Everyone seems to be willing to accept on faith that the op's statement that the scope was actually broken when unboxed is true...there is no factual proof of that, and no way of proving it.
That would imply that Vortex sent out a broken unit with no QC check or oversight...that's highly unlikely.
At this point, the best outcome for the vendor would be to send a return pickup label and refund this guy's money. Otherwise, it will only get worse from here on in if continuing to deal with this customer.
I'm afraid that Doug and the Vortex crew might be too used to dealing with decent folks, but any additional amount of time spent in endlessly trying to fix something that wasn't broken to begin with is going to end up being more costly in the long run.
I would have said, "Sir, I'm sorry you had a problem. I've already sent you out a return label for the item as we speak. When you receive it, have UPS pick it up and we'll issue a full refund immediately."
Gone in 20 seconds...time is money.
Otherwise this guy will have you all dancing around chasing your own tails for months and months because he likes the feeling of power and the attention it gives him.
In my business, I try to sort these types out in the beginning, but that's harder to do on the internet.
Rule #1 of successful business is, "Don't ever be afraid to fire your customers."
