Author Topic: bushnell crap (Read 3961 times)

Lloyd Smale · « **on:** April 28, 2011, 09:41:30 AM »

Just had a bad experience with bushnell. I bought a 4200 scope about 4 months ago. I had it on a 7mag and had fired about 40 shots through the gun. The last few shots i noticed the zero was moving. Figured no big deal if somethings wrong they will fix it. Well i sent it in and got a email back from them that the scope was damaged. they said the tube is bent and its not covered under warantee. Now i dont know how the tube got bent or if it really even was as the scope looked spottless when i sent it in. If it was bent it was bent by them. they said theyd sell me a new scope for 205 bucks which is as much as i paid for this one. I cant stand getting ripped off and surely wont buy another one of there products. If this would have been a nikon or leupold for the same price and my grandkid smashed it against the wall they would have fixed it or replaced it for free. My guess is some service tech is covering his but after dropping it but ill never know. thing is that really makes me shake my head is even to drop it should bend the tube! Most likely just a sham to avoid having to warantee there product.

Delbert · « **Reply #1 on:** April 28, 2011, 10:53:32 AM »

Maybe I'm reading/taking this wrong, BUT, what do THEY mean by bent? There's 2 ways of looking at this. One is that the rings left indentations at their mounting point and that's what the service tech is seeing---and just relaying that scope is bent, when really it's just an indentation, and that's NOT WHY scope was sent to them to be repaired for. Two, is like you say, it looks like somebody dropped the scope, and it now seems to be swayed like an ole nag horse? If you're like me, I hate to even slightly clink my scopes on something when placing my rifles in gun cabinet, so I think another call to somebody higher up and talk to them to see if they can do something to help keep a loyal customer, because that's a shame, and if it's the way they now do business, maybe I'll look to another scope company and stay away from Meade Products for my next purchase also. Never owned a Leupold/Sightron---maybe it's now time I did. Too bad because the Elite line is top notch stuff. Never had such a problem when I sent in my Weaver V16(by ATK) to get repaired for it's elevation/windage problem.
Del

PowPow · « **Reply #2 on:** April 28, 2011, 11:01:51 AM »

I had something rattling around in a Banner once and they took care of it. Did you just talk to the one guy or to his boss's boss's boss? Shouldn't have to but sometimes that's just the way it works.

Swampman · « **Reply #3 on:** April 28, 2011, 11:15:58 AM »

Did you buy it new or used? I wouldn't buy a Sightron......get a Leupold if you don't like Bushnell.

Delbert · « **Reply #4 on:** April 28, 2011, 03:50:33 PM »

Quote from: Swampman on April 28, 2011, 11:15:58 AM

Did you buy it new or used? I wouldn't buy a Sightron......get a Leupold if you don't like Bushnell.

Sorry to stray a little off subject, BUT:

?
You're the first person I've heard say to not buy a Sightron. I've heard nothing but great service from this scope company. Plus a very good scope, just a little out of my budget. Something I'm missing?
Del

Dave in WV · « **Reply #5 on:** April 28, 2011, 03:57:27 PM »

Lloyd, hold them to the waranty. Gun writer John Barsness has written more than once scopes usually go bad in the first 50 shots or so if there's a problem with it. In his experience most of the time they either go bad in the first 50 shots or they hold up for a resonable amount of time.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #6 on:** April 28, 2011, 04:03:59 PM »

found that natchez still had a few of the team primos nikons left got a 3x9 for a 179 bucks. Just as good of a scope as the 3200 for a bit less then they would have charged me to replace the other and this one will have a warantee anyway. Ive talked to them all i plan on. They about acused me of lieing and i dont abide by that. Anyone here that knows me personaly knows that im about as honest as they come.

Swampman · « **Reply #7 on:** April 28, 2011, 04:07:54 PM »

Quote from: Delbert on April 28, 2011, 03:50:33 PM

Plus a very good scope, just a little out of my budget. Something I'm missing?
Del

No resale value......

pastorp · « **Reply #8 on:** April 28, 2011, 05:51:55 PM »

I had a similar experience with bushnell a few years ago. I owned about 10 of their products at the time which I sold off & insisted they return the one they had which I deep 6ed in about 500' of salt water. I have not owned another bushel & never will. I'm a southern boy & us southern boys have long memories.
I just stick with leupold anymore. I like them and I've never had to test their warnity but I hear it's a good one.

Regards,

Swampman · « **Reply #9 on:** April 29, 2011, 01:05:26 AM »

Please forward all your defective Bushnells to me. I'll be glad to use them.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #10 on:** April 29, 2011, 01:20:15 AM »

send me your address and you can surely have this pos when they return it.

greenrivers · « **Reply #11 on:** April 29, 2011, 02:07:40 AM »

I missed a very large buck more than 30 years ago do to a Bushnel and vowed never to own another. But recently I read that the Trophy is a good scope and mounted one on a TC in Hornet. Last chance!

Swampman · « **Reply #12 on:** April 29, 2011, 02:19:22 AM »

You get what you pay for.

AtlLaw · « **Reply #13 on:** April 29, 2011, 07:03:32 AM »

Quote from: pastorp on April 28, 2011, 05:51:55 PM

I had a similar experience with bushnell a few years ago.

+1

Quote

I just stick with leupold anymore.

+1

carbineman · « **Reply #14 on:** May 01, 2011, 03:38:02 AM »

Quote from: Delbert on April 28, 2011, 10:53:32 AM

Maybe I'm reading/taking this wrong, BUT, what do THEY mean by bent? There's 2 ways of looking at this. One is that the rings left indentations at their mounting point and that's what the service tech is seeing---and just relaying that scope is bent, when really it's just an indentation, and that's NOT WHY scope was sent to them to be repaired for. Two, is like you say, it looks like somebody dropped the scope, and it now seems to be swayed like an ole nag horse? If you're like me, I hate to even slightly clink my scopes on something when placing my rifles in gun cabinet, so I think another call to somebody higher up and talk to them to see if they can do something to help keep a loyal customer, because that's a shame, and if it's the way they now do business, maybe I'll look to another scope company and stay away from Meade Products for my next purchase also. Never owned a Leupold/Sightron---maybe it's now time I did. Too bad because the Elite line is top notch stuff. Never had such a problem when I sent in my Weaver V16(by ATK) to get repaired for it's elevation/windage problem.
Del

Had a big time problem with Weaver on a V3 they claim was bent. Put it in a lathe and used a dial indicator and they were wrong. After a lot of hassle I got a new one but it was a different scope with shorter eye relief than the one I had. It's gone-So now it's Redfield Revolution or more Leupolds for me. I don't need the irritation in my life.

Bugflipper · « **Reply #15 on:** May 01, 2011, 05:13:15 AM »

Lloyd this reason is why I am getting away from the big name scopes that are reasonable priced. Nikon has been doing the same crap to fellows online. Most of the name brand scopes have been bought up by ATK or whatever the name of the company is. So same is going on with them. Right now I buy Vortex and Sightron. Would buy Leupold but they are to expensive for me to get the same level of glass I would have to go vx-III. That is way out of my scope budget.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #16 on:** May 01, 2011, 07:06:46 AM »

yup my one experince with vortex customer service was about as good as it gets. Same goes for luepold but like you said you pay for that service with theres. But when you factor in the 200 bucks i lost with the bushnell and the 200 i spend on the nikon i could have had a leupold!

Quote from: Bugflipper on May 01, 2011, 05:13:15 AM

Lloyd this reason is why I am getting away from the big name scopes that are reasonable priced. Nikon has been doing the same crap to fellows online. Most of the name brand scopes have been bought up by ATK or whatever the name of the company is. So same is going on with them. Right now I buy Vortex and Sightron. Would buy Leupold but they are to expensive for me to get the same level of glass I would have to go vx-III. That is way out of my scope budget.

eye shot · « **Reply #17 on:** May 01, 2011, 10:05:00 AM »

Lloyd that team primos scope is the older Monarch and more equal to a 4200. The new Monarchs use the same UCC glass. You got a great price on that Nikon I paid $219 a year or two ago.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #18 on:** May 01, 2011, 11:22:16 AM »

this is the second one i got. the first was about 6 months ago. Both were bought on natchez. Both were a 179 bucks. Only thing is the first one was new and this one is a refurb.

Quote from: eye shot on May 01, 2011, 10:05:00 AM

Lloyd that team primos scope is the older Monarch and more equal to a 4200. The new Monarchs use the same UCC glass. You got a great price on that Nikon I paid $219 a year or two ago.

charles p · « **Reply #19 on:** May 01, 2011, 01:01:34 PM »

Sorry for your bad luck. I figured the 4200 was a good scope, though I only have Leupolds (about a dozen) and one Burris pistol scope. I have owen Tasco, Nikon, Bushnell, and an old Weaver. The old Weaver 4X I had was a great scope but it gone now. It confuses me why the younger generation is so attracted to scopes they see in magazines, etc. They are convenced by advertising that cheap stuff is actually good. I don't buy my prescription bifocal eyeglasses from China because I want someone to stand behind me, and I want a local doctor. I'd want to be abe to see at my BEST! When I hunt, I want to see at my best also.

I do have two European binocs, but their reputation is well proven. Someday all optics might be made overseas, but the proven names will get my business. Why buy three or four scopes to find what you should have purchased the first time.

Same can be said of women, I suppose.

john keyes · « **Reply #20 on:** May 01, 2011, 06:41:45 PM »

I killed my two deer last season with a $39.99 Bushnell, fixed 4x with circle x reticule. My only complaint is the reticule is too damn fat.

I have some Bushnell Nature View binos and they are very good. Last fall I bought a Perma focus binocular and it is pure crap.

I sold a .45/70 to a dude and he sold it back to me with an Elite 3200 on it and I admit, looking through it looks pretty damn good. I put it on a .243.

I've got some old K4's with wire reticules and friction adjustments that I trust enough to shoot somebody in the head if they were holding one of my kids.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #21 on:** May 02, 2011, 02:21:05 AM »

john im not knocking the quality of bushnell scopes. Just the opposite. I thought this 4200 was a great scope and i wish it would have been repaired. Anything mechanical can break. I dont care how much it cost. I dont hold it failing against bushnell. But i feel they left me hanging with there *** pour warantee!!!

Quote from: john keyes on May 01, 2011, 06:41:45 PM

I killed my two deer last season with a $39.99 Bushnell, fixed 4x with circle x reticule. My only complaint is the reticule is too damn fat.

I have some Bushnell Nature View binos and they are very good. Last fall I bought a Perma focus binocular and it is pure crap.

I sold a .45/70 to a dude and he sold it back to me with an Elite 3200 on it and I admit, looking through it looks pretty damn good. I put it on a .243.

I've got some old K4's with wire reticules and friction adjustments that I trust enough to shoot somebody in the head if they were holding one of my kids.

BBF · « **Reply #22 on:** May 02, 2011, 05:31:08 AM »

Quote from: charles p on May 01, 2011, 01:01:34 PM

Same can be said of women, I suppose.

Where do you shop for them??

Swampman · « **Reply #23 on:** May 02, 2011, 08:37:05 AM »

Tons of good cheap scopes these days. I've never had a bad scope and I've owned about everything. One thing is for sure old scopes cannot compare optically to even the cheapest scopes available today. A Weaver K4 made 30 years ago is the pits.

pastorp · « **Reply #24 on:** May 02, 2011, 02:21:56 PM »

Actually the old steel tubed weavers were good scopes. Rugged & reliable in the fixed powers. Their variables would move POI through the power range. But back then that was a common problem.

Regards,

john keyes · « **Reply #25 on:** May 02, 2011, 03:03:13 PM »

I am surprised though by all of this, I thought the 4200 was the high dollar one $$$$

Swampman · « **Reply #26 on:** May 02, 2011, 03:52:03 PM »

It is and it is a great scope.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #27 on:** May 03, 2011, 03:03:37 AM »

well i brought up the fact they advertise a no questions asked one year warantee and they said if i could produce the original recipe they would consider it. I got ahold of cabelas and got a recipe. I dont know if this will qualify as the original if they are going to get real picky. they said they allready sent my scope back so ill have to ship it back again when it gets here to see if there going to stand behind it this time. I just dont see why i had to raise this much cane. If the warantee is there why didnt they do it the first time

pastorp · « **Reply #28 on:** May 03, 2011, 04:59:13 AM »

Lloyd, In my limmited experience with Bushnells service center, I feel they always tell you to ship it to them but then they come up with some reason why it cant be reparied under warnity and try to sell you another optic at more than you could buy it on the street. Good scam I guess but dosen't build brand loyality.

Regards,

Bugflipper · « **Reply #29 on:** May 03, 2011, 11:40:20 AM »

I would insist they send a shipping label to cover the second shipping fees. Legally they have not honored their limited lifetime warranty. Riflescopes are not listed as needing a receipt under their limited lifetime warranty. They refused to honor it. So in turn you are having to do the 1 year no questions asked warranty. With Bushnell you have to keep the customer service line hot to get what is right. They are a corporate conglomerate. Nothing new. The same is happening with most of the other optic companies. For most companies today limited lifetime actually means no warranty unless you become a thorn in their side. There may be others, but not the case with leuopold, sightron, vortex and pentax.