Re: [Leica] Warranty Issues

[John Collier <jbcollier@shaw.ca>]

Kit,

When I buy new or fresh used gear, I only buy authorized because I want 
my gear to come with a worldwide warrantee. The new gear also comes 
with a Passport protection plan (even in Canada and the UK, 
elsewhere?). I think passport is a good deal when there is a Leica Days 
on and there is a rebate in effect. That brings the total cost to 
within a couple hundred or so of grey equipment. When the price 
difference is significant then it becomes a little more difficult to 
justify. For instances the MAP price on the 28/2 is $2195US while the 
grey market price $1695US. The MAP is 30% more than the grey price!

This is why I find Passport warranty so annoying. I already have a 
rider on my insurance policy that has more extensive coverage than 
Passport offers. Yet I have to pay a 30% premium to get a worldwide 
warrantee! I would rather they did not offer passport or offered it at 
as another optional extended plan. That way a product with world wide 
warrantee would be more reasonably priced.

So what do I do? I tend to buy new cameras when a model is first 
released as the likelihood of significant problems is quite high. With 
lenses I buy fresh authorized used (still under international 
warrantee) or demo as problems are generally immediately apparent and 
the likelihood of unforeseen problems is very low. With old lenses and 
bodies, I just send it out for a CLA because I want it to be reliable.

John Collier

On Saturday, February 8, 2003, at 08:44 AM, Kit McChesney | Acmefoto 
wrote:

> I know you'll throw something nasty and rotten at me for this one, but 
> for
> those who insist that the USA Passport Plan is just a way for Leica to 
> get
> more money out of you, I say ... well, I won't say it here. Compare the
> price of any comparable piece sold in Europe and tell me that the USA 
> models
> are more expensive, especially these days of weak dollars.

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