Leica SL System Repairs & Pro Service

[PBart]

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I'm now on my 6th Leica lens repair within an 8yr period. Also, I had 2 camera body repairs within this time too. It all started with S System lenses with the motors and now I have SL system issues. This week I discovered that my SL 50mm Summicron is making motor noises louder than usual and the focus ring will barely turn.

I contacted one of the Leica reps to see if he can help expedite the repair and get a loaner. He passed me onto Leica USA's repair department. I was told to expect 16 weeks and even more for repairs to be complete. Since I've had so many repair issues, I'm normally given a loaner. I always express that I'm a professional photographer who makes his living with his Leica equipment and need a loaner if repairs take a long time.

Unfortunately, Leica can't expedite the lens repair and also claim to have nothing to loan. No 50mm lens for many months.

Are other Leica users experiencing the same issues with Leica service? Every time I have a repair, I ask about Leica offering a professional service program that helps their pro photographers out. I'd pay for this service. It's seems that Leica doesn't place priority on professionals.

After 6 lens and 2 camera body repairs, I think I may need to make the difficult decision and switch to another camera company. I love Leica optics and the feel of the cameras but customer service is crucial when you make a living as a photographer. Reliable gear and service is all I'm asking for. 

Hope Leica will eventually hear me and act upon it.

 

 

 

 

 

   

[pgk]

25 minutes ago, PBart said:

Every time I have a repair, I ask about Leica offering a professional service program that helps their pro photographers out.

Leica used to have a pro service program which I used a couple of times and it was very good. Unfortunately I think that they have stopped it!

[cpclee]

4 hours ago, PBart said:

I'm now on my 6th Leica lens repair within an 8yr period. Also, I had 2 camera body repairs within this time too. It all started with S System lenses with the motors and now I have SL system issues. This week I discovered that my SL 50mm Summicron is making motor noises louder than usual and the focus ring will barely turn.

I contacted one of the Leica reps to see if he can help expedite the repair and get a loaner. He passed me onto Leica USA's repair department. I was told to expect 16 weeks and even more for repairs to be complete. Since I've had so many repair issues, I'm normally given a loaner. I always express that I'm a professional photographer who makes his living with his Leica equipment and need a loaner if repairs take a long time.

Unfortunately, Leica can't expedite the lens repair and also claim to have nothing to loan. No 50mm lens for many months.

Are other Leica users experiencing the same issues with Leica service? Every time I have a repair, I ask about Leica offering a professional service program that helps their pro photographers out. I'd pay for this service. It's seems that Leica doesn't place priority on professionals.

After 6 lens and 2 camera body repairs, I think I may need to make the difficult decision and switch to another camera company. I love Leica optics and the feel of the cameras but customer service is crucial when you make a living as a photographer. Reliable gear and service is all I'm asking for. 

Hope Leica will eventually hear me and act upon it.

 

 

 

 

 

   

I think if you just explain them your situation / frustration on the phone or email, they will make an effort to expedite.  I've done that before, or even dropping in in person as I lived not far away.  Things they have to send to Germany there is less they can do, but they will still try to expedite.  They did that for my 80/1.4R which needed to go to Germany because some element was out of alignment.

 

[frame-it]

Leica Should try and do it the Panasonic way >

https://lumix-pro.us/#services

 

[Photoworks]

ALL LEICA SL parts are only serviced in Germany .

I have complained about this many time. They have a service in Europe that send you some lenses if they have them. Nothing like that in the USA. 

This is why Leica is not a Professional camera.  it is more like an amateur collector system, they don't have a problem waiting so many months to get there investment back.

[PBart]

On 12/15/2021 at 3:29 PM, pgk said:

Leica used to have a pro service program which I used a couple of times and it was very good. Unfortunately I think that they have stopped it!

I was told many times from Leica about a pro service.  I was getting the pro service even though it felt like terrible standard service. I only get loaner equipment if I contact a Leica rep who I know and he then puts me in contact with someone to help. So, Leica has no system or program in place for pro service from what I experienced many, many times. 

[PBart]

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On 12/15/2021 at 7:12 PM, cpclee said:

I think if you just explain them your situation / frustration on the phone or email, they will make an effort to expedite.  I've done that before, or even dropping in in person as I lived not far away.  Things they have to send to Germany there is less they can do, but they will still try to expedite.  They did that for my 80/1.4R which needed to go to Germany because some element was out of alignment.

 

Yeh, I emailed them about the situation and went over my long repair history. I was told they can't expedite the repair because of labor and parts shortages. They could still prioritize my repair so it is taken care of earlier than later right? Nope. I emailed Leica's headquarters in Germany and they sent me a generalized copy and pasted email from a template. Rather insulting considering I spent over $100,000 with Leica over the past 8yrs. Now I'm just thinking if Leica is worth all this and if Canon may be the way to go. At least I'll get pro service with Canon and a much bigger selection of lenses and supported more widely. Plus, Canon USA is an hr drive from me and I heard they repair stuff at their USA location. Tough decision ahead. I need reliable gear and service.

[rcusick]

I have to concur - that for even mere mortals (i.e. not professionals) - Leica service is not on par with other manufacturers.  I would expect a higher grade of service - even for consumers - given Leica positions itself as a luxury brand.  Turnaround times are long.  Communication is horrible.  Service cost is high.  I love my SL and M10R and $40k+ of lenses, but hate the service experience.

[LeicaR10]

PBart,  Unfortunately for you the holiday season, pandemic and supply chain issues have created a perfect storm for you.  I realize it is frustrating for you.  Based on my experience with the S and SL systems when I owned my business, I had a very good pro-active Leica rep that would go the extra mile for me in times of need, albeit a rare occasion.  He would either get a loaner from NJ or Germany for me or Leica Germany would simply swap out the item.  I suggest you call the Leica rep and ask him to do the same...get Leica NJ to ask Wetzlar for a loaner or swap the 50 for you.  I am going to send you a PM with an email address to someone in Germany who might help you.  Leica gear IS pro gear and I can say, the other manufacturers have the same issues and even their "pro service" isn't what people are lead to believe.  Hope this helps.  r/ Mark

[cpclee]

9 hours ago, PBart said:

Yeh, I emailed them about the situation and went over my long repair history. I was told they can't expedite the repair because of labor and parts shortages. They could still prioritize my repair so it is taken care of earlier than later right? Nope. I emailed Leica's headquarters in Germany and they sent me a generalized copy and pasted email from a template. Rather insulting considering I spent over $100,000 with Leica over the past 8yrs. Now I'm just thinking if Leica is worth all this and if Canon may be the way to go. At least I'll get pro service with Canon and a much bigger selection of lenses and supported more widely. Plus, Canon USA is an hr drive from me and I heard they repair stuff at their USA location. Tough decision ahead. I need reliable gear and service.

I feel your pain.  Indeed, Leica's service expediency and comprehensiveness have not been on par with the bigger players serving the professional market.  It isn't just that Leica is small (Hasselblad is probably even smaller), it is that the company is organised around selling primarily to affluent amateurs.

Not sure if this necessitates walking away from the brand, but perhaps one way to hedge is to strategize your equipment around Leica's deficiency in service by having backups or the ability to mix with other brand's.  In that regard it's better than it has ever been.  You can temporarily swap in Sigma/Panasonic/CL L mount bodies/lenses or turn to manual focus lenses with an adapter.  It will cost you a few hundred dollars for the round trip while waiting for the repair, but at least at no loss of your productivity. 

At the end of the day, is the Leica image/materials quality differential enough to justify the hassle?  I think it's different for everyone.  But personally I'd not want to rely on Leica professionally without expecting extra cash outlays to buffer.  

[Stuart Richardson]

Leica has tried it a few times, but they seem not to stick with it. Until they get it right, it will be a trade off. For me, the upside of the lenses and gear are worth the pain in getting them serviced. But I generally have enough equipment that I can rely on something else if a lens or body is in need of service. A loaner is a reasonable request, but as Mark said, you will probably have to ask a local rep. That is one area where I have struggled...Leica has offered me loaner equipment but I could not take it, as Iceland is outside the EU and the customs will only allow the gear in if I pay the VAT on it, and subsequently I would have to apply to have it returned. That process can take months. The only dealer here is not an authorized dealer and is not very professional, so I am basically on my own. I wish Leica did better with this, but for me I focus more on the 98% of the time I am using the gear, rather than the 2% of the time when I need service. If I were doing something with more stringent deadlines or 100% uptime requirements, I would probably be shooting Fuji, though to be honest, I do not think the service is really much better here.

[BernardC]

22 hours ago, PBart said:

At least I'll get pro service with Canon and a much bigger selection of lenses and supported more widely. Plus, Canon USA is an hr drive from me and I heard they repair stuff at their USA location. Tough decision ahead. I need reliable gear and service.

Canon is your best choice for professional service in the US, especially if their HQ is nearby. Nikon recently stopped supporting a lot of service facilities, and Lens Rentals has often complained about Sony's poor US service.

I've also received great service from Hasselblad USA, but I didn't ask for loaners, and I doubt they had any for the equipment that I use. Some equipment was serviced in New Jersey, some in Sweden, but it was all transparent to me and very quick.

[PBart]

4 hours ago, Stuart Richardson said:

Leica has tried it a few times, but they seem not to stick with it. Until they get it right, it will be a trade off. For me, the upside of the lenses and gear are worth the pain in getting them serviced. But I generally have enough equipment that I can rely on something else if a lens or body is in need of service. A loaner is a reasonable request, but as Mark said, you will probably have to ask a local rep. That is one area where I have struggled...Leica has offered me loaner equipment but I could not take it, as Iceland is outside the EU and the customs will only allow the gear in if I pay the VAT on it, and subsequently I would have to apply to have it returned. That process can take months. The only dealer here is not an authorized dealer and is not very professional, so I am basically on my own. I wish Leica did better with this, but for me I focus more on the 98% of the time I am using the gear, rather than the 2% of the time when I need service. If I were doing something with more stringent deadlines or 100% uptime requirements, I would probably be shooting Fuji, though to be honest, I do not think the service is really much better here.

Thanks for sharing your take on things. I agree. I bought Leica because of the optics and other strengths I can't find elsewhere. I'll just have to expect the poor customer service for now and not let it bother me as much. I think having some inexpensive backup lenses (Sigma lenses) may be the way to go. Perhaps a few crucial focal length lenses. 

[PBart]

1 hour ago, BernardC said:

Canon is your best choice for professional service in the US, especially if their HQ is nearby. Nikon recently stopped supporting a lot of service facilities, and Lens Rentals has often complained about Sony's poor US service.

I've also received great service from Hasselblad USA, but I didn't ask for loaners, and I doubt they had any for the equipment that I use. Some equipment was serviced in New Jersey, some in Sweden, but it was all transparent to me and very quick.

Hasselblad may be my first choice if I ever get back into medium format again. I always had good experience with them but that was in the film days when I had a 503cw.

My holdup with Canon is the sensor quality compared to what I'm used to. I played around with Canon files as a test but can't say I loved my results.

I used to have a Nikon system and always liked the sensor quality. Kind of afraid of buying in with them since their financial issues and being late to the mirrorless game. I think they'll catch up again but will take a while.

I think Panasonic has potential if they can improve the autofocus and market themselves better. Leica cameras have Panasonic parts inside and the quality is good.

I may buy some backup lenses made by Sigma or Panasonic for when my Leica lenses fail while on a photoshoot. I'll consider it as insurance.

Much appreciated for the feedback!

 

[PBart]

21 hours ago, LeicaR10 said:

PBart,  Unfortunately for you the holiday season, pandemic and supply chain issues have created a perfect storm for you.  I realize it is frustrating for you.  Based on my experience with the S and SL systems when I owned my business, I had a very good pro-active Leica rep that would go the extra mile for me in times of need, albeit a rare occasion.  He would either get a loaner from NJ or Germany for me or Leica Germany would simply swap out the item.  I suggest you call the Leica rep and ask him to do the same...get Leica NJ to ask Wetzlar for a loaner or swap the 50 for you.  I am going to send you a PM with an email address to someone in Germany who might help you.  Leica gear IS pro gear and I can say, the other manufacturers have the same issues and even their "pro service" isn't what people are lead to believe.  Hope this helps.  r/ Mark

Thanks for sending the info. I finally got through to someone at Leica who seems to be taking care of things for me. No loaner though. They claim there is a shortage of loaners and can't send anything from Germany. My impression is that most people at Leica know about the service issues but can't do anything about it. No one will admit it opening though.

I tried all I can do for now. In the future I'll have to buy some Sigma back-up lenses so I'm ok during a photoshoot and not short on anything. I bought a Sigma 105mm macro recently because Leica doesn't have a macro yet for the SL and it's rather nice. I'll still buy the Leica macro if/when it comes out someday. Not anytime soon it seems.

Much appreciated!

[Kim Dahl]

I work as a professional press photographer.  I love Leica.  But forget about Leica as the only system in your collection.  I use Leica because it gives a better experience when I photograph.  But today I use Nikon D5 and for March I switch to Canon R3.  Leica for me is M and maybe even Q. If they break I can do without them and use my other equipment.

[Ko.Fe.]

LUF is very helpful. Was thinking about SL, but because of this thread I now know on top of no service in Canada (G7 country) it has no service in USA, either. 

So, SL is not for me. If I would be in Germany, sure. But where I'm Canon headquarters with service (you could track repair progress on-line) is in thirty minutes drive.

This thread, must be sticky, I think it will help with decision on  getting SL or not for many here. 

[Gavin Cato]

Similar story here in Australia.

One of my sl2's broke at a wedding. I asked for a loaner. They said they don't have one.

They said they can fix cameras in Australia so I thought great - might be 1-2 weeks. 

Instead after 2 weeks they emailed to say it's going to Germany. 

I don't like the way canon/sony cameras feel in the hand vs the leica but I'd have had the camera back in 3-5 days.

 

[beewee]

I’ve been shooting Leica for the last 10+ years and it’s the image quality and ergonomics that draws me but I don’t make a living off my camera and it’s purely a hobby. The return on investment equation has more to do with the enjoyment I get out of the camera.

However, if I were to be making a living off my camera, there’s no way I would ever use Leica for such task. For the price of the bodies and lenses, it would be a much harder sell to get a return on investment where the return is more weighted on monetary income rather than personal enjoyment. Add to the fact that the service is so terribly slow, there’s no way I would risk my livelihood on the speed of repairs.

I once sent an M10 out to Germany for calibration through my local Leica dealer and waited a full 6 months to realize the camera never even got to Wetzlar. It somehow got lost in the mail and neither Leica Germany nor the dealer knew. Thankfully, the dealer did replace my M10 with another body at their own cost and for that I’m grateful but I can’t imagine trying to make a living with this kind of service.

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[Gavin Cato]

4 hours ago, beewee said:

However, if I were to be making a living off my camera, there’s no way I would ever use Leica for such task. For the price of the bodies and lenses, it would be a much harder sell to get a return on investment where the return is more weighted on monetary income rather than personal enjoyment

I do get what you are saying, but honestly in my case the gear cost is very small compared to the revenue over a few years.

So I want to enjoy the gear as I use it.