I recently bought a Vortex Viper 6.5-20x 44mm scope for a new Savage .223 bolt rifle I also recently purchased. I was excited for the Vortex considering all of the grand things I have heard about their products and the warranty that backed their products.
Before I go any further, let me say that I am extremely pleased with my Viper scope and this post has nothing to do with the scope itself. The scope has performed well, is extremely crisp and clear, and holds zero each and every time I take it to the range.
My problem occurred when I noticed a small, maybe quarter-inch sized crack on the objective lens cover around where the nylon 'bungee' cord is attached. This wasn't a huge deal, except for the clear plastic lens cover itself fell out a time or two when handling it simply because it didn't have a good seal. So I contacted Vortex to see what they could do and to notify them about the issue; maybe it was a manufacturing issue and all of their covers were coming out this way.
My email was promptly (within 24 hours) replied to by a nice lady named Julie, who assured me she would ship me a new lens cover at no charge. And they did; I received the new lens cover a few days later.
However, I noticed something when unpacking the lens cover. This cover had the exact same problem. Same crack, same spot. I quickly notified Julie of the issue and expressed my concern with the cover. She apologized and mentioned something about "I should have thought about the packaging", as if she was blaming USPS for causing the damage due to poor packaging.
Nevertheless, I received my third lens cover. Included in the box with my new lens cover was a Vortex hat, styled in Mossy Oak camo. It's a nice hat, and I appreciated the gesture considering the circumstances. The new lens cover was in solid condition, and it didn't have the crack the previous 2 lenses had. So I set the lens cover down on my desk and forgot about it; I was just happy to have a good lens cover.
A few days later I decided to pull out my rifle and swap the covers. So I go grab the Savage, and what do you know....the new lens cover doesn't fit my scope. It was a tad too small, like they shipped a 40mm cover instead of a 44mm.
So now I'm back to square one, with 2 broken lens covers and a third lens cover that doesn't fit my scope. Once again, I contacted Julie about the issue and she is now going to ship me yet another cover, hopefully this one will fit my scope and be free of cracks. She also asked me about my shirt size, so I'm assuming this time I'm also going to get a T-shirt out of the deal.
I should have the new cover by the end of the week. I will post back here what happens...I just figured I would post my experience for those who are interested. I'm not sure what to think...the first time, I understand it happens. But shipping another broken cover and 'blaming' the shipping/packaging itself sounds like a cop-out to me...then plain-old user error sending me the wrong size cover the third go around really made me mad. :banghead:
/vent
Before I go any further, let me say that I am extremely pleased with my Viper scope and this post has nothing to do with the scope itself. The scope has performed well, is extremely crisp and clear, and holds zero each and every time I take it to the range.
My problem occurred when I noticed a small, maybe quarter-inch sized crack on the objective lens cover around where the nylon 'bungee' cord is attached. This wasn't a huge deal, except for the clear plastic lens cover itself fell out a time or two when handling it simply because it didn't have a good seal. So I contacted Vortex to see what they could do and to notify them about the issue; maybe it was a manufacturing issue and all of their covers were coming out this way.
My email was promptly (within 24 hours) replied to by a nice lady named Julie, who assured me she would ship me a new lens cover at no charge. And they did; I received the new lens cover a few days later.
However, I noticed something when unpacking the lens cover. This cover had the exact same problem. Same crack, same spot. I quickly notified Julie of the issue and expressed my concern with the cover. She apologized and mentioned something about "I should have thought about the packaging", as if she was blaming USPS for causing the damage due to poor packaging.
Nevertheless, I received my third lens cover. Included in the box with my new lens cover was a Vortex hat, styled in Mossy Oak camo. It's a nice hat, and I appreciated the gesture considering the circumstances. The new lens cover was in solid condition, and it didn't have the crack the previous 2 lenses had. So I set the lens cover down on my desk and forgot about it; I was just happy to have a good lens cover.
A few days later I decided to pull out my rifle and swap the covers. So I go grab the Savage, and what do you know....the new lens cover doesn't fit my scope. It was a tad too small, like they shipped a 40mm cover instead of a 44mm.
So now I'm back to square one, with 2 broken lens covers and a third lens cover that doesn't fit my scope. Once again, I contacted Julie about the issue and she is now going to ship me yet another cover, hopefully this one will fit my scope and be free of cracks. She also asked me about my shirt size, so I'm assuming this time I'm also going to get a T-shirt out of the deal.
I should have the new cover by the end of the week. I will post back here what happens...I just figured I would post my experience for those who are interested. I'm not sure what to think...the first time, I understand it happens. But shipping another broken cover and 'blaming' the shipping/packaging itself sounds like a cop-out to me...then plain-old user error sending me the wrong size cover the third go around really made me mad. :banghead:
/vent