I went up to an event at Leica Store Milano yesterday. It is only about 50 minutes by fast train from me. It was my first time to visit that store. The staff there is superb from the manager on down. They took my gear, cleaned and inspected everything including the sensor on my M11. Since it is located in the heart on Milan's historic area there is great photography all around. They will loan you pretty much any body or lens to go out for a few hours to shoot. They then put on an amazing event.
We can complain about long repair times, some QC issues, and pricing with Leica. But without exception when I have visited a Leica Store customer service and quality of staff is superb. They made it clear that they are ready to assist in any purchase, service, or repair needs I may have. Milan is a stand out in all aspects.
1bwana1 wrote:
I went up to an event at Leica Store Milano yesterday. It is only about 50 minutes by fast train from me. It was my first time to visit that store. The staff there is superb from the manager on down. They took my gear, cleaned and inspected everything including the sensor on my M11. Since it is located in the heart on Milan's historic area there is great photography all around. They will loan you pretty much any body or lens to go out for a few hours to shoot. They then put on an amazing event.
We can complain about long repair times, some QC issues, and pricing with Leica. But without exception when I have visited a Leica Store customer service and quality of staff is superb. They made it clear that they are ready to assist in any purchase, service, or repair needs I may have. Milan is a stand out in all aspects.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Did they clean and inspect your M11 because of the event, or is that something they offer to anyone who walks in (with a camera under warranty)?
I've walked past that store a couple of times but never actually went in.
They do inspections and cleanings every day. I beleive all Leica Stores that have on site technicians offer this free service. I have had it done at three different stores in three countries.
I recently upgraded a lens at Leica Store Bologna. One of the reasons I made the trade up was the VAT refund program. However, when I got to the airport yesterday there was a mistake with my Passpport number on Leica's paperwork. Dominic from the Bologna store worked on the phone with the refund agent and got everything resolved. Once again great staff, great service.
I suggest whenever you have time and there is a Leica Store nearby do stop in. They are usually in interesting locations in a city. Just borrowing a body and/or lens you are curious about and shooting for a couple of hours is fun and educational.
I have 3 Leica Stores in 3 very different cities within less than an hours train ride of my Home in Parma, Italy. It makes for an entertaining afternoon to go and try the latest or even legacy Leica equipment this way. Between the 3 there are frequent events as well.
1bwana1 wrote:
They do inspections and cleanings every day. I beleive all Leica Stores that have on site technicians offer this free service. I have had it done at three different stores in three countries.
I recently upgraded a lens at Leica Store Bologna. One of the reasons I made the trade up was the VAT refund program. However, when I got to the airport yesterday there was a mistake with my Passpport number on Leica's paperwork. Dominic from the Bologna store worked on the phone with the refund agent and got everything resolved. Once again great staff, great service.
I suggest whenever you have time and there is a Leica Store nearby do stop in. They are usually in interesting locations in a city. Just borrowing a body and/or lens you are curious about and shooting for a couple of hours is fun and educational.
I have 3 Leica Stores in 3 very different cities within less than an hours train ride of my Home in Parma, Italy. It makes for an entertaining afternoon to go and try the latest or even legacy Leica equipment this way. Between the 3 there are frequent events as well....Show more →
I'm at least a 12 hour drive from the nearest Leica store ... the prospect of three stores in less than an hour each is but a fantasy for many. Maybe one day ...
1bwana1 wrote:
They do inspections and cleanings every day. I beleive all Leica Stores that have on site technicians offer this free service. I have had it done at three different stores in three countries.
I recently upgraded a lens at Leica Store Bologna. One of the reasons I made the trade up was the VAT refund program. However, when I got to the airport yesterday there was a mistake with my Passpport number on Leica's paperwork. Dominic from the Bologna store worked on the phone with the refund agent and got everything resolved. Once again great staff, great service.
I suggest whenever you have time and there is a Leica Store nearby do stop in. They are usually in interesting locations in a city. Just borrowing a body and/or lens you are curious about and shooting for a couple of hours is fun and educational.
I have 3 Leica Stores in 3 very different cities within less than an hours train ride of my Home in Parma, Italy. It makes for an entertaining afternoon to go and try the latest or even legacy Leica equipment this way. Between the 3 there are frequent events as well....Show more →
That's great to know, thanks for sharing! Does the Leica store in San Diego offer this? I visit often and wouldn't mind getting my camera inspected and possibly calibrated.
Not all Leica stores have cleaning services available. Sydney doesn’t but they make a great coffee or you can have a Leica branded sparkling water while you browse. Excellent staff. Oz does have their own (non electronic) service but it’s in Melbourne and not in the stores.
I’ve visited more than a dozen and they’re all super at staff interaction with customers. We also make a point of visiting any store that has a gallery. The galleries are the highlight for me. And Leicas promotion of the craft is one of the things I really like about them.
Gordon
p.s. I don’t actually understand why anyone would need a cursory camera clean or sensor clean. That’s something I consider required knowledge for any photographer. But each to their own.
Fred Miranda wrote:
That's great to know, thanks for sharing! Does the Leica store in San Diego offer this? I visit often and wouldn't mind getting my camera inspected and possibly calibrated.
San Diego doesn't have an actual Leica Store. It has a dedicated Leica Boutique inside of Nelson's Photo. They don't offer the service of course. I am not sure the staff even has the technical expertise to do it properly in any case. I don't think that even the Leica Store LA has this either. Never tried there. Come visit me in Italy and we can go and have it done...
flash wrote:
p.s. I don’t actually understand why anyone would need a cursory camera clean or sensor clean. That’s something I consider required knowledge for any photographer. But each to their own.
I also do my own sensor cleaning on all my cameras. But it is nice to have them do the full clean and service while I browse the Gallery, Look at new gear, speak with the staff, and have a nice refreshment. All part of a Leica Store visit.
chez wrote:
Now only if they can sell you a damn battery so one can use their nice shiny clean camera.
I don't think there is any problems getting accessories or parts for current models. For out of production models there is sometimes some waiting and hunting involved. I have been critical of Leica service at times. But in this case I think the problem may have been overstated.
Have you personally had an issue getting a leica part or product serviced?
1bwana1 wrote:
I don't think there is any problems getting accessories or parts for current models. For out of production models there is sometimes some waiting and hunting involved. I have been critical of Leica service at times. But in this case I think the problem may have been overstated.
Have you personally had an issue getting a leica part or product serviced?
Nope, and the more I read about issues at Leica, batteries not available, 6 months for service…the more I doubt giving my money to this boutique company will ever happen. Having a cup of coffee and a free cleaning does not make up for 6 months of no camera as Leica’s one service tech puts your camera into the queue. You are obviously free to give them your money…but only Leica could get away with such horrendous service.
Yeh, I’d criticize where need be whereas so many just follow the red dot and Leica continues being Leica. It amazes me how much a cup of coffee can buy these days.
chez wrote:
Yeh, I’d criticize where need be whereas so many just follow the red dot and Leica continues being Leica. It amazes me how much a cup of coffee can buy these days.
I don't drink coffee, alcohol, smoke or take drugs so that doesn't influence my choices. Maybe for some it does. People seem to enjoy the high end in store Leica experience. I do enjoy spending time with the super well trained and knowledgeable staff at Leica Stores. far superior to most camera store staff in my experience. I also enjoy the privilege of being able to check out almost any set of products for a few hours to try out at no cost. The stores are usually located in very interesting locations where one can spend a few hours out shooting the borrowed equipment. I don't know of another camera store that offers that. So, a visit to a Leica store offers much much more than a cup of coffee.
I do enjoy my Leica equipment, it has proven to be an enjoyable ownership experience to date. I find it a reasonable expense, and affordable so far so I am not worried about pricing and can afford multiple Leica systems. I have yet to personally have a bad customer service problem. But acknowledge others have, and this concerns me some. No company is perfect, and so far for me the positives outweigh the negatives. This won't be true for everyone I am sure. Some will criticize with no real knowledge, just from reading a few forum threads. I don't give them much credibility.
1bwana1 wrote:
I don't drink coffee, alcohol, smoke or take drugs so that doesn't influence my choices. Maybe for some and people seem to enjoy the high end in store Leica experience. I do enjoy my Leica equipment, it has proven to be an enjoyable ownership experience to date. I find it a reasonable expense, and affordable so far so I am not worried about pricing and can afford multiple Leica systems. I have yet to personally have a bad customer service problem. But acknowledge other have and this concerns me some. No company is perfect, and so far for me the positives outweigh the negatives. This won't be true for everyone I am sure. Some will criticize with no real knowledge, just from reading a few forum threads. I don't give them much credibility. ...Show more →
I used to armchair criticize ... guilty as charged.
Looking at the fact that (of 4) I can sell 2 of my Leica's for more than I paid for them, one is about a wash, and the other is a small depreciation ... I know there's probably more than a thread or two in the archives where I was armchair bashing them, back when. I'll take my crow with a little garlic and pepper, please.
But, to your real point ... if the experience is amenable to folks, that is important for some. Others, the experience (I'm talking use of the gear, not the coffee) isn't meaningful to them. Personally, I enjoy the tactile experience of the M shutter. Something that my other gear didn't provide. My Leica Q2 doesn't either, since it is leaf shutter, but I dig on a leaf shutter experience in a different way. I can shoot with just about anything, but I enjoy certain aspects of the Leica's ... accepting the realization that some things are quid pro quo.
Just two examples of the experience being different. Some folks dig on that. Others, not so much.
chez wrote:
Yeh, I’d criticize where need be whereas so many just follow the red dot and Leica continues being Leica. It amazes me how much a cup of coffee can buy these days.
chez wrote:
Yeh, I’d criticize where need be whereas so many just follow the red dot and Leica continues being Leica. It amazes me how much a cup of coffee can buy these days.
I seriously can recommend getting the Leica coffee bean bag which is sold for a standard price for this amount of coffee beans - found it in the Leica bookstore at Leica in Wetzlar. It was the only item I bought when I was there. Should have bought two bags in hindsight because the coffee taste was excellent. And you get a free Leica bag when buying it
