Hi guys,
Please allow me to chime in ( and be self indulgent) about the warranty situation on scopes.........
Vortex is a fabulous product line and has done the North American shooting community a HUGE service by instituting the best warranty and customer service policy in the industry, bar none. And that statement doesn't even begin to address the positive improvements in features and performance aspects of Vortex Scopes/Optics.
For the Vortex competitors that wish to remain relevant, I believe they must follow suit and at least pony up to the same levels that Vortex has set, at a minimum in terms of warranty. I do see indications of that happening. To Vortex; My hat is off to you and I think that you deserve every bit of business that comes your way. You have earned it through hard work and I hope that consumers continue to support you accordingly. Your success and growth is an overall indication of your quality, innovation, performance, reliability and the growth and health of the industry in general.
For those manufacturers that compete with Vortex and are hesitant to meet or exceed Vortex's warranty policy, I would ask the following question; Why on earth would you think that any customer that spends at a minimum, $2,000.00 (closer to $2,500.00 to $3,500.00) on a scope, would you ever entertain the idea that customer intentionally damaged it, or be careless enough with it with the desire to get a replacement from you free of charge ? From my perspective, as a consumer, that is just way too much of a crap shoot to take that kind of risk. As the cost of entry goes up to $3,000.00 and maybe even $3,500.00 USD, I think this point becomes even more valid. I freak out if I get a scratch on the ZP5 that I paid in excess of $2,700.00 for). I have to believe that the majority of shooters that can afford the cost of entry (minimum of $2,000.00) are going to look after their investment like their new born child. Yes, I understand there are people out there that don't give a damn, but those, you can't fix. I think those "consumers" represent a very small percentage of the buyers in the "Alpha" glass range. I also think that the majority of those people are in the "less than $1,000.00 price category. But remember, we're talking about $2,000.00 " dollars, at an absolute minimum. And, it goes up from there. It is critical to the high end buyers to have a lifetime warranty, that is Transferrable. If I buy a scope for $2,500.00 to $3,500.00 and I end up not liking it and wish to re-sell it, I don't want to take $1,000.00 hit, just because the warranty is "non-transferrable". Hint; You just lost a sale to the other manufacturer that has a better warranty policy. Oh, BTW, there aren't even any rings marks on it......
Me, I've pretty much standardized on Minox, who, admittedly, do not have the equivalent warranty policy to Vortex, at least in writing, at least at this point in time. But, I love the glass.....no, I REALLY love the glass. I have seen a number of posts where Minox have come to the table and supported their customers needs in a fashion that I would characterize as identical to (or maybe even better than) Vortex. I really applaud that on the part of Minox. The problem being is that if you as a manufacturer do not state (to date, anyway) that as your normal policy, specifically in writing. Right or wrong. you get dinged in terms of customer perception about the quality and your willingness to stand behind the product. I presently work for a US subsidiary of a German company in the power electronics field and from an insiders perspective, I have no concerns about German quality.....hence my decision in favor of Minox. But, Minox, please update your warranty policy....Bite the bullet and put it in writing. Your sales will increase by ten fold in North America, just by matching Vortex's warranty policy. Your stuff is that good, but consumers are "concerned" about your warranty policy because it doesn't equal Vortex.
If I were one of the "big names" of the traditional "high end scopes" market, I would be concerned if Vortex comes out with a scope that contains glass that is equal to, or exceeds what I had to offer. Vortex has done an exceptional job and have positioned themselves very well in the North American market. I really cannot imagine that they aren't working on a scope/product line that will beat the traditional market leaders. If they do, I think it will be by a wide margin. If I'm the decision maker at Vortex, I've already been sitting face to face with the top glass manufacturers in Europe (maybe Japan) and working a deal. And, Vortex have probably have been doing that for a number of years. Timing is everything and Vortex has been doing a great job of rolling out products when the time is right (and not before).
From what I have seen, very few, or none of the traditional high end scope manufacturers make their own glass. Kahles buys from (as a division of) Swarovski and Minox buys from Schott. S&B, I'm not sure, I think Schott. There is nothing stopping Vortex from striking a deal with any of the big name glass/lens producers. Vortex is becoming (if they aren't already the biggest) a big player in the North American market. Swarovski might not sell to Vortex because of Kahles, but Schott probably would, plus a couple of other glass manufactures in Europe and Japan (Fujinon ?). I suspect that the next big thing(s) in the scope market will actually come from Vortex. If Vortex gets their hands on the same (or better) glass that is in my ZP5's, they (my ZP5's) will have gone to half what I paid for them.
Thx,
