SjerPlover
Sjerp Weima
In my birding life I managed three times to drop a binocular: all of them Leica’s. In all these events service was needed. Given different experiences with Leica service reported on this forum I took the plunge to share my experiences as with you.
The first time was a 8x42 BA somewhere in the late the nineties. A binocular build like a tank but when it fell from 1,5m meters upside down on a wooden floor it was completely upset internally. Apparently the impact of a tank falling on the floor can be quite dramatic. Repair in those days was managed by Odin. It took that company more than 3 months to repair the tank and they charged me about half the price of a new instrument. Happy enough, my insurance did cover that.
This summer my Leica Noctivid fell from about 1 meter on grass covered ground. Unfortunately there was a stone underneath. The binocular was still usable, but viewing comfort was definitely affected and dioptre adjustment sometimes disengaged accidentally. I send them in to Camtech (Leica’s authorized repair company in the Netherlands). They passed the job onto Leica. The whole process took five and half weeks (door to door), which is not very fast, but given the fact that it was in the midst of the holiday season, I could very well live with that. Moreover, the binocular was in perfect condition again and repair was completely free of charge!!
Unfortunately I had a second accident with my beloved instrument a few weeks later. In house it fell down from the table on a wooden floor. Again the dioptre adjustment was affected and I developed the uneasy feeling that viewing comfort was a little bit less than before the accident. Off they went again to Camtech and also this case was passed on to Leica. This time my Noctivid was back within three and a half weeks (door to door) and in pristine condition! I expected a substantial bill but again repair was all for free.
In summary:
happy birding,
Sjerp
The first time was a 8x42 BA somewhere in the late the nineties. A binocular build like a tank but when it fell from 1,5m meters upside down on a wooden floor it was completely upset internally. Apparently the impact of a tank falling on the floor can be quite dramatic. Repair in those days was managed by Odin. It took that company more than 3 months to repair the tank and they charged me about half the price of a new instrument. Happy enough, my insurance did cover that.
This summer my Leica Noctivid fell from about 1 meter on grass covered ground. Unfortunately there was a stone underneath. The binocular was still usable, but viewing comfort was definitely affected and dioptre adjustment sometimes disengaged accidentally. I send them in to Camtech (Leica’s authorized repair company in the Netherlands). They passed the job onto Leica. The whole process took five and half weeks (door to door), which is not very fast, but given the fact that it was in the midst of the holiday season, I could very well live with that. Moreover, the binocular was in perfect condition again and repair was completely free of charge!!
Unfortunately I had a second accident with my beloved instrument a few weeks later. In house it fell down from the table on a wooden floor. Again the dioptre adjustment was affected and I developed the uneasy feeling that viewing comfort was a little bit less than before the accident. Off they went again to Camtech and also this case was passed on to Leica. This time my Noctivid was back within three and a half weeks (door to door) and in pristine condition! I expected a substantial bill but again repair was all for free.
In summary:
- - Although some binoculars might seem to be built very tough, never let them fall on the ground.
- - Current Leica service is second to none !!
happy birding,
Sjerp
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