milvusmilvus
Well-known member
Hello everyone. More or less 20 years ago my wife and I started this wonderfull hobby of birdwatching. Two years after that we both decided to upgrade our 10X25 Tasco for something better. For that time big alphas where out of reach for us, so we decided on two pocket binos of reputable names. She decided on a Swarovski 8X20 Pocket and I did on a Leica Trinovid 8X20 BCA.
Not long after we had a child, and Birdwatching was "left unattended" for many years, with just ocasional short trips to get rid of "bird abstinence syndrome". Unfortunately our son is not quite fond to birdwatching and nature in general. Now that he has grown it is easier for us to go on birdwatching trips so we have recovered the passion for birdwatching (and for optics in my case too). Aside from some new binocular purchases, I wanted to set our pocket binos up. Them both have been sent to their respectives factories for some repairs. I will talk here about the experience with Leica, and I'll do the same for the Swarovski in the corresoponding subforum.
My Leicas had the rubber over the bridge starting to peel. I tried to remove it completely because I wanted to apply new glue to it, and I damaged it. The looks was worse than before. I contacted Leica and I were honest to them, explaining them that I tried to service the binos myself. They asked me to send the binos to them, as they are still under warranty (for that time in Europe both Leica and Swarovski offered 30 years of warranty. Not anymore, as now it is just 10 years). They didn't confirmed me if they were going to cover it under warranty, but I was willing to pay to have my beloved first good quality binos looking as new.
I went to the dealer I bought them, Óptica Roma in Madrid, a wonderful shop with excellent client attention and huge variety of optics. By the way, they pay me nothing, it is me who spend more often that I should They arranged the shipment to Leica Portugal.
A little more than two weeks after I received a call from Óptica Roma telling me that they had my binos back from Leica, fixed and free of charge. When I went to pick them up the salesperson showed up with a bubble wrap package containing a brown leather case (I sent them "naked"), so I said him he was mistaken, but after checking the documents those were my binos. They had gifted me with a gorgeus leather case like this one but in brown: Funda de piel, negro
My binos where inside the case, with a new rubber skin for the bridge, new rubber objective protections and eyecups, with the axels covers replaced, as thew where lost long time ago and well greased.
I though that I must credit Leica for this top notch service, as I'm quite grateful for the service and the attention I received from Leica.
Best regards!
Not long after we had a child, and Birdwatching was "left unattended" for many years, with just ocasional short trips to get rid of "bird abstinence syndrome". Unfortunately our son is not quite fond to birdwatching and nature in general. Now that he has grown it is easier for us to go on birdwatching trips so we have recovered the passion for birdwatching (and for optics in my case too). Aside from some new binocular purchases, I wanted to set our pocket binos up. Them both have been sent to their respectives factories for some repairs. I will talk here about the experience with Leica, and I'll do the same for the Swarovski in the corresoponding subforum.
My Leicas had the rubber over the bridge starting to peel. I tried to remove it completely because I wanted to apply new glue to it, and I damaged it. The looks was worse than before. I contacted Leica and I were honest to them, explaining them that I tried to service the binos myself. They asked me to send the binos to them, as they are still under warranty (for that time in Europe both Leica and Swarovski offered 30 years of warranty. Not anymore, as now it is just 10 years). They didn't confirmed me if they were going to cover it under warranty, but I was willing to pay to have my beloved first good quality binos looking as new.
I went to the dealer I bought them, Óptica Roma in Madrid, a wonderful shop with excellent client attention and huge variety of optics. By the way, they pay me nothing, it is me who spend more often that I should They arranged the shipment to Leica Portugal.
A little more than two weeks after I received a call from Óptica Roma telling me that they had my binos back from Leica, fixed and free of charge. When I went to pick them up the salesperson showed up with a bubble wrap package containing a brown leather case (I sent them "naked"), so I said him he was mistaken, but after checking the documents those were my binos. They had gifted me with a gorgeus leather case like this one but in brown: Funda de piel, negro
My binos where inside the case, with a new rubber skin for the bridge, new rubber objective protections and eyecups, with the axels covers replaced, as thew where lost long time ago and well greased.
I though that I must credit Leica for this top notch service, as I'm quite grateful for the service and the attention I received from Leica.
Best regards!