Leica Customer Service....

[Dosh]

Thanks for the follow up, Leica's indifference was not expected. If you add the extremly unreasonable repair fees to the original cost Leica's cost to own is by far too pricey compared to their equal competition. Looks like I sell my Leica product now while it still works. Then I'll buy from a manufacturer that is honorable. Wasn't that impressed anyway!

 

[jsthntn247]

I was strongly considering one of their discontinued models that's on sale a Europotics right now. .... not any more

 

[vpexp]

My experience with Leica service has also been terrible. I will never purchase another Leica product. Their service costs and exterely long lead times for repairs basically make their products disposable when a problem is encountered. Swarovski customer on the other hand has been fantastic. Recently I brought back 3 pairs of Swaro binoculars from Zimbabwe for my PH and his trackers. These Binos had been used in harsh conditions almost daily for several years and each of them had serious problems. Swarovski fixed all of them in less than 3 weeks and restored them to as new condition. The only charge was for one missing part. The PH could not believe it when he saw them. Who do you think he will tell his clients to purchase optics from.

 

[Ingwe]

Hey Fellas OP here again.

I was tied up today but I managed to get a call in to Leica. I spoke to someone there who I won't identify but essentially they told me that they knew that Leica has ****** customer service but that it comes from the HQ in Germany. The representative was awesome to speak to, very sympathetic, helpful, likable, and honest regarding my issue but there wasn't much that he/she could do about it from where they sit.

Again, I really liked and connected with this representative, and Leica is VERY lucky to have this person as an employee!

I was given 3 options....none were great.

1) Return my Geovids

2) Pay the $800 bucks and wait several months since the Geovids are made and repaired in Portugal!!

3) They do not offer a refurbished product, which I asked for, but I was offered a trade-in towards a NEW pair of Geovids. This last option sounded great until I was informed that the trade-in value for my 10x42 Non-HD Geovids would only be approx. $500 bucks! Damm!

So I am back to square one it seems....cough up another couple of GRAND PLUS, and then think about that on top of what I paid for my own Geovids!

I haven't decided on what to do yet but its a ****** situation.

We hunters/shooters make up the bulk of Geovid buyers....isn't Leica aware of this?

Now that Swarovski and Zeiss have come out with their own rangefinding binocular line, I will say that after this situation is resolved one way or the other, I will never ever again buy another Leica product!! Not even if the tubes are made of Solid Gold.

Are you paying attention Leica?? Swarovski and Zeiss, you should be smelling blood in the water.

Buyer Beware!!

Hello Fellas,

Final word from Leica today...basically, "F**k You Buddy!"

So again I was told that I had 3 options:

1) Take your stinking Geovids back!

2) Pay us $800 dollars and wait several months for someone in friggin Portugal! to fix them

3) Pay us the MANUFACTURERS SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE for a new set of Geovids, we keep YOUR Geovids, and will give you a MEASLY $500 Bucks for them towards the trade in for your new Geovids!

I asked the rep if she thought that it seemed fair to her that I ALREADY PAID over $2,000 bucks for my Geovids, and had to now choose one of these 3 LOUSY OPTIONS?? I was basically told, "That's the way it is buddy...take it or leave it!"


Trust me fellas, I have no ax to grind with Leica. I loved the Geovids and I was very happy with them until this point. I am only writing this post as a warning to any prospective or currant Leica owners.

I still cannot believe that I was treated this way.....I am so put off by Leica, and equally ****ed that I am out of allot of money!

I would NEVER EVER buy anything from Leica again....what's the point?? At some point in ANY products lifetime (except for maybe a crowbar?) it is going to break or at least need to be serviced. I just want you all to hear first hand how you are going to be treated by Leica!

Even if you are able to get a great deal on a Leica product, it ain't worth it because you are going to pay big time in the end!!

Live and Learn!

 

[FEENIX]

I would like to run this issue by you fellas here to see what you think before I go off the deep end when I call Leica.

I have a pair of Geovids which are about 10 years old so I thought that I would send them back to Leica for service.....this was 12/20/14.

Just today I received an Invoice in the mail which said essentially two words on it, "Heavy Moisture". Then to my shock and surprise, I saw that the service estimate is $800.00!!! That is almost 1/3 the price of brand new Geovids!

Have you guys ever heard of such a thing regarding service or am I off base here?
You can run a Vortex or Leupold over with a truck and they will pretty much fix it for free.

What do you all think of this and if you were me how would you proceed from here?

Thanks for the Rant!!

Found this for what is worth. Sounds like there's a warranty plan/option available during the purchase.

Leica Binocular Warranty, Repair & Service

"A manufacturer's warranty is the tangible expression of their confidence in the product. Martin Cohen"
Lifetime And No-Fault Passport Protection Plans:
A number of people are afraid to invest in an expensive binocular for fear of damaging the binocular; often they have been conditioned by experiences with lesser quality "disposable" models. There are persons who own such instruments and yet do not take them casually to places and environments where they may use them, also for fear of what damage may come to their binocular. Well to give peace of mind we offer the best warranty coverage in the world:

Imagine accidentally dropping our binocular off a balcony, or running over it with a car;
whatever happens the "No-Fault Passport Protection" warranty demands no explanation! Three (3) Year Passport Protection Plan and Limited Lifetime Warranty
From 1 September 2008 to the present:

• For those customers who bought their Leica Duovid, BR/BL ULTRAVID HD, ULTRAVID Compact, Trinovid Compact models, and TELEVID spotting telescopes and eyepieces from Company Seven. This program provides the buyer of our Leica product three year protection from date of purchase against manufacturer defects, functional failures, or accidental damages to the equipment including: water damage or any accident. This plan is applicable only to the original owner of the product, and it is not a transferable warranty. After the three years term of the Passport Protection Plan has expires, the warranty reverts to a Limited Lifetime Warranty against defects in workmanship and materials (described below). The instrument must have the provided Warranty Registration Card completed, signed and returned to Company Seven or Leica within thirty (30) days of the original sale to take effect.
  GEOVID and GEOVID HD binoculars are covered by a five (5) year Warranty against defects in workmanship and materials (described below). This does not cover abuse, impact, or extreme water damage.

Passport Protection Plan and Limited Lifetime Warranty
1 May 2002 to 31 August 2008:

• For those customers who bought their Leica BN and original ULTRAVID BR/BL models from Company Seven we provided a solution for those who fear: the no-fault "Passport Protection" plan*. This program provides the buyer of our Leica binoculars with the confidence to take the binocular where one would normally fear to tread! Simply fill out the enclosed registration information and return it promptly, then the warranty is in effect. The program which originally provided three years of no fault coverage will from now afford the owner a Leica binocular product sold by Company Seven from 1 May 2002 to 31 August 2008 on a lifetime to experience just how rugged, waterproof and shock resistant a premium Leica binocular can be. This is done with the full understanding of the owner that if any harm should come to the binocular, then we will repair it to be as new, or replace it (whatever of the two options is determined to be best) at no cost for the service for the first three years, and after from after three years to life that coverage continues for only a $35 fee to process the claim. Simply return the binocular (or the part of the binocular with the serial number) to either Company Seven, or to any of the world wide Leica service facilities. The owner pays shipping charges to Company Seven, and we return it repaired or replaced!

Limited Lifetime Warranty:
When we assure our customers that they are making a purchase for life we back it up in a tangible manner: in addition to the unique "No-Fault Passport Protection" plans described above for some of our Leica binoculars, all Leica BN ULTRAVID models are backed by a "Limited Lifetime" warranty.
This is the warranty provided with our Leica GEOVID range finding models, our LRF/CRF Rangefinders, and other Leica electronics optics systems. Note, these have never been provided with either of the "Passport Protection" plans described above.
The Limited Lifetime Warranty provisions include:

• The product is warranted against defects in workmanship or material.
• Straps, filters, and carrying cases are excluded from this warranty.
• The plan does not cover loss of the binoculars or damage by fire however, most home owners or renters insurance policies do.
• Recovery is limited to the repair or replacement of the product with the same model.
• If a failed product is discontinued then it may be replaced by a similar model.
• After the first three years from date of sale the coverage continues for life with only a $35 fee due at the time of incident provided by the consumer to process the claim.
• Any such implied warranty of merchant ability and or fitness is for the duration of this warranty.
• This warranty does not obligate Leica Camera Inc. or its representative Company Seven to reimburse the original purchaser or any use of the equipment for any expenses, loss, or incidental or consequential damages which may arise in connection with any use of the equipment.

(SOURCE:Company Seven | Leica or Leitz Binocular Warranty & Repair or Service)

 

[Ingwe]

Sounds like what Swarovski gives you without having to pay for it.

I just bought a pair of Swarovski EL Rangefinder Binoculars.

I am so disgusted with Leica that I will never even consider buying another Leica product ever again.

When I get the time, I am going to post my experiences on every optics related forum that I can find.

 

[jsthntn247]

3g's for something and you expect me to read the fine print and find out the life time warranty advertised is only for certain products. Passport, ***, either fix it or not.

 

[bigngreen]

I for the life of me can't figure out why someone would think their entitled to free service when the product is out of warranty and has not failed due to a parts or workmanship issue.
If I bring my vehicle in to get serviced I fully expect to pay for the service even though it's under warranty, if they find an issue that could be warranty then it gets done under that warranty but I don't expect a lifetime commitment to my personal happiness because I bought a product from a company then used it!!
Then to act like your going to spread it all over the world how you got treated because they didn't service your stuff for free despite it evidently having nothing wrong that would be warrantable, give me a break!!

 

[Ingwe]

I for the life of me can't figure out why someone would think their entitled to free service when the product is out of warranty and has not failed due to a parts or workmanship issue.
If I bring my vehicle in to get serviced I fully expect to pay for the service even though it's under warranty, if they find an issue that could be warranty then it gets done under that warranty but I don't expect a lifetime commitment to my personal happiness because I bought a product from a company then used it!!
Then to act like your going to spread it all over the world how you got treated because they didn't service your stuff for free despite it evidently having nothing wrong that would be warrantable, give me a break!!

Bigngreen,

Thats whats great about free market isn't it?? Buy what you want with your own money. Hey, if getting nailed with a huge bill doesn't bother you then that's just fine. Me on the other hand...I will spend my money on company that stands behind it's product like Swarovski, Vortex, Leupold, Nightforce, etc.

I don't have the kind of cash to pay $2,000 on a product, and then a few years later spend another $800 to have it serviced, when I can pay big once and have the confidence that the manufacturer will repair it for me if something goes wrong.

I saved a LONG TIME to buy those Geovids!

Maybe you have that kind of cash....I don't and I would think that not allot of people here do either.....even if they do, I don't think that they would appreciate paying twice.

As far as, as you say "Spreading it all over the world".....you're damm right that I am going to let my fellow hunters know what to expect from Leica if their $3,000 Geovid **** the bed......I would think that you would be happy that I did....I guess not. Whatever.

I am not telling anyone what to do.....I am simply posting my situation for anyone who want to read it to have a heads up on what to expect from Leica Customer Service.

 

[FEENIX]

I for the life of me can't figure out why someone would think their entitled to free service when the product is out of warranty and has not failed due to a parts or workmanship issue.
If I bring my vehicle in to get serviced I fully expect to pay for the service even though it's under warranty, if they find an issue that could be warranty then it gets done under that warranty but I don't expect a lifetime commitment to my personal happiness because I bought a product from a company then used it!!
Then to act like your going to spread it all over the world how you got treated because they didn't service your stuff for free despite it evidently having nothing wrong that would be warrantable, give me a break!!

Agreed!

 

[Ingwe]

Feenix,

I saw your earlier post regarding your Leica rangefinder. If you like your Leica then I am happy for you....just hope that it doesn't break!

I stated the reason for my original post....people can take it or leave it....it's just one mans experience/opinion.

Best of luck to you.

 

[FEENIX]

Feenix,

I saw your earlier post regarding your Leica rangefinder. If you like your Leica then I am happy for you....just hope that it doesn't break!

I stated the reason for my original post....people can take it or leave it....it's just one mans experience/opinion.

Best of luck to you.

Likewise, cheers!

As Rhian noted above, if your warranty coverage has "NOT" expired and the service you are being charged is part of the warranty, then by all means you have every right to do what your doing if they are not honoring the warranty as promised ... that's all we're saying.

Found this on Optics Planet site too >>> http://www.opticsplanet.com/leica-passport-warranty.html

Yes, I am very pleased with my Leica rangefinder and has served me very well thus far. And if and when I need repair(s) beyond its warranty coverage, I'd me more than happy to pay my share to bring it back to spec if that is the route I choose at the time ... more than likely, I'll replace it with something newer ... I don't expect it to last a lifetime (esp. the electronic parts) but if it does great !!!

Good luck!

 

[TXshooter]

This is why I buy Swarovski. I have cracked two lenses and more and they are always fixed promptly. I even like to send them in during the off. Season to get cleaned. That is actually about a $100 but they look brand new every time. Believe me my binos take a beating during season. I have three pairs one that is over 15 years old and swaro is still taking care of me.

 

[FEENIX]

This is why I buy Swarovski. I have cracked two lenses and more and they are always fixed promptly. I even like to send them in during the off. Season to get cleaned. That is actually about a $100 but they look brand new every time. Believe me my binos take a beating during season. I have three pairs one that is over 15 years old and swaro is still taking care of me.

lightbulbIf I can afford it, I too will do the same as you. That's the way to do it. lightbulb