In fairness, nothing lasts forever and from a business risk management perspective it's rather insane to offer life long warrenties, especially when it's not a particularly expanding market and they are relying on new sales to survive. This puts tremendous pressure on them to do both incremental as well as try to explore breakthrough innovation..again, just to get new sales. In turn, all sorts of junk is developed and pushed onto the market like the latest must have to shoot deer-red dots, massive lenses and ocular bells, light settings, etc , etc ; all of which is just expensive marketing bumph and which does not help anyone one bit if they know what they are doing. In fact,
a lot of these new features seem to induce poor ethical practices at times such as shooting too late in the dark, or taking long shots the hunter simply does not have the skills for. The same is happening with bino's.
yes, leupold offer lifelong, but this is with the U.S. market in mind where people are more of a throw away culture due to the low
cost of new replacements, and I think leupold see this as low risk simply because a lot of Americans probably can't be bothered to have an old scope serviced.
in Europe where a good German scope literally can last a lifetime or more,
a lot of people want to keep their good old products running as long as possible,
and are perhaps not always
gullible enough to jump on the scope technology bandwagon...esp. With the huge cost of replacements where a nice slim 1" no nonsense replacement isn't easy to find. It's no wonder non-original owner lifetime warranties are too high risk, and I think the EU realise that setting this promise is giving unrealistic expectations to consumers when the resources and spares and olds machines as well as retro staff training needed, etc etc could
just drown a company's resources,
esp if the eu could require them to demonstrate they have spare parts or the ability to make, for every scope ever made that might still be in existence
It's a bit like arguing for cars to have non-original owner lifelong warranties, as well as other products..not happening.
If you look at the Sale of Goods act, it simply states that it is the manufacturers liability to provide replacement, service or repairs to a product within the realistic expectations and usage for that type of product before it starts to deteriorate. If there is a realistic claim for service or repairs due to product failings without abuse and/or within a realistic timescale, it is then the vendors responsibility to provide a replacement or re-imbursement, or facilitate the repairs with the manufacturer...something which I don't think a lot of retailers have a clue about and which could lead to difficulties as I imagine a lot of shops would just turn you away and ask you to contact the manufacturer..further difficulties of course if the shop owner no longer has a commercial relationship with the manufacturer, or if the manufacturer no longer exists (who determines if the product failed, and who determines if the shop is liable and responsible for providing a refund or replacement, and to what value?)..
