Swarovski customer service

[paultap]

Hi guys

I would just like to comment on Swarovski's excellent customer service, I purchased a used Swarovski Habicht Nova 4 x 32 scope last year which looked to be in very good condition for its age, however I had trouble getting the scope to Zero properly. I contacted Swarovski customer service in Austria via email, they advised me to return the scope to the factory via Swarovski Uk.

It was established by Swarovski that the scope was 34 years old and out of the 30 year warranty period. I was told that the factory would give an estimate of any required repair costs and I would then have the choice to proceed with the repairs or not.

Today I received my scope back directly from the factory, with the required repairs being carried out free of charge!.

Looking at the enclosed paperwork, this involved replacing the reticule in the scope and also a few other associated parts, the scope was cleaned internally and externally, sealed and then tested for its ability to hold zero under recoil. The lenses look like new now also. I am not sure if they have been replaced or not. The labour was listed at 1.5 hours alone...I was very happy to say the least!

I would just like to thank Swarovski for their excellent customer service!

 

[artschool]

that's great to hear.

 

[jackfish]

They are #1 when it comes to customer service. Fantastic company to deal with.

 

[bluesako]

brilliant, wouldnt it be great if all other manufactures were like this, take note others. bs.

 

[Jdt]

They are def second to none

 

[Alantoo]

I am sure everybody realises that Swarovski don't do it for free or out of the kindness of their hearts through...it is just their business model. I agree it is an admirable one.

I have a Swarovski scope and think its great...but you just pay a premium over similarly specified/performing/cost-to-manufacture products in the purchase price, which amounts to an insurance system to pay for the superb ongoing customer care.

No such thing as a free lunch. But a really good thing to put some of their profits towards attracting and maintaining loyal customers.

The 141 views of this thread so far has helped balanced the books between targeted brand building/advertising budgets and the cost of the 1.5 hours repairs.

Alan

 

[nun_hunter]

I am sure everybody realises that Swarovski don't do it for free or out of the kindness of their hearts through...it is just their business model. I agree it is an admirable one.

I have a Swarovski scope and think its great...but you just pay a premium over similarly specified/performing/cost-to-manufacture products in the purchase price, which amounts to an insurance system to pay for the superb ongoing customer care.

No such thing as a free lunch. But a really good thing to put some of their profits towards attracting and maintaining loyal customers.

The 141 views of this thread so far has helped balanced the books between targeted brand building/advertising budgets and the cost of the 1.5 hours repairs.

Alan

Well said, apart from interest free options I don't know why anyone would buy a new Swarovski product. Buy second hand, let someone else take the depreciation (pay for the customer service) while you take advantage of the customer service and the great resale on a second hand optic.

 

[Neoublie1]

Great to hear!

 

[Uncle f]

I’ve had simalar customer service from Swarovski they are the absolute best in the industry by a country mile. I’m really puzzled as to why people would choose another optics supplier.
As for cost I agree to a point that nothing is free but certain Zeiss scopes are more expensive than equivalent Swarovski scopes and Zeiss customer service is horrific.
All my bins and scopes are Swarovski and I shall never even consider another manufacturer. It’s worth going Swarovski for the customer service alone and that excellent piece of mind for an expensive initial purchase

 

[Bukshot]

Well I have to say that my recent experience has been the complete opposite. I normally inspect my new optic purchases pretty thoroughly when I receive them. If you want to see the standard of workmanship on an expensive optic purchase, then take a strong flashlight and shine it into the barrel from the objective end. Have a look into the barrel and check for any dust, debris, flaking coating etc. Bought a pair of Swaro SLC 8x56 and did the flashlight test and found the internal lenses had finger prints and smudge marks on them. Returned the binoculars for a replacement pair which had scratches on the inside of the objective lenses. Spoke to Swaro UK on both occasions who were adamant that I return them to the retailer and ended up wasting £30 on insured postage. In comparison my other optics from Zeiss, Leica, S&B, Meopta were faultless when I received them. Swaro products are not all that they are marketed to be. IMHO they build to a cost not a standard. Would never buy Swarovski again.

 

[Shootgun]

Well I have to say that my recent experience has been the complete opposite. I normally inspect my new optic purchases pretty thoroughly when I receive them. If you want to see the standard of workmanship on an expensive optic purchase, then take a strong flashlight and shine it into the barrel from the objective end. Have a look into the barrel and check for any dust, debris, flaking coating etc. Bought a pair of Swaro SLC 8x56 and did the flashlight test and found the internal lenses had finger prints and smudge marks on them. Returned the binoculars for a replacement pair which had scratches on the inside of the objective lenses. Spoke to Swaro UK on both occasions who were adamant that I return them to the retailer and ended up wasting £30 on insured postage. In comparison my other optics from Zeiss, Leica, S&B, Meopta were faultless when I received them. Swaro products are not all that they are marketed to be. IMHO they build to a cost not a standard. Would never buy Swarovski again.

Completely agree, the same happened with my brand new Z8i scope.
My Zeiss scopes and Leica binos are still immaculate after years of using.

 

[Tarvie]

I can only comment from my own experience; bought a pair of EL 8.5x42 brand new in 2006 for £839. They have been superb - used for stalking and bird watching all over the world from the Highlands of Scotland to South Africa and the Indian Ocean. Recently the dioptre adjustment became stuck and I was unable to adjust the fine focus. I sent them back to Swarovski Austria via Swarovski UK and they arrived back today less than 3 weeks later repaired and totally refurbished with new eyecups and rubber armouring at no cost to me other than the initial posting.

These binoculars are fantastic and I would not be without them however I am not sure I could justify over £1,800 for a new pair today. They were expensive in 2006 but Swarovski products seem to have gone up way in excess of inflation and now seem to me to be extortionate . My experience of their customer service has however been exceptional.

Tarvie

 

[lochty]

#1 for their service - I've returned a number of items over the years and cannot fault them.

 

[paulux]

brilliant, wouldnt it be great if all other manufactures were like this, take note others. bs.

In my experience, Leupold's customer service (based in Germany for French customers) has been great as well, and with a lifetime warranty on their products.

 

[paultap]

So I've had great service on the above 34 year old scope from Swarovski which was purchased second hand and was out of its 30 year warranty.

Not so with this -

Nine years ago I purchased a Simmons white tail classic 3.5-10x50 scope from JS Ramsbottom, for a 44 magnum lever action, these scopes were about £75 at the time, and firearms rated in the states. They were also advertised with a warranty which was ether 10 or 30 years, (I can't quite recall now), although it has a limited lifetime warranty in the states.

I mainly shot the rifle open sighted so hardly ever used the scope ( I would say perhaps 6 times in 9 years) and then mainly with 44 special Ammo. Last year I decided to give the scope a try and reattached it with warne QD mounts, after a few shots something fell down inside the ret and I couldn't zero the scope.... you could clearly see this when looking through the scope.

I was about to bin the scope but thought I would see what J S ramsbottom's customer service was like, I still had the box, bikini covers, instructions, purchase receipt etc, externally the scope and lenses looked to be in mint condition. I emailed them explaining the problem and got this reply "Hi, its many years since we handled this model - best to contact Simmons for help" with a link to Simmons USA site.

The site says that scopes can't be returned for repair from outside the States and to contact the local distributor, I couldn't find any distributor so contacted Optics warehouse to see if they knew of one. They advised sending the scope back to Ramsbottom's which I did with a covering letter - more out of curiosity than anything else!.... I mentioned the warranty and asked if there was any possibility of getting the scope fixed under warranty or maybe getting some credit towards purchasing a Harris bipod.

My scope and my letter was returned to me two days later, again advising me to take the matter up with Simmons.

As a former Retail manager, I know that the contract I had in purchasing the scope was with Ramsbottom's and not with Simmons.......this Is by no means the end of the world and I did this more out of a point of principal than anything else as the scope was peanuts in comparison to what the Swarovski would have probably cost new for example.

Incidentally, I have bought other things from Ramsbottom's previously including a Brattonsound gun cabinet, I very much doubt I will be buying anything else from them again though!

 

[Roonster]

Swaro's customer service is very good indeed!

 

[8885]

Lost my 10 x 42 swaro's Found over a month later cows been walking over them worse for wear sent them back for repair and they came back as new no charge
Excellent service second to none

 

[Crosshair243]

Not the same league but I emailed Swaro asking where I could get a replacement rubber eye cup for my 8x56 habicht. The next day, two arrived in the post!

 

[Deermanagement]

Hi guys

I would just like to comment on Swarovski's excellent customer service, I purchased a used Swarovski Habicht Nova 4 x 32 scope last year which looked to be in very good condition for its age, however I had trouble getting the scope to Zero properly. I contacted Swarovski customer service in Austria via email, they advised me to return the scope to the factory via Swarovski Uk.

It was established by Swarovski that the scope was 34 years old and out of the 30 year warranty period. I was told that the factory would give an estimate of any required repair costs and I would then have the choice to proceed with the repairs or not.

Today I received my scope back directly from the factory, with the required repairs being carried out free of charge!.

Looking at the enclosed paperwork, this involved replacing the reticule in the scope and also a few other associated parts, the scope was cleaned internally and externally, sealed and then tested for its ability to hold zero under recoil. The lenses look like new now also. I am not sure if they have been replaced or not. The labour was listed at 1.5 hours alone...I was very happy to say the least!

I would just like to thank Swarovski for their excellent customer service!

Just one of the reasons I have a Swarovski and a Swarovski and a Swarovski and a Swarovski