Subject: [Tweeters] Re: Close Scientific Instruments - another view!
Date: Jan 29 11:05:45 2012
From: Pterodroma at aol.com - Pterodroma at aol.com




On Jan 28, Kathy Linnell writes:


I'm sorry to report that we had a very poor experience with Close
ScientificInstruments resulting in breakage of our Swarovski binocs. They are now
glued back together and have a more difficult problem then what we took
them
in for. I would not be able to recommend the business.




Addressing here to at least the remarkable honesty of Howard Close, about
a year ago when the focusing mechanism in Swarovski 10x32s had finally
become totally dysfunctional, I took them in to Close Scientific Instruments
early once morning, this also being about the time there had been a thread of
discussion amongst mostly satisfied customers here on Tweeters. We had a
fantastic chat, and I learned a lot. Mr. Close indicated that he preferred
NOT to work on Swarovski brand binoculars because they really are
complicated and said I'd be better off sending them directly to Swarovski repair
(in Connecticut), and having shelled out the big bucks for such bins in the
first place (unbeatable but expensive!), they were likely covered under
warranty and for life, regardless of what was wrong. Since I wasn't sure and
thinking I probably hadn't registered them after I bought them in a split
second of 'impulse' shopping at B&H in NYC several years before, I figured I
would have to pay for any repairs, or worse, just shell out the big bucks
for a replacement, which is why I went to Close in the first place. I then
called Swarovski and they said they were covered regardless of what, when,
or where, and went on the register them over the phone. I promptly mailed
them off and six weeks later, got them back, good as new, and had to pay
nothing more than the initial postage for shipping them off from here. With
respect to my interaction with Mr. Howard Close pertaining to this matter
and the happy outcome, I must give him mega-kudos for his sincere honesty
and he was a delight to chat with.

With respect to Kathy's Swarovski bins, I suspect a Swarovski's product
having already been through an officially unauthorized repair facility such
as Close Scientific Instruments, that would probably be the one exception to
Swarovski's policy of honoring their life time warranty policies, much the
same as such policies apply with most companies. So, if you've got
Swarovski in need of repair, send them to Swarovski and don't risk trying local
short cuts. Oh yeah, one final thing..., don't bother with those high end
Swarovski optical, jewelry, and fine glass shops like the one at the
pish-posh Bellevue Mall. OMG, unless you live in Medina or Mercer Island where
money doesn't matter, they're totally useless!

Richard Rowlett
Bellevue (Eastgate), WA