Bino Warranty and Repair Work

[COOSEFAN]

I've thrown it out there a little today that I'm awaiting a phone call from Swarovski in regards to my binos they received today. I have never had to send binos in before, but I've always heard they fixed or replaced and if there were any charges they were usually just for upgrades that were done.

 

I know my binos were dead, if they fix them then that means they replaced half of em'! 'cause one barrel was crushed! They know it was my fault, but they had me send them in and said they would call after assessing the damage.

 

What experiences have you had........

What brand..........

Was it your fault.....

Did you tell them it was your fault?

What do you think they will do for me?

 

Thanks in advance for your reply's, JIM>

[wklman]

i dropped my swaro 15's and 1 side wouldn't focus at all. i called up their repair center and they said to send them in. after about 6 weeks they sent them back completly fixed and ready to go,no charge. i couldn't be happier with their service.it was outstanding.

[COOSEFAN]

Thats great to hear Wklman! But that was your fault for dropping them.......it wasn't Swarovski's fault, and they still stood behind their product and fixed it knowing you would be happy with the whole package. SOOoo.......if they accidentally got runt over by my wife, that's my fault too, think they will fix mine as well? My right barrel wouldn't focus either.......but that was becuase the housing was caved in on top of the gears and lenses inside They did set up a rush job for me and have it scheduled so I'll have the binos in my hand by July 9th......fixed or not.....which will be a little more than a 2 week turn-around, I thought that was way cool!

 

I'd love to hear more stories like Wklman if anyones got em'....keeps the hope alive! Thanks, JIM>

[Redman]

Hey Coosefan,

 

I fell with my 15's, one side would not focus, scratched the lens good and the green rubber housing was torn. Sent them in, they were repaired and returned to me in new condition. I did have to pay something around $50-100 for the new lens. Everything else was free. I think I paid more on shipping than the repair.

 

It was my fault, it was pretty easy to tell it was my fault, but the outcome was very fair. I had a pair of Pentax ED and man did I get screwed in that deal.....what was worse with Pentax, about a month after I bought them the "no fault" warranty was announced. The warranty was long in place before I sent them in for repair and they still charged me over $200 to fix them (because the date I when I bought them the no fault was not in use).....I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER PAIR OF PENTAX....

 

Yours getting runt over by your wife is NOT YOUR fault .....unless you were glassing under the vehicle. I bet it will cost you $100-$150 since both lenses will need to be replaced.

 

Redman

[SilentButDeadly]

Zeiss binoculars are awesome, Zeiss customer service sucks.

 

It took 5 emails, and 10 phone calls to limp my order along. The first quote for my 15x60s was $2600.00, I could have bought another pair for much less... I negotiated the cost to just the fix on what I broke. They wanted to change out all the glass.

 

The kicker was that their American service rep was so bad she forgot to tell the Germans not to replace the prism system (which was going to be over 1500 of the repair), so I got that for free!

 

7 months later my beloved glass was back in my hands.

[tjhunt2]

Morning Jim, two years ago the wind nocked over my tripod with my 10x50 swar. and they got out of focus. I called the rep and told them exactly what happened and they said there might be a small charge depending on what they found once inside. I had them back in 4 weeks at no charge to me, not even shipping. You can't beat that! Now I have their big brother the 15x56 and will be a little more careful how I handle them.

Some might think these glasses are fragle but the truth being is they aren't. Mine hit a rock with alot of force.

 

Jim, good luck in all your hunting adventures this year.

 

TJ

[Red Rabbit]

Jim,

 

Let us know how the Swaro service turns out. I was told that Swaro brought in a bean counter from Europe about a year ago, and the warranty work is a little more stringent than it was.

 

Doug~RR

[Big Browns]

This past January my 10x42 EL's were knocked over by mother nature while sitting on my tripod. I took them to Ryan at sportsmans and had him send them in. I got the bino's back in about 5 weeks with no charge. Both Ryan and myself are pretty sure they gave me a new pair. The old one's were really screwed up. A very big thanks to Swarovski and Ryan at Sportsman's wharehouse for sending them in free of charge.

 

The only disapointing thing is Swarovski used to have a loner program for such an incident, but I was told they canceled it a few years ago. Bummer!

[COOSEFAN]

Thanks guys. The way the lady sounded on the phone had definitely given me the idea that they might not cover the repair and that's why I am worried. Still no call from them yet, maybe they are still assessing the damage. I'm leaving right now to go babysitting again and it really sucks not havin' my EL's.......gonna have to sit back a little farther with the 56's

 

I'll keep ya posted on what happens with this, thanks again for sharin' your experiences. JIM>

[bobbyo]

Wait a second Jimbo. You are not getting off this easy. We need to hear the story, no matter how painful, on how a pair of your beloved ELs got under your wife's tire. An excerpt of the conversation right after this tragedy would be a great learning experience for all us other happily married people. By the way, we will keep it in the family.

Brother,

Bob

[GameHauler]

Hey Jim,

If you haven't left yet PM me the way point

and what I am looking for and I'll babysit for you.

Thats what friends are for

Mike

[Red Rabbit]

Mike,

I do not know if you should trust Jim to give you the right lat/long . Last weekend he said he was going to babysit some babies with big fuzzy antlers and he posts pictures of a scaly bass . What's up with that?

[firstcoueswas80]

Well, I am not really using a warranty at all, but I am sending my Zeiss 4.5-14x44 for my .257 wby to Zeiss to get target turrets installed. Everynight that I send a email, when I check it in the morning I have a reponse from them. I am impressed so far! We will see how long it takes to get it back!

[AZP&Y]

My Nikon 12x56 Monarch's took a fall last august during the archery hunt (last day of the hunt). Part of the reason I bought them was because I know how the desert can be along with my BUCK FEVER. It was like a slow motion car crash, the tripod fully extended and slowly watching them crash to the desert floor. Smashed one of the tubes. It wasn't exactly fun to glass through one tube, but hey it was better than nothing.

 

Needless to say 10.00 and shipping costs they were back in my hands in 17 days. Not the best glass on the market, but surely can't beat knowing the next 25 years I have not a worry about fault & the most important thing getting them repaired or replaced for next to nothing...

 

Nikon's No-Fault Policy: If your Nikon binoculars, spotting scopes or Fieldscopes require service or repair not covered by the 25-Year Limited Warranty, Nikon will repair or replace it (even if it was your fault) for just $10, plus return shipping and handling.

 

Jim -I'm sure swaro will take care of them for ya

 

AzP&Y

[singleshot]

left my 10 x 42's on the tailgate in the case during a long rain storm and they fogged up. I had a NM elk hunt in two weeks and when I contacted Swaro they said to send them in and if I didn't have them back in seven days that they would over night me a pair to use until mine were fixed. I had mine back in five days, actually they sent me brand new ones as replacements. I was overwhelmed by the service. This was in 2001, I hope it never changes.