Leica service second to none (1 Viewer)

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:

1. - Although some binoculars might seem to be built very tough, never let them fall on the ground.
2. - Current Leica service is second to none !!

.

happy birding,

Sjerp

Hi Sjerp,
That is good service.

I have only had good service from Leica, but years ago.

One solution would be to have good rubber underlay and wall to wall carpet. But that would cost more than a binocular, and I suppose is not used in the Netherlands.

Or one could live on the Moon where gravity is 1/6th of the Earth.
Mars is almost 40% so not quite so good.
Living on the equator things weigh a bit less as the Earth spins at 1600 kph approx.

I recently deliberately dropped a cheap 8x21 roof prism binocular from 2 metres onto the hard kitchen floor.
The right barrel is fine. The left has the prism cluster completely dislodged and rattling freely inside.
The lenses are fine.
The left hinge is broken and useless.

I dropped a Canon A720 IS camera from 85cm. That is fine.
A 10x70 Ross monocular on granite from about 1 metre. Smashed prism, but still 2/3rds of the view O.K.

3 telescope eyepieces dropped in the night. Broken. Not bad in a lifetime of observing.

I forgot to close the observatory trap door in the dark.
I fell through the hole. There are stone steps below and possible serious injury or worse, but I was young and strong and grabbed at the side and managed to hold on as I fell. I was alone in the early hours.
Astronomy is actually a dangerous thing. One person was killed by the observatory opening closing on him and there are other fatalities.

I almost fell into the caldera on Tenerife as I walked in total darkness near the observatory. That is a long drop.

Somehow, I have been very lucky.

A damaged binocular is not really that important.

Regards,
B.

Once again Binastro has the larger view.

I'm reminded of the corridor around the Hayden Planetarium fifty years ago at the American Museum of Natural History, which had a set of beautiful old mechanical scales (red as I recall?) calibrated to weigh visitors according to the gravity of each planet. It prompted reflection on what an enormous role gravity plays in our lives, how life orients around it. (And many other things would become quite awkward in low gravity, so all in all I'm happy to live with it.)

Sjerp, I hope you're now statistically entitled to many years of drop-free birding.

Just to add to the praise for Leica service (and apologies if I am repeating this story), a few years ago I dropped my 10x25 Trinovid BCA’s about a metre onto a wooden floor. They were in their leather case, but unfortunately the drop was enough to knock them out of collimation. I happened to be traveling to London from Finland, and after contacting Leica UK for advice they put me in touch with the Leica store in Mayfair, who suggested that I brought them in when I was in London. I had previously assumed that they would have to be sent back to Portugal, at my expense, but they repaired them on the spot free of charge. They were within the 30 year guarantee, but there were no questions asked or proof of purchase date required. Unfortunately the visit was’t entirely free as I feel in love with an ex-dem pair of 2012-15 8x42 Trinovids, but that’s another story.......

I have also had great service from Leica USA. Completely free replacement of lens elements and armour on 15 year old Trinovid BN's.

^^^
I just sent in my Trinovid 8x32 BA, hoping for similar results.

No such luck here. They were nice about it, but without the original Leica sales receipt they declined to give them a courtesy service.

I wasn't asked for a receipt when I had a speck removed from the interior of my 10x32 BN several years ago. Had you registered your BA? What problem did you ask to have addressed?

Foss said:

No such luck here. They were nice about it, but without the original Leica sales receipt they declined to give them a courtesy service.

Click to expand...

If you give them the serial number they should be able to trace it to the dealer they sold it to, and if that dealer is a USA dealer, then I am sure they will help out with the service.

Lee

They're due back here tomorrow. Not sure why they declined, but I'm okay with it. Wish I could get frequent flier miles on them though...California to New Jersey and back, ha ha.