Warranty / Customer Service general question

[skelton]

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I am considering purchasing a V-lux 1 and would like to know what the general warranty is like on a Leica product, also if there is a possibility to purchase an extended warranty with Leica, also if you have general comments or advice as to how you have found the customer service with Leica. Please note that I'll be purchasing in the USA but am constantly overseas with business and so I am particularly interested in worldwide customer service if any of you have experience with this.

Of course like many I am weighing up the Panny FZ50 against the V-lux and actually to be honest trying to find many reasons to justify the V-lux !!! and so if y'all say that the customer service/repair service of Leica is FAR SUPERIOR to your experiences with Panny that'd be another nail in the Panny's coffin so to speak (not to mention my better financial instincts!!!) Thanks muchly for your comments.........

[ho_co]

Meredith--

I've never had a Panasonic product, so can't comment on their service. I live in the US and have always had excellent service from Leica US; Europeans also report excellent service from Germany.

 

Here I'm getting into territory I don't know: My understanding is that outside US and Europe, problems might have to be fixed in Germany.

 

US warranty is 2 years on electronic goods (and I'm guessing that holds for V-Lux). US warranty is valid everywhere. I believe the German/international warranty is valid everywhere.

 

To my knowledge, Leica does not sell extended warranties.

 

I'm sure you are aware that the current line of Panasonic-made Leica products has different image firmware from that of their Panasonic-branded siblings.

 

I hope that helps. The V-Lux looks to me like a winer!

 

--HC

[skelton]

Thank you for this. When you say that the Leica US warranty is 'good everywhere' I assume you mean within the contiguous United States only?

I need to know that wherever I am in the world, if my Leica stops working I can have it fixed.

Are you saying that, with my US warranty, if was in say Germany within the first 2 years and my Leica misbehaved, I could send it within GERMANY for repair? Or would I have to send it back to the US for repair purely because I had purchased it in the US?

This is really called worrying BEFORE hand, but I want all the info in front of me.

I had not known about the different imageware so I am interested to hear more about this from you if you do have time...........

[ho_co]

Sorry I expressed myself so poorly.

 

If you buy it in the US and need warranty repair, you can have it fixed by the nearest Leica agency wherever in the world you are. You don't need to send it back to the US.

 

With some Japanese cameras, the US agency will charge for repair if the camera was not bought in the US, even though the camera is still within warranty.

 

I know the Leica US warranty is honored throughout the world, and I am 90% certain that the same is true if you buy the Leica version of the camera overseas: That is, I think that wherever you buy, its warranty will be honored by all Leica agencies.

 

By the way, if you're in the States, you could call Leica New Jersey and make sure. They're at 1-800-222-0118.

 

--HC