"recently cla'd" yeah, right

[wgerrard]

It isn't evil, but any market where we buy unseen merchandise from unknown merchants is fertile ground for deception.

 

[Pherdinand]

Based on 'hearsay' i sent my misfocusing 90/2 summicron to a guy within the Netherlands (Will van Manen). He told me before that he should be able to solve the problem in about ten days.
In a week i started to worry, not hearing anything from him and the lens. Not worrying about the lens, just worrying about how long it might take. Just when i was THIS close to call him and ask, i received the lens back in a box. It was internally cleaned a bit and adjusted for correct focus, within the cost estimate he gave me beforehand, with a nice detailed receipt too. No weeks of waiting, no re-sending, no asking ten times hows the progress... Just the job done as it is supposed to be.
Is he world famous big name like the names above? No he isn't.
As Greyhoundman says. You don't need a friggin shop to be a good "CLA guy".

Similar thing with a rolleiflex specialist, Hans Klinkhamer. Although i think he does have some kind of a shop. He does excellent job on leaf shutter type cameras. He restored my 3.5F to a reliable good workhorse (back was bent and falling off, finder was half lose, shutter was a wreck and windign made funny noises) and made sure I got it in time for a trip. I suspect the camera will work for a decade without problems.
Is he a world famous Mark Hama or such? No. But i don't see what more could the other guy do. Gold plate it??

 

[ocean7]

Is he world famous big name like the names above? No he isn't.
As Greyhoundman says. You don't need a friggin shop to be a good "CLA guy".

Well I heard about him before, and I am in Canada 🙂

Some of the best Leica techs here do not own a shop neither.

 

[Spider67]

I think "fleabay" is not so much derogatory as a fitting description: It's a fleamarket where you cannot check the item itself. So buyer beware and get the best. Sometimes it's as simple as reading the article description (remember those low prdie items from China with a ridiculously high postage?). Then there's the other fleamarket aspect: Somehow some of us buyers there aren't there just for buying items, but we also want to be liked and receive good ratings...so we have to learn to read between the lines in all of those good ratings. I once bought a retina and when i opened it I found a receipt for a CLA 10 years ago and another time a guy send me a lens...IN A PADDED ENVELOPE! Thanks to ebay there is now a possibilty to rate that independently

 

[spyder2000]

If a seller is going to scam you with a CLA claim, he/she can just as easily provide you with a fake receipt for same. Everyone uses laser and/or inkjet printers these days and anyone make an awfully nice looking "receipt". Can even be for a legitimate business.

Any camera older than 20 years needs attention. Make an appropriate offer and have it done by a technician you trust.

 

[jlw]

So you have to own a shop to be qualified?

No, but it's useful info for the would-be buyer who wants to make his/her own judgments about how much value is added by the CLA.

A greyhoundman pedigree seems to be a significant value-adder here on RFF, going by what I've seen in the classifieds.

 

[jlw]

If a seller is going to scam you with a CLA claim, he/she can just as easily provide you with a fake receipt for same.

True in the case of genuine crooks, but casual rule-benders who might be willing to, um, exaggerate their subjective statements of condition might stop short of generating outright fraudulent documents that could be used as legal evidence against them.

 

[Roger Hicks]

True in the case of genuine crooks, but casual rule-benders who might be willing to, um, exaggerate their subjective statements of condition might stop short of generating outright fraudulent documents that could be used as legal evidence against them.

Could be used that way, sure, but who's going to bother to sue for small amounts of money and lots of hassle, especially if the seller is in another jurisdction? Even $1000 ain't that much money when set against the amount of time and money you can waste trying to get it back.

I'd prefer EITHER to buy from a dealer (or at least someone reputable that I know/can reach) OR to budget for a reasonable service from someone I trust after buying.

Personally, I view the fleamarket aspect of ebay as a gamble, and obey the old rule: never gamble more than you can afford to lose.

Cheers,

R.

 

[HuubL]

Based on 'hearsay' i sent my misfocusing 90/2 summicron to a guy within the Netherlands (Wil van Manen). He told me before that he should be able to solve the problem in about ten days.
In a week i started to worry, not hearing anything from him and the lens. Not worrying about the lens, just worrying about how long it might take. Just when i was THIS close to call him and ask, i received the lens back in a box. It was internally cleaned a bit and adjusted for correct focus, within the cost estimate he gave me beforehand, with a nice detailed receipt too. No weeks of waiting, no re-sending, no asking ten times hows the progress... Just the job done as it is supposed to be.
Is he world famous big name like the names above? No he isn't.
As Greyhoundman says. You don't need a friggin shop to be a good "CLA guy".

I wholeheartedly can recommend Will van Manen. He CLA'd several cameras for me and did a great job! He is fast! I live nearby and bring my stuff myself. I usually get it back within a couple of days. He's doing an M3 and a DR right now. I'm going to give him a call later to check if they're ready.

 

[Pherdinand]

Yeah
i went for him based on your advice.

 

[jaapv]

I wholeheartedly can recommend Will van Manen. He CLA'd several cameras for me and did a great job! He is fast! I live nearby and bring my stuff myself. I usually get it back within a couple of days. He's doing an M3 and a DR right now. I'm going to give him a call later to check if they're ready.

Will is well-known and respected; he has several major camera-stores as clients, besides his private customers.

 

[Sam R]

ok, i've been browsing evil-bay and am getting close to pulling the trigger on either an m4 or m6, and as i am getting close for the right moment i have asked a few sellers if they could prove the "recently cla'd" statement in their add and by whom was the cla performed. NOT ONE seller has responded to my question. really makes me suspicious.

i'd be willing to spend a few hundred more on a camera that has indeed been recently cla'd but i want to see proof. otherwise i'll wait for a cheaper camera and plan on the cost to send it off to get all gussied up.

at least we could look at images to try and get an idea about the "minty-ness" of the item being sold (aren't they all "minty" these days?) but a cla is pretty tough to see in a few pictures.

anyone else ever had this thought?

- chris

You always take a chance....If I ever sell any of my SP items, I will offer a money back guarantee....along with my 30 year old address and 30 year work record...what your doing is too chancy for me