DAG phone number not working- email not responding

[Riva81]

Hi,

I have an m4 in repair with DAG since July. We were emailing once a month. (He has repaired my camera before). Last communication 2 months ago. He said camera ready in a week. Emails get no response, and the phone # I have: 608-835-3342 says: not in service. Also had:608-838-4769. Does not work.
Does anyone have any information regarding Don?

Thank you,
Richard

 

[splitimageview]

Hi Richard, I communicate with DAG regularly, he gets many, many emails and so sometimes you have to try multiple times.

Case in point, I sent him emails and follow-ups on these dates:

July 25
Aug 2
Aug 16
Aug 28

He finally replied on Aug 28, saying "I get way too many emails & calls lately, just cannot keep up with them,"

I don't have any info re: phone number.

This is probably a useful thread too: The Lens Repair Apocalypse: Repair Shops INUNDATED with work, and will get worse.

 

[ChrisS]

He has had three Minoxes of mine (LX, B, and 35ML) since February 2022. He used to answer very occasional (as in annual) emails promptly and has now stopped answering emails (three since last month, after he has had my cameras for three and a half years).

In February of 2024, he said he had obtained needed parts for the LX. He has now had the parts for at least a year and a half. In February of this year, he said the B and ML were finished, and he just needed to do the LX (after three years, at this point). It is now another seven months later. It is clear that he has completed and returned numerous repairs in the years that he has had my cameras; and that he prioritizes certain repairs instead of doing them in queue, without any disclosure to his customers that he does so.

I have been continually checking online forums to see if there is any news about him that would explain this situation. At this point, I just want to get my cameras back. Obviously, I am long past the point of never sending him anything again. I have been entirely patient up until now, but clearly the situation is grossly unacceptable. If I do not hear from him very soon, I need to find out what my legal options and avenues of complaint are.

Chris S.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

Did you try calling him?

 

[Rayt]

I have been sending stuff to DAG for 20 years and never needed to called or emailed him for anything. Once I sent him a Canon 50mm f0.95 lens for M conversion and never heard back and then a year and a half later I got an email it was ready. I sent him two lenses this June for CLA and they were ready in 6 weeks.

 

[rfaspen]

He is really overwhelmed. Leicaa are the easier repairs to get off the bench quickly if he has parts (definitely for everything pre- digital) and an idea what's wrong/ needed. By necessity he has spent less and less time with commutations due to increasing work and I suppose he's getting fatigued. Not sure why he doesn't declare a temporary moratorium to get some breathing room. Also not sure why the phone # didn't work. I haven't tried to call for quite some time.... maybe something is going on?

 

[Bill Blackwell]

... Also not sure why the phone # didn't work. I haven't tried to call for quite some time.... maybe something is going on?

His phone works; I just spoke with him a few days ago. If he's there you'll either get a busy signal or he'll answer. If you keep getting a busy signal simply try him the next business day.

 

[raydm6]

I hope there’s a contingency plan in place for some of these elder repair people - in case of an emergency and they cannot finish the work for one reason or another - so least folks should be able to get their equipment back in case of these unforeseen circumstances.

 

[qqphotos]

i have the feeling that at this point you need to have some sort of ongoing relationship with one of the well known repairers to get reasonable turnaround and communication nowadays, since they're all so swamped.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

Don Goldberg ("DAG") is training his son, Aaron, to take over the business. Don told me he's about two years out from being completely ready to take over. At that point Don will likely stay involved - but only doing what he wants to - until he can't do it any longer. So, what would happen if something befalls Don (and his son)? Your stuff would be returned to you by the beneficiaries.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

When George Mrus, Retina Miracle Worker, passed away- his daughter went through the cameras in waiting and returned them to their owners.

I hope Aaron is able to take over the business. At this point: the few repair shops that service "this old junk" are far and few in between, and inundated with work. Several of these shops stopped dealing with "end-users" and instead deal only with larger shops contracting repairs out to them.

The Lens Repair Apocalypse: Repair Shops INUNDATED with work, and will get worse.

There are very few Skilled "Opto-Mechanical Engineers" (I look at the work they do, refuse to use "technician") working on Classic Lenses that have hit a new high of popularity. I know first hand: Old Lenses are cans-of-worms, repair time varies greatly on same type lenses depending on the...

rangefinderforum.com

So- when you send a camera or lens in need of repair, regard it "as a worthless piece of junk because it does not work and HOPE that some repair guru can turn it back into a working camera or lens". The alternative- fix it yourself.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

When George Mrus, Retina Miracle Worker, passed away- his daughter went through the cameras in waiting and returned them to their owners.

I hope Aaron is able to take over the business. At this point: the few repair shops that service "this old junk" are far and few in between, and inundated with work. Several of these shops stopped dealing with "end-users" and instead deal only with larger shops contracting repairs out to them.

The Lens Repair Apocalypse: Repair Shops INUNDATED with work, and will get worse.

There are very few Skilled "Opto-Mechanical Engineers" (I look at the work they do, refuse to use "technician") working on Classic Lenses that have hit a new high of popularity. I know first hand: Old Lenses are cans-of-worms, repair time varies greatly on same type lenses depending on the...

rangefinderforum.com

So- when you send a camera or lens in need of repair, regard it "as a worthless piece of junk because it does not work and HOPE that some repair guru can turn it back into a working camera or lens". The alternative- fix it yourself.

This is why I began learning to repair watches. I have a nice collection and several needed work. There aren't many good watchmakers out there, they charge a fortune, are slow, and I've had bad experiences with the quality of their work. Doing it myself cost me some money for specialized tools and a lot of time reading and practicing, but I'm getting pretty good at it now!

Regarding photo equipment repair; I'm still upset that Quality Light Metric closed. There really is no place left that will service old light meters; and service manuals and other repair info seems to be non-existent. At least with Leicas, there are a lot of books, service manuals, and online tutorials available to help people learn.

 

[Freakscene]

This is why I began learning to repair watches. I have a nice collection and several needed work. There aren't many good watchmakers out there, they charge a fortune, are slow, and I've had bad experiences with the quality of their work. Doing it myself cost me some money for specialized tools and a lot of time reading and practicing, but I'm getting pretty good at it now!

Regarding photo equipment repair; I'm still upset that Quality Light Metric closed. There really is no place left that will service old light meters; and service manuals and other repair info seems to be non-existent. At least with Leicas, there are a lot of books, service manuals, and online tutorials available to help people learn.

Quality Light Metric and Focal Point Lens Service were great losses.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Nikkor-QC 5cm/50mm f/3.5 Collapsible Lens #7052652 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Nikkor-QC 5cm/50mm f/3.5 Collapsible Lens #7052652 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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No one else would take a chance on this Nikkor-QC 5cm F3.5 collaspible in LTM- under $300. I've CLA'd one before, know what to do. I think the buyer of that one paid over $1200 for it.
US seller as well. This is a good time to be able to perform cleanings and minor repair on vintage equipment.
This will be my oldest Nikon lens, older than my collapsible 5cm F2.

 

[splitimageview]

Nice @Sonnar Brian !

 

[Miles.]

When Leica NJ closed down during the pandemic, Don started getting all the business that used to go there. I talked with him on the phone briefly after that happened and he said he was getting 400-600 emails a day.

I really don’t think he’s been able to “catch-up” since.

I just got email from him on Friday saying my lens was done. Turn around time was almost exactly 5 months. Over the years I’ve waited 1 month for some things, and 18 months for others.

 

[Evergreen States]

He's in his

Don Goldberg ("DAG") is training his son, Aaron, to take over the business. Don told me he's about two years out from being completely ready to take over. At that point Don will likely stay involved - but only doing what he wants to - until he can't do it any longer. So, what would happen if something befalls Don (and his son)? Your stuff would be returned to you by the beneficiaries.

I recall reading somewhere that Aaron himself is either in his 50s or 60s. You would think that at least one millennial or zoomer would be enterprising enough to invest a few years training in order to inherit a monopoly on Leica repairs in the USA when the three independent technicians are all are no longer with us!

 

[Freakscene]

He's in his

I recall reading somewhere that Aaron himself is either in his 50s or 60s. You would think that at least one millennial or zoomer would be enterprising enough to invest a few years training in order to inherit a monopoly on Leica repairs in the USA when the three independent technicians are all are no longer with us!

Don was 68 in April 2023, so he is around 70, so Aaron is younger again.

My son is from the first year of Gen Alpha and wants to be a clockmaker of mechanical clocks. So there are some younger people interested in mechanical things.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Camera repair- Is it a good career choice? no.

From one young "optical mechanical engineer" that used to repair leica- "I haven’t quit repairs entirely, I am shifting focus back towards hasselblad as I still have a large collection of NOS parts. In 2022 Leica pulled parts support for independent technicians so that’s made things difficult. For Leica, I’ll only offer service/maintenance related work going forward. "

So- it's one thing to learn camera repair, and quite another to setup a shop with all the parts required to keep things going. You end up mostly buying parts cameras, or parts from closed repair shops. I bought a big box of Retina parts ~25 years ago for $65 or so, fixed a lot of cameras with it, for myself. And dealing with disgruntled customers that cannot understand their camera or lens was so screwed up that they are lucky that it is still in one piece? I've seen too many people bad-mouth great repair experts because their piece of crap could not be made to work like new.

 

[Jbennett68]

There are more people capable of working g on Leicas than you think. Everyone always names 3 people and they are good. But the mystique around Leicas as some complicated thing just isn’t what it’s made out to be.