Has anybody else had problems with Leica's customer services and support? Re a Q3 purchase.....

[Midnight]

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Hi Leica Forum,

Has anybody else had problems with Leica's customer services and support? I've had a nightmare trying to order a Q3 from them as their site went down so I couldn't actually buy one! I was dealing with a customer services and even though we managed to get the camera in the shopping cart quite a few times, I couldn't actually proceed and pay for it and wasted quite sometime doing so.

In the end I did get one from a third-party as Leica didn't have any in stock after their website went down. I'm not quite sure why they couldn't get one to me but they couldn't or tell me when they were going to get anymore!

Anyway, that doesn't matter as eventually I've got a Q3! But when I was dealing with Leica and wanting some support about the back button, focus and function buttons, getting them assigned correctly and getting the most from their camera I was tole that I'd get an hours professional help and tutorial however when I came to take this service up Leica refused to give me any support as I bought it from a third-party even though this third-party is one of their outlets and partners. I've been a professional user for almost 30 years and had pro support from Sony and Canon in this time, but Leica don't seem to look after their users or the professionals which I was very surprised about. In fact, I found them unhelp and misleading, I thought they were a an excellent brand and business, stood the test of time and had pride in their products and customer services, but they seem to be very lapse.

 

Customer services were not helpful on the phone so much so I'm considering sending my Q3 back from principle. Has anybody else found Leica to lack in this area? I'm worried that if the camera did have a problem I'd get no support or help which is worrying, so far my experience with Leica has not been good!

 

I was also surprised at the strap that came with the Q3 as it's cheap and nasty and not really usable. I'm very surprised Leica would make something as bad as this so I am concerned about their products moving forward!!

 

Has anyone had similar experiances?

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

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FWIW. I emailed them with a Q3 question on July 1, and received a polite and good answer on July 11. - Guessing that they are busier than usual? - I can’t speak to the other concerns. 

[pcgarner]

4 hours ago, Midnight said:

I was also surprised at the strap that came with the Q3 as it's cheap and nasty and not really usable. I'm very surprised Leica would make something as bad as this so I am concerned about their products moving forward!!

 

Has anyone had similar experiances?

I suspect you were having a bad day when this was written. It reminds me of the adage about writing a text and waiting an hour before posting it.

[bobtodrick]

5 hours ago, Midnight said:

Hi Leica Forum,

Has anybody else had problems with Leica's customer services and support? I've had a nightmare trying to order a Q3 from them as their site went down so I couldn't actually buy one! I was dealing with a customer services and even though we managed to get the camera in the shopping cart quite a few times, I couldn't actually proceed and pay for it and wasted quite sometime doing so.

In the end I did get one from a third-party as Leica didn't have any in stock after their website went down. I'm not quite sure why they couldn't get one to me but they couldn't or tell me when they were going to get anymore!

Anyway, that doesn't matter as eventually I've got a Q3! But when I was dealing with Leica and wanting some support about the back button, focus and function buttons, getting them assigned correctly and getting the most from their camera I was tole that I'd get an hours professional help and tutorial however when I came to take this service up Leica refused to give me any support as I bought it from a third-party even though this third-party is one of their outlets and partners. I've been a professional user for almost 30 years and had pro support from Sony and Canon in this time, but Leica don't seem to look after their users or the professionals which I was very surprised about. In fact, I found them unhelp and misleading, I thought they were a an excellent brand and business, stood the test of time and had pride in their products and customer services, but they seem to be very lapse.

 

Customer services were not helpful on the phone so much so I'm considering sending my Q3 back from principle. Has anybody else found Leica to lack in this area? I'm worried that if the camera did have a problem I'd get no support or help which is worrying, so far my experience with Leica has not been good!

 

I was also surprised at the strap that came with the Q3 as it's cheap and nasty and not really usable. I'm very surprised Leica would make something as bad as this so I am concerned about their products moving forward!!

 

Has anyone had similar experiances?

Where are you located.  As a Canadian dealer (for 30 years) I can without hesitation say Leica support is better than we get from both Canon and Nikon.

[Indeepthought]

Over the years (film & digital) Leica have charged RR prices and not really offered the service associated with the cost of their equipment. The issues with the M10/11 and Q3 are really not acceptable in the price range. 

[gotium]

7 hours ago, Midnight said:

Hi Leica Forum,

Has anybody else had problems with Leica's customer services and support?

Hahahahahahahaha. Yes. 

[bobtodrick]

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1 hour ago, Indeepthought said:

Over the years (film & digital) Leica have charged RR prices and not really offered the service associated with the cost of their equipment. The issues with the M10/11 and Q3 are really not acceptable in the price range. 

I disagree.

Canon, Nikon, Sony…all of them have firmware updates within weeks of introducing a new pro level camera.

They have 10’s of developers working on a new camera…they bring it out and get the feedback from thousands and then fine tune it.

What do you expect?…it’s why (no matter what the product) I don’t jump on the bandwagon at the very start.

[jwr50]

I've had a positive experience with Leica USA Customer Service.  After calling Customer Service to inquire about Q3 availability, a CS rep called me back a few days later to tell me they had just put a couple of Q3s "in stock" on their website.  While I sat at my computer, he talked me through the website order process and made sure my order went through.  Seemed like great customer service to me.

[StefanoGili]

16 hours ago, Midnight said:

Hi Leica Forum,

 

Anyway, that doesn't matter as eventually I've got a Q3! But when I was dealing with Leica and wanting some support about the back button, focus and function buttons, getting them assigned correctly and getting the most from their camera I was tole that I'd get an hours professional help and tutorial however when I came to take this service up Leica refused to give me any support as I bought it from a third-party even though this third-party is one of their outlets and partners. I've been a professional user for almost 30 years and had pro support from Sony and Canon in this time, but Leica don't seem to look after their users or the professionals which I was very surprised about. In fact, I found them unhelp and misleading, I thought they were a an excellent brand and business, stood the test of time and had pride in their products and customer services, but they seem to be very lapse.

 

Customer services were not helpful on the phone so much so I'm considering sending my Q3 back from principle. Has anybody else found Leica to lack in this area? I'm worried that if the camera did have a problem I'd get no support or help which is worrying, so far my experience with Leica has not been good!

 

I was also surprised at the strap that came with the Q3 as it's cheap and nasty and not really usable. I'm very surprised Leica would make something as bad as this so I am concerned about their products moving forward!!

 

Has anyone had similar experiances?

Oh come on.

The fact that you bought a product that costs 6k dollars, doesn't exempt you to read the manual and take a look to thousand of videos in youtube about "how to set the camera". Customer service does not mean "lazy people service", but means "Service for people that has problems with the camera or issues", like those who faced freeze and sensor problems. This sounds to me a post not really based on a true experience and a bit trolling.  If you enter a leica store, even without your camera and ask to the employees inside, they will teach you everything about the camera...and you don't have to buy anything.

Bye

 

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by StefanoGili

[Midnight]

59 minutes ago, StefanoGili said:

Oh come on.

The fact that you bought a product that costs 6k dollars, doesn't exempt you to read the manual and take a look to thousand of videos in youtube about "how to set the camera". Customer service does not mean "lazy people service", but means "Service for people that has problems with the camera or issues", like those who faced freeze and sensor problems. This sounds to me a post not really based on a true experience and a bit trolling.  If you enter a leica store, even without your camera and ask to the employees inside, they will teach you everything about the camera...and you don't have to buy anything.

Bye

 

I had a loan camera without a manual Stefango so I sent some questions back to Leica and got the below response offering a free hour with a purchase but it didn't stipulate that the camera had to be brought through Leica! After missing the order due to Leica's site going down and no date for the next batch I purchased one from a Leica supplier but then I was told support had been withdrawn so I'd have to pay £125 for support as I didn't buy my Leica camera directly from Leica. I don't think this is fair or encouraging for professionals who swop out to Leica! See below!

2 emails from Leica customer services.

 

M mentioned in his email that when you purchase your Leica Q3 you will receive an invitation to book a complimentary one-to-one tutorial. I am sorry you did not understand that the invitation would have been sent after purchasing one from us as we would have no visibility of cameras purchased outside Leica.

Unfortunately, though we would like to, we cannot offer 1:2:1 service for systems that have not been purchased directly from us.

 

The good news is our Akademie offers one-to-one photography tutorials with a Leica expert.

https://store.leica-camera.com/uk/en/bespoke-photography-tutorial

 

Alternatively, you can ask any questions you may have about the Q3 to us in an email or via our chat. We also are happy to answer any questions you may have about the camera and continue to support you with your new Lecia.

Best Wishes,

S I

 

 

Thank you for the feedback! I you can customize the function buttons and the 2 back buttons to back-focus as well. When you purchase your Q3 you will receive an invitation to book a complimentary one-to-one tutorial, so we can go over all the settings you may need.

 

Best wishes,

 

M M

eCommerce Assistant | Leica Camera UK

 

 

 

 

[StefanoGili]

2 hours ago, Midnight said:

 

That sounds weird but it's real, i apologise. I wonder if the Leica supplier will give you support for configuration... and i don't understand why leica got a company policy like that..

[FlowUK]

OP, what's this hours professional help/tutorial you mention? 

I got mine directly from Leica online but, not aware of this

[jaapv]

On 7/13/2023 at 1:45 AM, bobtodrick said:

I disagree.

Canon, Nikon, Sony…all of them have firmware updates within weeks of introducing a new pro level camera.

They have 10’s of developers working on a new camera…they bring it out and get the feedback from thousands and then fine tune it.

What do you expect?…it’s why (no matter what the product) I don’t jump on the bandwagon at the very start.

I find needing a firmware update within weeks a negative rather than a positive. It is a sign of insufficient product development. 

[jaapv]

1 hour ago, FlowUK said:

OP, what's this hours professional help/tutorial you mention? 

I got mine directly from Leica online but, not aware of this

https://leica-camera.com/en-int/leica-akademie

[jaapv]

I find this a puzzling post. The OP is in London. He only needs to walk into Leica Mayfair to get all the help he could wish.   If they refused I suspect this is a grey import. 
Anyway the camera does come with a manual. Setting up the buttons etc. is hardly rocket science. 
You claim to be a professional of thirty years and you need your hand held to set up a simple camera? And hours of tutoring on how to use it? Seriously?

[FlowUK]

1 hour ago, jaapv said:

https://leica-camera.com/en-int/leica-akademie

The OP mentioned free, which is what confused me a little. 

Leica Mayfair have always been helpful in the past, especially Robin. 

[jaapv]

Indeed. Only positive reports on Leica Mayfair.

The other thing is that the camera is in short supply with long waiting lists. It is hardly a surprise that it plays havoc with the ordering process. 

[beewee]

5 hours ago, jaapv said:

I find needing a firmware update within weeks a negative rather than a positive. It is a sign of insufficient product development. 

If product designers were to design consumer electronics that do not need firmware updates, your camera would cost several times more than what it already does and your ‘new’ camera would run on 10 year old technology. This is the design approach for safety critical systems in automotive applications. There’s always a tradeoff when you want to take reliability to the nth degree.

Many things can be done if you throw more money at it but very few people want to pay for it unless it’s actually beneficial. If it weren’t for external pressure from regulatory requirements and liability from lawsuits, I’m pretty sure more corners would be cut in the automotive industry because consumers generally prioritize pricing and more ‘features’ over reliability.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica Q

[Phil75]

Many reasons to buy from a local dealership, where you can step in again and ask for help in a "2nd handover" (recommended in off-peak hours). CS isn't primarily there to explain basic functions of a technical device, if the customer hasn't even read the manual, but to help with real issues, which could be operative ones of course, too (more to be expected with complicated menus and buttons of other manufacturers' cameras).

I needed Leicas CS 3x in over 10 years and was pleased with their reaction time and how they quickly solved the issues (1 major, 2 minor with accessories that quickly got replaced). Never had a discussion with them. (For a truly fastidious customer like me a very pleasant experience.) 😎

 

Edited July 25, 2023 by Phil75

[jaapv]

1 hour ago, beewee said:

If product designers were to design consumer electronics that do not need firmware updates, your camera would cost several times more than what it already does and your ‘new’ camera would run on 10 year old technology. This is the design approach for safety critical systems in automotive applications. There’s always a tradeoff when you want to take reliability to the nth degree.

Many things can be done if you throw more money at it but very few people want to pay for it unless it’s actually beneficial. If it weren’t for external pressure from regulatory requirements and liability from lawsuits, I’m pretty sure more corners would be cut in the automotive industry because consumers generally prioritize pricing and more ‘features’ over reliability.

Not saying that Leica is 😇, but they do have an extensive beta testing program, inviolving quite a few of our forum members as weel.