Leica lens CLA

Back in early April I sent the one Leica rangefinder lens I own to Leica for a clean, lube, and adjust (CLA). The lens is about 7 years old and has never been serviced. I was given a quote of $125 via email, and told the wait was approximately 4 weeks. That seemed reasonable. I sent the lens to Leica USA along with a letter detailing the serial number and contents of the box via insured Fedex. About 2 weeks later I received an envelope with a confirmation that Leica had received the lens. A short time later I received another envelope with estimate paperwork that curiously did not include the price. A few weeks went by and I received a third envelope asking my permission to send the lens to Germany for service. I wondered if the repair-person in New Jersey was on vacation or if the lens required special tools to disassemble. Again there was no mention of any price change. I checked "yes" and returned the envelope, and also left a phone message at Leica USA.

A few weeks went by and I received another envelope with a new estimate for a CLA in Germany with a price quote of over $200. I called Leica to inquire about this discrepancy, and was told that the U.S. office has no control over Germany's repair prices. I asked for my lens to be returned. I was instructed to check "do not perform service" on the latest repair estimate and send it to Leica USA which I did on June 6th.

The month of June went by without hearing from Leica. I called their office twice in July to ask for my lens to be returned. Finally I received my lens back today, almost 4 months after sending it in. I'm a bit baffled and disappointed, but not angry. I'm just happy to have the lens back.

Now I need to decide which Leica repair service listed on the Leica FAQ to send my lens to for a cleaning. If you have a strong recommendation based on recent experience with Sherry Krauter, Don Goldberg (DAG), Youxin Ye, or John Van Stelten (Focal Point), please let me know.

Update: I sent the lens to Focal Point for a CLA and was happy with the service.