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A REAL dealer story about the M9


scjohn

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I placed my order for the M9 with my dealer two days ago. I wanted a silver/chrome one, but was told that it will be either black or platinum/grey. The order was accepted by the distributor for Belgium, so the thing must exist.

Well and good Frans, but did he tell You WHEN you're going to get your M9 ?

At the next Photokina or sooner (not later hopefully) ?

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Frans, could you tell me where you went ?

 

Thanks

 

Ianman, I ordered from Raymond Hoogmartens in Houthalen - closest to me in Hasselt. Raymond ordered it from 'De Beukelaer', the distributor for Belgium. I would recommend Raymond to everyone for the best prices and best service. When my M8 broke down, he let me use his own M8 till mine was repaired.

I changed my mind to one in black, by the way - seems safer with the lenses I already have, not that that matters much of course. But if you have the choice...

Good luck.

--------------------

Frans

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Well and good Frans, but did he tell You WHEN you're going to get your M9 ?

At the next Photokina or sooner (not later hopefully) ?

 

I'm not too worried about that. I don't think it will be as late as next year's Photokina! My brother-in-law knows someone who tested the M9 a while ago and was very impressed with the quality of the pictures - almost as good as those from a midsize camera he said. It is 18 mpx he said.

-------------

Frans

Edited by vertekijker
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I was in a somewhat "special" situation as I know that Leica wanted the first cameras to go to people whose feedback would be quick and authoritative.

 

Don't make me laugh. I also got my first M8 on the same day as you and I can be pretty certain that Leica couldn't give a monkey's what I thought about it.

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My Leica rep is in town tomorrow - I'll stop by and tease her about 9/9/09. I expect she will tell me nothing at all, but I can always watch body language. ;)

 

She will be collecting a fresh order from my preferred store, and while neither she nor my salesman friend will likely say anything in my presence, if there is --- something --- to be ordered, it will be, and I am first on that list.

 

Leica usually overnights orders to Denver if NJ has them in stock.....

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...There seems to be a bigger gap than before between the top-ot-the-line Leica retailers and the common folks working from their stalls at the back of the bazaar. ...

 

Scott--

Speaking for the US only: There are only a dozen or so reps. They can't be everywhere, and will visit the dealer who has shown himself best able to move product.

 

They'll visit the smaller dealerships afterward. If those dealerships want to put on a "Leica day," they can arrange that with their reps. Some dealers may call that "playing games," as one person said above, but it's simply going where the business is.

 

As for your situation in the international arena, again, Leica hasn't enough people to cover the globe; you're right, some dealers and distributors won't be at the top of the list.

 

That's why Spiller is doing the webcast a la Steve Jobs--another first for "the company that missed the switch to digital." ;)

 

BTW--I don't think Nikon or Canon have done anything this special with any of their new product intros. We're lucky that Leica is small enough to be able to do this. (And now people complain that their dealer isn't having the show. :( Damned if you do, damned if you don't.)

 

 

Just so long as you don't treat us as if you were a god. No random smiting, plagues, rapes or eternal torments if you please.

 

Pascal--please, I beg you, no locusts! :p

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My Leica rep is in town tomorrow - I'll stop by and tease her about 9/9/09. I expect she will tell me nothing at all, but I can always watch body language. ;)

 

She will be collecting a fresh order from my preferred store, and while neither she nor my salesman friend will likely say anything in my presence, if there is --- something --- to be ordered, it will be, and I am first on that list.

 

Leica usually overnights orders to Denver if NJ has them in stock.....

 

Ah--Andy--you have a great rep... Linda Leslie-Butler, right? If so, please say "hi" to her for me if you see her!

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Scott--

Speaking for the US only: There are only a dozen or so reps. They can't be everywhere, and will visit the dealer who has shown himself best able to move product.

....

As for your situation in the international arena, again, Leica hasn't enough people to cover the globe; you're right, some dealers and distributors won't be at the top of the list.

 

 

I guess my impression was stores like Dale Labs which have brick and mortar space and put on shows are working more closely with Leica USA than Internet-mostly folks like Popflash. But I have only anecdotal info, and this may be colored by different business styles. Tell us more about the role of the reps. Are they Leica USA employees or independent? Do they work directly with some pros, or is that just familiarity developed over time?

 

As for my own gear, Israel is so far down distribution tree that I have to do the international part myself. I buy from Tony Rose at Popflash, whom I know by voice only, and he is willing to drop ship stuff to me in the US when I pass through. The exception was the recent UK Pound anomaly, and Steve Byford at Ffordes was willing to do the same to save me about $1000 on a Summilux by shipping to a friend whom I was visiting.

 

scott

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Don't make me laugh. I also got my first M8 on the same day as you and I can be pretty certain that Leica couldn't give a monkey's what I thought about it.

 

I suppose that is why I was telephoned by Leica on the 31st October 2006 to check that I would be able to give the camera a workout as soon as possible. They were interested very much in feedback at that time.

 

Just to be clear 50 years of using Leica equipment, 40 plus years of working for Kodak and more than 30 years knowing the people at Leica personally probably counted for something.

 

This forum has some very good points but sometimes its members seem to think that they are the sole, unique and totally authoritative voice of the Leica user - they are not!

Edited by Peter Branch
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I suppose that is why I was telephoned by Leica on the 31st October 2006 to check that I would be able to give the camera a workout as soon as possible. They were interested very much in feedback at that time.

 

 

This forum has some very good points but sometimes its members seem to think that they are the sole, unique and totally authoritative voice of the Leica user - they are not!

 

Seems to me that your last sentence applies to you as well. Because lot of people got their M8 the same day as you or even before and it has nothing to do with the fact that they are "authoritative".

 

People Leica was really interested in their feedback had the camera BEFORE it was for sale.

Don't flatter yourself.

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Back off, folks. Remember how shrill some people got when trying to establish that their comments as early adopters were the real deal, while the poster pretending to be Seal (who actually was Seal and finally proved it) wasn't adding anything. Once a product ships, the folks trying to maximize sales are going to have to hear problems from a lot of sources before they take them seriously. In October 2006, they did hear from a lot of sources. I doubt that any single source stopped the production lines and forced the recall.

 

We all look small if we claim that any one of us straightened out Leica.

 

scott

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As far as I know, a sealed package will be delivered to the dealers on Wednesday. A Leica official will watch over that package until the online cast is over. This means that Leica already must have shipped hundreds of cameras all over the world.

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Guest guy_mancuso
Seems to me that your last sentence applies to you as well. Because lot of people got their M8 the same day as you or even before and it has nothing to do with the fact that they are "authoritative".

 

People Leica was really interested in their feedback had the camera BEFORE it was for sale.

Don't flatter yourself.

 

Pascal I think you got yours a couple days before me but I can't recall. I know mine came November 6th than my second one I believe came Dec. 19th both before they called them home for a fix. I remember sending them in one at a time. Unfortunately I think my first one was one the first to get SDS but lucky me the only one to get SDS on both my bodies. Now go figure that one out. :D

 

Hopefully all of that mess is well behind us and I am betting the M9 will not even come close to having those issues.

Edited by guy_mancuso
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