Swarovski warranty issues?

[JGRaider]

Yes- because they aren’t baking in the cost of giving new ones away. “No fault” warranties aren’t free. When someone runs over their binos and the company gives them a new pair no questions asked, they aren’t doing it out of the goodness of their heart- they already got the money for that free new pair. You pay for that “forever warranty” when you buy them.

Yawn..........I have and SLC, EL and few other "alphas". I also have a Razor UHD that I bought for $1k which is optically and mechanically the equal of the SLC 's. I know what I'm getting with Vortex, and Swaro can be a roll of the dice as far as warranty/CS goes (sent mine in 3 times). UHD's haven't needed it yet.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Yes- because they aren’t baking in the cost of giving new ones away. “No fault” warranties aren’t free. When someone runs over their binos and the company gives them a new pair no questions asked, they aren’t doing it out of the goodness of their heart- they already got the money for that free new pair. You pay for that “forever warranty” when you buy them.

Blah blah blah, this argument is so old and tired. Have you seen the cost of swaros? You’re paying a premium alright, people have just convinced themselves it’s ok for some companies to not stand behind their product. 50% more for 10% better glass (pick your percentages). Theres plenty of margin for swaro to warranty a pair of binos.

Not that it helps OP, but I sent my ZEISS RfS back because they had a stiff wheel and a scratched lens from dropping something on them and they sent me a new pair. I was surprised and impressed.

 

[Blake C]

Yawn..........I have and SLC, EL and few other "alphas". I also have a Razor UHD that I bought for $1k which is optically and mechanically the equal of the SLC 's. I know what I'm getting with Vortex, and Swaro can be a roll of the dice as far as warranty/CS goes (sent mine in 3 times). UHD's haven't needed it yet.

I agree with this.
On another note.....I have not yet seen anything equal to the NL pure models. I sure would like to see something totally equal for $1k....

 

[Elite]

Yes- because they aren’t baking in the cost of giving new ones away. “No fault” warranties aren’t free. When someone runs over their binos and the company gives them a new pair no questions asked, they aren’t doing it out of the goodness of their heart- they already got the money for that free new pair. You pay for that “forever warranty” when you buy them.

I do agree with this. But I paid a massive premium for the swaros vs my razor HDs.

So now I paid a premium and now I have to buy an additional $500 to fix the repair for them.

Yes the swaro is better optically. But after spending 4 years with both now and the difference being so small in actual field conditions not staring at number charts.

I will be selling the swaros and picking up something else if they don’t change the invoice amount to repair. Lesson learned


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[Formidilosus]

I do agree with this. But I paid a massive premium for the swaros vs my razor HDs.

So now I paid a premium and now I have to buy an additional $500 to fix the repair for them.

Yes the swaro is better optically. But after spending 4 years with both now and the difference being so small in actual field conditions not staring at number charts.

I will be selling the swaros and picking up something else if they don’t change the invoice amount to repair. Lesson learned


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Sure. I can understand that.

I was addressing no fault, lifetime warranties brought up by another saying that alpha companies don’t match Vortex, etc. They aren’t free and companies are not being generous- it’s baked in. Those $1,000 so close to Alpha binos- they would $600 (or less) without the “run it over with a truck and we’ll give you a free pair” warranty.

Swaro’s are relatively fragile, and they should correct that. But having a no fault warranty won’t make them better.

 

[BLJ]

Those $1,000 so close to Alpha binos- they would $600 (or less) without the “run it over with a truck and we’ll give you a free pair” warranty.

So the difference at the beginning is still less than what the OP is paying now.
And his initial investment was 2.5x (estimated) the so close to alpha initially.

I’d personally be okay with close enough to alpha.

 

[Formidilosus]

So the difference at the beginning is still less than what the OP is paying now.

It’s baked into every single product companies make. How anyone thinks they are getting a “good deal” out of it is baffling. Literally they could just sell the binos in this example for $500 or $600 and then if yours break you pay an honest fee to fix them- not everyone pays an extra $500 so that company can cover their junk products.


How about a good product for a fair price, and if it is a manufacturing defect they cover it, if it’s something I did- I cover it for a fair price; and not pay the company an extra 40-100% more profit on every single item sold for “free warranty”, and then think that I am getting “a deal” from it.

Paying Swaro to get a lifetime quality optic doesn’t bother me. Paying to fix a bino doesn’t bother me when it is obviously my fault. What bothers me is that the money isn’t getting me a “lifetime” optic. Swaro’s are fragile compared to others. That’s the problem. But that didn’t mean the “insert whatever bino with free replacements” is any more durable- they’re generally not.

And his initial investment was 2.5x (estimated) the so close to alpha initially.

I’d personally be okay with close enough to alpha.

It’s a bit wild for me to be on this side of the argument.. but, the reality has to be stated.
Sort of. There is also the reality that all the also-rans are standing on the backs of the “alpha” products and using their design and IP to make “close to”- doesn’t cost nearly as much when you do what every one else has done. Which is fine for most things. But without Swaro, Leica, Zeiss, etc. Asian binos would still be $40 blister pack things.

There is no free lunch- it is a hell of a lot more expensive to develop NL Pures than it is to come out with decent quality 1995 level binos at this point. If everyone just goes “well they’re close enough, Swaro is just being greedy” then there will be no advancements, no legit movement towards better products- it is a race to the bottom. Look at Meopta for an example. Look at Zeiss shutting down their in house optics and moving everything to Asia.

 

[BLJ]

“well they’re close enough, Swaro is just being greedy”

Didn’t say that.

But that didn’t mean the “insert whatever bino with free replacements” is any more durable- they’re generally not.

Didn’t say that.

It’s a bit wild for me to be on this side of the argument..

Wasn’t an argument. I was saying that if a binocular could get me to 90% of an alpha product at almost a third of the cost, that would be close enough for me. Even if the warranty is “baked” into the initial cost.
And then have a better warranty as well.
Yes, I’m in.

I guess I’ll see everyone at the bottom.
That’s if my non Alpha glass holds up.

 

[Macintosh]

It’s baked into every single product companies make. How anyone thinks they are getting a “good deal” out of it is baffling. Literally they could just sell the binos in this example for $500 or $600 and then if yours break you pay an honest fee to fix them- not everyone pays an extra $500 so that company can cover their junk products.


How about a good product for a fair price, and if it is a manufacturing defect they cover it, if it’s something I did- I cover it for a fair price; and not pay the company an extra 40-100% more profit on every single item sold for “free warranty”, and then think that I am getting “a deal” from it.

Paying Swaro to get a lifetime quality optic doesn’t bother me. Paying to fix a bino doesn’t bother me when it is obviously my fault. What bothers me is that the money isn’t getting me a “lifetime” optic. Swaro’s are fragile compared to others. That’s the problem. But that didn’t mean the “insert whatever bino with free replacements” is any more durable- they’re generally not.




It’s a bit wild for me to be on this side of the argument.. but, the reality has to be stated.
Sort of. There is also the reality that all the also-rans are standing on the backs of the “alpha” products and using their design and IP to make “close to”- doesn’t cost nearly as much when you do what every one else has done. Which is fine for most things. But without Swaro, Leica, Zeiss, etc. Asian binos would still be $40 blister pack things.

There is no free lunch- it is a hell of a lot more expensive to develop NL Pures than it is to come out with decent quality 1995 level binos at this point. If everyone just goes “well they’re close enough, Swaro is just being greedy” then there will be no advancements, no legit movement towards better products- it is a race to the bottom. Look at Meopta for an example. Look at Zeiss shutting down their in house optics and moving everything to Asia.

This is 100% true. Actual R&D (Research and Development) is WAAAAAAY more expensive and risky than R&D (Ripoff and Duplicate).

 

[HuntHarder]

Yes- because they aren’t baking in the cost of giving new ones away. “No fault” warranties aren’t free. When someone runs over their binos and the company gives them a new pair no questions asked, they aren’t doing it out of the goodness of their heart- they already got the money for that free new pair. You pay for that “forever warranty” when you buy them.

If you could get Zero tech to drop their "Triple A" warranty, the S2H scope would be $500. I agree that, I have no problem paying for repairs on items, I broke. "No fault" warranties have only increased the cost of goods across the board.

 

[Formidilosus]

If you could get Zero tech to drop their "Triple A" warranty, the S2H scope would be $500.

Was waiting for that- but it’s not true on that scope. The actual cost is significantly more than that.

I agree that, I have no problem paying for repairs on items, I broke. "No fault" warranties have only increased the cost of goods across the board.

Yes, that is what I was getting at. It’s not “free”.

 

[Kyguy]

It’s baked into every single product companies make. How anyone thinks they are getting a “good deal” out of it is baffling. Literally they could just sell the binos in this example for $500 or $600 and then if yours break you pay an honest fee to fix them- not everyone pays an extra $500 so that company can cover their junk products.


How about a good product for a fair price, and if it is a manufacturing defect they cover it, if it’s something I did- I cover it for a fair price; and not pay the company an extra 40-100% more profit on every single item sold for “free warranty”, and then think that I am getting “a deal” from it.

Paying Swaro to get a lifetime quality optic doesn’t bother me. Paying to fix a bino doesn’t bother me when it is obviously my fault. What bothers me is that the money isn’t getting me a “lifetime” optic. Swaro’s are fragile compared to others. That’s the problem. But that didn’t mean the “insert whatever bino with free replacements” is any more durable- they’re generally not.

I agree with what you say here, 100%. I would absolutely love to be buying this stuff at half the cost and paying for repairs as/if needed.

Here's the rub.

The average American consumer doesn't want to be told that they'll be sold a good product at a fair price, but they'll have to pay for repairs. They DO want to be told that regardless of what happens, it'll be replaced or repaired for free, and they don't think or care about the front load to make that happen. It's marketing genius at its best.

The average American consumer DOES NOT want to accept ANY responsibility when it comes to a products' damage, failure, or wearing out, even when it's their fault. American consumers can't and don't accept that a product only has a certain lifespan.

I'll use the auto parts stores "lifetime warranty" on brake pads for a prime example.... it's generally a limited lifetime warranty against defects.... not wearing out from use. When I worked in the auto parts world, the amount of people who would bring in worn out brake pads and wanting their money back or a new set of pads was ridiculous. Then they get pissed when the warranty is explained... "I wouldn't have bought them if I knew that!". Well you wouldn't be buying any brake pads then. Many places just give them new pads to get them out the door, which certainly doesn't help.

It's the same with furniture. People beat the shit out of their furniture and then get mad when the warranty doesn't cover it. People ask me if I ever get bored with my job dealing with warranty work on furniture, I tell them no. I see shit every single week that I never thought I would see, and I've been doing it for over a decade.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

Getting back on track and answering the OP…

It seems like you dropped them at some point and thus you now have a crack. I’m guessing Swaro has seen this before and know what caused the damage.

 

[HuntHarder]

Was waiting for that- but it’s not true on that scope. The actual cost is significantly more than that.
.

I actually believe Ryan when he says this. It goes against my lifetime beliefs, but I do believe you guys are sincere on costs/ value.

 

[Elite]

Getting back on track and answering the OP…

It seems like you dropped them at some point and thus you now have a crack. I’m guessing Swaro has seen this before and know what caused the damage.

If that’s what actually caused the failure is truly sad then. Any actual or major drop in would never forget about. I still can’t think of when these actually dropped


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[Formidilosus]

I actually believe Ryan when he says this. It goes against my lifetime beliefs, but I do believe you guys are sincere on costs/ value.

Haha. I am a lot of things- I do not believe anyone that has met me would say that I lie about this stuff.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

If that’s what actually caused the failure is truly sad then. Any actual or major drop in would never forget about. I still can’t think of when these actually dropped


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Well, it might have been a minor drop, unfortunately.

 

[Ultracarry]

I dropped one of my Swaros so hard it broke the outdoorsman’s stud in half and scratched both lenses an the focus wheel hit the barrel of the right side every time I tried to adjust the focus - so I used them for three years just fine and finally sent them in - I’m paying for two new lenses (happy to) and they are fixing the rest without a question to “why” .

I guess if you can buy expensive stuff you probably should be able to afford expensive maintenance.

If you are looking for free warranty and replacement for any damage you cause - there’s other brands to look at that may or may not be better .

 

[CorbLand]

I would be curious to know what’s all being replaced but if they have to replace that entire adjustment system, I could see that being pricier.

Is that 510 USD or CAD?

 

[Trial153]

I have only had one warranty experience with them, here's how it went. I was dealing with a sticky Doppler adjustment, the bino also were dropped at one point, and there was an obvious dent in what I would call the front housing.
I sent in for warranty on the Doppler adjustment, which was an on going issue ( honestly that may have been my fault also at some point ) and asked them to assess the other obvious damage when I dropped them. They fixed the Doppler under warranty. I was told there was a crack in the frame, and it was only a matter of time before there was a leak. In fairness, I sent them on a pretty good tumble down a mountain in New Mexico....Not sure any glass I ever owned would have come out of that unscathed.

There was a slight delay in turnaround. I don't remember the reason and they offered to FedEx me another pair to use on a hunt I was going on. I declined because I had another pair to use and it really wasn't needed. I basically got a new pair of 2.5 K binoculars for a $300 service charge.