Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/07/12

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica's woes(?)
From: DonjR43198@aol.com
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 10:12:26 EDT

In a message dated 7/12/99 7:40:15 AM Central Daylight Time, 
horst.schmidt@actek.com.au writes:

<< 
 I don't Think you got the gist of it. Its the tone that makes the musik,
 Bernhard!!
 
 Horst
  >>
 >>

Dear Horst: 

I posted the following in response to another Leica woes post -

So you see Horst, there are a cadre of Leica apologists just waiting to 
attack anyone who posts a legitimate complaint relative to Leica workmanship, 
product or service.  It is often referred to the "stick in the ant hill" 
reflex.  Push a stick into an ant hill and see the workers scurry to  defend 
the queen.  One would almost think this cadre owned stock in the enterprise 
and was on the attack to protect that investment by stifling criticism rather 
than demanding their company get the lead out and start producing merchandise 
that worked the first time out rather than the customer being forced to do 
the trouble shooting and quality control work for the company.  

Keep up the good work Horst, and do not let the "cadre" stifle your posts.  
It may be the new "Solms Bean Counter" will turn around the company and 
insist on top quality products being marketed and "on time" but "bean 
counters" normally have one job and that sole job is to sweeten the corporate 
bottom line with little if any concern for the customer regardless of the 
company's propaganda line spouted in the literature.  The customer is 
entitled to expect a $2,000 camera body will work right out of the box and it 
is nonsense to give a company a "free ride" when it keeps missing the mark 
with the quality control for which E. Leitz was so well known.  E. Leitz 
proved for years that a Leica camera could be produced and inspected to the 
extent the customer could expect the camera to operate rather than fall apart 
in the midst of a vacation.  A Leica camera body is not a "computer" or 
"computer software" that the customer has come to expect not to work without 
many calls to the manufacturer and replacement of the product.

I have carried on too long, but this "attack the customer" and "god forbid 
posting anything the least bit negative regarding the NEW Leica company" 
attitude is still alive and well like an immune system lurking in the 
background to attack an unwanted entry.  If Leica understands the Leica users 
expect top quality cameras, the quality control problems will be rectified; 
however, if Leica is watching the LUG posts and notes that the "apologists" 
are happy with the quality being placed on the market by Leica, the same 
quality problems will continue to persist.  It is the opinion of this writer, 
the LUG attitude should be one of encouraging Leica to improve quality 
control and its products so they solve photographic problems rather than 
becoming part of the photographic problem.  Otherwise, this product quality 
problem will only get worse.