Vortex Warranty Put to the Test

[acnewman55]

Picture almost says it all. My hunting partner was carrying my Diamondback binos in his pack. We had to down-climb a 25-foot rock face during out hunt over the weekend in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.  He decided to drop his pack down the last 8 feet or so and assumed it would rest at the bottom.

It toppled end over end for about 25 yards downhill. Inside my binos were in two pieces, his Ray Bans were destroyed (why bring those hunting?) but his $1200 vortex spotter and everything else survived unscathed!

Anyway - I'm a little disappointed about how fragile these binos turned out to be.  They were in the main body of the pack, not an outside pocket.

The good news is the focus wheel remained attached to one side, and that side functioned as a monocular for the remainder of the weekend and helped me nail my first buck ever!

Hopefully the legendary Vortex warranty holds up and I'll have a fresh pair of binos for my second buck next season!


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[Bean Counter]

Where's the buck?

Look on the bright side, now you have two riflescopes 

[jackelope]

I'm curios to see how this plays out. While I'm sure they'll replace them for you, would you be upset with Vortex if they didn't? I mean, that's clearly not a manufacturers defect.

[scoyoc5]

off their website....



Our VIP warranty is about you, not us. It's about taking care of you after the sale.

VIP stands for a Very Important Promise to you, our customer. We will repair or replace your Vortex product in the event it becomes damaged or defective—at no charge to you. If we cannot repair your product, we will replace it with a product in perfect working order of equal or better physical condition.

You see, it doesn't matter how it happened, whose fault it was, or where you purchased it. You can count on the VIP Warranty for all Vortex Optics riflescopes, prism scopes, red dots, rangefinders, binoculars, spotting scopes, tripods, and monoculars.
•Unlimited Lifetime Warranty
•Fully transferable
•No warranty card to fill out
•No receipt needed to hang on to

If you ever have a problem, no matter the cause, we promise to take care of you.

Note
 The VIP Warranty does not cover loss, theft, deliberate damage or cosmetic damage that does not hinder the performance of the product.

[acnewman55]

I'm curios to see how this plays out. While I'm sure they'll replace them for you, would you be upset with Vortex if they didn't? I mean, that's clearly not a manufacturers defect.

Yes I would be upset.

Vortex's warranty is a major part of their marketing. I bought this pair of binos expecting to be taken care of if I had an issue, based on the verbiage on their marketing materials.

Frankly, the cheap plastic hinge that holds the two sides together is pretty weak.  If they're going to promise no questions asked repair or replacement on hunting optics, maybe they should incorporate a stronger material and charge a little extra if necessary to cover that cost. Clearly they invested in making the viper spotting scope solid - different price points obviously but the warranty extends to both pieces.


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[biggfish]

They say they will replace optics lost to fire damage!  I've only ever heard good things about them. Good luck but I don't think you'll need it.

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

For 259$ the hinge isn't gonna be titanium. But I bet you gets new pair as soon as vortex knows.

[jackelope]

For 259$ the hinge isn't gonna be titanium. But I bet you gets new pair as soon as vortex knows.

Agree, they are relatively inexpensive binoculars, and I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. I dropped a Minox spotting scope out of a Jeep with the tripod attached to it and it broke the base off the scope. They also replaced it no questions asked.

[Stein]

You will get a new pair, guaranteed.  It is a bit surprising that you sound agitated that a $200 pice of glass didn't survive an 8 foot drop and long tumble.

[Timberstalker]

While I agree that a good warranty is a must in the optics industry, I am not certain I could support issuing a new pair for your issue.

That's my take.

Here's an analogy, I buy a brand new Martin bow, I am crossing a drainage with a shale slide and I loose my footing.  The bow takes a tumble, (a bad one) and both limbs are destroyed.  Does Martin cover this? 

Sounds like a helluva stretch to me.......

Let us know what Vortext tells you.

[kentrek]

I did something very similar with a pack ....such a bad idea !  Darn things sure can roll 

Having stuff stashed in a pack can actually be pretty hard on an item..people think packs are bomb proof protection...I'm guilty of it as well but we treat our packs terrible...between using it as a back rest or just flopping it off on the ground after a hard day the stuff inside isn't that protected unless it's wrapped in a sleeping bag or clothing

Youl get new binos but be glad you do ! Not alot of companies do that

[jackelope]

While I agree that a good warranty is a must in the optics industry, I am not certain I could support issuing a new pair for your issue.

That's my take.

Here's an analogy, I buy a brand new Martin bow, I am crossing a drainage with a shale slide and I loose my footing.  The bow takes a tumble, (a bad one) and both limbs are destroyed.  Does Martin cover this? 

Sounds like a helluva stretch to me.......

Let us know what Vortext tells you.

This is where I'm coming from also. I work in the warranty repair business. If a customer runs into a curb and breaks an axle or damages a wheel on their car, that's not a warrantable repair and you won't get it covered under warranty ever.

I told my Minox story. I also put a Vortex Diamondback scope on a .300 win mag rifle. The recoil from the rifle floated/broke the reticle. I sent it back to Vortex and they replaced it no questions asked. I won't put that scope on a .22-250 now.

I think REI learned a lesson from this sort of thing with their extremely liberal return policies. That's changed now. Hopefully all these companies won't follow suit and change their policies to where they will warranty manufacturer's defects and nothing else. Aside from their wording re: their warranty coverage, it's not even remotely close to their fault that your bino's broke when they fell off of a cliff or that my spotting scope broke because it toppled out a lifted Jeep with a tripod attached to it.

[lokidog]

I have heard nothing but good regarding their warranty, however, intentionally tossing a backpack is a big difference from slipping on a rock/log and landing on the pack breaking the binos inside.

Note
 The VIP Warranty does not cover loss, theft, deliberate damage or cosmetic damage that does not hinder the performance of the product.

Depends how their third quarter profit statement came out......      Just playing Devil's Advocate.   

[Blacktail Sniper]

Where's the buck?

Look on the bright side, now you have two riflescopes 

 

[cbond3318]

Who cares, they offer a warranty , use it. I'm sure the executives at Vortex are very aware of the warranty language and that they will see their fair share of customer caused damage. It gives them an edge over the competition and as long as they offer it, we the consumer should take full advantage of it.

[Bean Counter]

Vortex isn't the only company in the business that falls out of its chair to hook up its customers. I had Leupold send me scope accessories that my spastic fingers lost, and Nikon sent me a brand new pair of Monarch's when I sent in and asked them to replace the eye cup that had fallen off after years of hard use. Neither company even asked for return S&H.

For 259$ the hinge isn't gonna be titanium. But I bet you gets new pair as soon as vortex knows.

  There are tons of things that go into a quality pair of optics other than just the glass. There's prisms (BAK4 vs 7), the type of coating used on the mirrors (dielectric being better and more spend than silver or aluminum alloy), the alloys used in the housing, its weather seals, etc.  I recently read that a lot of the Big 5-type disposable optics have colored coatings just slathered onto the glass for no optical reason other than to look cool on the shelf 

I tend to wonder if these warranties make more sense than we realize since a lot of the components in the OPs set could probably be recycled into a 'new' pair.

[floatinghat]

I worked at REI during college.  REI is a great company with good to great products and fantastic CS. I worked in CS and we used to see the same people as the seasons changed have equipment issues.  Come spring, suddenly their ski boots hurt, something was wrong with something.  Generally we would take them down the path of fitting or store credit.  They usually took the credit and walked out with a bunch of other stuff.  But yes people take advantage and sometimes company's need to do the right thing.

[pianoman9701]

Vortex will replace them. Their warranty is unconditional. Same with ZenRay.

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

While I agree that a good warranty is a must in the optics industry, I am not certain I could support issuing a new pair for your issue.

That's my take.

Here's an analogy, I buy a brand new Martin bow, I am crossing a drainage with a shale slide and I loose my footing.  The bow takes a tumble, (a bad one) and both limbs are destroyed.  Does Martin cover this? 

Sounds like a helluva stretch to me.......

Let us know what Vortext tells you.

This is where I'm coming from also. I work in the warranty repair business. If a customer runs into a curb and breaks an axle or damages a wheel on their car, that's not a warrantable repair and you won't get it covered under warranty ever.

I told my Minox story. I also put a Vortex Diamondback scope on a .300 win mag rifle. The recoil from the rifle floated/broke the reticle. I sent it back to Vortex and they replaced it no questions asked. I won't put that scope on a .22-250 now.

I think REI learned a lesson from this sort of thing with their extremely liberal return policies. That's changed now. Hopefully all these companies won't follow suit and change their policies to where they will warranty manufacturer's defects and nothing else. Aside from their wording re: their warranty coverage, it's not even remotely close to their fault that your bino's broke when they fell off of a cliff or that my spotting scope broke because it toppled out a lifted Jeep with a tripod attached to it.

If your company had the same warranty statement as vortex I would want any damage to my car paid for.  But you don't.  They will repair or replace any damage that you didn't intend on happening.  Like he threw the bag and didn't intend on the Binos breaking.  Assuming the break hinders the functionality.

What it seems is that statement would be for the guys who break there old Binos to get a new pair. Or the guys who get a scratch on the hinge and send them in for a new pair. 

[acnewman55]

Who cares, they offer a warranty , use it. I'm sure the executives at Vortex are very aware of the warranty language and that they will see their fair share of customer caused damage. It gives them an edge over the competition and as long as they offer it, we the consumer should take full advantage of it.

This.

Not sure why commenters think I ought to be grateful for the warranty I bought and paid for. Without the Vortex warranty, I likely would have bought another brand...




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[acnewman55]

Where's the buck?

Look on the bright side, now you have two riflescopes 

 

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[Blacktail Sniper]

 

[huntandjeep]

They will replace them. A buddy dropped his Razor HD spotting scope and broke the angled eye piece off. He called them up told them exactly what happened asked if he sent them in would they fix them and bill him. The rep said email us some pictures. He did , the rep called him back and said " what's your address were sending you a new one ".

[huntingbaldguy]

Replacing them makes the person who got them replaced go "ok my next pair of bino's will be some viper hd's" or something.  They know this.  Brand loyalty is a big deal and they take it seriously.  I had a pair of Diamondbacks worked on that i dropped and the seal broke (dropped on concrete, oops) and they replaced them.  When it was time to buy a new hunting rifle scope, guess who i went with.  Same with wifes binos and my AR scope.  I also own a red dot from Vortex. 

[BOWHUNTER45]

Fragile ??  I do not think any binos were designed to be deliberately dropped off a cliff ...looks to me they bounced off some rocks , which is no guarantee for anything to survive !!  Lmao

[JeffRaines]

Replacing them makes the person who got them replaced go "ok my next pair of bino's will be some viper hd's" or something.  They know this.  Brand loyalty is a big deal and they take it seriously.  I had a pair of Diamondbacks worked on that i dropped and the seal broke (dropped on concrete, oops) and they replaced them.  When it was time to buy a new hunting rifle scope, guess who i went with.  Same with wifes binos and my AR scope.  I also own a red dot from Vortex.

It works, too. I bought a Viper HD spotting scope 'open box' that arrived with a broken micro focus knob. Called Vortex, told them my dilemma and I had a brand new one sitting on my porch two days later.

Needless to say, my Vortex Viper HS-T 4-15x44 scope will be here tomorrow. I'm also planning on some Viper HD binos sometime before season next year.

[acnewman55]

Fragile ??  I do not think any binos were designed to be deliberately dropped off a cliff ...looks to me they bounced off some rocks , which is no guarantee for anything to survive !!  Lmao

They were inside a large pack surrounded with clothing/sleeping bag etc. smugly packed away.

Not a mark on them to indicate the contacted anything harder than at t-shirt. That's why I'm surprised.

If you really look at the design it is pretty clear that the integrity of the entire hinge is dependent on a plastic piece about 1/8" thick.


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[Bean Counter]

If you really look at the design it is pretty clear that the integrity of the entire hinge is dependent on a plastic piece about 1/8" thick.

  That sounds about right to me for a $250 binocular.

There's a lot of reasons some binoculars cost $1,500-2,000, and its not all profit.

[Elknut1]

You will have no issues, Vortex will take care of you! We've had several optics sent back that were basically destroyed. Here's one that was torn up by a bear that broke into a tent & tore them up good, a new pair was issued no questions asked.

  Here's a photo of them!

  ElkNut1

[Special T]

Lol now thats a pic/story of customer service!

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[coop2424]

I think they have a display case of destroyed binos and the story behind them at their corp office from what I have read before..  They will take care of you and that's why I but them and love the glass for price.

[kentrek]

Fragile ??  I do not think any binos were designed to be deliberately dropped off a cliff ...looks to me they bounced off some rocks , which is no guarantee for anything to survive !!  Lmao

They were inside a large pack surrounded with clothing/sleeping bag etc. smugly packed away.


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You hunt with your binos smugly packed away ? 

If you really look at the design it is pretty clear that the integrity of the entire hinge is dependent on a plastic piece about 1/8" thick.

  That sounds about right to me for a $250 binocular.

There's a lot of reasons some binoculars cost $1,500-2,000, and its not all profit.

  bean is spot on

[Oh Mah]

Have heard nothing but good things from Vortex CS,What i want to hear is how good is the glass really for the dollar?Will they put points on a deer @800 yards?

[CarbonHunter]

While I agree that a good warranty is a must in the optics industry, I am not certain I could support issuing a new pair for your issue.

That's my take.

Here's an analogy, I buy a brand new Martin bow, I am crossing a drainage with a shale slide and I loose my footing.  The bow takes a tumble, (a bad one) and both limbs are destroyed.  Does Martin cover this? 

Sounds like a helluva stretch to me.......

Let us know what Vortext tells you.

Martin might not warranty your broken limbs but Bowtech, Elite and others will. That is why people walk right by manufactures that don't offer these warranties and pay a little more for products that are covered by accidents. Covering accidents like these helps Vortex sell more products than any amount of commercial could ever do.

[JDHasty]

My guess is that this is how this will play out:

Vortex will replace the binocular.

So would Swarovski or Leupold.

But should they?  That's not my call to make, it is up to their marketing team.  Will replacing them pay off down the road is the question that Vortex will consider and my guess is they will say: yes it will.

I have told Swarovski and Leupold and Vortex: invoice me for cost of repairs and shipping and can't ever remember paying for any repair from any of the three.  I have paid for alterations to rifle scopes at Burris & Leupold, but can't ever remember paying for any repair to any optical equipment even when I insisted that I pay for damage that was due to my stupidity. 

The lone exception was repairs to old Weavers after Weaver El Paso folded, but that was long ago and the company wasn't even around any longer.

I don't have any personal experience with down market product from Vortex, but my kid dismantled a Viper binocular and Vortex just seemed to get a good chuckle out of it. 

They flat out refused to bill me for their time and the cost of return shipping.  They are a "sister company" to Eagle Optics and I have been doing business with Eagle Optics for decades and Vortex for ten and if there is anything they can do for a customer it is my experience that they do it gleefully.

[huntingbaldguy]

You will have no issues, Vortex will take care of you! We've had several optics sent back that were basically destroyed. Here's one that was torn up by a bear that broke into a tent & tore them up good, a new pair was issued no questions asked.

  Here's a photo of them!

  ElkNut1

He didn't want to be glassed.  lol

[Stein]

Have heard nothing but good things from Vortex CS,What i want to hear is how good is the glass really for the dollar?Will they put points on a deer @800 yards?

The $200 pair will not.  Dollar for dollar, I don't think they can be beat by anyone but they do face the same reality everyone else does.  You simply can't build a $200 pair of binos that is world class glass.

[Gamblin Guy]

Considered starting a new thread regarding my recent experience with Vortex CS but since this one is still fairly current I will add on.

I had a 3 year old pair of 10x42 Talons I brought with me to central Montana for an elk hunt.  Sunday morning the left side wouldnt focus, I am on day 2 of a 9 day hunt.  My buddy lives in 75 miles south so after a couple of days of above average temps (close to 70 degrees on sunday in camp) we head to his place for a couple days to look for a deer for an older gentleman I brought with me.  Monday about 12:15 I talked to Stephanie at Vortex and told her what was going on.  There is a sport shop in town that carries Vortex, she calls to see if they have a new pair and calls me back within 5 minutes.  I am instructed to go to the local store and I am handed a brand new pair of Talon 10x42's, no questions asked.  I had a new pair within 20 minutes of talking with her and she was overnighting a replacement pair to the local shop so he would not be out of stock. 

There arent very many companies that will bend over backwards for their customers like Vortex, I have been very happy with the glasses.  Yeah....they arent Swaro's or Zeiss and didn't cost me 2k....but I dont think I would have been able to find a replacement pair of those in a small town in central Montana in the middle of my hunt.  They have gained a customer here.....

[buckandbullminingco]

While I agree that a good warranty is a must in the optics industry, I am not certain I could support issuing a new pair for your issue.

That's my take.

Here's an analogy, I buy a brand new Martin bow, I am crossing a drainage with a shale slide and I loose my footing.  The bow takes a tumble, (a bad one) and both limbs are destroyed.  Does Martin cover this? 

Sounds like a helluva stretch to me.......

Let us know what Vortext tells you.

Martin might not warranty your broken limbs but Bowtech, Elite and others will. That is why people walk right by manufactures that don't offer these warranties and pay a little more for products that are covered by accidents. Covering accidents like these helps Vortex sell more products than any amount of commercial could ever do.

Mathews warrantied my dads 1998  solo cam when his limb broke. no qustions asked.  had a new one 3 days later.

[JDHasty]

My Excalibur Matrix 355 had a limb tip failure issue.  Limb tip and string replaced w/in a week and no return shipping cost and absolutely no questions asked regarding how the limb tip failure occurred. 

I just don't have any experience w/sporting goods manufacturers who are not a class act and I ran a very large hunting and shooting department for three years.  I suppose they are out there, but I certainly have no experience with them. 

What I will say is dealing with Nikon regarding accessories for my daughters' Field Microscope and dealing with Nikon on camera equipment is absolutely a nightmare, but their North American Sports Optics people have always been good.

[pianoman9701]

To the OP: What was the result?

[acnewman55]

I sent the binos in with a printed warranty form. Got an automated email about 7 days after delivery confirming that the item had been received and listing current repair lead times.

So far it appears they are treating it as any other normal warranty repair.

On the warranty form you include with your shipment, there is no space to explain how the damage occurred, only what is wrong with the item. Nobody followed up to ask how the binos were snapped into two pieces.

This is a true "no questions asked" warranty.  I'll post again when the binos are returned, but it appears they will be repaired under warranty as we all expected.


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[pianoman9701]

Cool beans!

[ghosthunter]

I just watched a infomercial from them last night. Because I am shopping for a pair of Binos.
It showed them reading customer repair letters and posting them on a wall.
Swearing Life Tiem coverage no matter how the damage occurred.

[acnewman55]

Well nobody ever really doubted them. My brand new pair of Diamondbacks arrived today.



The eye cups seem to be mounted using a new system with a much more positive rotation to them than my older model.

Very happy with the Vortex brand - very unlikely to purchase binos from another brand after this experience. Vortex has your back!


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[lokidog]

   I wish they would make a rangefinding binocular.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Send them a product idea.

[pd]

Considered starting a new thread regarding my recent experience with Vortex CS but since this one is still fairly current I will add on.

I had a 3 year old pair of 10x42 Talons I brought with me to central Montana for an elk hunt.  Sunday morning the left side wouldnt focus, I am on day 2 of a 9 day hunt.  My buddy lives in 75 miles south so after a couple of days of above average temps (close to 70 degrees on sunday in camp) we head to his place for a couple days to look for a deer for an older gentleman I brought with me.  Monday about 12:15 I talked to Stephanie at Vortex and told her what was going on.  There is a sport shop in town that carries Vortex, she calls to see if they have a new pair and calls me back within 5 minutes.  I am instructed to go to the local store and I am handed a brand new pair of Talon 10x42's, no questions asked.  I had a new pair within 20 minutes of talking with her and she was overnighting a replacement pair to the local shop so he would not be out of stock. 

There arent very many companies that will bend over backwards for their customers like Vortex, I have been very happy with the glasses.  Yeah....they arent Swaro's or Zeiss and didn't cost me 2k....but I dont think I would have been able to find a replacement pair of those in a small town in central Montana in the middle of my hunt.  They have gained a customer here.....

This is a great story.  We are always told that 1,000 positive reviews have equal weight to 1 negative review.  In your case, this carries much more weight with me.