So much for the vaunted Swarovski warranty.

[noharleyyet]

I had to settle for used & fogged SLC’s and peanut butter sammich lunches to join the snob crew. Worth it…Swaro made em like new for the freight, like 40 bucks.

 

[TheTone]

that’s where the difference is. Vortex are fine for walking through the timber and looking through your optics sometimes. Put them on a tripod in the desert and stare through them for eight hours a day and it’s like taking sandpaper to your retinas.

Both of my friends that did this upgraded to swaros within 2 years.


Of the people I commonly hunt with 5 of 6 went to swaros as soon as we starting glassing off tripods

 

[Khunter]

No your not wrong. It's ridiculous to pay so much and still have to pay for repairs under a lifetime warranty. Sorry for your experience. Thanks for sharing as one of my next purchases will be a bino upgrade for a quality pair. Makes me want to contact swarvo and tell them I'll be avoiding their products.

Easier to assume what they promise than to actually read it I guess. You are off base. They say:
Swarovski Optik offers a
lifetime warranty on the optical system of many products for North American customers, while other products have specific warranty periods (e.g., 2 years for accessories, 3 years for electronics, 5 years for extendable spotting scopes). Registering your product online provides an extra year of warranty, and warranty coverage is generally for defects in materials or workmanship, excluding accidents, misuse, or normal wear and tear. To initiate a repair, you can use the online service portal or take the product to an authorized dealer.

 

[grizzly_]

I've had two Swaro issues, 1) a spotting scope eyepiece I bought as a Demo from a camera store in NY had an internal screw come loose and rattle around. It was replaced for free. 2) a set of bad Talley rings ruined a Z5 scope and I had to pay a few hundred dollars to have it replaced/repaired. Other than that, I've called for new eyepiece caps a time or two and they just mail me a new set for free.

I have no complaints and will keep buying Swaro. I also own Kowa, Leica, and Leupold. I sold all my Vortex stuff or gave it away, I'll never buy Vortex again. I got so sick of their stuff breaking or not working and the lenses look like wax paper after 5 years. You get what you pay for is my thought. Just my .02.

 

[FamilyMan]

Easier to assume what they promise than to actually read it I guess. You are off base. They say:
Swarovski Optik offers a
lifetime warranty on the optical system of many products for North American customers, while other products have specific warranty periods (e.g., 2 years for accessories, 3 years for electronics, 5 years for extendable spotting scopes). Registering your product online provides an extra year of warranty, and warranty coverage is generally for defects in materials or workmanship, excluding accidents, misuse, or normal wear and tear. To initiate a repair, you can use the online service portal or take the product to an authorized dealer.

Actually, Swarovski says:
"Effective January 1, 1994, Swarovski Optik is proud to offer to the original owner registering their warranty, a Limited Lifetime Warranty on their product purchase. As the original owner registering your warranty, we will repair or replace (at the discretion of the Swarovski Optik Repair Dept.) any defective product, for the lifetime of the product, at no charge. Spare parts and accessories, similar to tires on a car, are to be replaced by the owner. Those may be purchased through your local Swarovski Optik Authorized Dealer or through our Customer Service Department. Swarovski Optik manufactures the highest quality products in the world. You have truly made a lifetime investment with your Swarovski Optik purchase. If you are in need of assistance, please contact our Customer Service Department at (800) XXX-XXXX."

That is a direct quote from the letter Swarovski sent me when I registered my purchase. No mention of restrictions or caveats other than they did use the word "defective" which, according to the internet, means "having a flaw or imperfection that impairs its function or quality, something that is not working correctly, is incomplete, or is faulty in some way." These binos are now defective. They are trying to interpret this as "factory defect", which may be what they meant, but is not what they said.

The warranty card itself says: "Swarovski Optik warrants this instrument during the life of and as long as it is owned by the original consumer purchaser against defect in materials and workmanship, subject to normal use. This warranty is void if damage results from unauthorized repairs, accident, alteration, misuse, abuse, neglect, fire, flood or other acts of God."

These binos have never been subject to abuse and have only seen normal use. As a matter of fact, they have been lightly used. I only take them out on average about a week or two a year, with a few scouting/camping/hikes thrown in where I may take my binoculars along. I dare say these have seen only a fraction of the use many of you put your equipment through, and yet Swarovski says it is my fault that their product can't stand up to normal use.

I did call customer service to ask about all of this and they told me it was all my fault and they aren't warrantying the repairs and that ANY OF YOU who say you had your Swarovski product repaired for free despite having used it hard or dropped it or having it fall out the back of your truck, etc. are ALL LIARS and that this has never happened.

This has been my experience - your may vary.

 

[Khunter]

Actually, Swarovski says:
"Effective January 1, 1994, Swarovski Optik is proud to offer to the original owner registering their warranty, a Limited Lifetime Warranty on their product purchase. As the original owner registering your warranty, we will repair or replace (at the discretion of the Swarovski Optik Repair Dept.) any defective product, for the lifetime of the product, at no charge. Spare parts and accessories, similar to tires on a car, are to be replaced by the owner. Those may be purchased through your local Swarovski Optik Authorized Dealer or through our Customer Service Department. Swarovski Optik manufactures the highest quality products in the world. You have truly made a lifetime investment with your Swarovski Optik purchase. If you are in need of assistance, please contact our Customer Service Department at (800) XXX-XXXX."

That is a direct quote from the letter Swarovski sent me when I registered my purchase. No mention of restrictions or caveats other than they did use the word "defective" which, according to the internet, means "having a flaw or imperfection that impairs its function or quality, something that is not working correctly, is incomplete, or is faulty in some way." These binos are now defective. They are trying to interpret this as "factory defect", which may be what they meant, but is not what they said.

The warranty card itself says: "Swarovski Optik warrants this instrument during the life of and as long as it is owned by the original consumer purchaser against defect in materials and workmanship, subject to normal use. This warranty is void if damage results from unauthorized repairs, accident, alteration, misuse, abuse, neglect, fire, flood or other acts of God."

These binos have never been subject to abuse and have only seen normal use. As a matter of fact, they have been lightly used. I only take them out on average about a week or two a year, with a few scouting/camping/hikes thrown in where I may take my binoculars along. I dare say these have seen only a fraction of the use many of you put your equipment through, and yet Swarovski says it is my fault that their product can't stand up to normal use.

I did call customer service to ask about all of this and they told me it was all my fault and they aren't warrantying the repairs and that ANY OF YOU who say you had your Swarovski product repaired for free despite having used it hard or dropped it or having it fall out the back of your truck, etc. are ALL LIARS and that this has never happened.

This has been my experience - your may vary.

LOL. OVER 20 years of use. lotta concern over $400 repair. put yourself in the technician shoes. Both prisms broken or are they supposed to think? What would YOU think in their shoes? The logical reasonable conclusion is something happened to those binoculars at least once that was beyond “normal “ stress.

 

[MaddH]

Actually, Swarovski says:
"Effective January 1, 1994, Swarovski Optik is proud to offer to the original owner registering their warranty, a Limited Lifetime Warranty on their product purchase. As the original owner registering your warranty, we will repair or replace (at the discretion of the Swarovski Optik Repair Dept.) any defective product, for the lifetime of the product, at no charge. Spare parts and accessories, similar to tires on a car, are to be replaced by the owner. Those may be purchased through your local Swarovski Optik Authorized Dealer or through our Customer Service Department. Swarovski Optik manufactures the highest quality products in the world. You have truly made a lifetime investment with your Swarovski Optik purchase. If you are in need of assistance, please contact our Customer Service Department at (800) XXX-XXXX."

That is a direct quote from the letter Swarovski sent me when I registered my purchase. No mention of restrictions or caveats other than they did use the word "defective" which, according to the internet, means "having a flaw or imperfection that impairs its function or quality, something that is not working correctly, is incomplete, or is faulty in some way." These binos are now defective. They are trying to interpret this as "factory defect", which may be what they meant, but is not what they said.

The warranty card itself says: "Swarovski Optik warrants this instrument during the life of and as long as it is owned by the original consumer purchaser against defect in materials and workmanship, subject to normal use. This warranty is void if damage results from unauthorized repairs, accident, alteration, misuse, abuse, neglect, fire, flood or other acts of God."

These binos have never been subject to abuse and have only seen normal use. As a matter of fact, they have been lightly used. I only take them out on average about a week or two a year, with a few scouting/camping/hikes thrown in where I may take my binoculars along. I dare say these have seen only a fraction of the use many of you put your equipment through, and yet Swarovski says it is my fault that their product can't stand up to normal use.

I did call customer service to ask about all of this and they told me it was all my fault and they aren't warrantying the repairs and that ANY OF YOU who say you had your Swarovski product repaired for free despite having used it hard or dropped it or having it fall out the back of your truck, etc. are ALL LIARS and that this has never happened.

This has been my experience - your may vary.

But you did say it was possible you may have dropped them a time or two. Just saying

 

[sclancy27]

This thread makes me glad I have Meopta. Sure, they are heavy, but the are built like a brick shithouse. I can't count the number of times my binos have fallen, including a 75 ft tumble out of my harness and down a steep hill chasing a turkey. Still working like a champ.

 

[Schaaf]

This thread makes me glad I have Meopta. Sure, they are heavy, but the are built like a brick shithouse. I can't count the number of times my binos have fallen, including a 75 ft tumble out of my harness and down a steep hill chasing a turkey. Still working like a champ.

I've always thought you could use the B1's to finish off a wounded deer or elk when Ammo prices are high.

 

[sclancy27]

I've always thought you could use the B1's to finish off a wounded deer or elk when Ammo prices are high.

Seriously. Any other binocular would be destroyed with the way I treat them.

 

[NDGuy]

 

[shrapnel]

View attachment 394073

Vortex owners:



With all the money I saved buying cheap binoculars, I was able to buy my wife/sister, this nice trailer and a six pack of beer!

 

[NoWiser]

Actually, Swarovski says:
"Effective January 1, 1994, Swarovski Optik is proud to offer to the original owner registering their warranty, a Limited Lifetime Warranty on their product purchase. As the original owner registering your warranty, we will repair or replace (at the discretion of the Swarovski Optik Repair Dept.) any defective product, for the lifetime of the product, at no charge. Spare parts and accessories, similar to tires on a car, are to be replaced by the owner. Those may be purchased through your local Swarovski Optik Authorized Dealer or through our Customer Service Department. Swarovski Optik manufactures the highest quality products in the world. You have truly made a lifetime investment with your Swarovski Optik purchase. If you are in need of assistance, please contact our Customer Service Department at (800) XXX-XXXX."

That is a direct quote from the letter Swarovski sent me when I registered my purchase. No mention of restrictions or caveats other than they did use the word "defective" which, according to the internet, means "having a flaw or imperfection that impairs its function or quality, something that is not working correctly, is incomplete, or is faulty in some way." These binos are now defective. They are trying to interpret this as "factory defect", which may be what they meant, but is not what they said.

The warranty card itself says: "Swarovski Optik warrants this instrument during the life of and as long as it is owned by the original consumer purchaser against defect in materials and workmanship, subject to normal use. This warranty is void if damage results from unauthorized repairs, accident, alteration, misuse, abuse, neglect, fire, flood or other acts of God."

These binos have never been subject to abuse and have only seen normal use. As a matter of fact, they have been lightly used. I only take them out on average about a week or two a year, with a few scouting/camping/hikes thrown in where I may take my binoculars along. I dare say these have seen only a fraction of the use many of you put your equipment through, and yet Swarovski says it is my fault that their product can't stand up to normal use.

I did call customer service to ask about all of this and they told me it was all my fault and they aren't warrantying the repairs and that ANY OF YOU who say you had your Swarovski product repaired for free despite having used it hard or dropped it or having it fall out the back of your truck, etc. are ALL LIARS and that this has never happened.

This has been my experience - your may vary.

I think you are confusing defective with damaged. Your binoculars are not defective. They are damaged.

 

[jimh406]

I think you are confusing defective with damaged. Your binoculars are not defective. They are damaged.

There's no way to know if the damage is due to being defective or not. In any case, the question is do you expect companies to give the questionable call to the consumer or to their company?

 

[Jamen]

WOW!! i needed some popcorn for this thread... That being said i bought a used STS 80 spotter a few years ago. Got a really good deal to say no to. After a year of me owning it i noticed there were small drops in the eye piece. Annoying for sure, my eye would focus on the drops for a bit then the animal.

I had emailed swaro told them my issue. I sent it to them. They fixed the eye piece, replaced the rubber to the new style. They did it all for free i just paid the shipping.

I am just curious if anyone has actually read the warranty for their products? I have not, ill admit that. I own 3 pieces of swaro glass. If my pures in 20 years of use need $400 in repairs id be pretty happy! What is a lifetime on a piece of glass?? I think 20 years of use out of most products with little to no issues until 20 years later is a great product.

On a side note about warranties. Had a friend work at scheels in college and the amount of rods he would have brought in that were either slammed in a door or tailgate soon after a new model would come out was crazy they said. Now scheels carries a 3 year warranty on their rods "not sure if its all models or most". But people abused it.

 

[TheTone]

On a side note about warranties. Had a friend work at scheels in college and the amount of rods he would have brought in that were either slammed in a door or tailgate soon after a new model would come out was crazy they said. Now scheels carries a 3 year warranty on their rods "not sure if its all models or most". But people abused it.

Had a friend do some IMO shady stuff with cabelas meindl boots for years. He would buy a new pair through his work every couple years but also warranty his old ones every couple years. He had multiple unused pairs sitting in his closet. No clue how he chose which ones to wear and which ones he was saving for who knows when