Leica Rangefinder

[Flatfoot]

I just got off the phone with Leica, I have a LFR 1200 scan that went bad I paid $400.00 used, they said that since it was out of warranty, and they no longer fix or repair their rangefinders they would only replace it for $350.00
So beware of buying a used Leica, their is no repairs anymore.
I will have $750.00 in a used rangefinder hopefully that will work

 

[Dans40X]

Look at it this way-you could have bought 3-4 Bushnell's that don't work worth a darn.
You're still money ahead having the 1200scan replaced by Leica.

I don't go in the tundra without my Leica 800 or 1200!!!!

 

[Preacher]

My old Bushnell 1000 Yardage Pro is still on the money after probably 8 years of hard use, and never a problem unless i forgot to replace the battery that only last a couple of years 'O)

 

[DIBBS]

My experience with an old yardage pro 1000,?) versus a Leica 800 is that in crappy weather,foggy,light rain/snow) the Bushnell works better. In heavy rain/snow/fog neither works well at all.

 

[Rtheurer]

I have a little story for you all.

I used to work for a small gun shop part time. Everything for cost and I got paid too!!!

Anyway. The owner was a super nice guy that really really belived in customer service and stood behind his sales and products. As you can imagine he had a very loyal costumer base and a very good reputation for the area.
One of our Loyal regular costomers came in one day and purchased a 1200 Scan right around Christmas. He had it for about 3 weeks or so and went out Coyote hunting using it for the first time in the feild. It was a bugger of a cold day like around single digits. after comming back from a calling stand he hopped in the truck took off a layer of clothes and set his Binos and rangfinder on the seat beside him. A hour or so later when he went to use the rangefinder one of the peices of glass was cracked! Now this guy is a very honest fella too and I dont believe for a minute that he damaged this item and then brought them in to get a freebee.
The Store owner tried customer services and kept getting the run around. He also had the local Leica Rep working on it. It took the rep about 3 months to answer any of his calls about this item. after about 7 or 8 months Leica said they would not refund any of the money do to rough handling of the item.

I looked the item over before they sent it in and there was not a scatch,nick or even dust on this thing. it appeared to me that maybee the housing was putting pressure on the glass as it contracted and the glass may have had a flaw in it. Who knows for sure.
The store owner, not wanting to leave a valued costomer bent over the fence,got the worthless rep to give him a Demmo for a discount and purchased it out of his own pocket for the guy.

No matter if the item was good or bad 7to8 months is unexceptable costomer service. The store owner dropped all of his Leica line.

Leica costomer service really blows, or at least it did in this instance.

RussT

 

[Twud]

I have a middle of the road Nikon, don't remember what I paid for it, but I've carried it a dozen times in new territory and it works fine.
Right after I got it there was a group of County road surveyors working on the property next to us. Around quitting time me, the range finder and a pack paid them a visit.
We compared the Nikon against thier high end laser transit.
At 300 yards the Nikon was 2 yards shy, at 600 yards it was 4 yards long. Not bad.

 

[Flatfoot]

The other thing about Leica is that if you don't buy it fron an authorized dealer they will NOT DO ANYTHING AT ALL !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[vonb]

The other thing about Leica is that if you don't buy it fron an authorized dealer they will NOT DO ANYTHING AT ALL !!!!!!!!!!!

That does NOT give me a warm and fuzzy as I just bought a Leica CRF 1200 from Bass Pro yesterday and I did not see Bass Pro listed as an authorized dealer on Leica's site. A $600 rangefinder going bad and not being replaced/fixed leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

 

[Spotcheck_Billy]

Leica may not have updated its 'site to include Bass Pro as an authorized dealer. Bass Pro is a big company. I don't think that they'd sell products that they weren't set up as authorized dealers for. Why don't you call Leica and find out instead of agonizing about it? You could return it if the answer doesn't suit you.

Many optics manufacturers will not warranty their products if they weren't purchased from an authorized dealer. This is for several reasons. One is to protect their dealer network from unfair competition from fly-by-night operators who sometimes are selling seconds or gray-market goods that weren't ever meant for the US market. The exact same situation exists in the electronics and camera industries.

I suppose that you can say that a lesson learned would be to thoroughly reaearch every purchase that you make before committing your money, ecpecially with the big-buck items.

 

[vonb]

I suppose that you can say that a lesson learned would be to thoroughly reaearch every purchase that you make before committing your money, ecpecially with the big-buck items.

I usually use my discretionary income by buying the best I can afford. In my case recently, that's been S&B and Leica. I went with these brands due to consumer voice I've seen consistently on boards . I usually don't look to warranty clauses in hope that real-world usage reports preview what kind of problems to expect. That's why I stayed away from Bushnell.

 

[Spotcheck_Billy]

I'm not trying to push an issue, but "real world usage reports" that you find on the boards won't help worth a damn if you happen to have bad luck and buy that one piece that happens to have a defect.

Be smart. Thoroughly research before you buy.

 

[AndyW]

I have owned two bushnells, now only one Leica.
If you are worried about a warranty just but it from Cabelas, there customer service is top notch.

 

[Flybuster]

I have the Leica 1200 CRF. Most of the time its great. Where I run into trouble is long range coyote hunting, specifically when there is glare coming off the snowy plains. Real hard to get a reading. I had to push the button 6-7 times to get a reading on a 400 yard coyote last week. Other than that I can get readings in light rain to 1000 yards, in snowy conditions I can range out to about 500 yards on targets and trees. Just my experiences.