Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/07/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. - ------ =_NextPart_001_01BECC7C.CBB8E020 Content-Type: text/plain I will be the first to admit that there are members of this list who fall into the Stephen Decatur school of Leica fanaticism. However, having received this message (below) twice, I for one am beginning to find the whining about people who defend Leica with too much enthusiasm to be tedious at least. Especially on the Leica Users list. Perhaps we should end this death spiral by asking Dr. Black Tape for a ruling on who much carping we should be forced to endure. Buzz Hausner 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. - ------ =_NextPart_001_01BECC7C.CBB8E020 Content-Type: text/html Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; = charset=3Dus-ascii"> <META NAME=3D"Generator" CONTENT=3D"MS Exchange Server version = 5.0.1460.9"> <TITLE>RE: [Leica] Leica's woes(?)</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2>I will be the first to admit that there are members = of this list who fall into the Stephen Decatur school of Leica = fanaticism. However, having received this message (below) twice, = I for one am beginning to find the whining about people who defend = Leica with too much enthusiasm to be tedious at least. Especially = on the Leica Users list. Perhaps we should end this death spiral = by asking Dr. Black Tape for a ruling on who much carping we should be = forced to endure.</FONT></P> <P> <FONT SIZE=3D2>Buzz = Hausner</FONT> </P> <BR> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2>Dear Horst: </FONT> </P> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2>I posted the following in response to another Leica = woes post -</FONT> </P> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2>So you see Horst, there are a cadre of Leica = apologists just waiting to </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>attack anyone who posts a legitimate complaint = relative to Leica workmanship, </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>product or service. It is often referred to = the "stick in the ant hill" </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>reflex. Push a stick into an ant hill and see = the workers scurry to defend </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>the queen. One would almost think this cadre = owned stock in the enterprise </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>and was on the attack to protect that investment by = stifling criticism rather </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>than demanding their company get the lead out and = start producing merchandise </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>that worked the first time out rather than the = customer being forced to do </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>the trouble shooting and quality control work for = the company. </FONT> </P> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2>Keep up the good work Horst, and do not let the = "cadre" stifle your posts. </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>It may be the new "Solms Bean Counter" = will turn around the company and </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>insist on top quality products being marketed and = "on time" but "bean </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>counters" normally have one job and that sole = job is to sweeten the corporate </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>bottom line with little if any concern for the = customer regardless of the </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>company's propaganda line spouted in the = literature. The customer is </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>entitled to expect a $2,000 camera body will work = right out of the box and it </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>is nonsense to give a company a "free = ride" when it keeps missing the mark </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>with the quality control for which E. Leitz was so = well known. E. Leitz </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>proved for years that a Leica camera could be = produced and inspected to the </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>extent the customer could expect the camera to = operate rather than fall apart </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>in the midst of a vacation. A Leica camera = body is not a "computer" or </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>"computer software" that the customer has = come to expect not to work without </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>many calls to the manufacturer and replacement of = the product.</FONT> </P> <P><FONT SIZE=3D2>I have carried on too long, but this "attack the = customer" and "god forbid </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>posting anything the least bit negative regarding = the NEW Leica company" </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>attitude is still alive and well like an immune = system lurking in the </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>background to attack an unwanted entry. If = Leica understands the Leica users </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>expect top quality cameras, the quality control = problems will be rectified; </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>however, if Leica is watching the LUG posts and = notes that the "apologists" </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>are happy with the quality being placed on the = market by Leica, the same </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>quality problems will continue to persist. It = is the opinion of this writer, </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>the LUG attitude should be one of encouraging Leica = to improve quality </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>control and its products so they solve photographic = problems rather than </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>becoming part of the photographic problem. = Otherwise, this product quality </FONT> <BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>problem will only get worse.</FONT> </P> </BODY> </HTML> - ------ =_NextPart_001_01BECC7C.CBB8E020--