m3 auction on ebay

[Bruce & Amy Hansen <hansen02@sprynet.com>]

Dear Leica Users,
	First, the good news: In this episode I describe how I used a Leica
camera!
Mr. Holmes has said enough lies about me and a certain M3, and it's time
to put
some of his stories to rest. Yes Ben, I have read the postings.
	When he first contacted me to say that he was unhappy with the camera,
he
said it would take $300-$400 of repairs before the camera could even be
used! I
took a roll of film and an old Summarit lens to the Waikiki Post Office
when the
camera FINALLY arrived(if you ever are foolish enough to do business
with Mr.
Holmes, always get your money first, and never assume he will mail
something
when he says he will). I walked a couple of blocks to the beach, loaded
the camera,
and shot a short roll. He insists that the fast speeds are no good,
because the 2nd
curtain hangs. I shot at 1/1000, 1/500, and 1/250. The pictures all came
out:
http://www.pongo.com/aw-images/hansen/786m3/786m3shot30.jpg
http://www.pongo.com/aw-images/hansen/786m3/786m3shot21.jpg
Please excuse the pedestrian composition, I was just testing the
camera.Some of
the pictures are cropped because my scanner is acting up. So Ben, next
time you
check out a camera, please ask your mom or dad to help; cameras can be
pretty
complicated.
	The camera worked smoothly, it is not a basket case as someone would
have you believe. The only problem is that now the rangefinder is way
off
vertically. Ben, are you really that petty?	
	When I got home, I took some pictures of the camera. First; the top of
the
camera- which he said was "beat to shit".
http://www.pongo.com/aw-images/hansen/786m3/786m3topl.jpg
http://www.pongo.com/aw-images/hansen/786m3/786m3topr.jpg
(The plastic plug for the bulb flash connection looks funny in one
picture because
of the problem with my scanner.)
 This camera was not sold as a mint camera. You can see a light scratch
in front of
the accessory shoe(This is the "gouge" I suppose?), . It is a scratch,
and yes I often
mention that kind of scratch in my description. There are also brite
marks near the
Leica logo, and more small scratches near the exposure counter.In
retrospect, I
should have mentioned them. But, at the first mention that he was
unhappy, I
offered an immediate refund, including his  return postage cost. I rated
the overall
cosmetic condition as 8.2. As you can see from the other pictures, the
rest of the
camera is in pretty decent shape.The dent on the end was mentioned in
the
description, AS WELL as the fact that the exposure counter is stuck.
According to
the LUG archives, Ben said "Truth is, I have never seen an M that was
this
trashed". You don't know what truth is Ben. You said the back is badly
pitted with
rust, but this picture shows NO rust.
http://www.pongo.com/aw-images/hansen/786m3/786m3back0.jpg 
You said the back is full of cemented in
crumbs-food,junk,rust,twigs,berries, etc.
This picture show the back has nothing in it .It also shows that the
pressure plate is
not scratched and pitted with rust as you had said to me.
http://www.pongo.com/aw-images/hansen/786m3/786m3prssrplt.jpg
This picture shows the rangefinder window, but it also shows the
condition of the
trim on the front of the camera, not gouged with pliers as you said, but
actually in
very nice condition.
http://www.pongo.com/aw-images/hansen/786m3/786m3rfrwdw0.jpg
 The rangefinder is bright and both images are clear, not de-silvered as
you said.
Yes, one side of the rangefinder window is in just a miniscule amount ,
with no
effect on the rangefinder.
In short, you lied about the condition of my camera so you could impress
people in
the LUG. You didn't think I would hear about it, so you slandered my
reputation.
You lied to me when you said you would not mention our deal on the net.
You
lied to me when you said you would send the camera back to me on the 7th
of
July, but actually waited until the 16th to mail it. You lied when you
said I didn't
contact you by email before posting to this group. You lied when you
said that you
never said anything disparaging about me.You think you are being glib
when you
ridicule someone, but you just show everyone that you are a jerk.
	For those of you who have complained of the "airing of dirty laundry"
on
lug, I will tell you that I have not done anything of the sort. I ran an
auction for a
usable camera at a reasonable reserve($500). I treated the customer well
when he
was unhappy with the purchase. I would have revised my description to be
more
critical of the camera, and it would have sold again to someone who
would use it
and be happy with it. Sixty people have taken the time to write to ebay
to say that
my wife and I are honest in our dealings. Holmes's ridiculous statements
about my
offering of the camera as a "gem" insinuate that I am dishonest, and
that fraud is
my way of doing business. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I
had no
choice but to write in this user group to say so.
	Luggers- I have no intention of tying up your computers with more and
more of this type of posting. I will let you get back to the wonders of
Leica. 
Sincerely,
Bruce Hansen