Surreal waiting times for lens repair and maintenance at Leica Germany

[Al Brown]

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From my correspondence with Customer Care in Wetzlar (see attachment below):
"Our lead time for lenses is at least 5-7 months after confirmation of work warrant".
TBH I am genuinely frightened anything would happen to my gear.

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Edited November 14, 2023 by Al Brown

[hoolyproductions]

Scary indeed. May I ask what was the context here? A basic CLA/re-calibration or something more complex (broken part, mechanical repair).

I'm asking in case I would decide to send my camera/lenses for calibration (I'll soon receive a new 75mm Summicron and am already anticipating that the focus might be off)

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[Al Brown]

51 minutes ago, hoolyproductions said:

Scary indeed. May I ask what was the context here? A basic CLA/re-calibration or something more complex (broken part, mechanical repair).

Nothing complex, CLA and adjustment.

[jaeger]

Leica Wetzlar does this as curtesy if you’re visiting and dropping off your gears in person.  It’s very special if you shipped them in with quick turnaround, I think it’s new service then…

[Al Brown]

16 hours ago, jaeger said:

Leica Wetzlar does this as curtesy if you’re visiting and dropping off your gears in person.  It’s very special if you shipped them in with quick turnaround, I think it’s new service then…

Sorry I do not understand what you mean

[LocalHero1953]

A courtesy that takes scarce technical staff and resources away from those who have been obliged to follow the normal procedures for getting serving done.

[Cronilux]

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vor 11 Minuten schrieb LocalHero1953:

A courtesy that takes scarce technical staff and resources away from those who have been obliged to follow the normal procedures for getting serving done.

No, the reason it also takes so long is the procedure, if you only send it in. There are several steps before you lens and/or camera even get into the hands of a technician, that then decides what has to be done. If you drop it at the counter for a simple adjustment and it really needs no spare parts a good technician can adjust that easily in under 30 minutes.

[Al Brown]

4 minutes ago, Cronilux said:

No, the reason it also takes so long is the procedure, if you only send it in. There are several steps before you lens and/or camera even get into the hands of a technician

As I clearly wrote and is stated within the correspondence, the lead time is minimum 5 - 7 months AFTER Leica has received the package AND a technician has checked the lens, issuing a warrant for repairs.

[Al Brown]

6 minutes ago, Cronilux said:

If you drop it at the counter for a simple adjustment and it really needs no spare parts a good technician can adjust that easily in under 30 minutes.

That is also a myth. The last time I dropped my camera at the Customer Care counter in Wetzlar's HQ it took 4 hours for a simple procedure.

[Cronilux]

vor 5 Stunden schrieb Al Brown:

That is also a myth. The last time I dropped my camera at the Customer Care counter in Wetzlar's HQ it took 4 hours for a simple procedure.

I didn’t say the whole procedure would only take 30 minutes. I said a simple adjustment will take that long for an experienced technician. 
 

Just because you drop it off, doesn’t mean they stop all their current work and go immediately to your equipment. 
 

The last time I dropped something off, I stayed a night in their Hotel and enjoyed a day in Wetzlar. The next morning I could pick it all up. 

[Al Brown]

11 minutes ago, Cronilux said:

Just because you drop it off, doesn’t mean they stop all their current work and go immediately to your equipment. 
 

They did that for me but I have arranged it.

 

[Lonescapes]

I don't understand why they would even want to be in possession of your property for more than half a year. Storing it and keeping track of it must cost them something.

They really need to put a system in place where you pay a nominal deposit to hold your place in the repair queue, then they notify you a few weeks before it's your turn, so that you can ship your gear in.

Edited November 15, 2023 by Lonescapes

[JoshuaRothman]

1 hour ago, Lonescapes said:

I don't understand why they would even want to be in possession of your property for more than half a year. Storing it and keeping track of it must cost them something.

They really need to put a system in place where you pay a nominal deposit to hold your place in the repair queue, then they notify you a few weeks before it's your turn, so that you can ship your gear in.

I agree. There are two halves to the customer-service problem. One is technical, one is logistical. On the technical side, they clearly don’t have enough technicians. I can understand why that’s difficult to solve. But it’s the logistical side that’s more unaccountable to me. Why isn’t there a more seamless system? Why is the communication so poor? Why aren’t loaners available, especially for professional photographers? It seems like they need to hire an executive with real experience in customer service to revamp their approach.

[adan]

On 11/14/2023 at 6:27 AM, Al Brown said:

From my correspondence with Customer Care in Wetzlar (see attachment below):
"Our lead time for lenses is at least 5-7 months after confirmation of work warrant".

That's - unfortunate - to say the least. 😱

And a rapid slide downhill.

As I mentioned in the "other" poor-service thread, I had a 135mm APO-Telyt-M adjusted for back focus only 6 months ago - and that took "only" 2-and-a-bit months.

However, that was sent in by a dealer (not me personally) and went to Leica USA.

I expected that kind of precision "open-lens surgery" (shim installation + testing) would be passed on to Wetzlar - but maybe not.

[Crem]

On 11/14/2023 at 5:27 AM, Al Brown said:

From my correspondence with Customer Care in Wetzlar (see attachment below):
"Our lead time for lenses is at least 5-7 months after confirmation of work warrant".
TBH I am genuinely frightened anything would happen to my gear.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

If it makes you feel any better... My Steel Rim remake had a sticky focus ring. I sent it to Leica NJ in the USA. They sent it off to Germany. I was told it would be something like 7+ months to get it repaired under warranty. The lens showed up at my door in around 3 months so the estimated times clearly aren't exact. I have no idea why 7 months turned into 3, but I was very thankful to have it back with the problem solved. Overall the customer service experience was really good (minus the wait time).

I really don't want to buy any Leica gear until these repair times become more reasonable. For anyone considering warranty repairs on a new item... I highly recommend you return it (if you can) vs deal with getting a new item warrantied.

[Al Brown]

42 minutes ago, Crem said:

If it makes you feel any better... My Steel Rim remake had a sticky focus ring. I sent it to Leica NJ in the USA. They sent it off to Germany. I was told it would be something like 7+ months to get it repaired under warranty. The lens showed up at my door in around 3 months so the estimated times clearly aren't exact.

Neither seven not three months is by NO MEANS acceptable. I strongly feel this way, having dealt with many many repair shops and many brands. And your warranty time is running  while you wait... just no. We are just debating these things here endlessly, but I am sure if enough people stepped together, this could be changed - just like most things in life.

Edited November 15, 2023 by Al Brown

[hdmesa]

3 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

Neither seven not three months is by NO MEANS acceptable. I strongly feel this way, having dealt with many many repair shops and many brands. And your warranty time is running  while you wait... just no. We are just debating these things here endlessly, but I am sure if enough people stepped together, this could be changed - just like most things in life.

Any wait of a month or longer should automatically extend your warranty by the same timeframe. I'm surprised this has not been looked into by the relevant regulatory bodies over Leica and/or litigated before.

[Cronilux]

@Al Brown totally agree. It‘s absolutely unacceptable, especially with the high end price point one would expect superior customer support, instead of pretty much the worst. 

Imagine relying on your gear for commercial work and something breaks. What do they expect? That I have everything twice as a backup? 
 

Even if, what if the backup breaks within a 5-7 month waiting period? 
 

I know they will rent out gear, if you ask, but I really think they need to step up their customer service. 

[fotomas]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb Lonescapes:

I don't understand why they would even want to be in possession of your property for more than half a year. Storing it and keeping track of it must cost them something.

They really need to put a system in place where you pay a nominal deposit to hold your place in the repair queue, then they notify you a few weeks before it's your turn, so that you can ship your gear in.

Maybe this is the next level. If they can charge money just for nothing it would be much more profitable to let one wait forever. Then better don't repair anything.

If repair times should become shorter it has to be the other way round. The price should be lowered for every day the stuff can't be used by the owner.

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[Crem]

38 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

Neither seven not three months is by NO MEANS acceptable. I strongly feel this way, having dealt with many many repair shops and many brands. And your warranty time is running  while you wait... just no. We are just debating these things here endlessly, but I am sure if enough people stepped together, this could be changed - just like most things in life.

I completely agree with you. I've complained about the wait times to customer support. I haven't bought any new Leica gear since dealing with my Steel Rim remake issues. At this point my assumption is the company knows there is a problem, but they can't fix it fast enough. They did offer me a loaner so clearly they know the waits are unacceptable. What else can we do? At this point it seems like we can complain and vote with our dollars. Now don't get me started on the M11 firmware issues...