Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/03/16

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Camera quality
From: Ian Stanley <ian@mos.com.np>
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 08:24:13 +0500

Hello Jim,
At 08:22 AM 98-03-15 -0800, you wrote:
>Hi Ian,
>
>No one is accusing you of miss handling your M6's. I got a new M6 that had
>a problem as well. My point is that this stuff happens. My BMW warranties
>are 8 years 80,000 miles and they loan you a *new* BMW when they have it in
>for either service or warranty work. I have never paid a penny for any work
>or repair. Never been without a car. Like Leica. I know we pay for this
>"free" service, but the passport warranty makes a problem easier to tolerate.
>
>All of these pieces of equipment are made by humans. The same humans that
>fight with their spouse the night before, or were up all night with a sick
>child. I'm surprised it's all as good as it is.
>
>And if it wasn't actually made by humans, humans made the robots that made
>the part. No one expected the Challenger to blow up a few years ago. If I
>paid that much money for a rocket, and it blew up, I'd be pissed!
>
>Stuff indeed happens. When it happens to you (or me) it seems unfair. But
>thinking about all that is involved, I'm surprised it's as good as it is.
>The older Leica's seemed better because each piece was hand fitted and
>adjusted. Leica would be out of business today if they had continued that
>practice.
>
>Jim

Hello Jim,

	Perhaps I am a little touchy these days.  In the last while I have been
told by a dealer that they do not sell cameras in the condition that mine
was in, a distributer that told me that the problems I described could not
have slipped pass the Leica quality control and Leica Solms did not correct
the problem I outlined to them plus they did not ship the camera in time.
So when I read "And don't forget, many times problems are brought about by
a mistake in handling." I did take that as meaning that perhaps I had
misused the camera!!

	All that aside I know that things can and do go wrong but I probably won't
be an entirely happy man until I see my new M6 and find that it is in good
working order.  I paid top dollar for a camera from a company that always
advertises its excellence and I expect it.  If they don't make the camera
properly I expect to get one that does.  Why should I settle for anything
less??

	Please don't take my ramblings personally as they are not directed at you
or anyone else on the LUG.

	On a positive note I have a new toy to play with these days - a new Canon
Optura digital camcorder.  This is quite a dramatic step in technology for
someone who uses M's and large format cameras.  We thought that it was
about time that we recorded some moving images of the country that we are
living in.

Ian Stanley,

Kathmandu, Nepal