Warranty / Customer Service Experiences Thread (1 Viewer)

Hello all,
I don't recall seeing a general thread for people to share their experiences getting warranty service on their optics. Many of our binoculars come with a great warranty on paper, but its only as good as the company that stands behind it.

I'll start with a great experience. My Vanguard Endeavor ED 8x42's have served me well for the last five years or so. For most of that time they've lived in my car, and while I haven't mistreated them they certainly weren't babied. A few weeks ago the right eyepiece started spinning and a few days later fell off. I was dreading sending them in for warranty service, especially before migration, but I had heard good things so I called customer service, got instructions and sent them off with a $10 check to cover return shipping. I was shocked when I got a return shipping notice the same day the my binoculars were scheduled to arrive. Today they arrived and I was happily surprised to find what appear to be a brand new pair complete with box and accessories. Previous to this, I'd also contacted them about replacing eyepiece and objective covers and found them happy to mail them to me at no cost. Needless to say, Vanguard gets two thumbs up from me.

On the other hand, I became aware that several birders in my area had all had terrible experiences with Leica warranty service. The main problem was long delays, but one friend's story takes the cake. He sent his spotting scope in over a year ago. Leica decided they should just issue him a new one, but he still hasn't received it (at least as of a couple weeks ago). Over a year for warranty service. Needless to say, I've crossed Leica off my list of optics makers I'd do business with.


Anyone else have some experiences to share?

You are very right about service being only as good as the Company and its employees. That's one of my big worries about binocular warranty service. Long delays. That's one reason why I have more than one pair of binoculars. I've had the same experiences as your friend but with stereo equipment. I ended up buying a second receiver as my warranty "service" took almost 6 months. That's something that should be stated in a warranty agreement IMO. There ought to be a repair or replace time limit stated in the agreement.

I sent in a pair of zeiss terra 8x25 for loose hinges...they said they would be replacing them instead of repair....but I would have to wait for a new shipment....took 8 months and at that point I agreed to a 10x25 replacement.......have many Zeiss products and this is the only one to ever need service....but they have sent me bin cases and lens covers free of charge for other models....so not complaining....

I have had a lot of different binoculars and I have had many serviced and repaired under warranty. IMO Swarovski customer service and support are by FAR the best. That is a big reason I don't mind paying more for their binoculars. You know they will be there when you need them. They have sent me different eye cups for the Habicht, different straps and different case all free of charge and their repair service is excellent and FAST. They are one SOLID company. IMO when you consider the quality of the product, the performance of the optics and customer service Swarovski's are the best binocular you can buy even though they are the most expensive. I have dealt with Zeiss, Leica, Nikon and many others and they are nowhere near as responsive or as fast as Swarovski. Nikon is very slow and unresponsive to service requests in my experience and Zeiss and Leica are also very slow. I recently called Zeiss to try to get some longer eye cups for my Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 and the guy I talked to was not at all professional and he acted like he didn't care about my problem at all. I never did receive the eye cups either. Another USA company that is very good is Vortex. I have very good warranty and customer service from them and they are fast.

If this thread is also about customer service in general which is how it looks from the title, I just had an issue buying a pair of Opticron binoculars. I had the seller get on the phone with the Opticron warehouse because I wanted them for an outing with some friends within a certain time frame. They said on the phone they would be shipped out 2 day air. Within an hour or two they were shipped out 12 day ground. When I emailed and strongly complained but without swearing or being hostile towards anyone, they basically said "sorry but you really don't have the right to be angry about this, it was an unavoidable mistake. They said I was being unnecessarily angry." I called the seller and explained and they sent a prepaid return slip. I'm returning them unopened and won't buy from Opticron in the future.

To me customer service is important. If it's crappy then I don't want to support that. The problem is that it seems to be almost everywhere these days.

black crow said:

If this thread is also about customer service in general which is how it looks from the title, I just had an issue buying a pair of Opticron binoculars. I had the seller get on the phone with the Opticron warehouse because I wanted them for an outing with some friends within a certain time frame. They said on the phone they would be shipped out 2 day air. Within an hour or two they were shipped out 12 day ground. When I emailed and strongly complained but without swearing or being hostile towards anyone, they basically said "sorry but you really don't have the right to be angry about this, it was an unavoidable mistake. They said I was being unnecessarily angry." I called the seller and explained and they sent a prepaid return slip. I'm returning them unopened and won't buy from Opticron in the future.

To me customer service is important. If it's crappy then I don't want to support that. The problem is that it seems to be almost everywhere these days.

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But, BC:

You are only complaining because you’re an old guy and can remember the original meaning of “customer service.” If you were able look past your decrepitness and see into the world of snowflakes and millennials, you would see they are perfectly happy living with such because they know no better.

The brightest the world may ever see are being born this very minute. Also, the laziest and most aloof and uncaring. BUT, we must give them credit. Many can rationalize their ineptitude at light speed as that will be a badly needed defense mechanism until we are a little farther down the road and they are in total control of the new reality.

One day in my first month at Captain’s, I heard the young man who opened the store telling a customer on the phone that he was “a few minutes late” each day BECAUSE he “rides a bicycle to work.” At that point, I was just the repair guy with no department of my own. But when he got off the phone, I volunteered: “No, you’re not late every day because you ride a bicycle. You’re late because you choose to leave your house late. The poor bicycle has no say in the matter, it just seems to be a convenient scapegoat.”

My young friend was shaken to the core by this wisp of logic. :cat:

Bill

Sounds like they have some idiots working there, hopefully they are not the ones assembling the product. No, I do not own any Optricon products and likely never will.

A.W.

I've only had 4 (edited from 3) warranty issues in my binocluar dealings, and one was Nikon for hinge tension on an SE 8x30, and they did fix it-but too well, and I had to send them back to loosen it a bit, and now they are fine. I should not have had to send it back a second time, but I was willing to do it to get it right.

The second was an Atlas Radian eyecup on my 10x42 that stopped having stops, so I sent them back and they were fixed pronto by Vortex, who are now handling EO warranties. Easy, no problems.

Third was my Meopta B1 10x32 from Cabelas, that also had an eyecup that stopped working as it should (unless I gripped it hard, and turned, and then it would work fine-the eyepiece rubber just spun otherwise). They sent me a new screw-in eyecup which now functions as it should after installing, and also included a new case and strap because I mentioned that mine looked a little ragged when I got it from Cabelas. Nice!

Oh, and I forgot about this one (#4)-Tract Torics-I bought a demo 10x42, and the focus and hinge tension was so loose (the diopter I think was too easy to turn as well), it would have functioned well in the Antartic, I believe! So I returned them, and Tract sent them back to Kamakura for repair, and when they got them back, I bought them again! Because I missed the whole package so much, that I really wanted them back. They did fix it, though, but the hinge tension is much tighter than I would like, and also the focus tension is too high now, quite the opposite of what they had been before.

I contacted Tract, and they said Kamakura certified that they were within specs, so there wasn't anything to be done. I'm living with it because I like them a lot. The focus is so smooth, but just a bit tight, that you really can't adjust it quickly for some birding applications, but it's not too bad either. The hinge tension is very high, but that's less of a problem, though not ideal. It seems their specs are built around a hunting binocular, where you don't want those things moving as much, or as easy. That is my guess, anyway. Maybe in time they will loosen up a bit, or else maybe I will sell them to a hunter and all will be happy!

Fortunately, not all are like this, from talking with other owners, but it does relate to customer service, and not all that positively. Granted, I did get these Torics at discount on closeout, but still...if you are going to sell something, it should be right from the start, and especially after, if it was already sent back for adjustments once, I think.

But, time is money and if they spent anymore time on it, they would eat into their profit, and I'm pretty sure they need what they can get in their first year of business! So, yeah, great binoculars, and why I kept them, but not for their customer service aspect even though they are so attentive to answer you when you email them. Nothing is perfect for sure, and we shouldn't probably expect it to be. If they try their best, maybe that is enough nowadays.

Steiner in Germany were amazing on a pair of bins bought in the Caribbean. (WJC for the avoidance of doubt, amazing in this case = good 8-P )

And (sorry black crow, as we agree on many things) Opticron were brilliant in the UK when someone stupid damaged his eyepiece for his travel scope.

My better optics havent needed any support, but the Steiners were in an abusive climate for a long while, where you'd swear that plastic could rust and that the mould / mold was a carpet even though you'd dealt with it two day's earlier. The Opticron was me being an idiot, end of:king:

Harry

Sent my Hawke scope in as the thread had gone on the foot? Came back within a week free of charge with free lense caps thrown in - not too bad.

As for my Leica Trinivid BN's. No idea. As good now as when I bought them (used) almost 8 years ago.

Rich

hwinbermuda said:

Steiner in Germany were amazing on a pair of bins bought in the Caribbean. (WJC for the avoidance of doubt, amazing in this case = good 8-P )

And (sorry black crow, as we agree on many things) Opticron were brilliant in the UK when someone stupid damaged his eyepiece for his travel scope.

My better optics havent needed any support, but the Steiners were in an abusive climate for a long while, where you'd swear that plastic could rust and that the mould / mold was a carpet even though you'd dealt with it two day's earlier. The Opticron was me being an idiot, end of:king:

Harry

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One incident does not a company make. I'm glad you got good service. I haven't had a set of binoculars that have needed warranty service. I'm not hard on them though.

WJC said:

But, BC:

You are only complaining because you’re an old guy and can remember the original meaning of “customer service.” If you were able look past your decrepitness and see into the world of snowflakes and millennials, you would see they are perfectly happy living with such because they know no better.

The brightest the world may ever see are being born this very minute. Also, the laziest and most aloof and uncaring. BUT, we must give them credit. Many can rationalize their ineptitude at light speed as that will be a badly needed defense mechanism until we are a little farther down the road and they are in total control of the new reality.

One day in my first month at Captain’s, I heard the young man who opened the store telling a customer on the phone that he was “a few minutes late” each day BECAUSE he “rides a bicycle to work.” At that point, I was just the repair guy with no department of my own. But when he got off the phone, I volunteered: “No, you’re not late every day because you ride a bicycle. You’re late because you choose to leave your house late. The poor bicycle has no say in the matter, it just seems to be a convenient scapegoat.”

My young friend was shaken to the core by this wisp of logic. :cat:

Bill

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Bill... I like you. You get it.:t: (maybe a little too well sometimes) Nothing to be done about some things. Me not buying from them is no skin off their nose. I could tell right away they didn't care at all.

I've had absolutely top-class Customer Service from Swarovski, Meopta, Opticron UK, and Nikon UK.

Boy my bad luck buying binoculars is holding. I just had BHPhoto screw up an order on a pair . That makes Redstart, B&H Photo and Opticron all in one week. Is the universe telling me I don't need any more binoculars? I think I'll return this pair too and be done with it. Three returns in a week. That's a record for me. Wow it's bad out there.

black crow said:

Is the universe telling me I don't need any more binoculars?

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I think the fact we've all ended up on the BF bino-forum is the Optic God's way of telling us something

I guess "need" was the operative word. I know I want. I want. I want.

black crow said:

I guess "need" was the operative word. I know I want. I want. I want.

Click to expand...

Hey John,

Same here in the deep south. Unfortunately too often, the two are miles apart! :eek!: :-C :-O

Ted

Josh Exmoor said:

Anyone else have some experiences to share?

Click to expand...

Josh,

I've had bino customer service work performed several times in the past with overall very satisfied expected outcomes and no Negative Surprises!

*Leupold - New 3 year old Mojave 8x32 BX-3's developed stickion in the focuser. Leupold was replacing the Mojave line-up for 2017, thus it had already been discontinued. They offered the newest upgraded Pro Guide HD BX-4 8x32 with ED glass, but that power model was the last to be introduced...finally appeared at my doorstep 6 months later...better late than never!

*Zeiss - Found a Good deal on the bay for Used 2010 Victory FL 7x42's w\Loutec coatings. Glass and body arrived in perfect condition, but with no Zeiss accessories. Expecting to purchase directly from Zeiss Sport Optics, instead they immediately shipped the OEM case, carry straps and objective\ocular covers for No Charge-Nice!

*Swarovski
- New SLC 10X42 developed focuser stickion with some squeakiness. SONA (Swarovski Optic North America) replaced the focuser mechanism exactly within their 4 week estimate...all works perfectly!
- New EL 10X50 SV developed slight focuser stickion. Again, SONA replaced the focuser mechanism exactly within their 4 week estimate...all works perfectly!!
- Good Bay deal for Used 2015 Habicht 10X40 WMGA porro. Glass and body are excellent, but came with no OEM Accessories. Called SONA and they sent New OEM case, carry strap and objective\ocular covers...No Charge!
- Good bay deal for Used 1991 Habicht 6x30 E porros. Glass and body were excellent but eye cups were loose and bino came with no accessories. SONA shipped the binoculars to Absam, Austria and back to me earlier than their estimated 6-8 weeks turnaround time frame. Returned with new eye pieces installed, new OEM carry case, new objective covers and very nice carry strap...all works perfectly!!!

To date, all of this service work\new accessories from the above providers (all have Lifetime\Transferable US warranties) Were covered with no charge to me...Very Nice! :king:

Ted

Just to balance out the Leica customer service stories... I bought my partner a used pair of 8x32BA's about 5 years ago, and after hard use in various environments across the globe, we decided to send them into Leica for a service. The armour had worn, and there was a blemish to the eyepiece (didn't affect the view and purely cosmetic).
We sent them in and I kept an open mind but expected to pay for the service. Leica sent me a postage paid label, and kept me up to speed with developments. I was pretty shocked to receive a "like new" pair 3 weeks later with a full invoice listing all of the changes and fixes made. The charge? £0.
When I owned Zeiss binoculars, they were kind enough to send me a replacement case after mine was stolen (free of charge).
Swarovski have sent me replacement eyecups when mine have worn out on my SLC's, and they serviced a pair of compacts for my parents free of charge.
I love Nikon kit, but they have charged me for replacement eyecups and a new mounting foot for my ED50 (a known fault with the earlier production run) - I wouldn't really expect to pay for parts subject to fair usage on a £700+ pair of bins or a £500 scope.

I have had excellent experience both with Leica (Portugal) and Swarovski (Austria):
Ultravid HD (internal fogging of some sort, actually I don't know, and loose diopter ring, no warranty) : I filled the repair form online, sent them directly to Leica... not a word from them, and suddenly they were back, three weeks later, spanking new with all the repair service stuff.
AT 80 (under warranty, just wanted it checked and serviced): I registered and asked online for repair, sent to Swaro France, received several mails telling me where the scop was, what was going on, and they returned it in less than three weeks (!) brand new, perfect in every way.
I can say I am very happy both with Leica and Swarovski and I'll go on buying their products.