Hi All
I have in the last 15 years owned 2 leica scopes (televid 77 and APO televid 62), and 1 pair of leica 8x32BA’s that I still use to this day.
Like many on here I have had problems with leica over the years, my bins have been back 3 times (stiff focussing), my televid 77 went back once (lumpy and stiff focussing), and my APO 62 has been back 2 times in 5 years for new objective lens coating !
I have to be honest, in the early days when I dealt with leica I found them to be rather officious and unhelpful. More recently (the last 5 years or so) the tone of conversations I’ve had with them have been a little more helpful and things have been collected, repaired and delivered for free, although on a couple of occasions it has taken months !!
Most recently, the 2nd time my APO 62 came back with a new objective lens fitted I was concerned about the coating problem so I fitted a filter to cut down on the amount I would need to clean it.
Imagine my annoyance when for the 3rd time the coating on this APO 62 scope started coming off again this summer (despite fitting the filter and reduced cleaning).
Now this is where this tale takes an unexpected turn......
I wrote a polite but firm e-mail to leica uk saying that I was very disappointed with this re-occurring problem and that I considered the equipment was not fit for purpose. Expecting an e-mail back to tell me about a waiting list for repairs, resulting in no scope for part of the autumn etc... I was gobsmacked to get a phone call from their office in London with a quick solution to the problem, they offered me an “ex demo” leica APO 65 from their showroom as a direct swap for my failing 62 !
Before agreeing to this I needed a quick field test with the 65 to see how it compared to my 62 (in particular how my camera would work with it for digiscoping). I did this over the following few weeks, and it seemed fine, so I called them back and agreed to the swap.
After a couple of further e-mails to negotiate a stay on case as part of the swap (as I have one on my 62), I came into work this morning to find a brand new 65 APO, eyepiece and leica stay on case sat on my desk !!
Having dealt with leica for years I never thought I would say this, but.......In this particular instance, I am very impressed with their customer care. They’ve swapped and upgraded my scope and case for free. The apparently “ex demo” scope and case supplied appear to be absolutely mint in unopened factory packaging. You really can’t fault that can you !!
So, while I agree with much of what has been said, my recent positive experience has slightly changed my view of leica. Not sure if they have new management or something ?
I really hope for everyone who owns these expensive leica optics that this is the start of the better customer service that we all deserve.
