Dave_P Posted February 21, 2023 Share #141 Posted February 21, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) Don't worry, I'll report back with whatever happens. 👍 1 hour ago, LocalHero1953 said: If you can bear it, please keep us updated with the outcome! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 21, 2023 Posted February 21, 2023 Hi Dave_P, Take a look here Camera Obscura Repairs UK.... Problem 😔. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
250swb Posted February 22, 2023 Share #142 Posted February 22, 2023 13 hours ago, Dave_P said: but after a few weeks no email to say it was logged and with them, A problem with the word 'them', he uses 'we', and 'us' to indicate 'himself' on his web site and in communications, which is most of the battle in tracking him down because there are no other employees to answer an email or pick up the phone. I wish you all the best, and who knows with luck he may need some pocket money and do the job. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ga99js Posted March 12, 2023 Share #143 Posted March 12, 2023 Has anyone heard from Camera Obscura recently? I had a similar experience to those in this thread last year. Slow delivery, absent comms for weeks but then Alexander suddenly came through 👏🏻 and delivered great results on a lens CLA, and a service (and fantastic reskin) on a precious Barnack of mine. However, I’ve now got a minor problem with the Barnack and want Alexander to look at it again. I can’t get hold of him anywhere. I don’t mind him being slow (this is a niche artisan business). I actually don’t mind the poor comms for the same reason, but I am concerned if he has simply vanished when I need a bit of warranty after-sales. So… has anyone heard from him? GA99JS Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ga99js Posted March 12, 2023 Share #144 Posted March 12, 2023 13 minutes ago, ga99js said: Has anyone heard from Camera Obscura recently? I had a similar experience to those in this thread last year. Slow delivery, absent comms for weeks but then Alexander suddenly came through 👏🏻 and delivered great results on a lens CLA, and a service (and fantastic reskin) on a precious Barnack of mine. However, I’ve now got a minor problem with the Barnack and want Alexander to look at it again. I can’t get hold of him anywhere. I don’t mind him being slow (this is a niche artisan business). I actually don’t mind the poor comms for the same reason, but I am concerned if he has simply vanished when I need a bit of warranty after-sales. So… has anyone heard from him? GA99JS Update. Sorry I missed Dave P’s latest posts from 22 Feb when I wrote this. Sounds like Alexander is in a comms black hole again. If it helps, my experience last year was that he’d go for a few weeks showing really excellent comms, and would then go quiet again for ages before coming back to explain he’d been overseas or his email had been down. None of which is great service, but I didn’t get the feeling he was a scammer, just rather scatty. ga99js 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_P Posted March 12, 2023 Share #145 Posted March 12, 2023 Nothing to update from my point of view here - more emails and attempts at contact as yet completely unanswered. FWIW I'm not into this idea that he can just go quiet then come through with the repair months later, thast's no way to run any sort of business, I could have gone to someone else and be back using the camera now. Just a time-waster. Anyway, a bit of digging on Linkedin and he's showing as starting a two-year (part time?) masters in Sept 2022 which might also account for why the customer service has gone to complete crap. Still, he managed to find the time to respond to my original contact to initiate the repair job immediately, although in many ways I'm wishing he hadn't. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ga99js Posted March 12, 2023 Share #146 Posted March 12, 2023 3 hours ago, Dave_P said: Nothing to update from my point of view here - more emails and attempts at contact as yet completely unanswered. FWIW I'm not into this idea that he can just go quiet then come through with the repair months later, thast's no way to run any sort of business, I could have gone to someone else and be back using the camera now. Just a time-waster. Anyway, a bit of digging on Linkedin and he's showing as starting a two-year (part time?) masters in Sept 2022 which might also account for why the customer service has gone to complete crap. Still, he managed to find the time to respond to my original contact to initiate the repair job immediately, although in many ways I'm wishing he hadn't. Yep good point. I’m lucky enough to have 3 cameras on the go. So if one of them is gone for a long while it not the end of the world as long as I can trust it will come back eventually and have a half decent job. That doesn’t mean it’s ok to do this without any comms. The person earlier in this thread whose camera seemed to be gone is heartbreaking. I need a tweak to shutter speed on the iiib he fixed last year. It’s still in warranty. I’m now weighing up whether to push Alexander to do the job or just cut losses and pay someone else. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted March 13, 2023 Share #147 Posted March 13, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) 12 hours ago, Dave_P said: Anyway, a bit of digging on Linkedin and he's showing as starting a two-year (part time?) masters in Sept 2022 which might also account for why the customer service has gone to complete crap. Still, he managed to find the time to respond to my original contact to initiate the repair job immediately, although in many ways I'm wishing he hadn't. It's hard to believe that many of his previous positions or jobs seem to involve communication skills, so I would treat anything he says on Linkedin with a pinch of salt. I think his titles such as 'Head Engineer' of Camera Obscura are pure inventions, unless his cat is taking on the roll of junior engineer. Responding to initial enquiries quickly is his modus operandi, that is the worm, but anglers don't keep feeding the fish ever more worms after they've been caught, to make an analogy out of it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_P Posted March 13, 2023 Share #148 Posted March 13, 2023 3 hours ago, 250swb said: It's hard to believe that many of his previous positions or jobs seem to involve communication skills, so I would treat anything he says on Linkedin with a pinch of salt. I think his titles such as 'Head Engineer' of Camera Obscura are pure inventions, unless his cat is taking on the roll of junior engineer. Responding to initial enquiries quickly is his modus operandi, that is the worm, but anglers don't keep feeding the fish ever more worms after they've been caught, to make an analogy out of it. To be fair I don't think any cat worth its salt would allow a human to say they were in charge of the operation. If I know cats... 13 hours ago, ga99js said: Yep good point. I’m lucky enough to have 3 cameras on the go. So if one of them is gone for a long while it not the end of the world as long as I can trust it will come back eventually and have a half decent job. I'm also lucky to have various "on the go" (all definitely being used, if my other half asks) but that was my first and so far only foray into screw mount Leicas, so it was occupying its own niche. In the mean time while this issue is resolved I'm just slumming it with my M3. Size of a brick! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_P Posted March 21, 2023 Share #149 Posted March 21, 2023 UPDATE: I must have been praying to the right gods lately, or maybe it must have been their once-every-three-months email check this weekend as I did get a reply from Camera Obscura out of the blue (as did another disgrunted Facebook used I found on a Leica group). Anyway, they/he was apologetic, citing "poor communication internally" (<ahem>, and externally), and the fact I didn't notify them when I'd posted the camera (I wasn't instructed to, and they signed for it so knew it was there, and it had all the booking form enclosed as instructed 🤷♂️). Long and short of it is naturally I bailed on the theoretical repair and now have the camera back. They returned it at their cost - fair play. I have now closed all my browser tabs relating to small claims court and trading standards. Anyway, if anyone can recommend non-timewaster repairers of screw mount Leicas in the UK then I'm in the market for one. Ideally not Cameraworks style ones with a several month waiting list. I don't want a fancy repaint or custom modifications, just want the shutter working! Cheers. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted March 21, 2023 Share #150 Posted March 21, 2023 Aperture in London have an in house repair guy, I have never used them, well I asked if they could repair my R3 which they looked at and couldn't, but at least it's a physical store and you can go and see them! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted March 21, 2023 Share #151 Posted March 21, 2023 Malcolm Taylor - Upper Lye Farm, Aymestrey, Leominster, HR6 9SZ +44 1568 770542. No website, doesn't use email. Highly regarded, but may be not far from real retirement. I think he still does repair work. He did excellent refurbishment of my II Model D (including dismantling/cleaning the rangefinder, and straightening the body). I enjoyed my phone calls with him. Very knowledgeable, and highly regarded, including by Leica. But.....he has always been in high demand, and there may be long delays. Cameraworks-UK https://www.cameraworks-uk.com/ (not the same as Cameraworks in London). Alan Starkie - highly regarded also. Also in high demand with long lead time Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_P Posted March 21, 2023 Share #152 Posted March 21, 2023 I suppose I'm after Schrödinger's repairer - one that does competent work, professional, and reasonably priced, but simultaneously in low demand. The Aperture suggestion is a good one, and I would be tempted by being able to physically take it in, but I'm 150miles from London and like to keep it that way.🤣 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nf3996 Posted March 22, 2023 Share #153 Posted March 22, 2023 I've had good work done on several Leica bodies and lenses by Newton Ellis in Liverpool - https://www.newtonellis.com/. They seem to be taking a little longer now than previously, but their work has always been of a high standard. Alan 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted March 22, 2023 Share #154 Posted March 22, 2023 I too have used Newton Ellis - for the repair of an 1890s TTH lens suffering from a nearly seized aperture. They sorted it out and it now works perfectly. I think that they are 'old school' camera repairers prepared to take most things on and deal with repairs competently. A dwindling number of such repairers seems to mean that all those who work well have increasing workloads and longer repair times as a result. Malcolm Taylor is very good but can (literally) take years on some repairs. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted March 22, 2023 Share #155 Posted March 22, 2023 I’ve used Newton Ellis to fix a gummed up Rolleiflex and they were reassuringly matter of fact ( no sucking of air through teeth or shaking of heads), straightforward to deal with, and a good price. It got a full service and is now as smooth as silk. And they do Leica’s. I think sometimes we do instinctively look for a Leica specialist but an old-school generalist (not many left) does have a deep knowledge about all cameras. You certainly won’t read the same fake corporate BS on their web site that you get with Camera Obscura. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Irwin Posted April 23, 2023 Share #156 Posted April 23, 2023 Alexander has had my M3 and Summicron since November. Replied once in a blue moon. Took my money. Said delivery was imminent a month ago. Since then nothing. Wish I had discovered this before sending the kit. Should have sent it to Newton Ellis. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Irwin Posted April 26, 2023 Share #157 Posted April 26, 2023 Just said I should get my kit back ‘by the end of the week’. I’ll post if I do get it back. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_P Posted April 26, 2023 Share #158 Posted April 26, 2023 2 hours ago, Simon Irwin said: Just said I should get my kit back ‘by the end of the week’. I’ll post if I do get it back. Fingers crossed for you. FWIW I think their whole modus operandi of the business is "just" utterly disorganised, incompetent and unprofessional, rather than actively nefarious. So hopefully you'll get everything back OK. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ga99js Posted April 26, 2023 Share #159 Posted April 26, 2023 3 hours ago, Simon Irwin said: Just said I should get my kit back ‘by the end of the week’. I’ll post if I do get it back. He’s just posted a picture of a beautiful black M3 on Instagram. Hopefully yours? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Irwin Posted April 27, 2023 Share #160 Posted April 27, 2023 Just said I should get my kit back ‘by the end of the week’. I’ll post if I do get it back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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