Leica New Jersey - Repair Department

Patrick Robert James · Oct 22, 2016

Do you still have the Minolta Thomas? If so, your prints will still be the same, just the experience won't be the same. I remember you said you had an 80 Minolta lens for it. If you don't have a 50 let me know. You can use one of mine in the meantime. Be happy to send it to you.

removed account4 · Oct 23, 2016

thomas

i called the phone #posted in this thread at the time it was posted
and spoke with someone in the repair department and while i was on the phone
i gave them and listened to them log onto apug and read this thread.
i was told by the person that they got a new computer system and had/have an enourmous
backlog and haven't been able to catch up or something like that. its too bad they didn't comment
in this thread, or send you ( or the others sucked into this black hole )
an email ... im glad i don't have any dealings with them, seems like a long long wait
... just to get an estimate !

good luck+ you are doing a tremendous job keeping calm

Theo Sulphate · Oct 23, 2016

jnanian said:
... while i was on the phone i gave them and listened to them log onto apug and read this thread.
...

Nice that you did that and nice of them to look at the APUG thread.

Thomas Bertilsson · Oct 23, 2016

jnanian said:
thomas

i called the phone #posted in this thread at the time it was posted
and spoke with someone in the repair department and while i was on the phone
i gave them and listened to them log onto apug and read this thread.
i was told by the person that they got a new computer system and had/have an enourmous
backlog and haven't been able to catch up or something like that. its too bad they didn't comment
in this thread, or send you ( or the others sucked into this black hole )
an email ... im glad i don't have any dealings with them, seems like a long long wait
... just to get an estimate !

good luck+ you are doing a tremendous job keeping calm

Hi John,

Yes, I read your comment when you posted it before, and I really appreciate your efforts on my behalf. Sorry if I neglected to comment earlier.
I just finished Sunday studying, going essentially non-stop from 7.30AM to 10.30PM. Stopped for lunch and dinner, and cleaning the litter boxes of our cats. I am sad to report that all my days of the week look like this, except on weekdays I get up at 4.30 to get an hour of studying in before work.
I just don't have the time to pursue this right now. It's how it goes, I guess. Soon I'll graduate and hopefully they won't have lost my enlarger between now and then.

Thanks very much for your support!

- T

removed account4 · Oct 24, 2016

Thomas Bertilsson said:
Hi John,

Yes, I read your comment when you posted it before, and I really appreciate your efforts on my behalf. Sorry if I neglected to comment earlier.
I just finished Sunday studying, going essentially non-stop from 7.30AM to 10.30PM. Stopped for lunch and dinner, and cleaning the litter boxes of our cats. I am sad to report that all my days of the week look like this, except on weekdays I get up at 4.30 to get an hour of studying in before work.
I just don't have the time to pursue this right now. It's how it goes, I guess. Soon I'll graduate and hopefully they won't have lost my enlarger between now and then.

Thanks very much for your support!

- T

no worries thomas
i know you are very busy, i figured i would lend a hand if i could.
it surprises me, even with me saying " jeez that computer issue is no fun, too bad you don't just send people a note
telling them what happened, instead of leaving them to wonder for months on end" ( and him pretty much agreeing )
and then doing ... nothing. oh well ...

Theo Sulphate said:
Nice that you did that and nice of them to look at the APUG thread.

thanks !
i even suggested they contact sean and become an apug advertiser !

i tried

Thomas Bertilsson · Feb 22, 2017

So upon graduating last from college as an adult student last December, I'm slowly working my way back to having a life again. The excess brain capacity wonders what I intend to do with it, so...
Today I called Leica NJ and talked to their (very nice) receptionist, and apparently they have sent my enlarger to Germany. Without my approval. Never saw a quote either.
I'm not sure what to think at this moment, so I will keep quiet until 'the person who knows anything about this' calls me back...

MattKing · Feb 22, 2017

I guess if they aren't going to charge you for shipping it to Germany and then back to the US this may be an example of good customer service ....

Thomas Bertilsson · Feb 22, 2017

MattKing said:
I guess if they aren't going to charge you for shipping it to Germany and then back to the US this may be an example of good customer service ....

Yes, that is why I'm withholding other comments. I just found it interesting that I wasn't consulted or even contacted. They did promise a quote within six weeks, and that was 7-1/2 months ago.

silveror0 · Feb 22, 2017

MattKing said:
I guess if they aren't going to charge you for shipping it to Germany and then back to the US this may be an example of good customer service ....

Those shipping charges might be tacking onto the quote (if it EVER comes). Then we may have a 'Thomas with a blown gasket.' But then if Leitz Germany feels badly enough about Thomas's experience, they MIGHT just repair it and ship it back to him at no charge. How's that for "glass half-full" thinking?

guangong · Feb 23, 2017

There is no existing Leitz company that has anything to do with photography and has not been for many decades. Leica camera now produces very expensive toys for the very wealthy. A good fine mechanic should have been able to fix your enlarger but that choice seems to have passed within the bowls of Leica buroucracy. I feel sorry for you because Focomats are very good enlargers.

Thomas Bertilsson · Feb 23, 2017

guangong said:
There is no existing Leitz company that has anything to do with photography and has not been for many decades. Leica camera now produces very expensive toys for the very wealthy. A good fine mechanic should have been able to fix your enlarger but that choice seems to have passed within the bowls of Leica buroucracy. I feel sorry for you because Focomats are very good enlargers.

I agree with you to some extent. It's very strange to me that I was super lucky to end up with a beautiful Leica M2 and a V35 Focomat. I really love the results I get from those tools.
In the past I have been primarily a medium format person, using Hasselblad 500 series cameras, and also Pentax 35mm systems. My enlarger was always an Omega Pro-Lab, a machine I don't like to work with as much as the Focomat, particularly with 135 format negatives.
The Pentax and Hasselblad cameras, along with all other equipment I have ever owned, have essentially never broken down. The only equipment I own that has ever been in need of repair beyond regular service, is the Leica M2, the Summitar and Elmar lenses (believe it or not, they needed repair), and the Leitz Focomat enlarger. In my mind they were supposed to be the epitome of quality, but reality has proven to me that this is not the case, and it's kind of disappointing, especially because of how much I enjoy working with the V35. I love that enlarger, and just want it back in working order. I too cannot understand what is so difficult about getting it repaired.

guangong · Feb 23, 2017

Thomas, did you buy your m2 and lenses new (this would put you into my age group) or from a reputable dealer. Even with the Leitz Leicas and lenses abuse is something other than being worked hard. After four decades my Leicas and leicaflexes finally had to be serviced so as not to put undue strain on the working parts. I have not had to service my lenses, even early summars and elmars. The weak point of many Leica lenses was the balsam used to cement the lens elements which attracted fungus if not stored properly The lenses are rugged, as or Nikon and Canon, although the latter's early lenses seem to develop a haze no matter how they are stored. Hope you have no more breakdowns.

Thomas Bertilsson · Feb 23, 2017

guangong said:
Thomas, did you buy your m2 and lenses new (this would put you into my age group) or from a reputable dealer. Even with the Leitz Leicas and lenses abuse is something other than being worked hard. After four decades my Leicas and leicaflexes finally had to be serviced so as not to put undue strain on the working parts. I have not had to service my lenses, even early summars and elmars. The weak point of many Leica lenses was the balsam used to cement the lens elements which attracted fungus if not stored properly The lenses are rugged, as or Nikon and Canon, although the latter's early lenses seem to develop a haze no matter how they are stored. Hope you have no more breakdowns.

I acquired the M2 camera and Summitar in 2011 I want to say, from a good friend who has been using Leica cameras for a long time. In that exchange I also got two Voigtlander lenses, which both work great.
The Elmar was bought from a photographer friend, and the V35 was bought from another APUG forum member whom I will not name, because I refuse to believe anything was done on purpose to mislead me. He's a very nice guy; my frustrations are not with him anyway.
What's weird is that the M2 looked barely used when I received it, and the Summitar was serviced just prior. The Summitar was immediately sent back, because the focusing was anything but smooth.
The V35 was a dud from the get-go, but a friend of mine loaned me his V35 until I could afford to have mine fixed. It cost me almost 200 dollars just to have it shipped to NJ... To me that's a very large sum of money.

Thomas Bertilsson · Apr 20, 2017

Finally some good news; I got an email from Leica today, where they set the record straight with me. Apparently my enlarger had never been entered into their repair data base.
They are working to have it completed within a week. They were most apologetic. I will not hold grudges, but advice anyone sending equipment to them to call and make sure the item was received, and if they can please double check to make sure it's been entered into the data base.

I look forward to having a functioning enlarger for 35mm negatives again.

guangong · Apr 20, 2017

Hooray! No more needs to be said.

MattKing · Apr 20, 2017

Glad to hear this Thomas.
I wonder if the enlarger was too big to fit into their "to be entered into repair data base" box?

baachitraka · Apr 20, 2017

Pioneer · Apr 20, 2017

You are a very patient man Thomas.

If this saga does continue, God forbid, I would suggest placing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Everything you, and others, have been told to this point have sounded like standard responses from service personnel who really have no idea where your enlarger is but want you to believe that they do. For all you know it is sitting in the basement among all the spare parts. Point being, they have not exactly been honest or responsive to this point and may not be forthright even now.

At a bare minimum they should send you a copy of the repair request for your enlarger now that it is "in the system." Since they now have a new computer system (previous excuse) it should be very easy to send this document via e-mail. When I sent my Fuji GF670 to Fuji New Jersey for repair they contacted me via phone when it arrived and followed up with an emailed document describing the problem and an order number for quick follow up. It took longer than their estimate for the repair (I think it actually went to Japan) but I had the necessary information to ensure proper follow up.

If it were me, I would already have taken a trip to New Jersey, knocked on their door, and let them know I was here to pick up my enlarger.

Patrick Robert James · Apr 20, 2017

I bet at this point Thomas you wish you had just screwed the baseboard to something heavy and learned to deal with the stiff mechanism....

Arklatexian · Apr 20, 2017

Thomas Bertilsson said:
Finally some good news; I got an email from Leica today, where they set the record straight with me. Apparently my enlarger had never been entered into their repair data base.
They are working to have it completed within a week. They were most apologetic. I will not hold grudges, but advice anyone sending equipment to them to call and make sure the item was received, and if they can please double check to make sure it's been entered into the data base.

I look forward to having a functioning enlarger for 35mm negatives again.

Thomas, please do us a favor. After you receive your enlarger and try it out, would you let us know how well it works and if you are now satisfied? I think all of us "Leica owners" have learned a/some lessons from your experiences and we would like to now know "the rest of the story".........Regards!

removed account4 · Apr 20, 2017

Thomas Bertilsson said:
Finally some good news; I got an email from Leica today, where they set the record straight with me. Apparently my enlarger had never been entered into their repair data base.
They are working to have it completed within a week. They were most apologetic. I will not hold grudges, but advice anyone sending equipment to them to call and make sure the item was received, and if they can please double check to make sure it's been entered into the data base.

I look forward to having a functioning enlarger for 35mm negatives again.

great news thomas
now, i bet your camera back will be shipped to you by the month's end
( im thinking you must have a 3rd thing being fixed, returned to you &c, things tend
to happen in 3's they say ).
have fun enlarging !

Thomas Bertilsson · Apr 20, 2017

oldtimermetoo said:
Thomas, please do us a favor. After you receive your enlarger and try it out, would you let us know how well it works and if you are now satisfied? I think all of us "Leica owners" have learned a/some lessons from your experiences and we would like to now know "the rest of the story".........Regards!

Sure, I will. I have zero reason to doubt the quality of their craftsmanship, only their organizational abilities.

Thomas Bertilsson · Apr 21, 2017

Thanks for the encouragement, everybody.

I decided to take the route of not being angry at them, chalk it up to experience, and just be happy to have my enlarger back.
Being angry is not a nice place to be, so I'll focus on the aspect of enjoyment.

It's actually funny how much my work in printing is tied to this piece of equipment. I absolutely love working with it, and shooting 35mm is so much more fun when I have a nice tool like this to work with. The quality of the prints is rock solid, the resulting prints are almost always beyond expectation. It isn't that the light that strikes the paper is 'better' in this machine than an LPL or a Beseler, but the level of enjoyment I have from using it, and the confidence I have in the outcome, makes it a better system for me, and I feel more free to create.
So when the enlarger was essentially in storage in NJ for almost a year, it felt as if a big part of who I am as a printer was taken away from me. Finding the zen in that and accepting that situation was difficult for me, but now I feel only joy to soon have it back again. I'm focusing on the future.

Thanks again everybody for your thoughtful comments.

- Thomas

Leica New Jersey - Repair Department

Patrick Robert James

removed account4

Theo Sulphate

Thomas Bertilsson

removed account4

Thomas Bertilsson

MattKing

Moderator

Thomas Bertilsson

silveror0

guangong

Thomas Bertilsson

guangong

Thomas Bertilsson

Thomas Bertilsson

guangong

MattKing

Moderator

baachitraka

Pioneer

Patrick Robert James

Arklatexian

removed account4

Thomas Bertilsson

Thomas Bertilsson

Leica New Jersey - Repair Department

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Moderator

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