Rifle Scopes Steiner warranty process

[jconPNW]

Just curious how good Steiner's warranty department is and what their turnaround times have been for some of the members here.
They state 2 to 4 weeks is standard. I bought a brand new scope and before I could even get to mounting it, I discovered a turret issue and had to get a RMA to send it in. Seems like they would go the route of just getting me a replacement to save time but I'm not sure what their business attitude is regarding replacing vs. repairing on something that hasn't been used.

Can anyone weigh in on their experiences whether positive or negative on their warranty process?
(note: I expect it could be slower than usual due to the COVID19 outbreak)

 

[Bandit31]

I had a new M7xi come out of the box a lemon over the summer. Steiner ended up replacing it but it took nearly twice as long as they had quoted for turnaround time ( I think around 8 weeks total minus shipping) and I could never get anyone to respond to my emails or phone calls about what the hold up was. I also bought it during a promotion and never got the item and no reply back from Steiner as to why they wouldn't honor the promotion they were advertising. This isn't the first experience with Steiner where they've had shitty comms so it was the final straw for me.

 

[jconPNW]

I had a new M7xi come out of the box a lemon over the summer. Steiner ended up replacing it but it took nearly twice as long as they had quoted for turnaround time ( I think around 8 weeks total minus shipping) and I could never get anyone to respond to my emails or phone calls about what the hold up was. I also bought it during a promotion and never got the item and no reply back from Steiner as to why they wouldn't honor the promotion they were advertising. This isn't the first experience with Steiner where they've had shitty comms so it was the final straw for me.

Well that's no good. There's no excuse for that kind of turnaround when the item showed up with issues. If it was an older scope and they had to determine who or what caused the issue, I could understand a longer turnaround but ....you already waited just to get the thing and now you're just waiting more. I'm going to be pretty pissed if it takes 2 months to get back to me. The guy on the phone seemed to THINK it could go quicker than 2 to 4 weeks given it's newness.

I have called them twice and both times they picked up the phone pretty quickly. They seem to be a little short on answers. Most answers were "yep" or equally abbreviated.

 

[kingston]

What was your turret issue? Which scope was it on?

 

[charliem249]

I have a new m5xi 5-25x that has terrible chromatic abberration. I sent it in and they refused to address the issue or offer an alternative. I would not recommend them.

 

[jconPNW]

What was your turret issue? Which scope was it on?

It was on the P4xi 4-16 SCR. The issue was that the set screws in the turret were either not engaging or they were locking. You're supposed to engage the screws to "finger tight" torque as was indicated by Steiner given the lack of a torque specification. When you back out the screws the turret spins freely without clicking so you can set your zero. Then when you engage the set screws to finger tight, the turret should give positive clicks when turning. Mine would lock up.

 

[jconPNW]

I have a new m5xi 5-25x that has terrible chromatic abberration. I sent it in and they refused to address the issue or offer an alternative. I would not recommend them.

Yikes. No bueno.

 

[stradibarrius]

I have a T5XI 5-25 I bought new and returned it for repair. They had it back to me in about 3 weeks and it worked perfectly. I had a good experience and have since bought another Steiner, a M5xi 5-25. It too is a great scope!

 

[smoothy8500]

I sent in a used T5Xi (bought here) with excessive chromatic aberration and a replacement was in my hands within the month. I was content with the process and time.

 

[jconPNW]

Well they sent me a replacement with another, albeit much less significant, issue. They told me they will expedite the process and hand inspect it this time around before sending it back. Both times they paid shipping each way which is pretty cool. They've made a couple mistakes but at least they stand behind their work by fixing it. Thanks again to @gr8fuldoug for getting the process rolling and helping out with everything.

 

[Voltron]

Well they sent me a replacement with another, albeit much less significant, issue. They told me they will expedite the process and hand inspect it this time around before sending it back. Both times they paid shipping each way which is pretty cool. They've made a couple mistakes but at least they stand behind their work by fixing it. Thanks again to @gr8fuldoug for getting the process rolling and helping out with everything.

I had to send my brand new P4XI 4-16x56 in last week. The elevation turret had some issues as well as other issues. I think I got a lemon but I'm sure Steiner will make it right. I am disappointed that I will have to wait for a good while before I can use the scope. I was told it would be a minimum of 8 weeks before they even looked at it.

When you sent yours in, did they replace your scope with the same model or a different model? I am curious since the 4-16x56 is discontinued, and I don't know what the equivalent scope that they'd replace it with.

The image quality was really good, and if it weren't for that aspect I wouldn't have even entertained dealing with the warranty process versus sending it back for a refund.

 

[jconPNW]

I had to send my brand new P4XI 4-16x56 in last week. The elevation turret had some issues as well as other issues. I think I got a lemon but I'm sure Steiner will make it right. I am disappointed that I will have to wait for a good while before I can use the scope. I was told it would be a minimum of 8 weeks before they even looked at it.

When you sent yours in, did they replace your scope with the same model or a different model? I am curious since the 4-16x56 is discontinued, and I don't know what the equivalent scope that they'd replace it with.

The image quality was really good, and if it weren't for that aspect I wouldn't have even entertained dealing with the warranty process versus sending it back for a refund.

They sent me the same model. My guess is they have a stock on hand or they've taken back ones with issues and rebuilt them. The clarity is superb. The turrets, while functionally advantageous are not technically sound in that they cannot be repaired by the end user. Any time they use a contained system it makes me wary. It's the same reason I don't buy a cell phone that I can't change out the battery myself. I shouldn't have to send it back to the factory for small things like that. A major headache IMO.

By the way 8 weeks seems absurd. Their site said 3 to 6 weeks last I remembered.

 

[supercorndogs]

Was it locked up, or just stupid hard to turn? Mine was just stupid hard to turn. Buy that I mean it took two hands to break it loose and get it to start moving. I sent it back to Steiner, and received it back exactly the same, with a note that said the tracking was fine. Seems some people love the super stiff turrets with clicks that sound like a 1 inch drive ratchet. I have no problem with "spongey" and quite as long as it tracks.

Expect for warranty to take longer at certain times of year. I.E Around hunting seasons in fall.

 

[Darayavaus]

By the way 8 weeks seems absurd. Their site said 3 to 6 weeks last I remembered.

its probably the coronazombie virus BS. many companies are suffering due to shutdowns.

zeiss is down and will not even accept a scope for reticle swap out, and meopta EU is down, with a scope I had sent them. both of those companies are normally excellent, so I wont hold it against them.

 

[thehun]

I think Steiner’s online service portal is excellent. They quoted me 2-4 weeks...but you have a direct line to CS and when I have a question...I get a response usually same business day.

Lately I have been impressed with Bushnell, Leupold and Steiners CS...some have different experiences but I wonder if that comes from having a different approach about trying to solve an issue with an optic.

 

[jconPNW]

Was it locked up, or just stupid hard to turn? Mine was just stupid hard to turn. Buy that I mean it took two hands to break it loose and get it to start moving. I sent it back to Steiner, and received it back exactly the same, with a note that said the tracking was fine. Seems some people love the super stiff turrets with clicks that sound like a 1 inch drive ratchet. I have no problem with "spongey" and quite as long as it tracks.

Expect for warranty to take longer at certain times of year. I.E Around hunting seasons in fall.

No it was locked definitely. I actually prefer stiff turrets but these were binding up.

I definitely understand delays with the virus but this isn't a used scope that had an issue, it was brand spanking new out of the box. Those people should get taken care of with a replacement.

 

[NY700]

I have aT5X. Purchased used. Was having turret issues. Sent in I had it back with shipping time just over a week. About a year later I sent it back in for parallax issues. You would turn the know through it’s entire range and it would have little to no change. Took about two weeks. It was better but still just doesn’t seem as responsive as it should be

 

[thehun]

No it was locked definitely. I actually prefer stiff turrets but these were binding up.

I definitely understand delays with the virus but this isn't a used scope that had an issue, it was brand spanking new out of the box. Those people should get taken care of with a replacement.

I feel ya...I've been going around the block with Boker to replace a nice...been going for a month...but with COVID19...they keep rotating people in and out of the office so its hard to get anywhere right now unfortunately...different states have different orders...CO being CO...you can imagine what crap they are going through.

 

[jconPNW]

I think Steiner’s online service portal is excellent. They quoted me 2-4 weeks...but you have a direct line to CS and when I have a question...I get a response usually same business day.

Lately I have been impressed with Bushnell, Leupold and Steiners CS...some have different experiences but I wonder if that comes from having a different approach about trying to solve an issue with an optic.

Yeah I've been pretty happy with Steiner about it but then Doug at Camerland has also been key in getting them to respond quicker. As someone who runs a retail business I know this is critically important. Doug has more pull with them because he buys a lot of their products. Not saying Steiner doesn't care about the little guy but it's going to be easier to move any company to respond with someone like him in your corner. I'll keep buying though Doug any chance I can. His CS has been excellent.

 

[jconPNW]

I feel ya...I've been going around the block with Boker to replace a nice...been going for a month...but with COVID19...they keep rotating people in and out of the office so its hard to get anywhere right now unfortunately...different states have different orders...CO being CO...you can imagine what crap they are going through.

Oh I can imagine because I live near Portland, Oregon.

 

[blbennett1288]

I had a T5Xi 5-25 parallax crap out in 2017. RMA submitted 12/14/17. Product received by Steiner 12/19/17. They sent a replacement scope 1/24/18. They quoted me 1-3 weeks at the time.

Overall I was happy with the end result. At the time I was disgruntled it took about a month, but in hindsight with Christmas and New Years it seems reasonable.

 

[thehun]

Doug is the man with CameralandNY!

 

[supercorndogs]

No it was locked definitely. I actually prefer stiff turrets but these were binding up.

I definitely understand delays with the virus but this isn't a used scope that had an issue, it was brand spanking new out of the box. Those people should get taken care of with a replacement.

They will, but the timeline is what it is. Mine was new out of the box.

I would wager the greatest portion of failures are new out of the box. It sucks, but individual Q.C would cost an arm and leg. As far as I know they still go to Burris in Colorado, and Polis still has nonessential business shut down. I don't know if they are up and running. @Birddog6424 might know?

 

[thehun]

They were answering my online portal messages...

 

[supercorndogs]

People can do that from home.

 

[thehun]

Well. They have to have people their to receive shipments...which also happened and the optic was checked into the system.

 

[jconPNW]

They will, but the timeline is what it is. Mine was new out of the box.

I would wager the greatest portion of failures are new out of the box. It sucks, but individual Q.C would cost an arm and leg. As far as I know they still go to Burris in Colorado, and Polis still has nonessential business shut down. I don't know if they are up and running. @Birddog6424 might know?

I hear you. They unfortunately caused themselves more of a problem by not just doing a simple QC check before the replacement left the repair dept. because the replacement also had an issue. I was actually set on living with the (smaller) issue but when I brought it up in this forum to see if anyone else had an idea of a fix, Doug reached out and said he was intent on getting this straightened out through Steiner directly. He took the initiative to reach out to them and before I had even awoken the next morning, I already had a RA/call tag in my e-mail inbox. They said they would get one expedited back to me given the situation.

I understand this won't be the way everyone is handled but I'm glad it's how they decided to resolve my issue. I'm a pretty big advocate of Steiner as a company and would like to continue to trust their products and that they will back it up with customer service.

 

[Birddog6424]

People can do that from home.

Exactly..

My understanding is everything that doesnt require a presence in the building is being handled off site. It's a skeleton crew just like so many other businesses are right now.

Burris/Steiner cant operate off the same business model as Vortex. I know Vortex sets the bar in the scope industry, but many companies either can't or won't commit the resources for operating as they do. Vortex has very deep pockets, a large CS staff, and a large amount of stock on hand to simply replace versus repair. Smaller companies cant operate that way.

So they plod along as best they can with the staff and product on hand that allows them to stay in business. There are plenty of good CS stories out there just like there are bad ones. No manufacturer gets a pass on being human and making mistakes.

I hope your issue gets resolved to your satisfaction once the smoke clears..

 

[AliasSLH]

Couple years back I purchased a 1-4 p4xi from a Facebook group, the illumination went jacked somehow and it took like 3 weeks or so and they just ended up sending me a new one. I know this because the one I sent was painted.

I didn't really have any issues with contact, just sent an email.

 

[vno.helix]

I had a steiner scope a couple of years ago. It came apart (turret and some internal issue) the first time I used it on a 223 rifle. Sadly they were horrible to deal with and it took, to the best of my memory, 8 weeks to get it back. Communication was a disaster and at some point they even "lost" the scope. When I finally got it back I immediately sold it. All scopes can potentially break or might need something at some point, I get it, and thats ok. However, how the manufacturer deals with it and with you, the customer, is all that matters to me. For example; At some point also several years back I had a S&B with an issue. They took care of it and shipped it back to me the same day. That is how it should be for a scope in that price class. Never a Steiner again for me for that reason alone. This is simply my experience with them, hope this helps.

 

[Islas82]

Am I currently going through CS due to a parallax issue, as someone else commented here it just would not focus and the set distance markings were off, I mean shooting a target at 1040yrds and image would semi focus in at 300 meter on the knob.

Sent it in they received it on May 3rd. At first CS was responsive, then I noticed that on the service portal there was a “cases” tab which listed my scope as a parallax issue repair and a “returns” tab which list my scope as a return. Now that might very well be the same thing , I wouldn’t know because when I tried to contact them again a week ago they never got back to me.

As of the 20th of may scope is listed as “awaiting shipping” on the returns tab and hasn’t moved from there. I don’t know if that means that they repaired it or are sending me a replacement, I guess I’ll wait and see. They did warm me about delays due to COVID which are to be expected.

 

[Islas82]

My T5Xi 5-25x56 is also in for repair. The issue on mine is that the focus/parallax adjustment would change under recoil. Had it on a LMT MWS .308. After 2 shots the target would be completely out of focus. On a 6.5 Creedmoor, 2-4 shots...

Sent it in for repair on 4/27. It has shown "awaiting shipping" since 5/13. Since they are located in Colorado where the lockdown/shutdown is more stringent, they may not have the staff needed to get them out the door. Or it could be something else like waiting on inventory. I've not tried to contact them...

Right now with all the protests and chaos going on, UPS and FedEx trucks being stopped and looted, I don't mind if my scope does not ship for a while...

I believe the Action shown on the RMA # page will be how they are handling the return.

To get to this page, log in and click on "My Returns".

On the next page, you should see a table/list of your returns. The 1st column of the table is the RMA Number. The RMA Number is a link, click on it.

View attachment 7339993


That will take you to the page with more info on the return and the "Action" that they are performing.


View attachment 7339998

I've had a couple issues with this scope in the past. In those cases they repaired the scope. But with this last issue, they appear to have decided to replace the scope.

Although the first issue shows Tracking as the Reason, it's not the reason for the return. The true reason was that there was a small amount of play in the parallax knob when rotating the illumination knob. Which they fixed. But once I got it back, the reticle would not illuminate on positions 4-7. Which they fixed.

But I've always thought that there was something else wrong with the parallax adjustment. It was always difficult to set correctly and just did not seem correct at long distances. At the time I was using it on a light recoiling 5.56 AR. Moving it to my 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 LMT MWS revealed the problem under recoil.

Thank you, very useful info. I guess I gotta jump on my PC to be able to view this info becase I dont seem to be able to do it on my phone. Also I forgot to mention I had to pay for shipping

 

[Islas82]

Just received an update from Steiner. My return has been packaged and is waiting for UPS to pick it up...

I had to pay for shipping from my place to Steiner. But they're paying the shipping from Steiner to my place.

I most be on your same batch of returns because I just got the same email.