[Leica] Leica Quality Control

[Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net>]

We seem to be expending a tremendous amount of energy discussing this
topic.  Over the past four years, it seems this has been a constant 10%
posting topic.

Folks, if you are unhappy with Leica quality, then you have two choices,
and two choices only:

a)  Buy LOTS of Leica stock.  Own the company, and then YOU can tell them
what to do.

b)  Sell all your Leica gear and invest in some other system.

Simply bitching about it neither accomplishes much nor, frankly, makes the
various bitchers sound very nice -- folks who are probably quite pleasant
in person come across as negative, whingeing carpers without a virtue to
their name.

Leica has had quality control problems, as has EVERY manufacturing concern
across history.  The management of Leica has a legal duty to maximize
profits, so they are attempting their best to do so while still marketing a
fine product.  Obviously, if the QC/QM situation gets out of hand, the
reputation will suffer and so will sales, and management will have to adopt
a different tack.  But, for right now, they seem to be doing just fine.

The membership of the LUG is a minuscule percentage of Leica users -- there
are, for instance, only TWO Lug members living in Western Virginia, though
I know several dozen Leica users in the same geographic area.  Our
experience is not necessarily that of the general public.  And we have
many, many more lurkers than participants:  a proper survey would have to
assess ALL of the membership.  

(Suggestion to DonJ:  instead of carp, carp, carp, moan, piss, and bitch:
do a WHO LEICA-USERS and WHO LEICA-USERS-DIGEST, get a complete list of our
members, then survey ALL the membership by PRIVATE E-MAIL.  Ask every one
whether they have purchased a new Leica item within the past five years.
KEEP STATISTICS HERE:  evaluate how many respond (5%?  10%?  50%?).  Then,
ask this select number if they have had any quality complaints, and, again,
evaluate in terms of response -- probably, 25% of the LUG will answer your
first private query, and 50% of those will answer the second, giving a
statistically meaningless sample group of some 100 folks or so.  But, then,
give us these answers on the LUG, just to see.  You will find that those
who are happy will probably not respond, those who are aggrieved will
complain.)

I have purchased a slew of new Leica gear in the past five years.  None of
it arrived in a defective condition.  One piece (a Televid eyepiece)
developed a problem a year or more after I had purchased it, and it was
immediately replaced by New Jersey without a question.  

What I am trying to say is three things:

- -- Bitching to the LUG doesn't do a thing, and only adds a layer of stress
and tension to a list which already is stressed and tense enough.

- -- Happy folks don't complain, and, hence, don't make it into the
statistical sample group.

- -- The LUG, in any event, is just too small a sample from which to derive
any concrete conclusions.

Marc

msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!