Join for FREE
It only takes a minute!

Welcome to BirdForum.
BirdForum is the net's largest birding community, dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE! You are most welcome to register for an account, which allows you to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread
Old Wednesday 23rd May 2007, 12:32   #1
matt green
Red with purple flashes..
 
matt green's Avatar

 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 5,200
Leica servicing time?

Sent my Leica BA's for a general service at the beginning of the month (may), I've had a letter of reciept and change of ownership details but still waiting for an estimate (if any?)

Just wondering how much longer they're likely to take?

Also, anyone know anything about this 'Leica summer holiday' seems strange that the entire management/technicians/lab-staff etc should all take their hols at the same time....and presumably leaving a stack load of poorly bins in need of urgent medical attention!!

Matt


matt green is offline  
Reply With Quote
BF Supporter 2007
Click here to Support BirdForum
Old Wednesday 23rd May 2007, 13:11   #2
nick scarle
Leo
 
nick scarle's Avatar

 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Manchester
Posts: 582
A couple of years ago I damaged my 'scope so, back it went to Leica (Milton Keynes I think). It took 5-6 weeks for an estimate. Then the scope was sent back to Germany for repair which took a further 8 weeks to come back.

Be patient!!

Nick
__________________
My ambition is to be the person my dog thinks I am
nick scarle is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old Wednesday 23rd May 2007, 13:34   #3
matt green
Red with purple flashes..
 
matt green's Avatar

 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 5,200
Quote:
Originally Posted by nick scarle View Post
A couple of years ago I damaged my 'scope so, back it went to Leica (Milton Keynes I think). It took 5-6 weeks for an estimate. Then the scope was sent back to Germany for repair which took a further 8 weeks to come back.

Be patient!!

Nick
Bloo..

My opticrons were done within the week!!, patience isn't one of my virtues

Someone tell me what I want to hear!!

Matt

Last edited by matt green : Wednesday 23rd May 2007 at 13:55.
matt green is offline  
Reply With Quote
BF Supporter 2007
Click here to Support BirdForum
Old Wednesday 23rd May 2007, 18:22   #4
Curtis Croulet
Registered User
 
Curtis Croulet's Avatar

 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Temecula, California
Posts: 1,294
Quote:
Originally Posted by nick scarle View Post
A couple of years ago I damaged my 'scope so, back it went to Leica (Milton Keynes I think). It took 5-6 weeks for an estimate. Then the scope was sent back to Germany for repair which took a further 8 weeks to come back.

Be patient!!

Nick
Pretty ridiculous, don't you think? It's certainly possible that Zeiss and Nikon (my bins) and Swarovski (my scope) are no better, so I'm not singling out Leica. But to ask someone to pay premium dollars/pounds for a product, and then to treat them like crap when they need a bit of service is unacceptable. Fourteen weeks is really tantamount to no service at all. Here's a question: if your name was Bill Oddie or (in the US) David Sibley or Kenn Kaufman, would you have to wait fourteen weeks?
Curtis Croulet is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old Wednesday 23rd May 2007, 18:52   #5
Craig H
Registered User
 
Craig H's Avatar

 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: NW England
Posts: 156
A couple of years ago I sent my BA's off for an inspection/ repair. I guess they were gone about two weeks, maybe three at the most if I remember correctly.
Craig H is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old Wednesday 23rd May 2007, 22:07   #6
Rob Smallwood
Registered User
 
Rob Smallwood's Avatar

 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Greater Manchester
Posts: 3,182
I have sent my Leica APO 77 back twice and had it returned to me in pristine condition both times within 7 days.

On both occasions I sent an email in advance, sent a covering letter, received an acknowledgement by return and both repairs were carried out under warranty.
__________________
Rob
"Thirty years ago I knew nothing about birding. Today I know enough to know that I know very little"
Rob Smallwood is offline  
Reply With Quote
BF Supporter 2010
Click here to Support BirdForum
Old Thursday 24th May 2007, 15:37   #7
matt green
Red with purple flashes..
 
matt green's Avatar

 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 5,200
Would also be interested to hear how trashed a binocular has to be before it gets sent to the solms factory ? (not that my bins are trashed btw!)

There is a repair service centre in Milton Keynes but I suspect they have limited facilities there..

Matt
matt green is offline  
Reply With Quote
BF Supporter 2007
Click here to Support BirdForum
Old Thursday 7th June 2007, 10:13   #8
matt green
Red with purple flashes..
 
matt green's Avatar

 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 5,200
Woooooo!!

Got my bins back this morning, as hoped they have been fitted with a new rubber body and the focus is as smooth as somethings smooth bits!!

They did however forget to send my rainguard back - the nice lady is dealing with that though

Matt
matt green is offline  
Reply With Quote
BF Supporter 2007
Click here to Support BirdForum
Old Thursday 7th June 2007, 12:57   #9
jcwings
Registered User
 
jcwings's Avatar

 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Santa Maria CA USA
Posts: 799
I'm thinking of sending my Leica Trinovid bins in for warranty service on the focus mechanism. It has that pesky stiff focusing stutter somewhere in the middle which has gotten worse over time. My thinking is that if I send them off for repairs now I'll to get them back before fall migration! How sad is that.
__________________
www.sbcobirding.com: Birds where I live
My digiscoped photos
jcwings is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old Thursday 7th June 2007, 18:02   #10
Robert / Seattle
Registered User
 
Robert / Seattle's Avatar

 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Seattle, Washington Stati Uniti
Posts: 1,572
They've got a captive market. My Ultravids went in (to US Leica) for a focus knob adjustment on April 5 and are promised back in early July.
Robert / Seattle is offline  
Reply With Quote
BF Supporter 2007 2008
Click here to Support BirdForum
Old Monday 23rd July 2007, 17:48   #11
Amberjack
Registered User

 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Houston
Posts: 1
Thumbs down Leica Service

I sent my 10x42 BNs in for repair (cracked sleave) back in april. I was promptly sent a repair estimate that stated "6-7 weeks. I started calling in July for progress reports...after the 3rd call I was told they would finish repairs on July 19. Today (July 23rd) I received a letter dated 5/23/07 (post marked July 18th) that stated:

"We are currently out of stock on the part necessary to your repair. Every effort will be made to expedite receipt of this part from Germany. We apologize for the delay and expect that the service will be completed on 8/25/07"

Does anyone else find the unacceptable? Are these isolated incidents? Really blows to have this kindof service on a product that is as fine as the Trinovids. Something I would expect from Bushnell or Simmons but I guess those you just replace.

Thumbs down to Leica in my opinion.
Amberjack is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old Monday 23rd July 2007, 18:03   #12
NoSpringChicken
Registered User
 
NoSpringChicken's Avatar

 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: East Norfolk
Posts: 25,888
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amberjack View Post
I sent my 10x42 BNs in for repair (cracked sleave) back in april. I was promptly sent a repair estimate that stated "6-7 weeks. I started calling in July for progress reports...after the 3rd call I was told they would finish repairs on July 19. Today (July 23rd) I received a letter dated 5/23/07 (post marked July 18th) that stated:

"We are currently out of stock on the part necessary to your repair. Every effort will be made to expedite receipt of this part from Germany. We apologize for the delay and expect that the service will be completed on 8/25/07"

Does anyone else find the unacceptable? Are these isolated incidents? Really blows to have this kindof service on a product that is as fine as the Trinovids. Something I would expect from Bushnell or Simmons but I guess those you just replace.

Thumbs down to Leica in my opinion.
Compare that with the experiences of Opticron UK users on this thread:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread....ticron+service

That's the sort of service I would expect from Leica and the other big three. It must be very reasurring to discuss your problem with a technician rather than a consumer relations department.

Ron
NoSpringChicken is online now  
Reply With Quote
BF Supporter 2010 2011 2012
Click here to Support BirdForum
Advertisement
Reply


Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Servicing old Optolyth Draw Tube dipped Spotting Scopes & tripod/heads 2 Wednesday 24th January 2007 10:35
Servicing kas Swarovski 15 Monday 4th December 2006 16:03
Servicing Trinovids James Leica 8 Wednesday 29th November 2006 03:06
Leica 20xwa v Leica Zoom buzzard12 Digiscoping Accessories 5 Friday 11th August 2006 09:42
Leica Scope and Leica camera fredyr Leica 11 Friday 2nd December 2005 04:21

{googleads}
Fatbirder's Top 1000 Birding Websites

Search the net with ask.com
Help support BirdForum
Ask.com and get

Page generated in 0.15603089 seconds with 21 queries
All times are GMT. The time now is 08:23.