Not impressed with Leica's support, unfortunately..

[zampelis]

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Hello everybody,

Its been some time now that I have been parted with my Q. I sent it for service early January, stating the problems I had with it. Most significantly the clicking sound when you fully turn the focus ring and my worrying for the lens wobbling. My local leica dealer, asked them to do the service under warrantee if possible but I had also sent them an email stating that In order for the problem to get fully fixed, I am willing to do the service without a warrantee. I have a camera insurance that covers accidental damages.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSYuPXXa2Yk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3o1Jr3hdzk

 

Well guess what, today my camera was back in store, inside this lovely bag that Leica places the cameras. And when I got it in my hand, the clicking sound was still there... There was NO report about what the engineer did or find. It just stated that it has been fixed under warrantee. 

This is really concerning if you think that I also sent an email directly to Leica support stating my problems with video demonstrating them, and I got a reply back from them confirming that they had received the camera and they would forward my email with the problem details to the engineer that would look after it. They also gave me a code where I could track the progress of the repair through a web page. In the information I could track the repair process status - there were no details on what the problem was, just indication of steps, like: camera arrived, in repair, finished repair, e.t.c.

I am very disappointed. This is currently my only camera and I haven't been able to take any photos for a month and a half now. I asked my Leica dealer to send it back again. I can't trust the Leica engineering team anymore as probably they will open it take a photo with it and they will be like "Meh, its fine". Well, yea I understand that it takes photos but this clicking sound is something that really bothers me. It is not there on a new q as a normal feature and it started doing it after it fell from the tripod. How do I know that there is nothing else wrong in the camera after the fall... I went through all this process for it to get fixed, couldn't they understand that it is something that bothers me a lot?

They obviously didn't spend any time with it to check it.. And even if they did I have not a report or anything to prove that they actually looked into it.. And the bloody clicking sound is still there... Not to mention they also didn't say anything about the lens wobbling,  just to reassure me that it is fine or not.

So, not sure what to say or to expect anymore from them when I get my camera back again..

Edited February 15, 2019 by zampelis

[Mr.Q]

Are you rotating the focus ring into AF/MF without pushing the button on the focus tab?

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[zampelis]

It seems that something has gone "off" in the focus tab and when you don't touch it while you rotate the focus ring, it makes that noise. I don't switch it to autofocus without pushing the button, I just reach the end of the focus ring rotation in manual mode.

Edited February 15, 2019 by zampelis

[tgdinamo]

Very sorry to hear this. I feel for you as this is completely unacceptable (from any vendor let alone Leica). I have also been wandering how come we have not seen your great macro photos on Leica Q macro forum lately, and it's sad to hear this is the reason.

[nicci78]

Leica Q lens makes a small clicking sound. It is perfectly normal. It is the sound of Stabilizer lens element. Surprising by  normal  

Not sure about your AF ring. 

[wda]

After your accident with the camera, did you test the focusing for accuracy and enlarge to 100% on your computer? If so, was the camera functioning correctly regardless of noise? All tested before the camera was sent to Leica?

[Ko.Fe.]

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Well now after your rose glasses are broken, you know why anyone who wants to have guaranteed results is keeping at least two Leica cameras or some other brand. Welcome to reality.

Where I'm I could have my another camera, lenses fixed within one week and within twenty minutes drive to repair center. Yet, funny thing is, they didn't fixed my most expensive lens to same condition as it was new, either...

Edited February 15, 2019 by Ko.Fe.

[tgdinamo]

3 minutes ago, Ko.Fe. said:

Well now after your rose glasses are broken, you know why anyone who wants to have guaranteed results is keeping at least two Leica cameras or some other brand. Welcome to reality.

Where I'm I could have my another camera, lenses fixed within one week and within twenty minutes drive to repair center. 

I think you are missing the point. Zampelis seemed to have patiently waited (at least I have not seen any other email or complaints from him about this until now) until he got his camera back which looks like it has not been fixed (or even worked on at all) - if I read/understood his post correctly. That is definteily not acceptable (and if there was no note about what was looked at or fixed then it makes that even likely). Just BS reply that the camera still works because it takes photos is a complete joke (Leica should fire whoever was dumb enough to provide that answer).

[Leica Guy]

Demitris,

i am so sorry for your disappointing repair experience. I have multiple times used the Leica repair facility in Massachusetts and have been very happy with their work. They sent one lens to Wexlar and that also was satisfactory. 

My advice is to persevere and send it back to Leica. Can you visit where you purchased it and explain the situation and your frustration? Perhaps others have advice on UK Leica service successes and how they accomplished that. 

I just checked my camera. It does not make any clicking noises and yours did not prior to the drop, so something changed.  

We’ve really missed your photos on the forum. I hope you can get this resolved quickly. How about renting a camera during the interim? 

Good luck. 

Dan

[bags27]

Everything Dan just wrote, Dimitris. We miss your presence so very much, and are so very sorry.

Leica repairs seem so bi-polar: I hear of terrific stories (something that should have cost the owner was done gratis and quickly) and horror stories. The stakes are so high and the company is so small. It just seems so bewilderingly unpredictable. 

Nothing but sympathy for you, Dimitris, and that Dan's advice sounds good. I guess the other thing might be to get something terrific and cheap, like the Ricoh GR, to scratch the itch while you try to out wait Leica's incompetence. 

Be well. We miss you!

[zampelis]

Thank you everyone for your comments.

Ko.Fe. : Well, it is not about breaking the rose glasses, I understand that it takes time to fix a camera, I didn't blame them for the time it took to get my camera back. To be honest I wouldn't care to blame them even if it was to take another 2 months, things are how they are. What I find unacceptable and unethical on the other hand is the fact that I have specifically stated what the problem is, I have posted videos with that and they still didn't do anything to fix that.

wda, I haven't done extensive test on the focus of the lens, from the photos I quickly took they don't seem to be out of focus. My main concern is the clicking noise and the fact that it ruins for me the whole experience of taking photos. It is also the feeling that something is not "right" in there, if you can understand what I mean... It is as if you drive your car and then you hear a noise every time you steer your wheel.. When you take it for service, I would expect something like that to get fixed as minor as it may sound, as it may be an indication of something more serious. They wouldn't be like, well he can still steer his car so its fine...

I know that they looked into the camera, and how I know that?? Because I had cleaned the ring to be like new and when I took it back I could see minor dirt residue on the focus ring - indication that someone was fiddling with that with bare hands. On the silver it is very easily to spot even the smallest dust and dirt. So it is not that they didn't look into that. My understanding is that they had a look on the problem, they saw the note that stated to be fixed under warrantee, probably didn't justify it is fixable under warrantee and they completely ignored my request to get fixed properly even if the warrantee doesn't cover it.. 

[zampelis]

Dan, Ken thank you so much for your comments and sympathy. From my understanding I will have to wait quite a long time for it to come back so I will probably have to look on something else in the mean time.

TGDynamo, they didn't state that the camera takes photos so we dont bother to fix it, as a matter of fact they didn't say anything in the report rather than a standard copy and paste phrase like thank you for sending us the camera, or something like that. But the fact that they didn't fix it and they sent it back in exactly the same state as they received it implies that.

As I also stated above the repair paper asked for fix under warrantee, but I sent them email to ask them to fix the problem even if it is not covered by the warrantee. I wouldn't make a fuss if they were about to come with a reply like "the problem can not be covered under warrantee" or something. My biggest problem is that even though my request was directed to the specific engineer that looked into my problem he completely disregarded my request and didn't even care to write a report or something back..

 

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Edited February 15, 2019 by zampelis

[zampelis]

1 hour ago, nicci78 said:

Leica Q lens makes a small clicking sound. It is perfectly normal. It is the sound of Stabilizer lens element. Surprising by  normal  

Not sure about your AF ring. 

If you watch the first video I posted the sound is completely different than the sound of the stabiliser.. it has to do with the focus tab button.

[Le Chef]

Sorry you have to send it back again - PITA. I knew something must have happened as I kept going to the “Macro” heading and not seeing anything from you. It would be nice if Leica offered you a loaner Q until your camera came back.

[tgdinamo]

Leica should take a look at your macros on this forum and then apologize and quickly send you the brand new Q free of charge (and Q2 to evaluate) - just for promoting/demonstrating the macro capabilities of this camera.

[bags27]

2 hours ago, tgdinamo said:

Leica should take a look at your macros on this forum and then apologize and quickly send you the brand new Q free of charge (and Q2 to evaluate) - just for promoting/demonstrating the macro capabilities of this camera.

+1000

[Ko.Fe.]

3 hours ago, tgdinamo said:

I think you are missing the point. Zampelis seemed to have patiently waited (at least I have not seen any other email or complaints from him about this until now) until he got his camera back which looks like it has not been fixed (or even worked on at all) - if I read/understood his post correctly. That is definteily not acceptable (and if there was no note about what was looked at or fixed then it makes that even likely). Just BS reply that the camera still works because it takes photos is a complete joke (Leica should fire whoever was dumb enough to provide that answer).

OP: I  am very disappointed. This is currently my onlycamera and I haven't been able to take any photos for a month and a half now.

It looks like you are missing the point.

[tgdinamo]

5 minutes ago, Ko.Fe. said:

OP: I  am very disappointed. This is currently my onlycamera and I haven't been able to take any photos for a month and a half now.

It looks like you are missing the point.

Not at all. If you quoted his full post instead of taking this out of context that would be obvious (by the way OP clarified this in later post and he even explained that to you directly).

[zampelis]

1 hour ago, Ko.Fe. said:

OP: I  am very disappointed. This is currently my onlycamera and I haven't been able to take any photos for a month and a half now.

It looks like you are missing the point.

I stated that I haven't taken any photos for a month and a half now, emphasising the fact that because the camera returned back unfixed, requiring me to send it back again and wait for it to get fixed WITH extra uncertainty that even the second time that it will come back it maybe again not being fixed - all this process will have me waiting in uncertainty and in the end I don't even know I may sell the camera if they don't do something for it or if in the mean time they break something else without even noticing it.

I mean come on, Leica is a small company and obviously they have lots of stuff to fix, it is understandable, but I expect when they actually find the time to look into the problem to really look into it and even if they have doubts about it to at least provide me some feedback before they send the camera back on to what actions I would like them to take. I understand that their engineers deal daily with broken lenses and dropped broken bodies e.t.c. and I understand that the reason I sent it is not as such high a priority to their list. I would expect them to pay attention on why I sent it though. I didn't send it "because I dropped it and just wanted it to get checked to see if it is ok". I sent it for a specific reason, no matter how significant or insignificant it is, it is objectively something that is not there on new cameras and it should be looked after.

So I mentioned the fact that I haven't taken photos for some time to indicate the good will I showed to them, expecting them to provide me with a reliable service when I needed it, to have my camera back on some point fixed. It is not the time I need to wait for it to get fixed or the fact that I didn't take photos in the mean time (I am not a professional photographer that looses money by not taking photos) that frustrates me. It is the lack of feedback from their side and their disregard of my messages to them.

Edited February 15, 2019 by zampelis

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[IkarusJohn]

If you can, establish direct contact with someone at Customer Services in Wetzlar - this seems to be the most reliable approach.  I know it’s frustrating.  You buy a lovely camera, find something not right, do your best to get it fixed, wait, and wait, then find it hasn’t been properly looked at.  I imagine Customer Service has a mountain of work - get yours to stand out, rather than just be one of many.