I lost ONE YEAR just for sending this lens back to Leica CLA

[timesyndicate]

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I don’t know where to start this beside vexing my frustration/anger/disappointment how bad Leica service their own product and force me wait up to ONE YEAR for my 50mm Noctilux, I couldn’t ignore and let them get away with this badly service so I decide to share my stories.

I have my Noctilux misalignment at 0.95 and I need the lens service and Noctilux can only be serviced in Germany at their own service center since Leica can calibrate accurately at 0.95. I Sent my lens to a local Leica shop in Asia January 2022 before the Lunar New Year holiday, I paid for the service fee and off it went. 4 months pass I receive the lens, the first thing I open the lens is a GIANT air bubble stuck between Index Glass and ASPH Glass, they did not do proper job cement glass together create air gap, it was a GIANT air bubble and somehow no one at Leica check before shipping out or not even Leica Singapore inspect the lens before ship back to me. I was so disappointed how they could let this happen, then what other choice I have beside sending them back, each time I send back they don’t even prioritize CLA for mistakes they make, they make me wait for another 4 months for their 2^nd attempt.

The second attempt they fixed the air bubble, then they SPRINKLE dust all lens elements, it was so dirty I couldn’t believe they didn’t even CHECK before sending out again, I just use my phone flashlight shine direct to the lens and it like Galaxy map in there, I could see entire Andromeda Galaxy, for God sake HOW they manage to do that? They have state of the art equipment, didn’t they have a Zero dust isolation room? And they still screw up again for the second time???? I just did a simple QC test with a flashlight and I found the error in milliseconds, at this point I was more than disappointed, frustrated and what choice I have and send to LEICA again for the THIRD TIME.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me…. Then third time the charm, right? NO!!! Fool me three times, shame on both of us. The third time they took at least 6 months. I drop by the store and I keep asking for a status update and the staff give me “They are working on it” . I was so PISS OFF, I contacted the local Leica manager ask him if LEICA stole my lens or not. I was so done with LEICA at this point I don’t want to hear any bulls**t reason, there’s no F****g excuse LEICA held my lens for ONE F**** YEAR and couldn’t even service their own lens properly. The entire time, my time got wasted and no one bat an eye until “I” the customer had to physically MAD and start to DEMAND where’s my lens, my local Leica and Leica Singapore start to rile up and try to come up with a solution, they decide to guess what? Replace my lens. NO SH** Sherlock, YOU COULD HAVE DONE WHEN I SEND BACK THE SECOND TIME UNTIL I START TO PISS OFF, even Canon/Fuji/Sony/Nikon replace new lens right away if they couldn’t fix the lens, LEICA just wasted one year to replace me a new lens and call it a day. I missed many events and assignments to use Noctilux to shoot dark environments, how the hell can they even compensate for my loss of time? NOT a SINGLE APOLOGY Letter nor Email from LEICA. Even though I got a brand new Noctilux I’m not even happy to use it, every time I look at it remind the horrible experience I went through with this lens. I mean it’s not Summicron, Elmarit, it’s Noctilux that Leica can’t shut up how technological marvel they manage to achieve 0.95 and they litterally sh** on it and couldn’t even do basic repair.

After this I completely lost trust in the Leica repair service, they can’t even service their own product properly. How the hell can I trust to send another Noctilux or other good from them? This isn’t the first time, they screwed me half a year back in 2019 for my Leica X2 sensor cleaning, they sprinkle more dust on the sensor and make me wait 6 months and I don’t even feel happy to use it, so I sold it off after that. I ask the reason “we’re training new staff and reamp our service facility” that was they said, and it’s 2023 same s*** but worse.

I email LEICA and they basically told me, “Sorry we F*** up, we only have 2 technician oversee entire service line, they claim they take their Noctilux repair HIGH END Service and explain me how cOmPLEX the rePaIR and wE dOn’T kNOW wHY iT fAiL, wE wiLL inVEStiGATE it. We aLSO training new employee authorize 3^rd party repair service to service lens to save some time” They basically F*** up my lens and make me wait one year they just do the corpo speak and deflect responsibility, they don’t know why the lens return 2 times until I start email them, WTF? Leica as a whole couldn’t even communicate with each other department. I call out their b**s*** excuse and they haven’t responded to me for almost a week now, that speaks volume how Leica service their own product. They compensate me with a free repair 75 APO and free tour trip to Leica, one is least acceptable, the other is quite an insult when they offer a free tour for their mistake? When I ask them how can they ENsure their responsibility is repaired without F*** up next time? they haven't responded to me up to this point.

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[earleygallery]

As you have lost faith in Leica, and to avoid more stress you absolutely should sell what you have now and find another brand of camera/lens for a fresh start.

As an aside, I don't see where they have offered you a free service on the 75mm - they're just saying that the service manager will personally look after it when you send it in.

[250swb]

It is a sad situation but I think the final response from Leica was trying to build bridges. Despite this I’d rage quit and go and buy Nikon’s f/0.95 just to show Leica they can’t get away with it.

Edited April 19, 2023 by 250swb