Leica NJ turn-around time: anyone have experience with repairs?

[bobby_novatron]

I recently sent in my Leica M 240 to Leica NJ for a sensor problem. Horizontal banding across the middle of my images. Very odd.

Anyway, I sent the camera body to Leica NJ at the end of September.

It seems like the gears turn very slowly at Leica NJ ... I didn't even get any confirmation that they received my camera -- repeated emails to 'Roxana Lynch' at customer service have produced nothing. I only found out that they received the package because of the tracking number.

I was wondering if anyone has had recent repairs done at Leica NJ and what their repair experience was like (communication, wait times, etc.) so I can know what I'm getting into. I don't expect to see my camera body for a couple of months at least.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Godfrey]

It has always been my experience that a phone call is the best way to communicate with Leica USA. Email and mail queries always seem to second priority.

Give Roxana a call and she'll be delighted to see where your camera is in the process. They've always been fairly quick, usual service around two-three weeks, but they do occasionally get jammed up. A courtesy call goes a long way.

G

 

[bobby_novatron]

It has always been my experience that a phone call is the best way to communicate with Leica USA. Email and mail queries always seem to second priority.

Give Roxana a call and she'll be delighted to see where your camera is in the process. They've always been fairly quick, usual service around two-three weeks, but they do occasionally get jammed up. A courtesy call goes a long way.

G

Thanks for the info Godfrey, I'll give that a shot in the coming week.

 

[Doug]

Communication helps. I found it useful to phone them before sending gear for repair, to get the ok and fit the repair schedule. Then I don't have to bother them later, as shipping from and to the west coast seems to take more time than their repair shop. 3 weeks or so door to door.

If the gear needs to go to Germany, figure on doubling the time.

 

[bobby_novatron]

FWIW I called Kindermann in Toronto, they're the Canadian service reps for Leica (I'm located in Canada).

The fellow there was very courteous and generous with his time, he said things very similar to helenhill -- slow communication, and they insist on doing communication via 'snail mail'. He said to expect a written letter from them sometime in the next while ... very similar to Helen's experience.

I must admit the whole process seems rather opaque.

 

[MCTuomey]

3-4 weeks for 3 separate service trips, door to door. Depending on the work and parts sourcing, it could be shorter or longer, I'd say. Most of my communication was via e-mail, supplemented by a couple of phone calls for clarification.

Canon NJ turn-around (non CPS) has been 10-14 days for me on camera work, as a point of comparison.

 

[JMQ]

I just had M9 sensor replaced because of corrosion. Leica NJ received my camera on 29 June, and I got it back on 10 Oct -- so, about 3 ½ months. I called about 4 times to inquire the status. It is great once I got it back, but the delay/wait time is unacceptably long.

 

[Bob Tilton]

Other alternatives to service/repair?

M9 went to Leica NJ for CLA. Great experience other than turnaround time. Hesitate sending the 240 in because I do not want the downtime.

 

[bobby_novatron]

Other alternatives to service/repair?

M9 went to Leica NJ for CLA. Great experience other than turnaround time. Hesitate sending the 240 in because I do not want the downtime.

I think it depends on the kind of repair. A simple rangefinder alignment, or some kind of non-critical parts replacement could be done by other repair services. Places like DAG, Kindermann (Toronto), and Sherry Krauter.

But for critical parts (a.k.a. sensor problems, electronics on the M8 / M9 / M240) I think you have to deal with Leica NJ. Or worse, Leica AG in Deustchland.

As a comparison, I had my Canon 5DmkII CLA'd a couple years ago. They did a full CLA, bench test, and installed a brand new rear screen. All the work was through Canon Canada -- turnaround was 3 weeks. I was really impressed.

 

[Bob Tilton]

Thanks for the info Bobby. My 50mm is front focusing.

 

[finguanzo]

I have issues with Leica NJ..
Took a lens in, 28mm Elmarit asph, front element was loose, design flaw if you ask me, hood attaches to it, force on the hood loosens up the whole center element..
Was 2 weeks out of warranty, no luck. No warranty coverage, 6 weeks to have it tightened..
Was not happy..

 

[shiro_kuro]

I have issues with Leica NJ..
Took a lens in, 28mm Elmarit asph, front element was loose, design flaw if you ask me, hood attaches to it, force on the hood loosens up the whole center element..
Was 2 weeks out of warranty, no luck. No warranty coverage, 6 weeks to have it tightened..
Was not happy..

I feel your pain .... sometimes the gnomes at Leica smile upon you and other times not .... it sucks when they don't ......


I just sent my camera in without calling first ... just downloaded the repair form from Leica ,filled it out and sent it with the camera .

Sent package insured and with tracking # .....

A week later an invoice came in the mail which I needed to sign to authorize the repair and a request to include shipping for the return of repaired camera in the amount of $23.00. It was a sensor replacement for the monochrome so no charge there . Estimate time for the camera to be sent back to me ... December 24 ..... Christmas eve ; ) Leica has a way of making these sort of things feel like a gift ..... any way I am grateful for not being charged for the sensor replacement 🙂 ... last time I was not so lucky and got hammered on the shutter repair on my M8 😡

 

[x-ray]

The average on my M9 that I had was seven weeks. Had to return the body and one lens 3 times before getting the lens replaced. Unacceptable and poor service.

 

[agoglanian]

So far I think my experience is shaping up to be the same with Leica NJ. Like finguanzo, I sent in my 28mm Summicron for the same issue (I agree it is a design flaw). I still have yet to receive my estimate letter, but it's "only" been a week and a half (business days) so far. So clearly I must be patient.

What I'm most curious about is to see what this is ultimately going to cost me (Aside from time).

Prior to sending it in, I talked with Wayne at the Leica Store SF about what the best direction was to take and he put me in touch with Bill Weier who's the CS Manager for Leica NJ. Nice fellow, very friendly in correspondence so no complaints there. I guess it's just a waiting game at this point. Fortunately I'm not crippled being without it right now, but I really would like to be using the lens.

Like others here I always had incredibly positive repair experiences with Canon when I used their system. I was a CPS member for several years, and I was fortunate enough to live fairly close to their service center here in California so I could drop off my equipment in person. With the exception of one repair to a lens that received massive physical damage from an accident, everything I ever brought to them was back in my hands within a week. Sometimes even in a single day!

Canon's service has been the only positive one I've experienced (outside of independent repair shops). So many other companies outsource to places like CRIS, which I've only had truly awful experiences with.

It is a shame that outside of Canon, Nikon and Leica, pretty much no other manufacturer has a dedicated repair / service department, and realistically only Canon / Nikon seem to get things repaired and back to you in a reasonable amount of time.

I feel like there has to be a better solution.

Update: Just received my invoice. 7-8 week turn around (ouch) and it's going to cost me $452 to have it worked on (DOUBLE ouch).