Swarovski and Vortex warranty and customer service

[johnandersonm777]

As far as I know, Swarovski is done their best in service. no experience with the vortex.

 

[Shrek]

I had great service from Swarovski the one time I've needed them. I have had to use Zeiss warranty repeatedly and they were super slow and no communication. It was Zeiss service which got me to switch to Swarovski. Most Vortex products are cheap Asian stuff and they can and do just swap stuff out due to their product production costs.

 

[CLICKBANGBANG]

Well, fingers crossed I never need servise... I bought the Swaro ATS 20-60x65 today. Getting ready to go throw it on the tripod.

 

[handwerk]

You'll love that spotter, good choice.

 

[elkguide]

Very good choice.

 

[snider6464]

Update!

A customer service manager ended up contacting me after this post surfaced to their department. After a bit of confusion with emails sent from them, we ended up talking on the phone for over an hour. The representative was great to talk to. We both approached the situation with the same goals, learning from one another, and getting the situation to a good resolution.

Many of the problems I had were addressed. Some of their fault, some of my own misconception. I was able to get answers to many questions had by fellow roksliders as well as my own. I will run through some of them that I thought would hold importance and relevance to the general.

1. Would going through a deal for warranty be of any benefit? - No, most dealers would tell you to contact them directly or it would make no difference.

2. Did the age of the product have anything to do with the fee? - No, no matter if it is a 30 year old SLC or 1 year. The fee is based on what needs to be repaired. The prisms for my pair of 10 x 42 were $150 but larger binos may cost $175

3. Is the warranty transferable? or does it make a difference if you are the original owner? - 8 years ago they changed their policies to allow transfers. They will try to contact the previous owner to make sure the product was not lost or stolen. Then transfer the ownership to you. So it makes no difference if you are the original owner.

4. If purchasing a used product it is advisable to call in with the serial number. They will tell you if the product has been reported lost, stolen, or a black market product. If the seller will not provide you the serial number than they advise not to purchase the product.

5. Their warranty has been the same for 30 years. They only cover manufacture defects. This means if you drop the product and break the objective, they will not cover it (their policy is not to apologize for their warranty). (As with my case, the damage was not caused by the manufacture, so it was not covered) IMO If you send in your product and they contact you to pay for some sort of repair that you feel is not correct, make sure you speak up before you pay and they will look into the issue.

6. They have changed recently to providing a summarized list of parts that were replaced when being repaired, instead of the full list. This is were some of the confusion with my case was (them saying we replaced x and me not seeing it on the list).

7. They recommend sending in your optics often to be cleaned, greased, and inspected. They take great pride in their products, and the repairs they do.


The response that I received initially was from someone who does not normally handle those types of issues. So they apologized for their response as well as not explaining that they would gladly pay for over night shipping to and from to correct any issue. They also refunded me part of my money, based on part of the work was not done correctly (mostly not cleaning them). The customer service manager I spoke with was very knowledgeable, not only on her products, policies, and warranty, but as well as the current optics market, business in general, and peoples perception of the company. They are not allowed to participate on blogs but I am sure that she would jump on here and thank each of you for your support.

For starting out with such disappointment, I am happy to have gained the additional knowledge, as well as the experience in general. It has changed my view of warranties and companies in general. Hope some of these helped clear up some misconceptions.

 

[Trial153]

Nicely done.

 

[Grumman]

Thanks for the update and good for Swarovski for reaching out to resolve the issue.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Loco4dux]

Solid info, thanks for taking the time to post.

 

[svivian]

Still it is interesting that some have had damaged optics sent in and have had them completely fixed and clean at no cost yet some have had to pay fees.

 

[blueduck]

I appreciate your efforts and feedback on this. I struggled for a very long time with the purchase of my binoculars. I could not decide between Swarovski EL 10x42 or Vortex's Raxor HDs in the same magnification. I went with the Swarovski product in the end. That being said, I could not tell a nickel's worth of difference between the two products when comparing build and image quality.

I think I will purchase the Vortex products in the future simply because of their warranty and reputation for excellent customer service. I'm in the market for a spotting scope. I have no doubts about the quality and construction of the Swarovski products, but the Vortex gear is just as high quality and is backed up by a much better warranty and is supported by outstanding customer support. That makes the decision very easy for me.

 

[Shrek]

Blueduck , you may not be able to see a nickels worth of difference but I can. The Razors I've looked through have all been mediocre. The performance of the Swarovski I own and have used have been superb across the board.

 

[dotman]

Blueduck , you may not be able to see a nickels worth of difference but I can. The Razors I've looked through have all been mediocre. The performance of the Swarovski I own and have used have been superb across the board.

I agree completely. After owning a bunch of Vortex I've slowly upgraded to swaro and there is no comparison.

 

[trdhunter]

How long did it take to get your binos back? I have wanted to send my binos in to have cleaned/inspected for a while, but never want to be without them for long. If it is fairly fast, I may try to get them done soon. Thanks

 

[N2TRKYS]

What's the charge for having them cleaned and inspected?

 

[snider6464]

Blueduck, This experience has taught me that Vortex's warranty is unlimited due to their high margins, mass produced, cheaper made products. They are a value brand. Their product is great for the money, but their high end line does not compare to the quality of Swarovski or others in that caliber. The good thing is that vortex products tend to hold their value fairly well, so if in the future you decide to upgrade you should be able to fairly easy.

If they are only sent in to be cleaned and inspected their is no charge, except the shipping to the facility. If a repair that is not due to manufacture defect is found than a charge may be incurred. Just cleaning and inspection was about 3 weeks for me. But the additional repair took longer.

 

[TheCougar]

I can't speak for swaro, but I have had good experiences with vortex.

 

[TheCougar]

I can't speak for swaro, but I have had good experiences with vortex.

 

[CorbLand]

I have never owned Swaro product but do own some Vortex items. Vortex is very hard to beat for the price you pay when it comes to quality. Swaro is far superior but does come with the cost.

Here is my take on Vortex warranty. When you buy Vortex you are purchasing a warranty, one that you will use. The reason their turn around is so fast is because when they receive your broken binos they are put on a repair shelf. They box up a pair that has been repaired and ship it to you. This does increase turn around time.

I have nothing but terrible luck with Vortex customer service. Every product that I have ordered from them has taken an astronomical amount of time to be received. One took four and half months. Every time I have called to figure out what is happening and expressing my frustrations with the long wait periods they have acted like I should just be thankful for getting their product.I have only dealt with one employee that went out of his way to help me get a problem solved. He even said he would give me a free shirt for the hassle, but it wasn't in the box when I received my binos.

If you ever buy a Razor spotting scope, which is a solid scope for the money, save yourself the trouble. Take the eyepiece off and locktite the three screws in, they like to fall out.

 

[TheCougar]

I just dropped my brand new slcs and it landed right on the eyepiece. No visible damage, but the tubes got knocked out of alignment. I called them up and was told the wait time was 4 weeks, but I could have them back in 10 days for an expedite fee of $50. He also told me that as long as there was no damage to the housing or glass, the service should be covered under warranty. I will let you know how it pans out. If all I have to pay is outbound shipping and $50 fee to expedite, I will be a happy camper. I'm such a dumbass...