7 months on, no warranty card, no passport :(

[Robin Harrison]

OK. So I bought my M8 last May. Love the thing, great camera. At the time, the seller (eb*y) said the IR-cut filters hadn't been sent to him, and he would post them on in due time.

The camera arrived, and was without passport or warranty card. I've never bought a new Leica, so I'd no idea what should be included. I've been in touch since, and he claimed that he actually bought the camera second hand, and so the original owner should be responsible for the provision of the filters and passport. He claimed he had since bought another (black, as opposed to silver) M8 and he too was waiting for the passport documentation. He gave me the email address of the original owner after months of him claiming to be passing on communications, but I can't get any reply. The seller (photo.net member, name crops up on a few photo forums) has now stopped replying to emails althogether.

The lack of IR filters I can live with. Maybe I'm £80, £100 down there.

But where do I stand without any documentation? Presumably I have no hope of a warranty claim? If I register the camera with Leica, will I get a warranty that way? And who knows whether I'll be able to get this claimed 'upgade'!

Any advice from anyone who's bought secondhand?

Thanks.

 

[POINT OF VIEW]

Registering M8

Registering M8

The M 8 camera comes with a two year warranty that starts from the day of purchase. It guaranties the camera from defects in workmanship. It does not come with a Pass Port warranty.
A Pass Port Warranty is normally only given to lens and M7s. It is the ultimate guarantee that basically replaces the product no mater what happens to it. The way the dealers would describe the Pass Port Warranty was, if your car runs over it or you drop it in water you can have it replaced. The only situation that a Pass Port item was not replicable, was if you lost it.
My guess is if you have trouble with your non registered camera, Leica will repair it under warranty, do to all the serial numbers are registered. It is my understanding, Leica is very liberal in their repair returns. I know of V Lux cameras that were repaired, no charge, out of warranty. If I were you I would send a registered letter to Leica NJ. I would inform them of change in ownership, include serial number of course, and that would cover what ever the remainder of warranty that is left. In your letter request you be placed on there mailing list and E Mail. This will get you the firmware up grade notices. I hope this long winded response helps. Bill

 

[proenca]

Ok, I'll say a few words since I have a somewhat similar story and I spoke directly to Leica UK about warranty and passports.

I bought my M8 in Singapore ( when on vacation there ) and I live in the UK. Doesn't come with any passport but it does come with a warranty paper, but for Leica Singapore.

I contacted Leica UK explaining the situation and that I would like to be under Leica UK warranty and a Passport.

Their answer was : Leica UK warranty, no problem. If needed, just send the camera to us, with a copy of the purchase receipt and stamped dealer invoice. They will honor the 2 year warranty here in the UK. This however only covers production defects and so on.

Passports are exclusive to UK dealers ( well, US and EU have it as well ) and they are indeed transferrable from ONE owner to another. I bought a 50 lux from another owner and it have a space for the new owner. Passport covers accidental damage.

So basically, you are covered with warranty, but not with Passport. If the owner has a passport ( if the camera was bought on an official Leica dealer ) ask him to be sent to you , since its transferable.

But also ask him to send you the original invoice of purchase, since its with that one that 2 years warranty kicks in.

 

[Robin Harrison]

Thanks for the heads up, guys. I had been thinking this M8 upgrade might have been the only way to obtain a warranty. It sounds like Leica can be pretty reasonable about this sort of thing.

First things first - try and register the M8 online. I shall then attempt to contact the previous owners one more time, tell them I am making no demands, just trying to obtain some peace of mind. Finally I shall contact Leica UK and explain the situation.

Do Leica keep track of which serial numbers go where in the world, out of interest? Will they be able to tell if this is a UK camera or a grey import?

I know that nearly 20 years ago, my M6 (still a long time before my ownership) fell off the back of a motorbike in Somerset. It was found, returned to the Leica factory, and somehow made its way back to it's owner!

 

[szekiat]

mate, why not just include it in your general camera insurance or home insurance for accidental damage or loss. My main worry in not having the proper registration papers is fears of having bought a stolen item, especially when its with something of this value. I'd write to leica with the serial no and proof of transaction (as much as possible) to confirm that its not stolen and to get it henceforth registered in your name.