GrandNagus50,
Do not say the rubber eyecups are for premier SE, say they are for a Superior E 10X42, the eyecups are the same for both the SE 8 and 10X42. The part # is 7636, they will send it to you.There are some historical threads that address this issue with Nikon, some are entertaining.
Andy W.
Hi,
Thank you for the tip. I called Nikon and got what I feel was a quasi-Kafka-esque response. I asked about replacement eyecups, part number 7636. I was told that the service department could put in a request for the part, but it is now Nikon's policy NOT to send out parts. Instead, the customer must send in the binoculars for repair, no matter how minor the issue. The good news (such as it is) is that the repair is free. The bad news is that the customer has to pay for shipping to Nikon. Sending binoculars via a tracked method with insurance is not cheap, especially when the alternative is simply waiting for a small parts packet in the mail.
But wait, it gets weirder. I was told that since the binoculars have a lifetime warranty, Nikon would actually replace them if they cannot replace the rubber eyecup. They would send me a pair of Monarch HG roof prism binoculars. This is clearly a bad deal for everyone--for me, because I really don't think the Monarch HG's are the equal of the SE's, and for them because they are sending out an $900 pair of binoculars because they cannot come up with a couples of twenty-five cent pieces of rubber for an older pair. What kind of way is that to do business?
This was my second such episode involving minor issues with Nikon binocular parts. I also own a pair of EDG II 8 x 42's, which are optically excellent but in terms of fit and finish, not so much. The issue I had was that the thin rubber eyecup covers are prone to falling off unexpectedly. They apparently don't glue them on because users have the option of substituting the winged-type eyecup cover that also comes with the binoculars. As a person who wears eyeglasses much of the time, I did not wish to deal with the winged eyecups, so I stuck with the thin regular ones. But they fall off, and I finally lost one of them. I requested a replacement part from Nikon, and in fact, I asked for several, as I knew that a replacement piece might fall off eventually, as well. Nikon instead made me send in the binoculars for service. I did it, grumble. When the repaired binocs came back I finally got the bright idea that I should glue the eyecup piece on, which I did.
In both cases, I would be happy to pay for these parts--how expensive could they be? But Nikon has its policies! The man who took my call was perfectly nice and friendly, and I felt I had to assure him a couple of times that my incredulity was not directed at him personally.
That Nikon struggles so with its customer service policies pains me. It certainly gives me pause when it comes to considering future optics purchases. Why buy future headaches like these when I know that Swarovski, Zeiss, Vortex, and even Bushnell have much better post-sales service than Nikon?