Weaver/Meade insturments has the worst customer service on the planet. I was told 3 weeks ago that I would get a replacement for Weaver T36 that had a canted crosshair. Still no scope and for two weeks I have called and left many messages and each time giving the RGA number and my phone number. Not a single reply has been made to date.
Don't buy WEAVER ever.

Is Weaver part of Simmons now?....anyone?

I believe weaver ,simmons , and thing it's red field aor all made by the same company .

Meade Instruments owns Weaver, Simmons and Redfield. You obviously didn't read my post on the Optics board of my experience dealing with Meade Optics customer service where it took me over 5 months to get a rubber eye ring for my Weaver scope.

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/...=600102656#600102656

Hey Dwight, I had a totally different experience with their 4x4 Scope Rings. I'd bought some awhile back and when I opened one pack a screw hole that holds the Ring Screw in place was ovate. And a different set of the 4x4s had one bad screw.

So, I fixed the last one by cannibalizing one screw from the other set. Then they sent me a replacement set in 4-days.

But I'm talking Rings, not scopes.

Sorry Dwight but you are dead wrong....Burris is at the bottom of the heap. I bought a pair of binocs from them for a Christmas present one year...present to myself...and they did not last through New Years day. I called them back about it and they said "send us the bad pair, and we are shipping you a new pair as we speak". They were lying...never got the pair, but they got mine and later on sent a letter to me that said my old pair was "abused" and it would cost $57 to repair. A pair of binocs that were used on ONE trip...less than ONE WEEK old and they won't warranty them! And no, they were not abused unless sitting on the seat of my truck qualifies as abuse. I bought them to replace my 12 year old Leupolds that had bitten the dust. I then wrote Burris a nasty letter and told them to keep the binocs and refund me my money. No binocs and no money...just a letter that said "$57 please". I packaged up the 12 year old Leupolds and sent them off. I'll bet the Leupold fans can tell you the next chapter of this story...back in a week...good as new...and a big "N/C" in the cost column of the invoice! I made a copy of the Leupold invoice and mailed it to Burris along with my documentation and previous letters and basically told them how sorry their company and their warranty service is....and made a vow to myself to spread this little bit of news anytime anyone is considering a Burris product. I sincerely hope the fine folks at Burris go under by tomorrow morning.

Hank,
I hope mine doesn't get that bad. What really chaps me is that I have left at least 20 voice mails and they will not return a call. I have held on the line for an hour one time and never got person. If I ever get it replaced it will be my last Weaver.
They cashed the shipping check that I sent them real fast into a Simmons account that was the end of their speedy work.

Well....I had pretty decent luck with Meade. 18 mo's ago before they took over simmons I bought a 6-24 scope from Natchez for about $80. It went bad and I have to admit that I was on hold calling Meade for a while after not being able to work the website well. They gave me an RGA number via e-mail. AFter 5 weeks and no info on what was happening I e-mailed back via the same address that sent the original RGA. 1 week later a new scope with side focus showed up. It was about a $180 scope anywhere I looked. Not sure why I got lucky but I did and I will buy from them again because I love to push my luck a bit.
In a way I can't understand Meade taking over companies that had lifetime guarantees on scopes. I'm sure that the companies were pretty much broke and that Meade got them at a fair price but I wonder if they ever factored in taking care of the "CRAP SCOPES" that had been made in China and who knows where in the past years. Having had my own business for year I can't imagine trying to keep MY PRODUCT backed up in such a competitive market and NOW I SHOULD BACK WHAT WAS MADE FOR 30 YEARS BY THE FORMER OWNER. I'm not trying to preach....just trying to figure out how in the hell this can possibly work for the new owner.

+ 1

Well, Meade gets my vote for the worst customer service of any company handling scopes in the USA.....

I'll take Burris on advisement and rate them as next to the Bottom of the Heap...

Bushnell, Leupold and Nikon, I will give a big thumbs up to at this point...they are the only scopes I will really buy...

nope I lied.. Cabelas backs up there scopes...they may not be Leupolds, but there is a place for them...I am not embarrassed to own a couple....

I recently had a problem with a company [non-gun related] that just dragged on and on and it started with their mistake. Someone mentioned the Better Business Bureau .I'd never dealt with them but I thought I'd give them a try. It can all be done through the internet.The next week my problemm was solved ! So that's another possibility you can try.You can also check a company through their website before you buy !

i haven't had trouble so can't comment on meade, but i sure can on burris. i had a 6-18 that came in with a fingernail sized chip out of the rear lense. the chip was still laying in the plastic sock. i didn't even open the sock, but sent it back to burris, they told me that i must have thrown it on the floor in an attempt to cause trouble.

I BUY CHEAP CHINESE FROM CDNN AND HAVE NEVER HAD PROBLEM WITH SCOPE.THE ONLY TIME I SENT A SCOPE BACK WAS BUSHNELL AND THE SCOPE WAS AN OUTDATED ONE THEY REPLACED SCOPE NO CHARGE THIS SCOPE HAD BEEN DROPPED ON LENSE AND TUBE BENT.

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
i haven't had trouble so can't comment on meade, but i sure can on burris. i had a 6-18 that came in with a fingernail sized chip out of the rear lense. the chip was still laying in the plastic sock. i didn't even open the sock, but sent it back to burris, they told me that i must have thrown it on the floor in an attempt to cause trouble.

I heard similar things from Howard in the gunshop in Mpls.....I hear he passed the other day.....a genuinely fine guy!!!!

I've not bought a Burris because of his comments many years ago.....and if possible I won't buy even more now!....a bit of humor here but seruously this behavior by some companies just plain needs airing to get their attention.

I aired grievances with a Chas Daly Over/under in the same manner over their refusal to honor their warranty!

quote:

Weaver/Meade insturments has the worst customer service on the planet.

Maybe. But I'd put Nikon in there too. I have an "NRA EXCELLENT" Nikon Photomic FTN 35mm camera (admittedly old and obsolete) that is perfect in all respects except the light meter quit working.

Now, due to its' age, I could understand it if NIKON told me that the thing is too old for them to repair (although there are several private outfits that tell me they can fix it). However, the Nikon "Customer (non)Service Department doesn't even have the courtesy to tell me to go fly a kite! They just don't answer at all!

DON'T BUY A NIKON EITHER!!

It's these kinds of threads that keep me buying Leupolds. I read posts by guys claiming that Zeiss scopes are better than Leupolds. But, last week I read another horror story about Zeiss customer service in Chester, Virgina. Same story as this problem with Meade, customer non-service. So, Meade and Zeiss, if you're reading this, don't plan on me buying any of your products. And, I do have several Weavers bought when you could get good service from the folks in Thomasville, Georgia, but no more..

Don

quote:

It's these kinds of threads that keep me buying Leupolds.

AMEN!

Thanks for clueing us in on another sorry case of bad CS.

I've never dealt with Meade, so Burris is still at the bottom of my bad customer service list.

Fill out an online complaint form at the BBB. That route has worked for me on 2 occasions. Once with Sportsman's Guide and the other with General Motors.

+1 on Leupold factory service. Every transaction I've had, from sending flood-submerged scopes for cleaning to new reticles, to you name it, has been timely, free, and WITHOUT HASSLE!

Even the vaunted Swarovski company can't match it. Buddy has a Swaro variable scope that the zero wanders with a change in power. He called their customer service and their response: "Send it in with a check for $275 and we'll honor the warranty."

A friend asked me to mount a brand new Burris Black Diamond for him. It wouldn't focus. I sent it back, their response was that it was OK. I put it beside a Leupie to show my friend the difference. The Burris reticle looked like it was made of black yarn.

Most of these afore mentioned companies are going to Shit !. Chinese quality control is sorely lacking in most every aspect of their manufacturing processes . Wheat contamination , Food , Toys , Automotive parts , why should we think scopes would be any different !.

I've said it for over 30 years ; Worst thing Nixon ever did was take us off the Gold Standard and normalize trade relations with China !.

Every Stinking store carries either brand A or brand B of Chinese Shit . Even if the labels say Bangladesh 9 out of 10 times it was boot legged labels from China and Sewn in Los Angles by Chinese Sweat shops !.

They don't all work in the local restaurants a great number work in the Banking industry !.

Ever notice how many more of them are around now days !. Hispanics aren't the only illegal aliens !!!!!!!!!!!.

Shot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Ya!!!!.....and now we're coming to find out their fortune cookies arent' always correct either!!

quote:

Worst thing Nixon ever did was take us off the Gold Standard

And here I thought that was FDR!

quote:

Originally posted by kraky:
Ya!!!!.....and now we're coming to find out their fortune cookies arent' always correct either!!

lmao

quote:

Originally posted by Masterifleman:

quote:

It's these kinds of threads that keep me buying Leupolds.

AMEN!

Yes. After smashing a Vari-X 3 2.5-8 during a hunt (my fault) I sent it back to the factory, not expecting much beyond a repair with a hefty bill, or a "sorry, not our problem" note.

Any Leupold fans out there care to guess the outcome?

You'd be right. Replaced with a new scope.
I don't think I will be buying any other brand of scope.
Now then, lets see. I need a new spotting scope.
Which one to get. The Swarovski? The Leica? Meopta? Meade?
Or the Leupold? No prizes for guessing which brand I will be getting...

There may be a happy ending to this story soon. I tried again today to get customer service and all I got was extention not available and leave a message. I left messages again and I have no idea how many so far without a reply. Finally I got an idea when they asked if you know your parties extension dial it now. I just picked a random number and got someone. I told him my problem and he said he would get it to the right place. A little time passed and I got a call from a VP at Meade. He said he was going to research my complaint further and get back to me. A couple hours passed and he called to tell me that my new scope would be shipped second day air tomorrow.
I will update on the delivery.

Good for you Dwight.....but until someone from Meade gets online and sets things straight my business will not be forthcoming to them ever!

A rifle scope on it own is a worthless item without the rifle.
A bad rifle scope is worthless even with a rifle.
I am not spending a dime on any rifle scope that is not backed by first rate customer service.
Either spend your money on a good scope that has a known good warranty or spend it on another gun, you will be way ahead.

I have never read a negative post on Leupold service and I can't comment on their service since my Leupold has had 25 years of perfect service. Maybe their service guys are like the old Maytag Man with nothing to do.

quote:

Originally posted by Dwight:
There may be a happy ending to this story soon. I tried again today to get customer service and all I got was extention not available and leave a message. I left messages again and I have no idea how many so far without a reply. Finally I got an idea when they asked if you know your parties extension dial it now. I just picked a random number and got someone. I told him my problem and he said he would get it to the right place. A little time passed and I got a call from a VP at Meade. He said he was going to research my complaint further and get back to me. A couple hours passed and he called to tell me that my new scope would be shipped second day air tomorrow.
I will update on the delivery.

I bet the VP was Scott W. Roberts, Vice-President-Consumer Solutions

I have a few inexpensive scopes, but am not real hard on them, so no problems. But my BIL is a serious hunter and a hardware whore. He has run thru a seriously long string of scopes, from many different manufacturers. He is in constant disbelief at the high level of service he has gotten from both Bushnell and Leupold. He'll try about anything, but his serious bucks are in Leupold.

Yup, after reading all of this.. Leupold customer service still wins hands down...

Several years ago, I picked up an old 3x Leupold from a guy for $40.00.. I am sure he was laughing his butt off telling his buddies he sold some broken scope to some "moron" for $40.00... I knew it was broken when I bought it from him.. but he didn't know that, and evidently was clueless on Leupold customer service....

I am sure he went over to Bi Mart and Bought a Sportsview or a Tasco for $39.99 to $49.99.. laughing all the way...

I sent the scope to Leupold, just up the highway here... they had the scope in a day, and called me to tell me they didn't make that model anymore, and also didn't have parts to repair them.... so they called to offer me a 4 power replacement....

I asked them if it was possible if they could let me have a 6 power instead... the customer service tech asked me to hold a minute.. then came back on and asked if I would be interested in a 6 power, and would I mind if it had a German Number 4 reticle.....

Of course not, and I prefer the German Number one or four reticles anyway... two days later I had it in my hot little hands...

And some dumbass was bragging to his buddies how he stuck some guy with a broken scope for $40.00...

Meade sucks.. Leupold can't be beaten!!!!

you get what you pay for, not only on the product, but the whole package, including CS.

Weaver/Simmons has, and always will suck.

I give a big thumbs up to Leupold. I sent in an old vari-X II 1-4 scope that quit holding its zero. They went through the scope top to bottom. They had it fixed and back in the mail the day after they got it. You can track the progress of your repair on their web site. Way to go Leupold!

A big thumbs down to Bushnell also on customer service. Just sent them a new scope that did not make it thru one range session. Their response "we will fix it for 69 dollars. I have the scope back now unrepaired. I felt that I already paid for it once. No more bushnells for me. Simmoms just as bad

I certainly would expect an "existing company" to honor it's past warranty if it was indeed the manufacturer of a product. I'm not sure if Bushnell has been bought a sold a few times over the years or not. This brings to me to ask if Meade bought out Simmons and Weaver.....why in the heck would they continue with the same name and have everyone expecting them to fix the "gazillion" products that were made in the past in countries like "who knows where". I was pretty darn happy that Meade replaced my 1-2 year old Simmons scope that they didn't make. I mean.....Iguess the weaver name would be worth keeping for "sales appeal" but the Simmons name would hardly be worth it.....would it?? It would be fun to be in on the "boardroom" discussions when someone like Meade takes over a (most likely) failing company and they decide whether to continue the name and all the darn warranty liability. If they'd let me in (just for my entertainment purposes) I'd buy the beer and sit back....watch.....learn....and listen. It would have to be darn interesting!!

Kraky,

Leupold offers tours of their manufacturing facility... or at least use to....

Just had a Total Lack of Response with Tru-Glo Sights.

I’ve been considering a set of Fire Sights for a Leaver Action rifle. After talking to some of the folks on this Board, the Williams Fire Sights seemed like the way to go. Got a Flier from Natchez and they had the Tru-Glo Fire Sights on sale. But, they only listed them for the Model 336 and did not say if they would work on other Marlins. And I decided to verify the Part #, since Natchez has had misprints in the past on items I was interested in.

Check the Tru-Glo web site and it actually looks as if the Sight will fit my rifle as well as the M336. However, the Part # is indeed different than what the Natchez Flier called out. (Good thing I checked.)

Decided to call Tru-Glo to see if it will also fit on a M1895 and to verify the Part # for sure. Called Tru-Glo Monday at (972) 774-0300 and got the dreaded Answering Service. It said that if you are a Customer to punch 2 and I did. In the background I could hear some very low music of some kind and after about 30sec the pre-recorded voice said, "Everyone is busy at the moment, please call back a bit later." So, I gave them awhile and went through the same loop maybe 5 times - did not get to speak with anyone.

Tuesday rolls around and the pre-recorded message also said if you want Technical Assistance, punch 3. Ah-ha, did that and got a message that asked me to leave my name and number, and a description of what I wanted to know. Did just that and have never heard back from them in 3 business days.

On the other hand, when I called Williams, I got prompt professional treatment. So it is obvious to me the Tru-Glo folks have no desire to talk with a potential Customer, nor to even respond to a Customer when they call.
-----

How `bout a good report though.

On a positive note, I’ve been Testing some Inexpensive Scopes. I won’t go into a lot of details, but two of them are Millett Scopes. First problem was a set of Lens Caps which are held on the scope with long Black Rubber Bands broke. Called Millett and was talking to their Customer Service in maybe 20seconds. The new Lens Caps arrived in 5-7 business days - No Charge.

The other Millett had about 25 shots through it and I noticed what appeared to be a very small piece of Gasket Material stuck to the Upper-Right quadrant of the eyepiece. About the size of a Pin Head. It would not have been enough to ruin a Hunt, but it created a slight distraction.

Called Millett and the guy said to send him the scope and he would send me a complete new one. I asked if he thought I should have to pay to have it returned. He said, “You send this one back at your cost and if anything happens to the one I send you, we will cover the Return Cost for it.†It cost less than $10 to send it to them and in exactly 10 business days the new scope arrived. So far, this one is doing just fine in the Testing. They are both as clear in Low Light Testing(Twilight) as a couple of 50mm VARIX-IIIs and they sure don't cost as much.
-----

Just happened to think of one more. A buddy bought a Browning Titanium Mountain Rifle. I'd noticed a Thread on the GunSmith Board that mentioned there was a problem getting the correct height Bases for that specific Browning. Sent a link of that Thread to my buddy.

Sure enough, even using Burris Signature Rings, there was not enough adjustment available with the Eccentric Inserts to correct the mis-alignment. My buddy calls to tell me he sure appreciated the Link or he would have thought he got a bad scope. We discuss it and he decided to call Browning to see what they had to say. You will love this - imagine a guy with his nose pointed toward the sky saying, "If you had bought your Bases and Rings from us, they would have fit!" No help offered, and for absolutely sure no appology was extended to their Customer for changing the Receiver Dimensions and not alerting the other Base and Ring Manufacturers.

My buddy calls Leupold and explains the problem. The guy says, give me your number and I'll call you back in a few minutes. Sure enough he did and told my buddy he would send him the Base needed to correct the problem - AT NO CHARGE. Leupold came through again and the new Front Base corrected the problem!

Best of luck to you all.

I would not touch the cheap Chinese made scopes with a barge pole!

Leupold, as far as I am concerned, make the very best scopes for hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I would not touch the cheap Chinese made scopes with a barge pole!

Leupold, as far as I am concerned, make the very best scopes for hunting.

I understand what you are saying. The Testing I'm doing is to try and locate some Inexpensive Scopes that I can recommend to youngsters just getting started. It is generally easy to talk to them along with their Dads for a short while and have a recommendation for an economical rifle. But I had very limited experience with inexpensive scopes and it was second-hand experience.

One of the other Scopes I'm Testing is as clear as a VariX-II at Twilight, but has a better Warranty than Leupold. The Warranty says, "... even if you run over it, we will repair or replace it." When I got it, the cost was just under $70. It is very inexpensive and may not even be worth that - don't know yet. Once it gets tied on the Heavy Recoil rifles, we will see if I need the Warranty or not.

But my Sample Size will be very small on all of these Tests.

Simmons Master Series riflescopes come with a 48 hour turnaround guarantee. Their warranty reads: "If any Master Series riflescope is found to have defects in either workmanship or materials we will, at our option, repair or replace it FREE for the original owner within 48 hours of receipt at our repair facility."