Walk me though Warranties: Grey Market, etc. (1 Viewer)

Alright guys, sorry for all the ignorance. Just trying to make the right choices. I'm very close to pulling the trigger on some items, but want to understand the way warranties work.

-Leica: Has a warranty if bought through Authorized dealer, otherwise, no luck whatsoever. Non-transferable. Older items may have passport warranty; what if I discover a unit with an unfilled warranty card- does passport apply? If not passport, then a lifetime warranty that covers accidents and such.

-Leupold: (green ring): If it's there's fault, they make good (gray market?). However, any fault of owner is pay on your own.

-Nikon:Grey market = on your own. Non-grey= 25 year, small fee and no fault warranty.

-Promaster/Hawke: Send them as much of binocular as possible. You're good no matter what.

-Zeiss: Grey Market = Warranty from country of origin, pay to send back. US= They repair factory mistakes free; anything else = your money

My questions: Are these accurate depictions of the warranty? How much would I have to pay to repair binoculars if I hurt them? What questions do I ask to make ABSOLUTELY sure whether grey market or not? I'm 90% sure I know the answers here, but I'm just getting confirmation. And, no, don't get any ideas on what I'm going to purchase immediately. The listed companies are the ones that rate in the "likely" category of purchasing something in the near future. I'll give a full report on anything I buy.

You can buy used Zeiss and I think also Vortex and the warranty transfers.

The other used ones will be repaired by the maker, if they made it in the first place, for a fee.

I have only used Nikon warranty, I paid nothing except to mail them.

Overall, from what I know, you've got the right info for USA sales. My off-the-top-of-my-head comments follow.

I'm not sure about the specifics of Leica's passport warranty--I've heard that in the USA that the discrepancy between the HD and nonHD Ultravids was done away with so that all Leica purchased from an authorized dealer are now covered with this for life. The lifetime general warranty doesn't cover accidents. I'm not sure about the unfilled warranty card, but I think you'd be on shaky ground unless you were buying from a dealer. Call Leica and ask.

Leupold has historically been very generous. They aren't supposedly as committed to being as generous with green ring as gold, but they may still be fairly generous when it comes to owner fault (i.e. if it breaks because you fall on it, is it your fault, or should the bino have been tough enough to survive such use?).

I've heard of Nikon units being sold as factory refurbs with a different warranty, but I've not seen confirmation of any difference in warranty treatment between units for any reason when it comes to the $10 no-fault lifetime coverage. As far as I know, they'll fix/replace any unit sent to them with $10.

I've no experience w/Promaster or Hawke.

I think your info on Zeiss is correct except that malfunctions that occur well after sale (but not due to obvious physical accident) such as with focusing system, alignment, waterproofing, will be covered by warranty service (this includes units bought used, so long as they were genuine imports originally--check serial number with Zeiss).

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Further comments:

If you deal with a reputable dealer (e.g. Eagle Optics, B&H, Adorama) you will either not get grey market, or you can specify that you want a product that has the FULL USA WARRANTY FROM THE MANUFACTURER. I've not known reputable dealers to play games with this when explicitly discussed on the phone.

Given the potential lifetime of a good binocular, I increasingly wonder about the value of the specific promises made for warranty service. If a company doesn't keep a good stock of parts for discontinued models, what good is their promise unless you are confident that you would always be happy with whatever they consider to be an "equivalent" replacement? I think the best you can do is to get a product from a company with a good reputation for dealing with problems that pop up in the first 5-10 years or so of use (when many slight maufacturing inadequacies reveal themselves), and then just take it as icing on the cake if the company and their ability to make good on their promises lasts longer than that. So far, I've had very good experiences with every company I've dealt with, including Zeiss, Leica, Nikon, Swarovski, Swift, Bushnell/B&L, Eagle Optics, Meade, and Leupold. And yes, I have had warranty repair experiences with all these companies--I've found that a surprisingly high percentage of binos at all price levels reveal flaws in their first few years of use; all have been fine after being properly serviced or replaced. I've had many binos repaired, but I've never been refused repair under warranty.

If buying a $2000 bino, it makes sense to make sure you're getting a USA warranty, but I don't consider the fine details of warranty promises a compelling reason to choose one bino over another. A good company will take care of you regardless of the fine print. On the other hand, it doesn't make sense to buy a $2000 bino just to get good warranty coverage.

If you are really concerned about not paying directly out of pocket for nonwarranty repairs (which, as I say, I've never had to do with binoculars), get yourself a personal articles policy from a reputable insurance company to cover loss, theft, repair etc...

--AP

GeneralEverything said:

Promaster/Hawke: Send them as much of binocular as possible. You're good no matter what.

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Clarification:

Promaster: lifetime no fault for either factory faults or user damage. Send in the bits. First owner only.

Hawke: 10 years factory faults only. User damage not covered. First owner only.

GeneralEverything said:

My questions: Are these accurate depictions of the warranty? How much would I have to pay to repair binoculars if I hurt them? What questions do I ask to make ABSOLUTELY sure whether grey market or not? I'm 90% sure I know the answers here, but I'm just getting confirmation. And, no, don't get any ideas on what I'm going to purchase immediately. The listed companies are the ones that rate in the "likely" category of purchasing something in the near future. I'll give a full report on anything I buy.

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Most of the "not the top" bins are not repaired when they fail but are replaced with the same or equivalent model.

Leica, Zeiss, Swarovski, and Nikon can all repair and refurbish bins. Not sure about the other "top" makers: Swift, Kowa, Meopta, even Bushnell.

Some of the makers make it easier to get spare parts e.g. in a roof the eyecups are perhaps the most likely part to get damaged in a drop. Some companies make it easier to get spare parts (e.g. Bushnell and the other top makers).

For porros (especially older porros) there are independent optical tech who can repair and refurbish the bins (though they are literally a dying breed).

To avoid gray market bins: ask the seller if they are an authorized dealer and confirm with the manufacturer. I also helps if you already trust the dealer i.e. major dealers or well-known dealers.

Kevin Purcell said:

Leica, Zeiss, Swarovski, and Nikon can all repair and refurbish bins. Not sure about the other "top" makers: Swift, Kowa, Meopta, even Bushnell.

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Swift farms its repair work out to an independent business. Bushnell has a repair facility in Lenexa, KS and in my experience, they'll repair anything from top to bottem-end models but they do so much as an independent shop would--competently, but with no special advantage (probably because the binos are manufactured by a variety of different OEMs). In my experience, Leica, Zeiss, Swarovski and Nikon distinguish themselves by being capable of repairs that can return the bino to a like-new appearance, and they leave no sign that the bino was ever opened, or rubber armor lifted, screws removed etc during the repair process.

--AP

Alexis Powell said:

In my experience, Leica, Zeiss, Swarovski and Nikon distinguish themselves by being capable of repairs that can return the bino to a like-new appearance, and they leave no sign that the bino was ever opened, or rubber armor lifted, screws removed etc during the repair process.

--AP

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I have had two warranty experiences with Zeiss USA in the last five years: re-lubing the focus on my 7 x 42 BGA Classic and repairing a frozen eyecup diopter setting on my 1967 Oberkochen 8 x 30 porro. The porro went to Germany for the repair while the roof was worked on in Virginia. In each case once the USA eligible serial numbers were verified, the Zeiss folks were pleasant and helpful and the work was astoundingly good. In the case of the porros, the work was done 40 years into the lifetime warranty without a blink or question. Based on those experiences, it would take a huge price difference to convince me to accept a grey market Zeiss warranty over the USA version.