent to Wetzlar a short time ago and should be back in the near future.  Mine was sent to N.J. prior (a week) to the free replacement deadline and promptly diagnosed as having a defective sensor.  After multiple M-8/M-9 fiascos, one might say I am a little less than a happy camper. BTW, I do not blame Leica N.J. they are at the mercy of Wetzlar who is at the mercy of their suppliers and their own horrendous digital engineering. Regards, Ron 

Edited by Ronazle
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Leica dealer in UK told me yesterday that waiting time is currently 17 weeks.

 

I have an MM which I bought via eBay (in Mint condition but pre-owned) in April 2014 - its date of manufacture is 23 October 2012 when I check within the camera, so that puts it 3 months outside the 5 year limit.

 

I registered the camera when I bought it (April '14), and Leica regularly send me promo emails, all of which I do read. But I never received any mail about the delamination issue, and knew nothing about it till last week when I came across it by accident online. I've tested the sensor and I see some delam marks. Leica want to charge me the €825 plus 19% VAT - the guts of €1,000, which I don't have!

 

I'm wondering whether others have an affected camera, registered with Leica in Germany, but didn't receive any email about the problem?

 

If Leica won't replace the sensor FoC, I intend to take a European Small Claims case against them (something an EU member can do within the European Court of Justice, for a case up to €5,000); and in my view I have a good case, since they didn't notify me of the problem or of the free replacement programme or (last year) of their arbitrary time/age limit. Anyone else tried that? Trouble is, even if my sensor had NO delamination, it's worthless if I want to trade it in or sell it via a dealer, as dealers won't take the risk that it may develop the problem within their own warranty period. So I have a camera I can't afford to have fixed, and that's worthless. BAD Leica!

I didn't receive an email and as Jaap says, I don't think owners were ever warned directly, which I do find odd.

 

When I enquired about the issue, they sent me a "test" photo that was taken with a bad sensor and asked to compare with mine. Clear as day, my sensor was showing the exact same specs but they denied it, saying it was dust. I sent the camera in anyway and they changed the sensor. Even so I was pretty disgusted with their attitude over the issue.

 

But it's not clear in your message if your sensor is affected or not. You seem to imply that you only noticed an issue after hearing about the problem. If your sensor does have the issue, you would have noticed it before I would have thought. And then you write..."even if my sensor has NO delamination". So has it or hasn't it ? If it hasn't, your camera would not be worthless. Not all sensors were affected.

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I have just hung up with Leica Customer care in NJ. My camera has been there with them for exactly six months already. The estimate for getting it back to me is late May of 2018. I am really disappointed with such slow turnaround time...

Currently Iam seriously considering enrolling in Leica´s upgrade program... I at least I will get a Leica camera to shoot with....

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I have just hung up with Leica Customer care in NJ. My camera has been there with them for exactly six months already. The estimate for getting it back to me is late May of 2018. I am really disappointed with such slow turnaround time...

Currently Iam seriously considering enrolling in Leica´s upgrade program... I at least I will get a Leica camera to shoot with....

Every post I read seems to be taking Leica/Wetzlar a ungodly time to do this sensor replacement which is their fault!

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With now a couple reports of cameras in the NJ queue being sent to Wetzlar for sensor replacement... one wonders why Leica is taking that route, versus simply shipping the sensors to New Jersey.

 

Quite curious...

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With now a couple reports of cameras in the NJ queue being sent to Wetzlar for sensor replacement... one wonders why Leica is taking that route, versus simply shipping the sensors to New Jersey.

 

Quite curious...

 I was told that the sensors themselves is the bottle-neck and that the techs could do 3 in a day when they had the sensors.  If there are more sensors in Germany than in the US then it makes sense for Leica to send to Wetzlar.

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 I was told that the sensors themselves is the bottle-neck and that the techs could do 3 in a day when they had the sensors.  If there are more sensors in Germany than in the US then it makes sense for Leica to send to Wetzlar.

 

Easier to ship a camera to Germany than a 1 ounce sensor? I do not get it.

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