New Trijicon Has Scratch On Lens.. Help

[4Freedom]

Hi, I just purchased a brand new TA33R-8 from a vendor on Gunbroker. The item he sold me looked in perfect condition and came new in box with all papers and warranty card. I purchased the Trijicon for a very good price of $750.00 and I was told the wait time for one of these is very long. I had a very hard time finding this particular model with the Red Chevron and was so happy that I was able to score it for a good price. The guy who sold it to me on gunbroker had 100+ positive feedbacks and no bad feedbacks.

However, as I examined the Trijicon ACOG closely after cleaning it, I saw that the big lense in the front of the ACOG looks to have a small thin scratch , that is myabe a half an inch or so. I am not sure if he did this or if this defect came from the manufacturer itself. I am very upset about it, although it doesn't seem to affect the visual of the scope. It appears that the reticle works fine and I don't see any visible scratch when I look through the scope. Anyhow, I am not happy that the lens is scratch, since I bought it brand new and was hoping it was in perfect shape.

Can anyone give me suggestions. Should I try to return it to the guy who sold it to me and just pray another person will come with the same deal. I really want to avoid returning it. Is it normal for Trijicon ACOGs to have small scratches like these on the lens? Since, I bought the item brand new and have the warranty card, will TRijicon be able to fix the problem free of charge? I was going to tell them I bought it brand new, but it came to me with a scratch on the front lense. If I have to pay a fortune to fix it, it would be worth it for me to get a refund. I was told Trijicon takes care of its customers.

I am a bit frantic about this, so I appreciate anyone's suggestions and support.

Thank you.

 

[pgeleven]

best of luck trying to exchange it from your gunbroker deal. IMHO i dont even think it would even be worth your effort in time trying to send it to Trijicon, since it doesnt seem to be a manufacturers flaw, i think you have a 99.9% chance of them not doing crap to it. you purchased the sight from a third party, so trijicon will most likely not honor a repair to a minor scratch on the lens, which is perfectly reasonable. they will just send it right back with a 'sorry' note. not to say they are a bad company, but your situation is out of their hands. gunbroker can be a great double edged sword, where most of us take the 'buyer beware' risk. however, you got a great sight, i would never trust any other optic with my life over ACOG.

if the sight is not giving you any problems at all with shooting, then IMHO, just deal with the product you have. i carried an ACOG for a year and beat the living bejesus out of it, lens scratches and all, and it still stoodup to what was asked of it, even through night vision.

if anything, it doesnt look as pretty upon close exterior inspection, but i think you can make lemonade out of this 'lemon', it should still perform as any other ACOG.

 

[4Freedom]

Well that is sad news a little bit. Anyhow, the guy did buy it from a Trijicon distributor. It is new and has the warranty card. Well, yeah it seems to function ok and I don't notice the scratch from the lens, but I never tested it outside. Yeah, I guess I messed up buying this on gunbroker. The guy may give me my money back, but then I will have to wait like 3-6 months for one of these. I could not find this model anywhere and looked and looked. I suppose if Trijicon refuses to fix the lens for free, how much do you think it would cost to replace the lens? Is it beyond reason? It does appear to be mostly cosmetic. I wonder, what good is this lifetime warranty they give me, if they cannot fix something that appears to be a flaw from the manufacturer. The device is obviously new and with all paper work. I just wonder if they cannot fix this, I suppose their warranty is essentially crap, regardless of who I buy it from.

 

[lipadj46]

Is it a scratch in the lens (glass) or a light surface scratch in the coating that you have to look holding up to the light? A light scratch in the coating is really not a big deal and will have little effect on your sight picture. Even a light scratch in the objective lens is not that big of deal. I have many camera lenses with light surface scratches like you describe and it never shows in the blown up images. Just the way a lens works.

 

[Horsemany]

I'd call Trijicon and explain it to them. Tell them it was like that when you opened it out of the factory packaging. They may offer to repair the scope and give you an idea of turnaround time. Otherwise I'd give it back to the seller on GB. If you ever go to sell it, you'll have to explain the scratch and the value will be diminished IMO. I wouldn't be happy just letting it be there.

 

[Hostile Amish]

Small scratches will almost never alter or deform the sight picture of an optic. I suggest keeping your scope, and maybe getting a protective cover to prevent against more scratches.

 

[Onmilo]

+1 Call Trijicon and get a return number and send the scope back to them under warranty.
They will fix it and returns are done very quickly.

 

[lipadj46]

Trijicon will fix a scratch on the lens on a second hand scope? It may be worth a try but I would find it surprising if they did. If they do it might explain why they are so damn expensive. The OP bought a second hand scope from a non dealer on gunbroker probably stipulated as "AS IS" as most auctions are. If the seller offers a return then return it I don't see how this is Trijicon's problem. It sucks but it probably does not even affect the sight picture of the scope.

 

[Claude Clay]

one windy day blowing some sand around will get you more of the same. and as others have said; will not noticeably degrade your optics image . if you can not abide it for the way it looks (sic) or possible diminished resale value perhaps you are inclined to return it [postage & insurance both ways vrs resale value?]

 

[FlyinBryan]

definitly call trijicon.

i have seen more than one instance where upper end outfits like crimson trace and kimber serve their customers even better than their warranty suggests.

with my laser grips, the dot became elongated almost 10 years after the warranty expired. i called them fully expecting to send them in and pay for the service. (mine are the 1st generation, for 1911 pistol, and i bought them back in about 1996)

not only would they not even discuss accepting my money, but when they returned them they included 3 new sets of batteries, a nice new ctc cleaning cloth, a brand new ctc box, and 5 of those tiny allen wrenches for adjusting them.

i would be very interested to hear how trijicon stands behind their products. they are so expensive i would think they will take care of you.

let us know.

 

[GregGry]

If the person is an authorized dealer I could see them doing something about it. If its just cosmetic then its questionable if they will do anything.

 

[4Freedom]

Trijicon will fix a scratch on the lens on a second hand scope?

The Scope is not second hand, it is BRAND NEW in the box with a blank warranty card (meaning no previous owner) and all the paperwork. THis is a brand new factory sealed scope. The person who sold it to me purchased it directly from a Trijicon distributor and sold it to me. He is no different than any other person selling a Trijicon.

Yeah, I will go call Trijicon. Maybe it is not a big deal, the scratch is hardly noticeable and doesn't affect the optic as far as I can tell. I really cannot return this scope, not that I don't think the guy would accept a return, but to find this scope again for the price of $735 would be very difficult. I cannot even find anyone who has the scope, much less for this price. Yeah, it is a minor scratch. It almost looks like a hair trapped within the lens, but I am guessing it is some tiny thin knick. I do have to hold it to the light to see it, I didn't notice it at first.

Well, for the price I was hoping to get it in perfect condition. I will call them and see what they can tell me. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[GregGry]

Sometimes problems come in when you buy not from a authorized dealer, or distributor, but from someone else that bought from either of those. Muck like if I were to buy from a authorized distributor and then sell it to you new. Even though it has a untouched warranty card, that doesn't mean they will honor the warranty since you bought it from me and not from authorized distributor.
In the ideal world all companies would honor warranties regardless of things like this, but many don't.

 

[gym]

Call them and ask them.

 

[lipadj46]

The Scope is not second hand, it is BRAND NEW in the box with a blank warranty card (meaning no previous owner) and all the paperwork. THis is a brand new factory sealed scope. The person who sold it to me purchased it directly from a Trijicon distributor and sold it to me. He is no different than any other person selling a Trijicon.

Depends what mood they are in at trijicon. I bet they will warranty it because they are making money hand over fist with military contracts but in the strict sense you bought a second hand scope and they could charge you for the repair.

 

[TexasEd]

Call the company and tell them. I have known them to be great w/ customer service. Good Luck

 

[Double Naught Spy]

However, as I examined the Trijicon ACOG closely after cleaning it

Why were you cleaning the scope? A NIB ACOG should have been pristine, no reason needed to be cleaning it.

 

[Horsemany]

Depends what mood they are in at trijicon. I bet they will warranty it because they are making money hand over fist with military contracts but in the strict sense you bought a second hand scope and they could charge you for the repair.

Did I miss something? How many times does the OP have to state he purchased the scope brand new from an authorized Trijicon dealer who lists items on Gunbroker? This items would be considered new just like if you bought it from a gunshop.

 

[lipadj46]

Did I miss something? How many times does the OP have to state he purchased the scope brand new from an authorized Trijicon dealer who lists items on Gunbroker?

I believe you did...

He actually never said it was an authorized dealer. It sounds like he got it from one of those grey market dealers that sell in bulk on gunbroker for very slim profit margins. If it was an authorized dealer it would have cost around $940 and I assume there would be zero worries as trijicon has great CS. Still I hear of people report Trijicon will warranty second hand scopes or scopes bought from non-dealers. Like I said above having a government contract has it's benefits.

 

[Horsemany]

The person who sold it to me purchased it directly from a Trijicon distributor and sold it to me. He is no different than any other person selling a Trijicon.

Correct lipadj46. I read this too fast. OP bought it from someone who bought from a dealer. In any case it would be a pretty lame warranty if Trijicon doesn't fix it. I realize most of their business is govt. work, but they are competing with other scope mfg's, most of which would repair that scope IMO.