Disappointment of Buying my first M11 for Father’s Day

[Eyefixit]

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Dear Leica Team,

I am writing to express my profound disappointment after purchasing a brand new Leica M11P from an authorized dealer for Father’s Day. As a long-time admirer of your brand, I was thrilled to acquire this ultra-luxury camera, which I had anticipated using to capture high-quality images. However, upon bringing this luxury camera home, I discovered to my dismay that it was defective and would not turn on.

This experience was both frustrating and disheartening, especially considering Leica's renowned reputation for excellence and precision. The expectation when investing in such a high-end product is that it will function flawlessly right out of the box. Unfortunately, this was not the case for me. To add to my frustration, my entire Saturday was wasted dealing with this transaction, including traveling back and forth to the dealer and troubleshooting the issue.

Despite this setback, I must commend the dealer for their excellent service. They were understanding and efficient, and they have assured me that a replacement will be provided by Monday. Their prompt and professional response has somewhat mitigated the disappointment of receiving a defective product.

I hope that Leica will take measures to ensure such issues are rare, as they tarnish the otherwise stellar reputation of your products. I look forward to receiving my replacement camera and hope it will meet the high standards Leica is known for. As proof of this transaction, I am including the receipt, which includes the camera information. I trust this camera will find its way to Germany for repair and analysis. I will be interested in finding out what was wrong. It wasn't a battery issue, as the dealer swapped in a working battery and the camera still did not turn on.

Sincerely,

Rafi Israel, MD

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

Edited June 16, 2024 by Eyefixit
Tile needed to be edited

[jaapv]

The risk of a QC issue out of the box is always higher with a hand built product unfortunately. However, your dealer reacted adequately so start enjoying your camera. Post some images in our image threads. 

[Kim Dahl]

Hand built or not. At Leica's price, the camera must be TESTED and MUST work when taken out of the package. The fact that they choose to exchange is probably something they cannot avoid. And they must do that too. But that shouldn't be possible.

[jaapv]

Yes that is certainly true. But it is quite possible for an electronic piece of gear to be packed in perfect shape and come out of the box dead. Early failure of any component will do it. The price has nothing to do with it. It should work, even if it costs 1$. Come to think of it, that is probably the price of the transistor or whatever that failed. 
Exchange in a case like this is standard, even required by law. It is not a choice. 

[Kim Dahl]

Hand built or not. At Leica's price, the camera must be TESTED and MUST work when taken out of the package. The fact that they choose to exchange is probably something they cannot avoid. And they must do that too. But that shouldn't be possible.

[jaapv]

Welcome to reality… 😉

[lct]

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DOA (Dead on Arrival). In such a case, there is no point in repairing anything, the camera must be replaced or refunded without delay. Replacement has been acknowledged by Leica here (12:20):
https://youtu.be/HOJ9ppLK3_4?t=738

[dkCambridgeshire]

No manufacturing organisation experiences perfect production. A product comprising hundreds of components can malfunction if even one component fails after it leaves the manufacturing site where it actually was tested prior to dispatch. Space rockets subject to the most stringent pre-flight QA checks / testing have to abandon take-off due to malfunctions. Similarly, no medical surgery procedure is without risk of e.g. the incorrect instruments and dressings being set out for the surgeon. S— happens occasionally but providers usually do their best to remedy same and improve. Leica is viewed by many as the créme de la créme of the camera industry but cannot be expected to be absolutely 100% efficient – Leica Camera AG is subject to the same risks and malfunctions as other ‘high end’ manufacturers. QA sampling frames are designed to measure faults and malfunctions and minimise same – but the occasional ‘lemon’ always slips through. 

[earleygallery]

2 hours ago, Eyefixit said:

Dear Leica Team,

I am writing to express my profound disappointment after purchasing a brand new Leica M11P from an authorized dealer for Father’s Day. As a long-time admirer of your brand, I was thrilled to acquire this ultra-luxury camera, which I had anticipated using to capture high-quality images. However, upon bringing this luxury camera home, I discovered to my dismay that it was defective and would not turn on.

This experience was both frustrating and disheartening, especially considering Leica's renowned reputation for excellence and precision. The expectation when investing in such a high-end product is that it will function flawlessly right out of the box. Unfortunately, this was not the case for me. To add to my frustration, my entire Saturday was wasted dealing with this transaction, including traveling back and forth to the dealer and troubleshooting the issue.

Despite this setback, I must commend the dealer for their excellent service. They were understanding and efficient, and they have assured me that a replacement will be provided by Monday. Their prompt and professional response has somewhat mitigated the disappointment of receiving a defective product.

I hope that Leica will take measures to ensure such issues are rare, as they tarnish the otherwise stellar reputation of your products. I look forward to receiving my replacement camera and hope it will meet the high standards Leica is known for. As proof of this transaction, I am including the receipt, which includes the camera information. I trust this camera will find its way to Germany for repair and analysis. I will be interested in finding out what was wrong. It wasn't a battery issue, as the dealer swapped in a working battery and the camera still did not turn on.

Sincerely,

Rafi Israel, MD

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!

Welcome. This is a user forum, you aren't speaking with Leica when you post here, just with other Leica users, so posting your receipt is of no use here.

It's annoying to get a faulty product whatever you buy, but as long as it's put right quickly then that's all that matters.

 

[250swb]

In human evolution things can go wrong, the head of your hand axe falls off at the moment a bear is about to bite your head off, your sharp spear bounces off the back of a woolly mammoth, and woe is life.

This is why people made carvings and paintings to help in the hunt because they knew they needed help. They had Shamans to help, or call them the early PR people. So to intertwine human evolution and hope with PR and 'marketing' in a more up to date anthropological setting about a certain high end camera manufacturer with a 'quality' message, but who can't make a camera turn on reliably, we could refer to The Smiths song 'Panic'. In it the repeated lyric line 'hang the DJ' was a reference to the awful Chernobyl disaster announced in the news and followed by a DJ playing a happy pop song. And such is Leica's link with reality, marketing, and QC, it's all happy, until it isn't.

Edited June 16, 2024 by 250swb

[RobW0]

2 hours ago, jaapv said:

Yes that is certainly true. But it is quite possible for an electronic piece of gear to be packed in perfect shape and come out of the box dead. Early failure of any component will do it. The price has nothing to do with it. It should work, even if it costs 1$. Come to think of it, that is probably the price of the transistor or whatever that failed. 
Exchange in a case like this is standard, even required by law. It is not a choice. 

Yes, like the battery being discharged so the camera would not work. 

[earleygallery]

7 minutes ago, 250swb said:

In human evolution things can go wrong, the head of your hand axe falls off at the moment a bear is about to bite your head off, your sharp spear bounces off the back of a woolly mammoth, and woe is life.

This is why people made carvings and paintings to help in the hunt because they knew they needed help. They had Shamans to help, or call them the early PR people. So to intertwine human evolution and hope with PR and 'marketing' in a more up to date anthropological setting about a certain high end camera manufacturer with a 'quality' message, but who can't make a camera turn on reliably, we could refer to the Smiths song 'Panic'. In it the repeated lyric line 'hang the DJ' was a reference to the awful Chernobyl disaster announced in the news and followed by a DJ playing a happy pop song. And such is Leica's link with reality, marketing, and QC, it's all happy, until it isn't.

Interesting! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_(The_Smiths_song)

It's pretty much the same with the news every night, lots of terrible stuff and then some witty story about a funny cat or something at the end.

 

Edited June 16, 2024 by earleygallery

[kiwidad]

The thing in this that surprises me is that the Dealer took your money, handed you a box and waved as you walked out the door.

I worked in camera store many years ago and that never happened. We always checked everything that walked out the door!

[Indeepthought]

21 minutes ago, kiwidad said:

The thing in this that surprises me is that the Dealer took your money, handed you a box and waved as you walked out the door.

I worked in camera store many years ago and that never happened. We always checked everything that walked out the door!

Maybe the store knew something!… 🥺

[Herr Barnack]

6 hours ago, jaapv said:

Welcome to reality… 😉

Welcome to Leica reality. 🙄

[Indeepthought]

If I buy online (New) I expect a sealed box, no excuses! Buying in store, I would expect to see the salesperson break the seal and unpack the item and test the product to ensure that it is working 100% before I handed over $11k plus…😎

Personally I would have demanded a full & immediate refund, or called the card company if I had used a card…

Edited June 17, 2024 by Indeepthought

[dkCambridgeshire]

6 hours ago, kiwidad said:

The thing in this that surprises me is that the Dealer took your money, handed you a box and waved as you walked out the door.

I worked in camera store many years ago and that never happened. We always checked everything that walked out the door!

Some Leica 'collectors' never open the boxes. Forty years later those sealed in a box Leica bodies end up in German and Austrian camera auctions – where they're purchased by other collectors – who also do not open the boxes!! Leica enthusiasts can be a funny lot. I'm always amused by those referring to their 'unboxed' cameras as, "My beloved ... " – which can be more stroked, displayed, admired and shown-off,  than used for the intended purpose. 

[Derbyshire Man]

4 hours ago, Indeepthought said:

If I buy online (New) I expect a sealed box, no excuses! Buying in store, I would expect to see the salesperson break the seal and unpack the item and test the product to ensure that it is working 100% before I handed over $11k plus…😎

Personally I would have demanded a full & immediate refund, or called the card company if I had used a card…

In the UK the additional benefits of distance selling regulations mean that I’d always buy the camera over the phone or internet after visiting the shop. Yes it takes one day longer but it’s worth the cover. 

[SrMi]

5 hours ago, dkCambridgeshire said:

Some Leica 'collectors' never open the boxes. Forty years later those sealed in a box Leica bodies end up in German and Austrian camera auctions – where they're purchased by other collectors – who also do not open the boxes!! Leica enthusiasts can be a funny lot. I'm always amused by those referring to their 'unboxed' cameras as, "My beloved ... " – which can be more stroked, displayed, admired and shown-off,  than used for the intended purpose. 

I “collect” Leica cameras, but I throw the boxes away and use the cameras. However, I do not see anything strange in collecting anything (pens, cameras, etc) and never using it.

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Hallo,

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[earleygallery]

17 hours ago, kiwidad said:

The thing in this that surprises me is that the Dealer took your money, handed you a box and waved as you walked out the door.

I worked in camera store many years ago and that never happened. We always checked everything that walked out the door!

I guess there was nothing to stop the OP opening the box and checking the camera in the store either.

As said Leica customers can be very particular about wanting to be the first person to open the box, or not open it ever! If a dealer opens it first they probably have to sell it at a discount!