Vortex Warranty Put to the Test

[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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