I've been fan of Zeiss equipment for a while. My spotting scope is a 15-45x65 angled Diascope. I bought it used because the warranty said it was Lifetime and transferable and I've heard great stories about their service from friends and relatives. And I also owned a zeiss rangefinder before and really liked it. I've recommended Zeiss products to friends throughout the years some of which ended up purchasing Zeiss products.
The spotting scope worked flawlessly for the last 6 years often very in harsh conditions. During my recent elk hunt, however, the focusing knob stopped working. The timing was unfortunate but I wasn't worried. I sent it in to get fixed thinking that for sure it would be covered by the warranty.
It wasn't.
They said that the main tube had been tampered with and that I'd have to pay $595 to have it fixed. I have not tampered with the main tube and since it's been working fine for the last 6 years I doubt that the person I bought it from had either.
Once I was emailed the notice that I had to pay for the repair, I called customer service. Carrie was the person I initially spoke with at Zeiss. She was really nice. She said maybe I can talk to the manager to see if there was anything he could do.
His name is Everett Shurman. He wasn't as nice. The conversation started out cordially then eventually devolved. My point was that if they weren't going to honor the stated "lifetime warranty" then they shouldn't offer the warranty which misleads people. I definitely wouldn't have bought it if it were not for the stated lifetime transferrable warranty.
At one point he stated that if I wanted an iron clad warranty then purchase a Vortex. Then he added some other no so nice statements about Vortex. I have nothing against Vortex so I won't share them. After I told him I'd share my experience online and that particular statement about Vortex's warranty, the conversation got even more animated.
After some back and forth, that's really how it ended. They won't repair it and I'll never buy another Zeiss product.
If you are considering buying anything Zeiss please take my experience into account.
If posts like this arn't allowed, please let me know and I'll remove it.
Exact same situation was reported over on Rokslide, the flat brim brigade a couple of months ago. That guy had much the same result as you have reported. Zeiss needs to either take out the word "lifetime" from their warranty policy, add some asterisks, or something instead of letting honest customers find out the hard way they are getting screwed.
I wrote off Zeiss a long time ago when we had an 85T FL spotter's focus mechanism break, spinning freely. They finally agreed to fix it in spite of fighting against their own written "lifetime warranty". They finally returned it fixed over 7 months later. Screw a bunch of Zeiss.....they must have been reading the old Leica CS playbook.
Odd because of the similarity or odd because they are breaking down and Zeiss isn't standing by their warranty?
What was the alleged tampering?
Sounds like business as usual in Zeiss-land. An 8x56 Victory binocular debacle is still painful. -Al
plumbum.... they didn't say actually.
You can always tell a German, but you can't tell them much.
plumbum.... they didn't say actually.
Well if you feel like it, ask them what the exact tampering was and their evidence for it, and do so in writing. Ask for a response in writing, because you will need that when you sue them in small claims court.
If they refuse, have a repair shop fix it, state that there was no "tampering", and sue Zeiss for the bill. Hard to imagine a court not granting you relief.
a shame to hear this. Zeiss has been nothing but super for us. Paid very little to have lenses replaced in a pair of worn out binoculars. It did take about a year to get it done but we plan ahead.
They have replaced 2 worn out scopes over the years. Both times they did not have the exact scope on hand so upgraded a bit with the replacement.
Its a real shame to hear of bad customer service from anyone. I've not ever had a rude conversation with them either.
We work our gear hard and they have been responsive.
I had s similar experience about five years ago with Zeiss. None of their products exist in this home after that experience! Look on the bright side. Others make as good or better products, and honor their warranty. Their products are easily sold, P.T. was correct!
Just when I was thinking about getting my first Zeiss scope. Looks like I'll continue with Leupold.
You can always tell a German, but you can't tell them much.
My dad was just like that, except with a Texas accent.
Contact Barton Dobbs. Nuff said.
You can always tell a German, but you can't tell them much.
My dad was just like that, except with a Texas accent.
Fredericksburg area?
Well ….
I love zeiss but it’s hard not to appreciate the vortex warranty. I dropped a pair of diamondback binoculars out of my climber 25 feet up. Needless to say, they were busted up. I had a new pair 5days later , no questions asked!
Sounds odd to me. 2 yrs. ago I had a 25 yr old Zeiss Conquest MC 3x9 that quit holding a zero. Sent it in to them, and within a week they message me that the scope was not repairable and out of production so they were sending me a new Conquest V4 4x12 to replace it. Received the scope in about 6 days. Zeiss is AOK and #1 here!
Sounds odd to me. 2 yrs. ago I had a 25 yr old Zeiss Conquest MC 3x9 that quit holding a zero. Sent it in to them, and within a week they message me that the scope was not repairable and out of production so they were sending me a new Conquest V4 4x12 to replace it. Received the scope in about 6 days. Zeiss is AOK and #1 here!
That's been their practice from what I've seen. I even almost bought an older Diavari 3-9 for $250.00 because it has clouded glass. Knowing if I send it in, they would send me a $750 V4 3-12x44. It seemed dishonest, so I still have not bought that old Diavari.
I will say that I sent in an older, like new, Conquest 4.5-14x44 that had a blemish on the inside of the lens, and it took way longer to get my replacement scope, than it should have. I was dealing with the technician that actually inspected the scope. He said they did not have any V4's with the #20 reticle, but they would send me a different scope with a different reticle. I chose the #94 reticle, and it took 6 months for them to send the new scope to me. That may be part of the reason I don't buy the old Diavari as well. This was last year, so my experience was not stellar. I'm wondering if they are going downhill fast?
I've been fan of Zeiss equipment for a while. My spotting scope is a 15-45x65 angled Diascope. I bought it used because the warranty said it was Lifetime and transferable and I've heard great stories about their service from friends and relatives. And I also owned a zeiss rangefinder before and really liked it. I've recommended Zeiss products to friends throughout the years some of which ended up purchasing Zeiss products.
The spotting scope worked flawlessly for the last 6 years often very in harsh conditions. During my recent elk hunt, however, the focusing knob stopped working. The timing was unfortunate but I wasn't worried. I sent it in to get fixed thinking that for sure it would be covered by the warranty.
It wasn't.
They said that the main tube had been tampered with and that I'd have to pay $595 to have it fixed. I have not tampered with the main tube and since it's been working fine for the last 6 years I doubt that the person I bought it from had either.
Once I was emailed the notice that I had to pay for the repair, I called customer service. Carrie was the person I initially spoke with at Zeiss. She was really nice. She said maybe I can talk to the manager to see if there was anything he could do.
His name is Everett Shurman. He wasn't as nice. The conversation started out cordially then eventually devolved. My point was that if they weren't going to honor the stated "lifetime warranty" then they shouldn't offer the warranty which misleads people. I definitely wouldn't have bought it if it were not for the stated lifetime transferrable warranty.
At one point he stated that if I wanted an iron clad warranty then purchase a Vortex. Then he added some other no so nice statements about Vortex. I have nothing against Vortex so I won't share them. After I told him I'd share my experience online and that particular statement about Vortex's warranty, the conversation got even more animated.
After some back and forth, that's really how it ended. They won't repair it and I'll never buy another Zeiss product.
If you are considering buying anything Zeiss please take my experience into account.
If posts like this arn't allowed, please let me know and I'll remove it.
I Call BULLSHÏT.
Maybe Pstimacberg sounded like a less than favorable German name.
Thats unfortunate. I will stay clear of zeiss. Ill continue with swaros. Seems they need to honor their word and not turn into an insurance company denying claims.
i've always had good experience w Zeiss customer service. Ive paid them for some repairs too. Zeiss was always fair with me. A used 6+ year old optic admittedly used in harsh conditions and possibly tampered would most likely NOT be covered by anyones warranty.
You can always tell a German, but you can't tell them much.
I worked with many Germans in the meat business in my early years. The above statement is bang on.
They don't call them "square heads" for nothing.
I have had mostly good experiences with all the Alphas on my glass. Had multiple great experiences with Zeiss in the past, but just had a so-so one recently which surprised me.
I know people have banged on Leica in the past but I just had them go way above what I expected on a used set of binos I bought recently, their service has really improved.
Leupold and Vortex never disappoints as well.
I’ll just say I’ve had above and beyond great experiences in dealing with Zeiss and their warranty, from replacements to loaners.
I’ll just say I’ve had above and beyond great experiences in dealing with Zeiss and their warranty, from replacements to loaners.
It may be more about who you talk to, and how you talk to them??? I know the technician I dealt with was great. His name is Ben. His supervisor was an azzhat though.
I bought a 85MM Diascope brand new back in 2007.
The ocular never fit into the scope body correctly, but the spotting scope was operational and image was fine, so I kept using it.
About 2014, the coarse focus knob quick working. No worries though, still had the fine focus.
The ocular then got what looked liked a pubic hair in the interior lens.
So I packed it up and set it to Zeiss to get the 3 items repaired, mainly getting the interior of all lenses cleaned. And remove that pubic hair.
They set me an email saying the scope could not be repaired, and if I wanted, I could buy their Gavia or whatever for for a reduced price of $3,400. Such a deal……………🙄
I called and spoke to Joe. After a 45 minute “discussion,” he agreed to fix the coarse knob, make the ocular fully connect to the scope body, but not clean the ocular. We argued more, but that was his offer. He shipped it back, with the pubic hair and all.
I will never ever buy a Zeiss anything. Never ever.
i've always had good experience w Zeiss customer service. Ive paid them for some repairs too. Zeiss was always fair with me. A used 6+ year old optic admittedly used in harsh conditions and possibly tampered would most likely NOT be covered by anyones warranty.
And "Tampered" may just be a convenient excuse not to honor a "lifetime" warrantied product that incidentally has no stipulations that harsh conditions will void the warranty. I've seen many of these warranty complaints and for some reason it's always the more expensive models that "somehow" have their warranties voided.
You bought it used and it was tampered with. The seller was dishonest with you, if the seller did not tell you he screwed with it then what did you expect?
You are the first person I have heard have any issue with their customer service. I have never had to send one of their products to them.
I had a 3-9x40 Conquest that had started to fog. I sent it in for repair and they sent me a 3-9x40 Terra. The image quality was better on the Conquest and the eye relief and mounting length were much better too. I sold the Terra and I haven't bought anything Zeiss since then.
I had a 3-9x40 Conquest that had started to fog. I sent it in for repair and they sent me a 3-9x40 Terra. The image quality was better on the Conquest and the eye relief and mounting length were much better too. I sold the Terra and I haven't bought anything Zeiss since then.
You would get a VX4 now if that had happened recently
I have become cynical toward all forms of warranties. They all depend on and are only as good as the vendor's philosophy of customer relations, and commitment. Golden Rule, Rotary Four-Way Test. The warranties themselves are written by lawyers, and full of loopholes. That and "lifetime" depends on the longevity of the company.
Caveat Emptor
I have become cynical toward all forms of warranties. They all depend on and are only as good as the vendor's philosophy of customer relations, and commitment. Golden Rule, Rotary Four-Way Test. The warranties themselves are written by lawyers, and full of loopholes. That and "lifetime" depends on the longevity of the company.
Caveat Emptor
It's pretty easy to google around and find real world experiences about who honors their warranty and who doesn't, and who kind of halfasssed does the job. The list of those who go the extra mile to please their customers is getting very short.
You bought it used and it was tampered with. The seller was dishonest with you, if the seller did not tell you he screwed with it then what did you expect?
You are the first person I have heard have any issue with their customer service. I have never had to send one of their products to them.
Hold on now, Zeiss said it was tampered with, but gave no further info on that, which is a bit suspect to me.
Who would tamper with a spotting scope, and why, in a way that could harm the focus mechanism? What could possibly be gained by "tampering"?
Zeiss may be correct here, but they may not be. On what insufficient facts we have here, I am disinclined to believe Zeiss. If the "tampering" was true, I would have expected more information.
I have been on both sides of the warranty issue, and in denying a warranty request, I would always explain the facts to the customer. I expect the same of others, and I think that comports with most people's business expectations.
I bought a 85MM Diascope brand new back in 2007.
The ocular never fit into the scope body correctly, but the spotting scope was operational and image was fine, so I kept using it.
About 2014, the coarse focus knob quick working. No worries though, still had the fine focus.
The ocular then got what looked liked a pubic hair in the interior lens.
So I packed it up and set it to Zeiss to get the 3 items repaired, mainly getting the interior of all lenses cleaned. And remove that pubic hair.
They set me an email saying the scope could not be repaired, and if I wanted, I could buy their Gavia or whatever for for a reduced price of $3,400. Such a deal……………🙄
I called and spoke to Joe. After a 45 minute “discussion,” he agreed to fix the coarse knob, make the ocular fully connect to the scope body, but not clean the ocular. We argued more, but that was his offer. He shipped it back, with the pubic hair and all.
I will never ever buy a Zeiss anything. Never ever.
Did he asK why in the hell you were trying to look at your di ck with your spotting scope?
I had a 3-9x40 Conquest that had started to fog. I sent it in for repair and they sent me a 3-9x40 Terra. The image quality was better on the Conquest and the eye relief and mounting length were much better too. I sold the Terra and I haven't bought anything Zeiss since then.
You would get a VX4 now if that had happened recently
Yep, and to further that, if he sent the Terra or old POS Diavari like the one I can buy for $250, they would send a V4 of similar power range. Kind of a win win there. As for the 3-9x42 Terra, their glass was just as good as the Conquests I've had.
I have become cynical toward all forms of warranties. They all depend on and are only as good as the vendor's philosophy of customer relations, and commitment. Golden Rule, Rotary Four-Way Test. The warranties themselves are written by lawyers, and full of loopholes. That and "lifetime" depends on the longevity of the company.
Caveat Emptor
It's pretty easy to google around and find real world experiences about who honors their warranty and who doesn't, and who kind of halfasssed does the job. The list of those who go the extra mile to please their customers is getting very short.
Good points. My recent experience was with new home warranty. A total joke, full of exceptions, loopholes for builder. If the house falls down, maybe...
I'm not sure why Vortex gets a bad rap, the ones I have I'm happy with. I bought a used, a 2-7x32 Crossfire II off a local forum, and had the crosshair turn crooked after my second shot. I called Vortex the next day and they said we'll ship you a new scope and a return label to send the broken scope back. I said I bought this scope used, the guy said it doesn't matter, it's covered. I received the new scope in less than a week. Top notch CS in my book.
I'm not sure why Vortex gets a bad rap, the ones I have I'm happy with. I bought a used, a 2-7x32 Crossfire II off a local forum, and had the crosshair turn crooked after my second shot. I called Vortex the next day and they said we'll ship you a new scope and a return label to send the broken scope back. I said I bought this scope used, the guy said it doesn't matter, it's covered. I received the new scope in less than a week. Top notch CS in my book.
The best customer service is the one you never have to use. YMMV
I'm not sure why Vortex gets a bad rap, the ones I have I'm happy with. I bought a used, a 2-7x32 Crossfire II off a local forum, and had the crosshair turn crooked after my second shot. I called Vortex the next day and they said we'll ship you a new scope and a return label to send the broken scope back. I said I bought this scope used, the guy said it doesn't matter, it's covered. I received the new scope in less than a week. Top notch CS in my book.
The best customer service is the one you never have to use. YMMV
That sounds good and all, but every optics seller/maker has a customer service department for a reason......they all break.
I bought a 85MM Diascope brand new back in 2007.
The ocular never fit into the scope body correctly, but the spotting scope was operational and image was fine, so I kept using it.
About 2014, the coarse focus knob quick working. No worries though, still had the fine focus.
The ocular then got what looked liked a pubic hair in the interior lens.
So I packed it up and set it to Zeiss to get the 3 items repaired, mainly getting the interior of all lenses cleaned. And remove that pubic hair.
They set me an email saying the scope could not be repaired, and if I wanted, I could buy their Gavia or whatever for for a reduced price of $3,400. Such a deal……………🙄
I called and spoke to Joe. After a 45 minute “discussion,” he agreed to fix the coarse knob, make the ocular fully connect to the scope body, but not clean the ocular. We argued more, but that was his offer. He shipped it back, with the pubic hair and all.
I will never ever buy a Zeiss anything. Never ever.
Did he asK why in the hell you were trying to look at your di ck with your spotting scope?
Wasn’t looking at my di ck but kinda sorta told Joe he was being one and that Zeiss s ucks if that is how they treat customers who want their optic simply cleaned and repaired with their “lifetime warranty”
Thanks for the info. I was recently looking at a Zeiss scope. Guess I'll pass.
I'm not sure why Vortex gets a bad rap, the ones I have I'm happy with. I bought a used, a 2-7x32 Crossfire II off a local forum, and had the crosshair turn crooked after my second shot. I called Vortex the next day and they said we'll ship you a new scope and a return label to send the broken scope back. I said I bought this scope used, the guy said it doesn't matter, it's covered. I received the new scope in less than a week. Top notch CS in my book.
The best customer service is the one you never have to use. YMMV
That sounds good and all, but every optics seller/maker has a customer service department for a reason......they all break.
Granted, but when when one reads 17,568 times how good Vortex CS is, well.
I've got an Zeiss spotter diascope and an 3x9 Terra riflescope but I'm not planning on purchasing anything in the future from them.
I'm getting to the point where I think it's only worth it if your going Burris, Vortex, Athlon. I can't believe that soemthing as expensive as alpha euro glass and their products can't be serviced and done so at an reasonable rate. It's not worth the privilege of owning if service isn't there.
That type of customer service you received from Zeiss is totally unacceptable. I don't blame you one bit for you removing them from your potential buyers list.
You bought it used and it was tampered with. The seller was dishonest with you, if the seller did not tell you he screwed with it then what did you expect?
You are the first person I have heard have any issue with their customer service. I have never had to send one of their products to them.
Well, if you read the rest of the posts in this thread, you'll find plenty of others who've had issues with Zeiss customer service. Maybe lighten up there Francis...
I’ve got a bunch of Diavari and Victory scopes and a couple victory binocs. Haven’t ever needed their customer service
I bought a 85MM Diascope brand new back in 2007.
The ocular never fit into the scope body correctly, but the spotting scope was operational and image was fine, so I kept using it.
About 2014, the coarse focus knob quick working. No worries though, still had the fine focus.
The ocular then got what looked liked a pubic hair in the interior lens.
So I packed it up and set it to Zeiss to get the 3 items repaired, mainly getting the interior of all lenses cleaned. And remove that pubic hair.
They set me an email saying the scope could not be repaired, and if I wanted, I could buy their Gavia or whatever for for a reduced price of $3,400. Such a deal……………🙄
I called and spoke to Joe. After a 45 minute “discussion,” he agreed to fix the coarse knob, make the ocular fully connect to the scope body, but not clean the ocular. We argued more, but that was his offer. He shipped it back, with the pubic hair and all.
I will never ever buy a Zeiss anything. Never ever.
Did he asK why in the hell you were trying to look at your di ck with your spotting scope?
Wasn’t looking at my di ck but kinda sorta told Joe he was being one and that Zeiss s ucks if that is how they treat customers who want their optic simply cleaned and repaired with their “lifetime warranty”
Ha ha. Good on you..
I'm not sure why Vortex gets a bad rap, the ones I have I'm happy with. I bought a used, a 2-7x32 Crossfire II off a local forum, and had the crosshair turn crooked after my second shot. I called Vortex the next day and they said we'll ship you a new scope and a return label to send the broken scope back. I said I bought this scope used, the guy said it doesn't matter, it's covered. I received the new scope in less than a week. Top notch CS in my book.
The best customer service is the one you never have to use. YMMV
That sounds good and all, but every optics seller/maker has a customer service department for a reason......they all break.
Granted, but when when one reads 17,568 times how good Vortex CS is, well.
You guys both make good points. However, I have some buddies that have had major issues with Vortex, but Vortex keeps them coming back because they are fast with repairs and pretty much no questions asked. I have countless stories I can tell, and I know some of you other guys do as well. I watch my friends, as I do not buy Vortex anything based on their experiences because I don't like for any of my gun related stuff to have issues. Right now I have one buddy that was in the military and worked oversees as a private contractor, he's now a SWAT member. He's on his last Vortex, sadly, because he feels like he's had to send in every damn scope he's bought from them. Now, that is not a great record. The latest one that he is sending in is an expensive Razor HD LHT 4.5-22x50. One that Formid actually tested extensively over on Rokslide, and it failed his test miserably. My buddies scope adjustment likes to move laterally when you fire the rifle. It's very sluggish, when you turn the windage dial, as you look through the scope and adjust for zero. It's my same buddy that let his 3 year old boy carry his Vortex Fury 5000HD's around and the kid dropped them from a height of about a foot and shattered both eye pieces. Vortex fixed those very quickly. It's always no questions asked too. In a way, I like that, especially with a high dollar optic. But if it gives you a sick feeling wondering when your optic is going to fail, no amount of warranty is going to ease that sensation.
Now, he's bringing over a thermal optic for me to install on one of his yote rifles. I'm wondering what manufacture it's going to be???
You bought it used and it was tampered with. The seller was dishonest with you, if the seller did not tell you he screwed with it then what did you expect?
You are the first person I have heard have any issue with their customer service. I have never had to send one of their products to them.
My man…are you NOT reading the other people’s responses on this thread? The OP is hardly the first to have this type of experience with Zeiss. They make some good stuff, but their CS is “okay” at best in the optics world.
Dave
You bought it used and it was tampered with. The seller was dishonest with you, if the seller did not tell you he screwed with it then what did you expect?
You are the first person I have heard have any issue with their customer service. I have never had to send one of their products to them.
My man…are you NOT reading the other people’s responses on this thread? The OP is hardly the first to have this type of experience with Zeiss. They make some good stuff, but their CS is “okay” at best in the optics world.
Dave
Did they buy used spotting scopes that had been tampered with ?
You bought it used and it was tampered with. The seller was dishonest with you, if the seller did not tell you he screwed with it then what did you expect?
You are the first person I have heard have any issue with their customer service. I have never had to send one of their products to them.
Well, if you read the rest of the posts in this thread, you'll find plenty of others who've had issues with Zeiss customer service. Maybe lighten up there Francis...
Did they buy a used spotting scope that had been tampered with? I am referring to the OP's issue which is a spotting scope, not a rifle scope.
Call Doug at Cameraland. He knows people that can help you.
Call Doug at Cameraland. He knows people that can help you.
That would be my advice as well.
I'm not sure why Vortex gets a bad rap, the ones I have I'm happy with. I bought a used, a 2-7x32 Crossfire II off a local forum, and had the crosshair turn crooked after my second shot. I called Vortex the next day and they said we'll ship you a new scope and a return label to send the broken scope back. I said I bought this scope used, the guy said it doesn't matter, it's covered. I received the new scope in less than a week. Top notch CS in my book.
The best customer service is the one you never have to use. YMMV
That sounds good and all, but every optics seller/maker has a customer service department for a reason......they all break.
Granted, but when when one reads 17,568 times how good Vortex CS is, well.
You guys both make good points. However, I have some buddies that have had major issues with Vortex, but Vortex keeps them coming back because they are fast with repairs and pretty much no questions asked. I have countless stories I can tell, and I know some of you other guys do as well. I watch my friends, as I do not buy Vortex anything based on their experiences because I don't like for any of my gun related stuff to have issues. Right now I have one buddy that was in the military and worked oversees as a private contractor, he's now a SWAT member. He's on his last Vortex, sadly, because he feels like he's had to send in every damn scope he's bought from them. Now, that is not a great record. The latest one that he is sending in is an expensive Razor HD LHT 4.5-22x50. One that Formid actually tested extensively over on Rokslide, and it failed his test miserably. My buddies scope adjustment likes to move laterally when you fire the rifle. It's very sluggish, when you turn the windage dial, as you look through the scope and adjust for zero. It's my same buddy that let his 3 year old boy carry his Vortex Fury 5000HD's around and the kid dropped them from a height of about a foot and shattered both eye pieces. Vortex fixed those very quickly. It's always no questions asked too. In a way, I like that, especially with a high dollar optic. But if it gives you a sick feeling wondering when your optic is going to fail, no amount of warranty is going to ease that sensation.
Now, he's bringing over a thermal optic for me to install on one of his yote rifles. I'm wondering what manufacture it's going to be???
Your friends are buffet eaters, as I call them. Give them all they can eat of crap food for $7.99, put a salt block in the middle of the restaurant and they will keep coming back.