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I am currently waiting for extravision to send me a new pair of binos.I sent them straight to there Auckland warehouse in early March and after 6 emails throughout then and now the only conclusion i have came to is that they are waiting for new stock to come I was just wondering if anyone else has had troubles with extravision
Or vortex binos.
We source our vortex products USA wholesale and look after the customer locally avoiding the headache you’re facing. I feel for you having to deal with a foreign (Australian) company for warranty issues.
@Haydenp
Firstly, where did you purchase your binos? This is really important, as there is an ongoing battle between the likes of 55six / Broncos etc who import direct, and the middle man in Aussie (ExtraVision).
One rule to remember:
MAKE A BIG FUCKING FUSS
Don't email, ring the bastards. Get on the phone to ExtraVision in Queensland.
Talk to the guy in the current thread in the Community Section here: https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....1/#post1182222. See if he can help you.
I have contact details for specific individuals in Queensland if you need, which hopefully you won't.
Did I say make a BIG FUSS?
yep if you purchased from a NZ retailer its up to them to sort your problem however most in my experience will attempt to pass the buck at the earliest opportunity.
Consumer Guarantees act covers ALL goods and services from suppliers to general public (although SOME retailers from personal experience seem to think they are specifically exempt)
We actually got appointed as an importer for vortex a longtime ago. But then had it taken from us by an Aus company before we even got to land a shipment. Since then that aus company lost the dealership to extavision.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyblown
We went back to vortex again around 6 months ago offering to look after kiwis locally. The first question they came back with was where are you sourcing vortex from now. We cutoff comms at that point knowing that kiwis would get shafted again. Vortex have recently sent us an email via their lawyer instructing us to remove their products from our website.
So unfortunately, unless you buy from us, you can kiss good bye NZ warranty as Aus controls the NZ retail scene. We’ve had similar discussions with nightforce and Sig Sauer too.
At the end of the day the buck should stop with the retailer.
I've had issues but having called extravision today about binos dropped off to the retailer last February (2020) it's seems part of the issue may be with my local store as they(extravision) have no record of my binos ever arriving and I've been being told no decision has been made or they are waiting for stock but extravision have confirmed they should have been replaced and they have stock just need to figure out what happened to my binos. So I'm withholding complete judgement until things sort themselves out in the next wee while to see if maybe they were lost in the covid hassle or whatever. Regardless Vortex USA where very helpful. I have also had an offer of help from the member mentioned above which was greatly appreciated.
I bought them second hand which doesn't help but I describe that in the emails and they didn't mention anything of it. I definitely will ring them up tomorrow using the nz number and make a big deal about It.
Thanks for the explanation. So what do Broncos do?Quote:
Originally Posted by 55six
I originally bought them second hand which really doesn't which is mostly why I opted to send them to extravision my self,I'm pretty disappointed in extravision with how long its taking to simply send binos out.I will definitely give them a ring tomorrow and see why they haven't sent out new binos.
It is VITAL that whenever sending expensive items back to retailer / distributor that a signed receipt is a prerequisite, for provable delivery confirmation. That said, couriers being what they are...Quote:
Originally Posted by Stocky
Not sure tbh.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyblown
I sent a vortex i bought somewhere, maybe even on here 2nd hand, it was crushed by someone overtightening the rings, and they sent me a new one in a week or 2.
This was to Broncos
I bought a nightforce 2.5-10x32, after a year or so, a piece of debri started floating round on the reticle. I contacted eurooptics, who Id purchased it from, and sent it direct to them. Took a week to get there, they rang me to say they had recieved it and would be sending it for repair, which would take a number of weeks. I said no, I need a new replacement ASAP, 10 days later I had a new scope. Try that with an nz retailer.
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This is an age old issue with Vortex. I've posted on it before and argued with guys about it. If you don't have a receipt from an Aus / NZ retailer, you might well run into problems.
But then again, you might not. Who knows? is what it seems like, which isn't good enough.
Has always seemed to me that the whole "global VIP warranty" has been hit and miss from the get go. They recently changed the wording on the US website again, for like the eighth time, go look what it says. Seems pretty self explanatory to me, but it wasn't always so as when they kicked off it was "anywhere, for any reason" with several iterations of variation since then.
Now we have retailers sourcing product who knows how and apparently pissing off the regional distributor (not aimed at you 55Six but at Broncos, who I like and buy stuff from inc. Vortex). So that leaves a bit of a gap in my understanding of how this whole thing is supposed to work. All I know is that Broncos know me, and look after me, so I'm prepared to take what I see as a small risk that a warranty claim through them might go pear shaped. I guess they look at me and say "he buys rifles and stuff here, we'll just replace it like for like or as close as we can".
I wouldn't send it direct to the AKL warehouse though, ever, too many nasty stories unfortunately. That's where ExtraVision need to sort their shit out big time hey @CooeeBay.
I'd rather buy five Vortex scopes and take my chance, for the price of your one Nightforce @MSL!
I didn't ship them to Auckland (smarter than that) I dropped them at the local store I brought them off. Gave some Lee way as it was just pre Covid which in hindsight was a fuck up and since then the local retailer has just said that they are waiting on a response/extravision to send a replacement which was taking time likely due to stock but never really checked out but I've had great service on other warranty claims with them so trusted them as have also heard about extravision. But having called today something is up for sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyblown
Was $1299 usd when our dollar was strong. I sold it for considerably more than I paid for it, which was considerably less than the nz retail.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyblown
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Which retailer @Stocky?
Not till I find out where the issue lies as it could genuinely be a lost shipment etc. But have somewhat be fobbed off a few times so we will see.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyblown
You've got rocks in your head!Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyblown
Buy once cry once
Nothing like having a failed scope when on a hunt of a lifetime.
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I can see why Vortex would be annoyed that grey imports are messing up their distribution system but it seems like a better approach would be to ask why grey imports are happening.Quote:
Originally Posted by 55six
When I can pay full retail from a US store and have it landed here for 80% the price of a correctly imported one, why wouldn't I do that?
In this Global economy we no longer need to put up with this BS from NZ importers/suppliers.
Thankfully the likes of you guys at 55Six are trying to do something about it, hopefully Vortex and other companies will start to catch on.
The stories we could tell. We had an importer meet us instore recently to announce they were getting our supply of products cutoff. We recorded him and have passed on the evidence of his illegal anti competitive behaviour to the appropriate authority. We have another involved in the crossfire too. NZ retail is controlled by monopolies in various ways including price fixing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Beetroot
The reality is that some company's in nz have been appointed sole distribution rights.Quote:
Originally Posted by 55six
With that they have the obligation of warranty claims done fairly and quickly and undertake all the advertising and paying for any sponsored products they have put up for prizes or raffles.
I don't have to much of an issue as long as the price is reflective of our small market share and everybody has to make a dollar.
Just put the shoe on the other foot if you were doing all the work as above and some speculator that has no infrastructure or extra costs is trying to cut your lunch when you have done the legitimate hard yards.
Just saying!
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Parallel importing works when the parallel importer actually looks after the product they parallel import BUT in my experience what they actually do generally is sell the good cheaper ( and often on the back of advertising paid for by the appointed distributor) then when the thing breaks or needs service direct the customer to the local distributor which is where the issue starts as they get turned away, which is fair enough as if they didn't import it and sell it then they are not responsible for it.Quote:
Originally Posted by andyanimal31
Customer often has no idea their unit was a grey/parallel import and so cannot understand why they are being fobbed off..................and then get cross
I bought a Vortex PST years ago from Optic Zone before they even had anyone representing the brand in NZ. Fast forward 8 years or so, it started falling apart, so I enquired about getting it repaired under "VIP" warranty. All that I got was fobbed off by Vortex and referred to extravision who didn't want a bar of it. So IMO, their "VIP Warranty" is a load of shit and false advertising.
It’s amazing how many guys will try and sell Vortex gear into the secondhand market, and have no idea at all that the item is not covered by the NZ / Aus warranty because they have no proof of purchase.
You’ll get told in often quite an irritated manner (when you ask for proof of purchase) that you do not need a receipt because it says so on the Vortex website. I’ve had a couple of guys selling through this forum get pretty shitty with me about it. They finally go quiet when I point them to the Extravision website.
The “no receipt necessary” benefit is only applicable if you bought the product in the US…. But it does not explicitly say on the US website that you do need / do not need a receipt in any other countries. It’s ambiguous.
If you read the Extravision website it clearly says you need proof of purchase in Aus/NZ. But how many local customers know to go to the Extravision website to read their terms and conditions when it says clearly in the enclosed booklet and on the Vortex website that you don’t need a receipt!
The bottom line is that I think Vortex have been remiss with the marketing of the VIP Warranty, knowing full well that guys are going to remain completely ignorant of the local distributor requirements, until it’s too late. And that’s why we read the bad stories on here and elsewhere. Why they don’t tighten up on this I do not know because I’m convinced it just gives ammunition to the naysayers and turns people off the product range, which is fantastic bang for the buck, and hardy in the upper tiers of the range.
I say all this having had zero bad experiences with Vortex, i’ve owned binos / rangefinders / two scopes and a red dot and not had a single problem and used them over almost 10 years in a fairly brutal manner. I don’t worry about the warranty situation because all my products are bought in Aus and NZ.
In theory I agree with you but I don't see thins being the case here.Quote:
Originally Posted by andyanimal31
I get that business need to make a profit but when I can go on Google and see how much products cost everywhere else in the world it's pretty clear we get screwed over in NZ more often than not.
Again it comes down to being a global economy, it's not like these are new cars that need servicing and huge infrastructure of spare parts, if a Vortex scope breaks they just send you a new one.
Again if I can pay full retail at a store in the US, pay $100 for shipping due to lack of bulk buying, pay GST and it still save 15-25% then there is something wrong.
If it really is such a small market and that is the cost of doing business here then it's obviously not a sustainable option.
The worst example of crazy NZ prices I've seen is in recent car part purchases, all genuine parts:
Needed to buy an oil pump for a Ford Territory, local price $700, price from Ford dealer in Australia $180.
Needed some suspension components, Local price $4000, 20kg parcel shipped from the UK $800.
If I can go online and import something as a one off for that much cheaper than a business that's apparently connected to a global supply of products and has the ability to bulk buy and bulk shipping then something is seriously screwed up.
Back in 2019 The Ruger importers JPB Furley made a submission on the proposed changes to the Arms Act. Their submission from memory effectively asked the government to make it law that only an officially factory appointed importer was allowed to get import permits from the police.Quote:
Originally Posted by andyanimal31
The fact that this brazen attempt at subverting commerce anti competition law was attempted by an importer should raise the alarm bells about what a lack of competition would do to the NZ market.
The only way to get competitive pricing in NZ is via competition.
We have introduced new products to the NZ market, had them approved but we never announce we are the exclusive monopoly for those products. It goes against our mantra of serving the customer first.
An update from extravision on my case is that they found my record (i dropped them off even longer ago than I thought) they apparently sent a replacement pair a week after. They have sent another pair today apparently not sure what the story is on The local retailer part except they will call me when they arrive so potentially all due to a lost shipment no real way to know but my set of binos is being replaced. I will be sure to get a receipt of replacement from the retailer.
Well surprising yesterday I got a photo from my mother picturing a brand new set of binos that extravision sent out,I guess it was a stock thing.The last email I received for them they said they were waiting for stock and that was 4 weeks ago they also said they would receive the stock hopefully within 2 weeks which sounds about right being that the address was incorrect meaning it probably got sent back and sent out again.Thanks to everyone that helpes out cheers.
Funny how people are suddenly having stuff turn up.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this is not a coincidence.
Glad to hear of the good outcomes fellas.
My experience must be unusual.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyblown
I bought a Vortex Golden Eagle second hand.
I dropped my rifle and it fell onto the top (elevation) turret of the scope - ruining the scope.
I had no original receipt, no proof of purchase.
I received a replacement scope 2 weeks after couriering the broken scope to the Auckland agent.
Excellent service honouring a no fault guarantee.
Your experience may differ, my was unbeatable.
Your experience @Cyclops is one of the ones that prove there’s no consistency, which is what I referred to earlier when I said “who knows?”
Some get told a flat out no.
Some simply never hear back.
Some - like you - get a great outcome.
Me, I’ll always err on the side of caution. I want the paperwork because I want the replacement guarantee for when my son runs the binos over with the quad, or the pup eats the elevation turret.
I don’t want to be posting like our mate Hayden here. Or Beavis.
Have a look at this issue through Google searching for Aus and NZ posts and the no receipt problem comes up again and again.
But equally you get good news stories too.
If you’re reading this Vortex you really need to take note of how hit & miss your warranty process is, and sort your shit out.
Vortex USA:
VIP stands for a Very Important Promise to you, our customer. We will repair or replace your Vortex® product in the event it becomes damaged or defective—at no charge to you. If we cannot repair your product, we will replace it with a product in perfect working order of equal or better physical condition.
You see, it doesn't matter how it happened, whose fault it was or where you purchased it. If you ever have a problem, no matter the cause, we promise to take care of you. You can count on the VIP Warranty for all Vortex Optics riflescopes, prism scopes, red dots, rangefinders, binoculars, spotting scopes, tripods and monoculars.
UNLIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY
FULLY TRANSFERABLE
NO RECEIPT NEEDED
Extravision:
With our full Australian and New Zealand Lifetime Warranty agreement for our Australian and New Zealand customers, you are assured of a LIFETIME of service. Always make sure you keep a copy of your receipt from the place of purchase as this will guarantee your Australian Lifetime service.
Skippers Mate:
Vortex Optics sold in New Zealand by an authorised NZ distributor and dealer are covered by the Lifetime Warranty. Gear purchased from overseas must be returned to the retailer of the country from purchase. The same goes with buying "Grey Imports" from NZ retailers. It is the retailers obligation to sort out the repair / warranty replacement.
See what I mean? If you send a second hand, run over scope to the NZ warehouse with no proof of purchase, how will they know that it's not an overseas purchase or sold through one of the "grey import" retailers like Broncos or 55Six?
We already know the various retailers are fighting eachother over who has the right to sell this stuff.
It's a dog's breakfast. But it's not just Vortex, it's the same with Bushnell (Ampro vs grey imports), and others I'm sure.
Similar experience with me I bought my binos off a Pawn shop and ended up fall over face first with binos hanging around my neck snapping them clean in half.
SkippersMate click on the link for the warranty page and more info.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyblown