Zeiss Customer Service (1 Viewer)

I think this is worthy of mention here, so here you are:

Having had my Zeiss FL's for a couple of years and Birding for long periods throughout Central America and southern Europe the rubber armouring became 'moderately' lose around where my thumb is usually placed on the barrel on the right side. I should also note that I use my bins professionally on a daily basis throughout the year so they properly get major use.

I hadn’t thought the slightly lose armouring was really a problem but took the advantage to present the problem to Zeiss at the Birdfair. They seemed pretty horrified (which took me back slightly...it really wasn’t that bad!) and suggested I get them fixed immediately as the problem could become worse. I was informed the process would take a week – I thought that was good but wasn’t keen on that as I need them for work and I didn’t think it was that bad. After chatting to them I was a bit worried the armouring would become much loser during my forthcoming trip to Tarifa. I subsequently chatted to Gary Hawkins their project engineer, he was immediately sympathetic to my predicament and we arranged for me to drop them off in person (as I live an hour away from them in Cambridge). Gary said he might be able to get them completed in a couple of days and I was fine with that, but I have to say Gary was obviously further sympathetic to my needs and I received a call later that day to say the work was completed (despite the guy having put in long hours at the Birdfair and having other jobs following the Birdfair!).

The whole process took just a day! ...yep ONE day! (Actually a couple of hours, but I couldn’t get back there until the next day) and the bins received a complete re-armouring, new strap and full function check.

I have had swaros in the past and I wasn’t overly happy not only with the repeated problems and subsequent need to ship them to Austria but their lack of response to my need to get them back quickly on average taking three weeks to return.

The bins are superb, no question, but Zeiss have a customer service IMO and from this experience beyond compare. All in all making Zeiss a good choice of optics!

Gary is an absolute gent when it comes down to this sort of help and all credit to Zeiss for providing this level of service and support.

Lee

Very encouraging to us Zeiss owners to hear of such brilliant service.

Encouraging too, is how rarely we need it!

Troubador said:

Gary is an absolute gent when it comes down to this sort of help and all credit to Zeiss for providing this level of service and support.

Lee

Click to expand...

It would appear to be more of a credit to Gary than to Zeiss. I've read some not so good customer service experiences with Zeiss elsewhere. But now that you have a connection, you're all set if you need future repairs.

I've found it also helps to have a personal connection with a repair person. You usually can't do that with consumer items, because they have to be shipped to an authorized repair center where your item becomes repair order # 7476368.

Hi, I'm calling about the air cleaner I sent in for repairs three months ago...

What is your repair order #?

Huh?

You should have received confirmation of receipt of your item and a repair order #.

No, I didn't get nuthin. How about just my name?

Well, we can try, but next time please have you repair order number available. What's your name?

John Smith.

Processing..... this might take a while (Background Muzak)


We had a local electronics store (now out of business, thanks to the influx of multiple "big box" stores such as Best Buy), and they did the repairs on electronic items there at the store. So I got to know the repair person, and received excellent service. I paid a bit more for the items, but it was worth it, because I knew that when if it broke down, I wouldn't have to ship it to some remote repair center and wait God-knows-how-long before I got it back.

I wish there were more stores like that, but those "mom and pops" are going the way of the premium porro due to being undercut by big box stores.

<B>

I've had good customer service from Zeiss UK with replacing lost or worn eyecups and the rubber rainguard for my 27 year old 10x40 Classic. It is also good to be able to have my bins checked over for free at the UK Bird Fair.
Like James above I have had no problems with my 10x40 and 7x42 over the many years of use, 27 and 15 years respectively.
Roll on the HTs

I had a similar experience when Gary worked for Leica Uk. Glad he's passed it on to Zeiss.

Tim

Good news
I think Brock has it when mentioning that Gary was the strong link rather than Zeiss. I had cause to use Gary when he worked for Leica and he was very helpful.

Shrewd move on Zeiss' part.
Glad you are up and running.

Maybe Zeiss UK saw a shortfall in their customer service and when Gary became available spotted that he was the right person to remedy this.

Long may the current service continue.

Lee

I think Gary might have problems getting his head out of the door after reading these threads !

Just to put a damper on all this adulation of Zeiss service I sent my Diascope to them six weeks ago when one of the internal lenses came loose inside the body of the scope.No acknowledgment of its receipt and when I rang two weeks later was told it had been sent to Germany.Since then nothing in spite of giving them the hard word at the Birdfair!
Tom Lawson.

ticl2184 said:

I think Gary might have problems getting his head out of the door after reading these threads !

Click to expand...

Tom,

Call Zeiss and ask for Gary ?

Regards

Mark

Would Gary handle calls from the States?

My question is, do you have a picture of the worn out rubber body ? i would like to get an idea what it looks like.

Cannot speak to the UK Zeiss service, but the Zeiss US service operation in Virginia has performed very well for me.
Admittedly just a small service, tightening the hinge and cleaning the insides of my 10 year old 8x30 T*P* roofs, but it was wrapped up in 10 days, no charge, an excellent job.

@marinemaster - there really isnt anything to see, it just felt slightly lose - nothing more to it!

Good old Carl Zeiss (Gary) sorted it out though!

I am another satisfied customer who has benefited from Gary's excellent service on behalf of Carl Zeiss UK. I took my FL 8x32 to Birdfair. Gary had a quick look at them and noticed condensation in one of the oculars (which I had not spotted myself). I left them with him. They arrived today with a new replacement ocular and fully checked - all free of charge. Fantastic service.

I've had self-inflicted damage to both my FL bins and my diascope and Zeiss UK have been BRILLIANT on both occasions - I can't rate them highly enough, they are the tops!

Dear all,

Between a week in the lakes and getting home, the plastic lug attached to the case of my 8x32 FL's broke and was lost. No idea how, as it was ok in the week, the day after being at home, I picked it up to go out and had "a long strap""

I e-mailed Zeiss UK on monday nigh to ask if it was possible to get another. Receved a reply yesterday to say they would "pop" a strap in the post. The strap arrived today, "please accept with our compliments".

So great service and thank you Zeiss UK very much.

Geoff