Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/07/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Robert, I agree with you its not fair, but I think you are making a big deal over something trivial. With the available information, it does not appear anyone or any organization set out intentionally to take advantage of you. Life is seldom fair, and this LHSA M6 ordering issue is no exception. I set up the CameraQuest LHSA M6 page and order form because the LHSA site had NO LHSA M6 ordering information. It was even having problems simply staying up -- it kept crashing. Eventually LHSA linked to my page. So far as I know, the CameraQuest page was the first time the LHSA M6 was offered to non-LHSA members. I thought it very strange that neither the Leica site nor the LHSA site was advertising the Black Paint LHSA M6 on the web. It was my idea to do the CameraQuest LHSA M6 page so non-members could order the camera and become LHSA members. I asked Bill Rosauer if a LHSA M6 page would be OK, he said yes, and he approved the page before it was linked or announced. I did it as a public service to get the word out to non-LHSA members. I received no remuneration of any kind whatsoever for LHSA sales made from my site. Since the LHSA M6 was originally intended to be sold only to LHSA members, non members had to join in order to buy it, which meant the $45 annual fee. Not charging memberships to to new members would be unfair to existing LHSA members. After all, existing LHSA members had already paid the $45 membership fee. Sale terms, ie payment with order, was on the LHSA order form. I am not sure how many bought the camera from my site, but I am sure many people bought it from my site that otherwise would not have even known of the camera, since they were not LHSA members. It later became known that Leica was selling the LHSA M6 through dealers, and paying for the membership. Exactly how this came about, or the exact timing, I have no idea. Perhaps I should have scanned the entire LHSA brochure for my site, but I didn't. As a result the info about a possible delivery date later in the year was missing on my site. On the other hand, you could have asked questions on delivery times before you ordered, if this was such an important issue with you. Personally I think whatever organization is responsible for including the LHSA membership with the LHSA M6 in dealership sales, is the organization you should address on getting the $45 LHSA membership credit from. It appears your problem on this issue is with Leica, not LHSA -- though I admit I am not sure. Have you emailed your complaints to Solms ? Your money will eventually end up there, if it is not there already. Perhaps Leica will take responsibility, since apparently the original plan was NOT to sell the LHSA M6 through dealerships. As a side note, Leica is not the first, nor likely the last, camera manufacturer to change plans on commemorative cameras. Last year many Nikon F5 Anniversary owners were upset to find an extra 1000 cameras were being added to the original 2000 cameras, due to high customer demand. Alas, there was no fine print on the LHSA brochure saying Leica would not sell the cameras through dealers. Your posting was the first I've heard of the $100 Leica discount coupon. It seems Leica and LHSA did at least try a goodwill gesture to LHSA members, old and new alike. Strangely enough I got a phone call this morning from someone wanting to order the LHSA M6. I told him it was too late, the order for deadlines being June 30th. He didn't say so, but he was not at all pleased and didn't seem to think the cut off of orders was fair. You can probably sell your LHSA M6 reservation to someone who missed the deadline, if all of this really bothers you that much. I hope however, that once the camera does arrive, and once it appreciates over the years as a valuable collectible and as a fine shooter, you will think that all the trouble was well worth it. Regards, Stephen Gandy Robert Jagitsch wrote: > The point is, it should have either been sold through LHSA > exlusively, or through dealers exclusively. But not both, unless the > terms were identical. > > Compare your situation to mine: > > Tom: cash, no camera, 6 month wait. > Robert: no cash, no camera, 6 month wait. > > Not a very fair deal. > > -R > > ------- > PowerLogix R&D, Inc. > Main Office: 3921 Steck Avenue, Suite A105 Austin, TX 78759 > (512) 795-2978 x107 (512) 795-2981 FAX