Is the Leica Factory Tour worth it?

[StuartR]

Hello all,

Some of you might remember that I posted a thread about ordering a Leica a la carte camera a few weeks back. I had hoped to take advantage of Leica's offer to allow a la carte customers to pick up their cameras at the factory and watch the final stages of assembly, but unfortunately Solms screwed up. They finished the camera early and have already sent it back to New Jersey. Frankly, this really pisses me off as my whole purpose of going to Germany was to pick up the camera and see them put the finishing touches on it (I am going to other parts of Europe, so the whole trip wasn't around this, but still...). In any case, they said that they will still offer me the factory tour, but I am not sure if it is worth going out of my way for. Perhaps it is just because I just found out and I am very angry.

Has anyone been on the factory tour? Is it worth going out of your way for? Also, there is the very real possibility that it will be practically empty. They are only working 2 days a week these days (they are trying to sell their pent up stock...only building .72 cameras etc), so Leica NJ's response was: "There will definitely be people there....how many is another matter."

In any case, I am majorly ticked off as there is a very high chance that I will not even receive the camera before I leave (July 14th)...and I am going to be gone until August 21st, so not only will they have screwed up a major reason for my trip, they will have delayed my getting the camera by a month. Anyway, I apologize for the venting. I would love to hear what people would do in my situation.

 

[back alley]

vent away!
i hate it when i'm put out by others incompetence.

joe

 

[Little Prince]

You can't get it by 14th? There's another week. Won't they ship expedited or something?

 

[vincentbenoit]

I would love to hear what people would do in my situation.

Buy another camera. 😀

 

[doubs43]

If it were me, I think I'd speak with someone with the authority to help and explain the following to them:

Watching my very own Leica being completed is an experience that few people will ever have and it's extremely important to me.

Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime event, can you arrange for me to take the factory tour and receive another camera that I watch being finished? The already completed Leica can be sold to someone else.

I'm extremely disappointed that my camera was finished early and shipped rather than held for my greatly anticipated visit to the factory. Surely you understand how I must feel when I've looked forward to my visit with such enthusiasm.

If they have any business sense at all, they'll agree to such a modest request and the good public relations it's sure to generate.

Walker

 

[aizan]

you were going to fly to germany just to pick it up? i thought it was a business trip, too, or something...

edit: n/m. going around europe.

 

[StuartR]

You can't get it by 14th? There's another week. Won't they ship expedited or something?

Well, it is supposed to be in a crate that will arrive early next week in Leica NJ. They said that they are also moving offices in NJ, so that may set things back. The woman I spoke to said she would "leave a note" to see if it could get done as quickly as possible. I am sure they will express mail it, but for me to get it, that means they would have to receive it on Monday and express mail it Monday or Tuesday. Somehow I doubt they will be that quick.

As for getting them to make another....I don't think I could do that to them. These are a la carte cameras, and they are in enough trouble selling their regular inventory. Though I am sure there would eventually be another person who wanted a M7 .85 with blue leather, classic engraving and MP style knobs, I don't think it would be fair to Leica or the person who wanted to buy one thinking it was made "just for them". In any case, hopefully I can get a better idea about what the tour would be like...whether it would be just a regular group tour, or whether they would show me the same sort of thing that would happen had I gone to pick up my own camera. Perhaps someone else's camera will be running down the assembly line and I can at least check that out. Otherwise I think I will just switch out Germany with Denmark and Sweden.

 

[RML]

Maybe you can ask them for a loaner?

 

[Socke]

Stuart, I'd raise hell in your position!

Either get the camera in time for your trip or a loaner, they should have a demo modell for you.

If I heard that someone planed a long journey to pick up a product at ours and now the product is to early to be picked up but too late to be taken on the trip I would provide a demo unit.

I had and will have lots of customers working with demo units when IBM missed a schedule or sends a PC missing some parts 🙂