Nightmare On Leica Street

[jsrockit]

Weirdly enought Photojopurnalist are in fact not considered pro photographers in Austria since they didn't attend photoschool or had an apprenticeship.

Wow, that's strange... I'd be a Pro in Austria. I thought Pro meant you were skilled in that area (regardless of the way you became skilled)and got paid for your services. I wouldn't be a Pro based on that definition.

 

[robert blu]

Hmmm, after having read this thread I think that the question is not if an M9 is a "Pro" camera, but if the Leica Service is satisfying for Pro photographers...just my idea...
robert

 

[leicashot]

Hmmm, after having read this thread I think that the question is not if an M9 is a "Pro" camera, but if the Leica Service is satisfying for Pro photographers...just my idea...
robert

Thats a good point, and they go hand-in-hand.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

So you did not register for pro service beforehand... That woulld have secured two-day turnaround and loaner service.

Well that sounds like a nice service. I do not need it, as the Leica's are for fun- and I kept the M8 after getting the M9.

This would be a good place for someone to post the merits of the Pro service that Leica offers. Has anyone used it? Please post the details here.

 

[btgc]

The slow, considered landscape photographer does not have the same pressure of the runway or sport photographer.

Just had a thought - when landscape photographer travels to remote place, cuts miles through jungle or climbs up to wild height, suffering from heat or cold, he (editors, too) just doesn't want to fail because of gear. Some weather conditions don't repeat every day or even week.

 

[leicashot]

Well that sounds like a nice service. I do not need it, as the Leica's are for fun- and I kept the M8 after getting the M9.

This would be a good place for someone to post the merits of the Pro service that Leica offers. Has anyone used it? Please post the details here.

2 day turn around? Where does Leica state this? I've used Leica's pro service, which ended up being around 2-3 weeks if I recall. of course it depends on what needs to be done. M9 old M9 needed it's control dial replaced.

 

[Paul Luscher]

Just had a thought - when landscape photographer travels to remote place, cuts miles through jungle or climbs up to wild height, suffering from heat or cold, he (editors, too) just doesn't want to fail because of gear. Some weather conditions don't repeat every day or even week.

I'll go with btgc here. Having been soaked in Ireland, frozen and snowed on in Yosemite, baked and dusted in various desert spots, and spent time stomping around Bhutan, I was glad I had my rugged and weather-sealed Olympus E-3s on hand...

Sorry I wasn't using my M9. Does this make me a heretic?

 

[x-ray]

Leica may be a small company but they are also a very successful company currently. Did someone say 30,000 M9's sold so far and 36 million profit last year ... hows about putting some of that profit into speedy repairs and keeping dealers supplied with stock and a little more on the ball with their service.

If Nikon Australia or any of their service outlets wanted eight weeks to fix a problem on my D700 they'd be lucky to ever sell me another camera.

Leica has been bought and sold several times by investors trying to maximize the profits out from their investment. It's not the Leitz family anymore. Obviously there are plenty of people willing to deal with the issues and the poor service so the investors don't care if a hand full of people get ticked or not. They've got your money and another buyer will be along to take your place. Investment firms are only interested in your money for as long as they can fleece you and then they sell it in total or divide the assets and sell them off. It all about money now or customer service and not customer satisfaction. After all it takes to sell their cameras is the name.

Unless you didn't do your research before buying you should be quite aware of the numerous issues and the pathetic service. I was a hairs width from buying an M9 and then decided to start reading and asking questions and now I'm pleased to say I didn't buy one.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Getting a flat tire is more akin to needing a new battery for the camera.

Having a cracked block is more like having a cracked sensor. You have a $100K car, getting the engine replaced is going to take some time.

I had a friend with a Porsche that needed the turbo-charger replaced. It look 6 weeks.

Certain level of service- I had my M2 repaired a few years back, at Essex. Normally turn around is two weeks, it took three months. The rewind mechanism had to be replaced, and they had to wait for new parts from Leica in Germany. I was just happy that Leica still supplied parts for a 50 year old camera.

 

[zauhar]

Although I doubt I will ever worry about getting an m9 repaired, I checked the leica web site and see that they offer a fast turnaround service for an additional 110 euro.

Is that to be believed? Will leica do something similar for warranty repairs?

Randy

 

[flash]

Sorry for opening this old can of worms. Useless as they are, here are my observations.

- 8 weeks is too long. But I knew about it before I bought my camera so I have accepted it. I hope the expansion of the workforce will eventually bring those times down, should I ever need them.
- No professional, I know, who acts like one, doesn't have backup equipment, so a failure isn't catastrophic, just annoying. I like many M owners also have an AF system to cover the things an M just can't do.
- The Canon 1DsIII I bought cost over 1K more than my M9.
- in any brand I have ever seen there were more enthusiasts using the top of the line gear than Pros. And in any brand more Pros use use bodies that are not considered "pro" than those that do. A pro won't choose a D3x if a D7000 will do the job just as well.
- I had to wait 5 weeks for my first Canon 5D2 body. I picked up my M9 the day I ordered it.
- the lenses I wanted, at the time of purchase, were available, mostly second hand. But I mostly shoot very wide or above 50, so the 35 lux etc aren't on my wish list. I already had a CV50mm 1.5. I'm pleased with it on the M and I'm undecided as to whether the small improvement to a 50lux is worth it for me. I picked up a clean tele-elmarit thin and a CV21 and 12mm as well as a cheap 35mm for the very occasional time I'll need one.
- Part of the reason I changed from Canon to Leica was that I was using focusing manually on the Canon anyway, and I was sick of the weight and size of the gear. Less really is more. The less i have to carry the more I am unhindered by my equipment. The other was tha after 15 years as a CPS member I no longer qualified for the top level as I moved from 1 series bodies to 5 series. The fact I had $30K in glass and 15 years as a Canon Pro and CPS member was discarded.
- the only camera that I have ever had fail due to environmental conditions was a 1 series Canon body. All the weather sealing in the world and the camera was completely disabled by a single grain of silica sand stuck under a button. I shoot on the coast often and many lesser cameras have been just fine in any conditions I shoot in. As a CPS member repairs took 4 weeks waiting for parts. I have my own back-up gear. I don't need some tired old body from Canon.

Gordon

 

[Keith]

Although I doubt I will ever worry about getting an m9 repaired, I checked the leica web site and see that they offer a fast turnaround service for an additional 110 euro.

Is that to be believed? Will leica do something similar for warranty repairs?

Randy

I have a problem with this sort of thing sorry and it comes under the 'graft' heading in my book of service ethics.

You finish up with a situation where all the people who can afford to flick another 110 euros in the direction of solms to get their broken Leicas back a little faster are making the bottom feeders on the service line wait longer because repair recources are obviously limited. That's introducing a class system into your repair structure and no manufacturer should have a right to do it IMO.

 

[NickTrop]

I have a problem with this sort of thing sorry and it comes under the 'graft' heading in my book of service ethics...That's introducing a class system into your repair structure and no manufacturer should have a right to do it IMO.

+1 A lot of companies do this and it's sickening.

 

[Jeff S]

I don't pay more for Leica service, but I always establish a personal contact up front (by phone and email), then use that contact to expedite the transaction and to keep me informed about the repair status and return.

This practice has served me well in both time frame and understanding, certainly much better than accounts from some others here.

Jeff

 

[leicashot]

FYI guys, I have to admit I'm used the M9 in pretty decent rain for 15 minutes with no ill effects, here: http://www.kristiandowling.com/#/gallery-2/Arielle_Kebbel-573fin_1000px

 

[Roger Hicks]

I have a problem with this sort of thing sorry and it comes under the 'graft' heading in my book of service ethics.

You finish up with a situation where all the people who can afford to flick another 110 euros in the direction of solms to get their broken Leicas back a little faster are making the bottom feeders on the service line wait longer because repair recources are obviously limited. That's introducing a class system into your repair structure and no manufacturer should have a right to do it IMO.

Why not?

In the days when all pros shot film, labs had a standard E6 fee; a rush fee (100% loading); and a priority fee (200% loading). I forget now, but I think that was a 2-hour turnaround; a 1-hour turnaround; and while you wait.

If you really need your camera back quicker, for example because you're leaving on a trip, then while 110€ may hurt, it's a legitimate business expense and probably trivial compared with the rest of your expenses.

No-one disputes that even 8 weeks is too long, never mind 3 months or more, but that's what you get when you deal with a relatively small firm that has been taken aback by the extent of demand for the M9.

As for the others who call Leica some sort of greedy, grasping corporate entity, they clearly don't know how it's run. Of course Dr. Kaufmann wants to make a profit out of it, but basically, he's in this one for love, not money.

Cheers,

R.

 

[jaapv]

+1 A lot of companies do this and it's sickening.

Yup- even airlines. You pay the earth and get a nice roomy seat in Business Class. I hate them when stashed in Cattle Class.

 

[Nikon Bob]

Yup- even airlines. You pay the earth and get a nice roomy seat in Business Class. I hate them when stashed in Cattle Class.

I have no qualms with what the airlines do regarding seats, you are buying and paying for different products. With repairs of any sort it should be on a first come first serve basis if parts are available. I do not like what I consider bribing your way to the head of the line, sounds to much like the third world. There are better ways to show some class if you have wealth.

Bob

 

[jaapv]

You are not paying for a different product, you are all flying from A to B at the same time - you are paying for better service....

 

[Roger Hicks]

I have no qualms with what the airlines do regarding seats, you are buying and paying for different products. With repairs of any sort it should be on a first come first serve basis if parts are available. I do not like what I consider bribing your way to the head of the line, sounds to much like the third world. There are better ways to show some class if you have wealth.

Bob

Dear Bob,

Again, why? See my analogy of the film processing, above.

And what on earth do you mean by "There are better ways to show some class if you have wealth"? The more I think about it, the less meaning I see in it.

Cheers,

R.