REDFEILD SCOPES DO NOT BACK LEUPOLD WARRANTY!!!

---- Original Message ---- Hi Trenton, I haven't received any response. Sent the scope 11/17/2011 --- 1/5/12, Smith, Trenton wrote: From: Smith, Trenton Subject: Re: Redfield Product Service Date: Thursday, January 5, 2012 Hello, I apologize that someone has not contacted you. I checked on your scope and found that you had returned a non-Leupold Manufactured Redfield scope. We are unable to repair or service the older Redfield Scopes as we have no parts, tools nor any information pertaining to them. I do have something that might interest you. Leupold Redfield has recently announced a program where I can offer to you 30% off of UPP pricing on any of the new Redfield or Leupold scopes. If this program is of interest to you please let me know what scope you would like to obtain pricing on and I will provide the pricing to you. If the program is not of interest to you plesae let me know and I will have your scope returned to you. There is a company that can repair your scope but, not under warranty. Best Regards, Trent Trent Who the #### are you trying to bull####, no tools, parts etc. Why would I buy another scope from you ##### if in 15 years the same thing happens. I will definitely spread the word on your company. Send the scope back. I will proudly display it with on large cardboard on every hunting trip I take with verbage on how leupold/redfield do not back a "lifetime" guarantee.

The difference lies in WHAT was purchased. The company of Redfield (buildings and other assets) were not purchased. The only thing that was purchased was the rights to use the brand name of Redfield. This type of purchase does not come with any liabilities of the former company. Those liabilites stayed with the company that went out of business. Brand name purchases happen all the time. It is entirely different than when the purchase involves property in addition to the name.

Ditto gave the reasons why Leupold doesn't warrant the older Redfield scopes, but here's a bit more history of Redfield. Leupold purchased only the brand and intellectual property. They don't have any parts, machinery, or machining capabilities for the older Redfield scopes. Those entities did exist (and were sold) at one time.......but they have likely long since disappeared from practical application. The following was gleaned from the Internet.... In 1998 Redfield closed its doors in Denver, Colorado, marking the end of an era. Redfield changed hands several times until April 2008 when Leupold & Stevens, Inc. purchased the Redfield brand name and associated intellectual property. Coupled with all this was a dirty mess in Denver. In January 1998, samples taken from groundwater monitoring wells on a corner of the Redfield property indicated pollutants were likely moving offsite and into the surrounding neighborhood. That didn’t sit well with the Environmental Protection Agency, and the company was charged. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back—the company was disbanded, its assets sold off and a new company, RRS Inc., set up to service existing warranties. The Denver facility sits vacant today. In the fall of 1998, Blount International purchased Redfield’s operating assets, which consisted of inventory, machinery and equipment, trademarks, sales literature and patents. Blount, the parent company at the time of Federal Ammunition, moved Redfield manufacturing and distribution to Onalaska, Wis., and distributed Redfield-branded products through its Simmons and Weaver optics dealers. Four years later, in the fall of 2002, Meade Instruments Corp. purchased all common stock of Simmons, which included the rights to market Simmons, Redfield and Weaver products. At the time it seemed like a good marriage; after all, Meade is a major player in the astronomical optics market; everyone in the outdoor press assumed the company would leverage its expertise to produce and market sport optics. In fact Meade planned—even advertised—a new-from-the-ground-up Redfield riflescope made in California that used components from a similar Simmons product (made overseas). I saw a prototype, and so did a lot of writers. Mark Keefe IV, Editor in Chief of American Rifleman, had airline tickets in hand to visit Meade’s facility … then the whole project came unraveled. The scope was never produced and everyone in the outdoor press who wrote about it was left holding the bag. So were American hunters who wanted a new Redfield scope. Fast forward to April 2008: Meade divests all interests in the sport optics business. ATK, now the parent of Federal Ammunition and a host of other companies, purchases from Meade the rights to Weaver products, and Leupold & Stevens purchases the intellectual property of Redfield. Finally, after a decade in the wilderness, a venerable name in American field sports has a new lease on life. New Redfield Revolution series riflescopes are being produced by Leupold & Stevens at its Beaverton, Ore., facility. REDFIELD PRODUCTS MADE BEFORE 2010 When Leupold & Stevens, Inc.® purchased Redfield in April 2008, it did not acquire the capability to repair Redfield products manufactured prior to this purchase. The repair tooling and parts were purchased years ago by other repair services. Leupold & Stevens, Inc. will service its manufactured Redfield product (manufactured from 2010 forward) in accordance with its published warranty.

Redfield had been out of business for a number of years and sold a couple times before Leupold bought it, there should be no expectation for Leupold to honor a warranty for a company that had been out of business before they bought them. I've yet to see what the terms of Redfields lifetime warranty were also. 00 Buck, I'm not so sure that the new Redfields are made in the USA. I was just looking at some new ones coming out for 2012 and 2013 and they were made in the Phillipenes I believe. As for the oval shape do you realize that to get that shape they actually put a oval shaped filler in the scope? So they actually just cut out field of view on the top and bottom..

I wouldn’t classify Redfield’s as junk. I have an Illuminator 3-9 that has been taking the recoil of a 7 mag. for 31 years and have had zero problems with it. It’s just as clear and crisp looking through it as it was the day I mounted it and I still shoot a quarter size 5 shot group @ 100 yards with it. My son put a new 3-9 Revolution on his new x-bolt a year or so ago and he can put 3 in a spot the size of a dime @ 100 yards. So I wouldn’t say that is a junk scope doing that. The one thing I wish the new Redfield would have is the oval shaped view like the old illuminators and widefields had but that’s just my preference. I am planning on picking up a new .308 this spring and I plan to put a Redfield on it because for one they are made in the USA and they are owned by a pretty reputable mfg in the rifle scope business and two, it’s hard to beat the price. I have no problem paying 260 bucks for a Redfield compared to 1500 bucks for a Swarovski that in the end will do the same thing. IF I would ever need to have anything fixed on a NEW Redfield I am sure the new company will stand behind their warranty and highly doubt the new owners (Leupold) will be going out of business any time soon. As far as wanting the NEW company to honor the OLD company’s warranty, come on, be real here. Do you think anyone who owned a Studebaker back in the day expected the Dodge garage in town to do any warranty work on their car after Studebaker closed it's doors??

Clueless?! I think you have me confused with someone else there. And your comments are not even on the topic at hand. Whiner!? Yeah I guess. Though to be criticized by a whiner contradicts your comments. Oh, i am sorry you are not whining. You are throwing a fit like a child so I consider that crying. I agree with the 2nd post under this one. And that is what I was getting at. P### on leupold for buying a name without any of the parts or services or warranties that come with that name.

Not that it matters but what EXACTLEY does the original warranty say? DOes it say that the scope will be reapired or replaced for free? Does it only cover manufactures defects, and not abuse or normal wear and tear? And what's wrong with the scope? Do you have the original warranty? Do you also need the receipt? Do you need to be the orgiginal owner? Way to many people see lifetime waranty and think that it means that regardless of what they do to the product they will get it fixed for free and that's not always the case.

It's not their lifetime waranty to back up! Do you take you Chevy to the Ford dealer for waranty work? The company that gave you the lifetime warranty is no longer in business.

Yea great customer service. It took over a month for a response. This was forwarded to me. Really pisses me off. Seeing that I have a redfeild that took a shat on me this last fall. Know I need to buy a new scope! That is BS. And the company won't back the LIFETIME warranty. Screw them. And my experience with Leupold in the past was not the shining fantastic company you guys make them to be. With my record in the past with customer service at Leupold there is enough reason to bash. I was forwarded this E Mail. I should have posted the rest of it.....probably would have booted off the sight though. Like the forum topic says...they do not back lifetime warranty....how is that bashing. Its the truth.

LEupold is offering you a 30% deal in exchange for a scope that they did not make, I consider that a pretty good deal. Weaver and Tasco have also changed hands several times in the last several years and they will not cover warranties of the older scopes because the current company did not make them. I agree with the previous post, do some research before trashing a company on a forum when a company is trying to do you a favor.

Mike is absolutely correct in his post. I would also take them up on the deal for the 30% off. Leupold is a stand up company where they still manufacture their product in the USA. Perhaps using this as a learning lesson to research something before looking foolish and slandering a company on an open forum.