Bushnell disappoints again!! Updated - great service on warranty return

[drenalinld]

I have had problems Bushnell products and customer service in the past. I bought a Pinseeker 1500 laser rangefinder on ebay for hunting and golf. A few months later it quit working reliably. I was told by Bushnell without a receipt from a certified Bushnell dealer, they could not help me. The warranty was one year. It had a date of manufacture printed on the unit, so I finally convinced them it was well within warranty and they agreed to repair or replace. It was at their facility 60 days before they would even acknowledge it had been received. Then the real run-around started. The one year warranty expired before anyone at their facility had time to evaluate it. It took six months of calling every week to finally get in touch with someone who wanted to help me. She shipped me out a new Pinseeker 1600, the newer model of what I had. It has been great now for about two years. I'm sure they still haven't looked at my original.

Knowing this, I still bought a Bushnell Trophy Cam last October because of the claimed 6 - 12 months on 8 AA lithium batteries. The first one I bought took pictures of nothing and would fill the card in a couple days with 1000's of pictures of no game. I called the sporting goods store I bought it from and they did not have another one at the time and told me I would have to call Bushnell customer service. I did so and was informed they had none at the factory and had many orders to fill before they could replace mine but gave me an address to send it in for replacement when units were available. I decided then and there I would not buy another Bushnell product.

I decided to approach the bow shop I bought it from again since it had been less than two weeks since original purchase. I got the store owner on the phone this time and asked him to replace the camera with something equivalent even in a different brand. He said they had just gotten some more in that day and could replace it. The replacement camera just quit working after 8 months of good service. It was still on the same set of lithium batteries, btw.

I now have to deal with Bushnell customer service again. I am considering just calling it a $200 lesson rather than deal with those folks that don't care if I'm a customer or not.

[pdqt]

Mabey the company has changed hands??  A few years back, a gut I worked with gave me a bushnell 3-9 scope he had bought at a yard sale. It was messed up on the inside, beendroped or something. No ticket, no questions, they rebuilt it for a little less than $25.00. Works fine.

  Better luck with this one keep us posted.   

[Reloader]

drenalinld,


I would bear with them, big companies can be a PITA at times. I've had both good and bad experience with Bushnell's CS:

I bought my dad a Bushnell Sentry IR TC a while back for $125 and had it sent directly to him.  He didn't even think about saving the receipt and threw it away.  A few months later he put it out and it wouldn't work. He called Bushnell and they gave him the address for repair and told him to send the extra $10 for return shipping, so he sent it off.  They sent it back and said they couldn't fix it as he had no receipt.  $20 down the tubes.  I was upset that they wouldn't fix a brand new cam, but there wasn't anything I could do w/o a receipt.  About a year rocks on and I find a copy of the receipt I had printed off, so I called Dad and had him bring me the cam.  I send it off to Bushnell with another $10 check and a copy of the 2 year wtty from the owners manual.  Several weeks rock on and the cam shows up at the house with a note saying it was no longer under wtty.  I was fuming at that point, so I call them and give them the details on how we're out $125 for a piece of junk and another $40 in shipping to their ridiculous repair facility.  I also explained the wtty situation and how it had several months remaining when I sent it the second time.  The lady was nice and told me she was sending a prepaid label to my house for the return and told me to write exactly what we had discussed in a letter to send with the return. 1 week later I had a brand new in the package 2010 model Trophy Cam and it has worked like a champ. Pretty crappy CS, but I did end up with a cam that cost over $200 for the $165 I had in it.

I have 6 Trophy Cams and only one has given me any trouble. The LCD screen broke, so I sent it in and had it back a few weeks later. Works like a champ. The longest I've been battery wise was on regular Alkaline Energizer AAs for 7 months and 4-5k pics, it still had 1 bar left when I picked it up.

[drenalinld]

I will send it to them with a $10 check for return shipping and I'm sure I will eventually get it back, but it's a far cry from the recorded message you get while on hold. "Customer satisfaction is our #1 priority".

The wasted time, hassle, and lost picture opportunities are way more important to me than the money lost.

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

I have owned Bushnell scopes for over 35yrs now and I have yet to get a bad one.  That pretty much says it all. 

[WyoHunter]

I have 3 Bushnell scopes, a rangefinder, pair of binocs and a Trophy Cam and haven't had any problems. Two of the scopes are on my turkey guns - both are Trophy Turkey scopes with Circle reticle. One I've had for 9 years and the other 2 years. No complaints so far.

[drenalinld]

This gives merit to a theory of mine. If someone builds a lemon, I am likely to buy it. I hope you guys don't have to deal with their customer service. I won't bash their products, only their customer service is lacking in my experience. I also had similar poor experience with Nikon customer service. Leupold, now that's a company that knows how to treat a customer!!!

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

All scopes companies including Leupold can make some defects.  The best advice I can give to anyone is to only buy products that carry a lifetime warranty when it comes to scopes.  That way your covered no matter what.  

I'll add that I owned a Bushnell Elite 4000 6-24x40mm scope at one time and I would compare that scope with any scope.  The optics were incredible.  The scope worked flawlessly.  One of the best scopes I have yet to own. 

[drenalinld]

I have to report that I finally got around to sending Trophy Cam in to Bushnell without a receipt or proof of purchase. I received a new one in the package today about two weeks after shipping it. They have disappointed me in the past, but this was great service! When I called before sending it in, the lady was very friendly and helpful.

[Jayhawkeye]

i live 10 miles from the Bushnell Office in Kansas.  I've gone through 6 trophy cameras.  the cameras are awful, but Bushnell keeps replacing them for free w/o any problems.  I would have paid over $100 in S&H charges if i didn't drop them off and pick them up.

[gobbler74]

i live 10 miles from the Bushnell Office in Kansas.  I've gone through 6 trophy cameras.  the cameras are awful, but Bushnell keeps replacing them for free w/o any problems.  I would have paid over $100 in S&H charges if i didn't drop them off and pick them up.

Reminds me of another cheapo scope company that boasts great customer service when there products are 80% junk. Tru enough customer service matters but so does a quality product you dont have to keep replacing it.  

In Bushnells defense Ive used one of there scopes on a ML since 98 with No problem. Ive heard those trail cams are questionable..Maybe we should protest china..   

[T-town]

This thread made me think... got a Bushnell Scopechief 3x9 when I was 19 or 20. Put it on a .30-06 Remington 760. Still on there, still clear, still accurate.

[goblr77]

I've had bad dealings with Bushnell myself. Will never buy anything else with their name on it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[rebelman]

I have had great service from Bushnell warranties. They replaced a Bushnell Elite scope that I bought second hand.

[Jayhawkeye]

i live 10 miles from the Bushnell Office in Kansas.  I've gone through 6 trophy cameras.  the cameras are awful, but Bushnell keeps replacing them for free w/o any problems.  I would have paid over $100 in S&H charges if i didn't drop them off and pick them up.

Reminds me of another cheapo scope company that boasts great customer service when there products are 80% junk. Tru enough customer service matters but so does a quality product you dont have to keep replacing it.  

In Bushnells defense Ive used one of there scopes on a ML since 98 with No problem. Ive heard those trail cams are questionable..Maybe we should protest china..   

i've had zero problems with Bushnell scopes.  i had to return for repairs the only cuddyback camera i own too; it's also made in china.  i still haven't found a decent trail camera? ugggggg!