Nightforce Customer Service

Wow! I am blown away by Vortex! That is awesome. I do not own a Vortex, but I will own one in the future just because of this post. I do own some NF's and though they did nothing wrong it is sad to see they were no help whatsoever.
Dang Trappernewt it seems a lot of folks didn't get your message. Well I just wanna say how sorry I am for your loss and I really appreciate you taking the time to try and help us all out while you are still dealing with this tragedy. I did not know about Vortex or have I thought much about my insurance policy dealing with my gear. I for one will be better off because of your post.
 
Sorry for you family and all you lost, as well as the memories, pictures, and sentimental items that are impossible to replace. I will certainly be looking in to some additional insurance for my collection.
I was trying to get a front Tenabrex cover from NF that broke at the hinge, the mount was still on the objective but the pin came out of the hinge. They directed me to Amazon for $50 to get one, was hoping for a little love but no go. Called Vortex to get a couple extra tripod QD shoes for my different spotters, they sent 2 for free in a big box. I didn't open it for a week but wondered why such a big box. They sent 2 free QD shoes, a hat and a shirt. I do not own any Vortex optics, only a tripod but I will try to support their company if they have something I want. Swarovski has also gone over the top when I have sent something in for damage repair.
 
Hello Ryan,
Thank you for contacting Nightforce Optics Customer Service.
I am very sorry to hear of this tragedy, I hope everyone involved is ok. Unfortunately heat like that usually destroys the internals of the optics and there is typically no repair for these scopes. Our warranty does not cover damage like this, so sadly there is little we can do to restore your optics.

Please feel free to contact us with any further questions or concerns.

Respectfully

Technical Support, Customer Service #6
Nightforce Optics
336 Hazen Lane, Orofino, Idaho 83544
(208) 476-9814 EXT. 3
(208) 476-9817
My take is they know their product cannot withstand the temps from a fire. They know from their own engineering it cannot be repaired under any circumstance. As result, they gave an honest answer which is sometimes hard to get from any manufacturer. Sometimes an honest answer is not what you want to hear. They have to provide customer service which I believe they did with civility and professionalism. Sending it in for a repair they know is not possible is not in anyone's best interest. I prefer a straight forward crystal clear reply like theirs.
 
I have 6 Nightforce NX8 and 1 NXS that were on rifles inside gun safes in a total loss house fire. I asked if there was anything they could do to restore or refurb them. This is the reply I got. Not sure how I feel about it.


Hello Ryan,
Thank you for contacting Nightforce Optics Customer Service.
I am very sorry to hear of this tragedy, I hope everyone involved is ok. Unfortunately heat like that usually destroys the internals of the optics and there is typically no repair for these scopes. Our warranty does not cover damage like this, so sadly there is little we can do to restore your optics.

Please feel free to contact us with any further questions or concerns.

Respectfully

Technical Support, Customer Service #6
Nightforce Optics
336 Hazen Lane, Orofino, Idaho 83544
(208) 476-9814 EXT. 3
(208) 476-9817








Vortex responded with this….

Hello Mr. Wilson,
Send all optics you have that are damaged to us. Compile a list (for correct weights) and we will send you a prepaid shipping label. Repair, replacement and upgrades if needed are on us. We are very sorry to hear about your fire. Please send us the sizes of your family and we will ship out some shirts for you. Let us know…thanks.
First I'm extremely sorry for your loss, I can't even pretend to understand what you're going through.
I also appreciate you taking the time to post your lessons learned about insurance etc.

Now I will say this and I don't care if it gets me flamed by the fan boys..
NF customer service is pure garbage, I've dealt with them a few times and it was never a good experience.
One fellow Idahoan had to take them to small claims court to get a faulty NX8 fixed!
I live within an hour of their headquarters, but I refuse to give them any more of my business.
 
The responses are both what I would expect from each company. the Vortex service and warranty is their cornerstone. NF did miss a great opportunity to both display a little humanity and reward a loyal customer. The least they could have done is looked at the scopes, they were in a safe. Maybe destroyed, maybe not completely. That would have also verified that yes, this is a great customer that has spent alot of money with us. He also probably associates with other high end shooters. With all the samples, promos, etc. they could easily comp a scope or two from a program or refurb. That would help a great customer get a fraction back. It would also make pub like this a selling point versus a black mark, even though they did nothing wrong. I suppose they don't want to set a precedent, but they did miss a chance to do something good for a great customer and probably the bottom line without a big outlay.
 
OP, Very sorry for the house fire & loss, but it a blessing all family members are all ok. I am curious why the rifle builders get a 'pass' on asking them if there is anything that they can do with the fire damaged rifles? I would bet a dollar to a donut they would tell you exactly what NF told you. I think NF responded like any reasonable business would. It appears that NF lets the performance / reliability of their scopes speak for themselves, while Vortex has a totally different business model. We consumers can decide which company to spend our money with.
As a side note, it is my understanding that pretty much every consumer 'fire rated' safe is pretty much b.s. The temps in a house fire are too hot for too long for these fire rated safes to be able to protect what's inside. I learned this after I bought my 'fire rated' safe. If the heat is too hot for a rifle barreled action, it is way too hot for an aluminum scope body and the internals. NF most likely doesn't have employees available to be messing around with burned up rifle scopes trying to salvage a part / piece from them.

I hope your insurance company comes through for you and your family.
 
I have 6 Nightforce NX8 and 1 NXS that were on rifles inside gun safes in a total loss house fire. I asked if there was anything they could do to restore or refurb them. This is the reply I got. Not sure how I feel about it.


Hello Ryan,
Thank you for contacting Nightforce Optics Customer Service.
I am very sorry to hear of this tragedy, I hope everyone involved is ok. Unfortunately heat like that usually destroys the internals of the optics and there is typically no repair for these scopes. Our warranty does not cover damage like this, so sadly there is little we can do to restore your optics.

Please feel free to contact us with any further questions or concerns.

Respectfully

Technical Support, Customer Service #6
Nightforce Optics
336 Hazen Lane, Orofino, Idaho 83544
(208) 476-9814 EXT. 3
(208) 476-9817








Vortex responded with this….

Hello Mr. Wilson,
Send all optics you have that are damaged to us. Compile a list (for correct weights) and we will send you a prepaid shipping label. Repair, replacement and upgrades if needed are on us. We are very sorry to hear about your fire. Please send us the sizes of your family and we will ship out some shirts for you. Let us know…thanks.
Sorry for your loss.Good for Vortex,bad fo NF,made my mind up on new scope purchase,was looking at NF,not now.they is other fish in the sea (impoters ships)At least you got an one good answer.Dang corparations.I've been getting crciketts from a Spanish company on a second rusty bore rimfire for a month,I called them again today,got a different fellow today,he promised to help,we'll see.
 
First off, as a career FF of 35 years, I'm very sorry for what you and your family went through. For the fire to be intense enough to damage optics inside a safe, it must have been a significant event. I'm glad you all got out safely, and we're only talking about things.

This is Vortex's policy. In order to support a no-fault replacement policy, they replace a lot of gear that other companies don't. So they likely build that into their pricing model. Obviously they aren't in the red, as they wouldn't be a sustainable business model. They have to make a higher profit per unit ratio in order to pay for the increased reimbursement costs.

Every Vortex customer is likely paying a higher price for unit cost than other scope companies. Only way they can replace so much gear and still keep the doors open.
 
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