Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Holy Crap Leica!

I've been bad, somehow I've managed to scratch both ocular lens on my Leica Trinovids, 8x32. Now that hunting season is in a lull I went ahead and sent them in for repair. Talked to the rep this morning, $852 repair bill. Of course I explained that I thought that was a tad high and they agreed to lower the repair cost by 20%. Whoopee-do, $682 to replace two lens. They are returning them as received.

I get some flare off the scratches in the exact right lighting conditions but am certain I will learn to live with it.

Yowza!!! That sucks!!!

I bought some Swaros 8x30 this past fall that loomed like chit, sent them in and they look like new. 0.00 charge

Mine are gray market, purchased for about half of retail if I recall correctly, from one of the New York camera stores - NOT Camera Land. I attempted to register with Leica and that is when I learned of the issue - but should have known something was up when I paid so little. I don't know how they would have treated me different if I had paid the full retail price - suspect they are spanking the gray market buyer.

Sorry to read this, those repair prices are outrageous!
Therein lies some of the problem with Leica lately.
Inconsistent on all of their repair pricing in my experience.

The people they ream the most are THEIR RETAIL BUYERS.
I purchased a spotter a couple of years ago from a private party, it was new old stock. The knobs turned hard so I sent it in. Free scope exchange no questions asked to me as a second owner--with no warranty.

I purchased another from a different seller--same problem. I sent it back to the seller to have it handled under his warranty and they reamed him! Trivial charges for lubrication, adjustment etc. and they hit him hard on shipping.
No rhyme or reason to their billing.

I'm wondering if they have a new warranty manager and policy to try and make more money on repair work.
They certainly have overpriced all of their goods these days.

Unless it's demo goods or 'used', Leica won't see the light of day in my safe, and it's unfortunate, I'm a huge fan and I've defended their warranty service.

Yeah - recently sent in Geovids for some repair. I believe a part of eyepiece needed to be replaced, and they were goin to replace eyecups and clean/lubricate things, nitrogen purge, etc. The eyepiece on the left side was not functioning correctly and was hard to turn/focus.

I received a bill for close to $200 and when I called them they told me I was not the original owner but they would discount me the price of repair. I assured them I was the original owner and they told me not in their computer. After some debating, and doing some work to show that I was the original owner, I got it straightened out. They did the repairs under warranty and should be heading back to me any day. So, kind of a pain but it was an honest mistake and I do like the leica products.

As for other companies and their warranty - Swarovski has been the best. I had a rangefinder have an electronic malfunction where it would lock up. You could pull the battery to reset it and it would work for a while, but would sooner or later do it again. When I called Swarovski about it they got my address and told me a new unit was on the way and to please ship the faulty one back.

And Zeiss, they will stand by their product but it may be months before you get your gear back as some of the repairs need to go to Germany. And, they will work with you through the inconviences and do what they can to make things right.

These stories I've heard about Leica CS/warranty is the very reason I have never bought one of their products. I know they make nice stuff, but that's way too much of a pain for what those products cost.

You bought a Leica with no warranty in the USA for a discounted price so I wouldn't complain about having to pay for the repair, although the repair cost does seem a wee bit high!

Have you thought of sending them back to Europe to be repaired where the warranty is valid?

I love my Leica 8x32's, thats for sure, but for this reason I'd have to get a heck of a deal to ever go with Leica again. I read all to many reports such as this. I hope I'm not the next.

Didn't know that was an option. Have you or do you know how to proceed with this? I guess I could Google up a European contact but my German is limited to an occasional, 'ya,ya'.

With the prices Leica commands for their products, no customer should ever be screwed over, original owner or not. There are Chinese binocs with better warranties. That's pitiful. That's why Leica will always be the minor leagues compared to Swaro.

Thats's bad business. I sent a pair of EL's to Swarovski a few weeks back to replace an ocular that chipped. $50 total, I thought it more than a fair price and good business.

Leica charged me $40 for a replacement lens cap - the one piece plastic cap that can't cost them more than 40 cents to mold. Now if I had only kept the cap on at all times I wouldn't be in this mess.

Surely not.

Why would any manufacturer repair any product that was damaged due to mis use? Only when something fails under normal use should it be remedied. You said "I've managed to scratch" the ocular lenses, how is this the fault of Leica and why should they repair or replace without charge?

TG

Yep. well said.

To be fair, I called Leica *today*, and spoke with parts/repair and told them I needed a set of objective covers for my ultravid 10X42's (if these bincs have one minor annoyance it is the rubber objective covers fall off of barrel orings) and they are sending a pair--gratis.
The service guy never even asked if I was original owner (I am not).

Like I said earlier in this thread, their inconsistency is the problem.

There are still Leica products that I would rather have over any other, like their televid scopes--especially the angled 62mm apo model.
It is arguably the best high country spotter ever made...better, lighter glass than any other. And I have had the best of the big three (not the atx), in one place at one time to compare.

It's called customer service.

I guess if you wreck your truck ford or chev should repair? What is the difference? Nothing. That has nothing to due with CS.

See my posting above.

Have no clue why they are so inconsistent in their policies.

I called today and my free 10X42 caps will be here next tueday per Leica.

Go ahead and spend your money on optics manufacturers that screw you on warranty work. I'll continue to buy Leupold and Swarovski, and have no worries. FWIW, they have both charged me for things I've broke - but it was quite reasonable. Some of these Leica warranty prices seems pretty out of line.