Leica Quality/Warranty/Customer Service

[gbflyer]

What has been your experience?

Up until this time, mine has been good. I own 3 of their units. 2 have been returned for internal fogging. 1 was fixed, a rangefinder, the other has been back 3 times, a binocular. They have been “repaired” without issue and returned. This time, trip 3 for the bino, they want to charge me $140 to purge it and “clean as best they can”. The unit is like new, rides around cased in a glove box. I have been going around with their CS people making little headway. I have instructed them at this point to throw it in the dumpster if they cannot warranty or guarantee their products. Unfortunate.

I have had full replacement from Zeiss and Leupold over the years. No questions.

This makes me question any further purchases at Leica. Too bad, I like their glass.

I hope to report back here with a favorable outcome.

 

[AimSmall]

Lots of rough miles on several Leica binos - 1 issue, they handled it.

 

[Rimshot]

What model bino are you having trouble with?

I've only used them once for warranty, but the experience was good. Rangerfinder in the bino wasn't acting right, brand new out of the box. It was a discontinued model I bought on closeout. Took them a little while but they sent me a new and improved model since they couldn't fix it.

 

[gbflyer]

What model bino are you having trouble with?

I've only used them once for warranty, but the experience was good. Rangerfinder in the bino wasn't acting right, brand new out of the box. It was a discontinued model I bought on closeout. Took them a little while but they sent me a new and improved model since they couldn't fix it.

It’s a compact 8x30 that rides in a glove box.

They will not back up their shoddy repair work or warranty as I do not have the original receipt. I would have considered paying for the repair, but it hasn’t been fixed in the 2 previous trips back so I am not warm and fuzzy about a 3rd. The receipt rode in the box 3 times now back for repair but apparently it’s lost. Chicken shit outfit.

 

[Rimshot]

@gbflyer your experience is disappointing. I feel like in general, Euro companies are a lot less customer focused than I'm used to here in the USA. For binos and certain styles of guns, it seems they really have no direct competition.

 

[gbflyer]

@gbflyer your experience is disappointing. I feel like in general, Euro companies are a lot less customer focused than I'm used to here in the USA. For binos and certain styles of guns, it seems they really have no direct competition.

My dad returned an old Zeiss binocular for the same reason. It was obsolete, he had owned for 30 years. Rather than a makeshift repair, Zeiss replaced it no questions asked.

 

[jdemocko]

Coming back from Africa July 2023, I noticed the left plastic eyecup of my 8X32 Geovid Pros had a crack in it. I called the Warranty department and sent them back. The repair took over 7 months to complete. For some reason the part needed was not in stock and they had no idea when it was coming (post Covid supply issues). They did send email status updates and sent me a loaner pair of Geovids. I think they did their best under the circumstances. Any time I called the warranty department they were friendly and helpful.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

I have found it almost impossible to obtain the rubber ring on the eye piece for my Leica APO Televid 65 Spotting Scope. I am now at a year trying to find this part. My Spotting Scope is Leica, I have two sets of Leica Geovids, which one of them is the latest 10x30's.
I am now at a stage of considering swapping all them and moving to a different brand.

In the past, I had great service on a pair of Binos that I sent in for a service. Second pair that I sent in came back OK, but far from the first time around.

Anybody have advice?

 

[gbflyer]

To close this out for my experience, I contacted Doug Paymer at CLNY where the bino was purchased and he dealt directly with his manufacturer’s rep. I received an email today that a proof of purchase has been sourced and Leica CS will now repair my bino.

They could have saved themselves a mad customer, and a very expensive extra trip to Alaska via UPS if they would have just fixed it to start with.

I don’t like it when I have to be an asshole, at times I find myself quite suited for the task unfortunately.

 

[steve white]

What has been your experience?

Up until this time, mine has been good. I own 3 of their units. 2 have been returned for internal fogging. 1 was fixed, a rangefinder, the other has been back 3 times, a binocular. They have been “repaired” without issue and returned. This time, trip 3 for the bino, they want to charge me $140 to purge it and “clean as best they can”. The unit is like new, rides around cased in a glove box. I have been going around with their CS people making little headway. I have instructed them at this point to throw it in the dumpster if they cannot warranty or guarantee their products. Unfortunate.

I have had full replacement from Zeiss and Leupold over the years. No questions.

This makes me question any further purchases at Leica. Too bad, I like their glass.

I hope to report back here with a favorable outcome.

If it was like new and riding around in its box, what was wrong with it that made you send it in? Curious. Most folks over on BirdForum just rage about their Leica binoculars, and they are anal about their binos.

 

[Scott CWO]

What has been your experience?

Up until this time, mine has been good. I own 3 of their units. 2 have been returned for internal fogging. 1 was fixed, a rangefinder, the other has been back 3 times, a binocular. They have been “repaired” without issue and returned. This time, trip 3 for the bino, they want to charge me $140 to purge it and “clean as best they can”. The unit is like new, rides around cased in a glove box. I have been going around with their CS people making little headway. I have instructed them at this point to throw it in the dumpster if they cannot warranty or guarantee their products. Unfortunate.

I have had full replacement from Zeiss and Leupold over the years. No questions.

This makes me question any further purchases at Leica. Too bad, I like their glass.

I hope to report back here with a favorable outcome.

Unfortunately, I have had some of the same problems with a set of rangefinder binoculars. Sent back three times. I don’t buy Leica anymore. Swarovski Customer Service puts Leica to shame!

 

[gbflyer]

If it was like new and riding around in its box, what was wrong with it that made you send it in? Curious. Most folks over on BirdForum just rage about their Leica binoculars, and they are anal about their binos.

Pull it out of the glove box and can’t see through it due to internal fog. 3X same one.