Vortex Ranger 1800 - Wrong Thread Type in Tripod Mount

[Zee705]

I picked up a NIB (in plastic) Vortex Ranger 1800 off the EE with the intention of running it on a tripod for rimfire PRS. After unboxing I found that I couldn't mount a standard arca plate fastener to it.

I emailed Vortex and they said that there was a manufacturing error where they installed the wrong thread receiver in certain units. I asked them if they would send me a shipping label for a warranty return and they did.

I just got my new unit from them last week and low and behold, same problem.

I have quite a few Vortex products but this is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Has anyone else had this issue or am I just unlucky?

 

[Zee705]

Vortex Canada called me last week and said that they haven't received many warranty returns for this issue, that they don't have a replacement unit for me in Canada and that they have to order one for me from their US division. This leads me to believe that there are many out there in customer's hands and on vendor shelves with this problem but the vast majority do not use the range finder with a tripod.

I guess someone at Vortex did the math and decided that they would just continue selling the non-conforming units and issue replacements for people who discover the problem.

Vortex service is great, I've used it a couple of times, they're very responsive and fast. I'm just not sure how I feel about what they've done here. I'll be receiving a replacement unit albeit after waiting about a month.