Advice needed in dealing with Ultradot Warranty service

Folks,

Need advice. One of my Ultradots 1" sights developed a problem with the elevation screw - suddenly the sight elevation jumped up about 12 inches and turning the screw does absolutely nothing with either upward or downward adjustment. Since I bought the sight in May of this year, I want to send it to Ultradot for warranty repair. I tried calling them several times over the last two days and nobody picks up the phone. I left a voice mail and no return call. I sent an email and no reply. Is this usual for their customer service? Should I just mail the dot to them following instructions on the website (proof of purchase, description of the problem, etc.)? I usually prefer to contact the manufacturer and get a response before sending them something.
What is your experience in dealing with Ultradot's service?

Regards,
Oleg.

My experience with their customer services is horrible. I would still wait to get in touch with someone before sending it to get an RMA number. Hopefully you have a backup dot or pistol.

I recently went through the song and dance of wait, wait, wait some more and now I have my "repaired" Ultradot. I'm gonna shoot it this afternoon. I'll let you know how it turns out. I can say that the person you'll come into contact is very pleasant to speak to and polite. But getting in touch isn't easy.

Thanks, guys.
I do have a backup dot on my backup .22. I have mounted it onto the 1911 .45, which had the failed dot, and will go to the range to zero the dot on the .45. So, I can wait but do want to get the dot repaired. I will continue to try getting in touch with them before sending out the dot.

Regards,
Oleg.

I have a growing collection of malfunctioning Ultra Dots. I can never get anyone on the phone and emails go unanswered as do voicemails.....

Nope - they didn't fix it. Still bad. Usable but bad. I like shooting both eyes open. I don't use a blinder. Both eyes looking through the tube. I get a distorted image of the target. If I blind or shut one eye, the picture or target comes into focus and I'm good. So I guess now I have to shoot with a blinder. Oh well. I think next year I'll save up and try Holosun optics.

Jason, I just got a 9000SC to put on the new pistol Jon is finishing up. If you make it up to Columbia again this year you can check it out. You might wanna go straight to that instead of a Holosun. 

Sounds like your Ultradot may have the negative magnification problem, I think it's pretty common. I have 3 Matchdot II's and I also shoot both eyes open, to my eyes they don't have negative magnification, if they do it's very minor.

zanemoseley wrote:Jason, I just got a 9000SC to put on the new pistol Jon is finishing up. If you make it up to Columbia again this year you can check it out. You might wanna go straight to that instead of a Holosun. 

Sounds like your Ultradot may have the negative magnification problem, I think it's pretty common. I have 3 Matchdot II's and I also shoot both eyes open, to my eyes they don't have negative magnification, if they do it's very minor.

Dang! I just looked it up. Thats a costly sight!

Yeah it's not the cheapest but cheaper than replacing ultradots I suppose. I've had good luck with my Matchdot II's but the only time I had to use their CS I left furious. It warms my heart to not give them another cent lol.

I'm buying 2 more Aimpoints in very near future; Micro H-1 & 9000. I love them. 
Jon

Jon Eulette wrote:I'm buying 2 more Aimpoints in very near future; Micro H-1 & 9000. I love them. 
Jon

I'm sad to hear that UltraDot has such poor customer service and support. I have never felt like I could justify the cost of Aimpoints. That said, they continue to have a great reputation for quality. One thing that used to bother me is that they used to quit supporting older models when a newer replacement came out. Do they still do that?

I had a lot of trouble contacting UD repair last winter for my HD Micro.  They finally answered me and the lady said the whole office was out with the flu.  The problem was adjustments "jumping" 2 to 3x more than I adjusted.  Also the sight seemed not to hold zero yielding 'double" groups on the same target.  I sent it in on my nickel with a check for $12.95 to cover return shipping and handling (mandatory).  They tested it then deemed it unusable and sent me a new one.  So far so good, but my old one didn't start acting up until a year after I mounted it....sooooo I'm holding my breath.

Oleg G wrote:Folks,

Need advice. One of my Ultradots 1" sights developed a problem with the elevation screw - suddenly the sight elevation jumped up about 12 inches and turning the screw does absolutely nothing with either upward or downward adjustment. Since I bought the sight in May of this year, I want to send it to Ultradot for warranty repair. I tried calling them several times over the last two days and nobody picks up the phone. I left a voice mail and no return call. I sent an email and no reply. Is this usual for their customer service? Should I just mail the dot to them following instructions on the website (proof of purchase, description of the problem, etc.)? I usually prefer to contact the manufacturer and get a response before sending them something.
What is your experience in dealing with Ultradot's service?

Regards,
Oleg.

If you're willing i would send it back with the paperwork, return shipping amount ,and have it sent signature required.

Maybe it was just luck, but every time I've called, the same (very helpful) person (I think her name was Katie) answers the phone.  I think she is the only person working in the office.  Mid-afternoon seems to be a good time to call.

Among other things, she told me I had my Matchdot II mounted incorrectly.  Don't follow the instructions that come with the sight - there is a much more complete set of instructions on their web site.  She is in the process of re-writing the instructions.  The sight should be mounted right up against a mounting ring, no gap (see below).  The front mounting rings should be as close to the sight, not spread out.

Having just read the information I am posting below, I find out that I did that incorrectly.  I tightened the screws evenly, but the bottom screws should be tightened first, before tightening the upper screws, and the screws should NOT be over-tightened.  I may have mis-understood her - if the "objective" end of the tube is the front, the sight should be right up against that mounting ring.  The front makes more sense, because of the recoil.  I will call back to find out.


I also found this under "maintenance":

	The rings should be placed as close to the center housing as possible, especially on the objective end of the tube. This will help to provide a mechanical stop and prevent
	the sight from shifting. It will also help to prevent lens breakage as a result of over-tightening. Finally, when tightening rings, always tighten the bottom ring
	bolts first and then the top. This will also help to prevent lens breakage. The two ring halves do not need to be touching each other. If they are, you have almost
	certainly over-tightened your rings. Lens breakage is not covered by our warranty.

Mike, perhaps it was your post but today my luck has turned for the better. I got in touch with Ultradot (Katie) on the phone and the sight is in the mail to Florida. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Great!  I told Katie about you when she called me back.  There isn't any perfect time to call her, but she said she always returns phone calls.  I wish everyone I deal with was as helpful and friendly as she is.

There are three sets of instructions on how to mount the sight, one that I posted a link to earlier, one that is on the maintenance page on the website, and one that comes in the box.  That last one should be discarded.  The others are much more detailed.  People who put the support rings in the wrong place can damage the sight.   

I suggested to her that they should provide a photo along with the instructions, but even then, the lower screws must be tightened first.  Maybe I'll take a photo, having followed her advice, and send it to her.

Glad things worked out for you!!

An update on the warranty repair.
Katie is a great service person. Unfortunately, the work done on the sight was a bit shoddy.
I received the sight from Ultradot a couple of weeks ago, so the turnaround was within the promised 30 days.
Ultradot replaced the elevation adjustment assembly but they installed one that was badly used.

Please compare the original windage dial on my sight with the elevation dial the repair people installed:





The dial seems to work but the quality of work and replacement parts is somewhat disappointing.

Regards,
Oleg.

zanemoseley wrote:Jason, I just got a 9000SC to put on the new pistol Jon is finishing up. If you make it up to Columbia again this year you can check it out. You might wanna go straight to that instead of a Holosun. 

Sounds like your Ultradot may have the negative magnification problem, I think it's pretty common. I have 3 Matchdot II's and I also shoot both eyes open, to my eyes they don't have negative magnification, if they do it's very minor.

What dot size are you using? 2 or 4?

Thanks!