Posted by Rick Cloran on March 18, 2014 at 4:56 PM
OK, I admit I'm slowly coming out of the stone age. I have an old Gitzo 320 Studex Performance (circa '89). It has one broken leg stop that I decided I should replace. I contacted the current Manfrotto service folks and was advised that not only is the tripod out of warranty, it is out of its service life and no parts are available. Now the latter isn't big surprise given the age of it. The warranty thing bugged me a bit, so I sent back a photo of the leg decal that says the tripod was guaranteed for life plus reincarnations. They responded that this was a marketing play of Karl Heitz, which was the US importer up to the early 90's, and that they only warranty the tripods for five years from point of purchase now. Seems to me the manufacturer has to agree to a marketing promotion like lifetime guarantee, but they obviously don't feel they need to.
I followed up with a request for a leg collar for my Gitzo 1325. They responded that this 2008 purchase is both out of warranty and past its service life and so no parts are available. With the five year warranty bit, I wasn't surprised by this first part, but out of its service life?? I like Gitzo tripods, but if this is the attitude, it would seem to be worth it to look at the alternatives more closely.
Posted by David Bostedo on March 18, 2014 at 5:45 PM
Rick - A couple of things..
-- I think you'd be lucky to find any product that still has replacement parts for a 25 year old model - I'd certainly never count on it for that long
-- New owners/distributors aren't usually under any obligation to honor the previous companies policies, such as the lifetime warranty you had. Unfortunately, that's always true. If I get a lifetime warranty from my car dealer and they go under, other dealers or the car company aren't going to care, nor should they have to.
I don't mean to sound callous... it always stinks to have the rug pulled out from under you, but I don't think your expectations are realistic given that your warranty was not a direct manufacturer warranty.
Odds are that Gitzo still has some of the best customer service and warranties in the business, even if it's not close to what you had 25 years ago. That said, I'd say look at alternatives - it's always good to shop around. RRS in particular has a good reputation, and there are a lot of up-and-comers in the tripod/head area.
I'm not too impressed with Gitzo. Not sure of the model numbers but I spent aroung $1000 on a Manfrotto carbon fiber tripod and Gitzo ball head a few yrs ago. the head started to get sloppy around the one year mark. took it back to retailer and they sent it back. Four months later I was getting ready for a trip to Glacier NP and still no head. After making several calls over the next few weeks they finally agreed to authorize the retailer to replace the head two days before I left. While at Glacier the new head started to get sloppy but in a different direction. Fortunately it was fixed with a 2mm hex key but still frustrating. the tripod is decent although had to have a broken leg stop fixed after two years use. I think I could have got comparable quality and service for a lot less money.
Sorry to hear about the difficulties with Gitzo. As for a fix for the Gitzo 320 Studex Performance or the newer model you might post a "Want to Buy WTB parts" on the Fred Miranda buy & Sell board. A very large readership and I've always gotten a great deal on used gear there.
Knock wood I have had no issues with my Gitzo tripod I bought in 2006. However I had a pair of "water proof" Swift binoculars with a "life time" warranty that went belly up with water in it after a big rain storm. The company was changed some how so they would not repair or replace with out s substantial financial outlay almost the equivalent of getting new binos. I bought a pair of Vortex Vipers and not looked back. Point is that companies do change and the new entity does not have to honor the old entity's terms of sale.
Posted by Keith Bauer on March 18, 2014 at 10:24 PM
I'm not sure I fully understand your complaint. You have a Gitzo tripod that is 25 years old. Not surprising that parts are not available. There is no way any company is going to keep spare parts for every product they have made in the past 25 years. As for the lifetime warranty, companies change and trying to pin them as "No Longer the Best" on that argument is pretty weak. Every company evolves. Yep, might seem like a raw deal if you want to view it that way. Pick any other tripod you want, wait 25 years and see how well the tripod is holding up and if you can get warranty service on it. There's plenty of other options out there. Gitzo is one of the industries best for a reason.
Posted by Brian Gatlin on March 18, 2014 at 11:26 PM
I think maybe people are only reading the first half of Rick's message, focusing only on the 25 year old tripod. The second paragraph notes that his 2008 Gitzo tripod also does not have parts available. I'd be disappointed to find that I couldn't get replacement parts for a tripod that was only 6 years old.
Posted by Paul DeCesare on March 19, 2014 at 12:22 AM
Hey Rick,
Did you call Manfrotto/Gitzo in NJ directly, or did you call the contracted place that REALLY does the repairs over here in Arizona? If you called NJ only, then try CRIS in Chandler, AZ and talk to someone there about the parts for the 2008 Tripod. Here's their info from the website:
CRIS is open from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm (MST) Monday through Friday.
All packages should be shipped to:
Manfrotto Service @ C.R.I.S.
250 North 54th Street
Chandler, AZ 85226
Interesting I have an old bogen at least 25 yrs old and I found replacement parts at B&H and also Outdoor Photo Gear has replacement parts for Gitzo
Posted by John Neukirch on March 19, 2014 at 8:13 AM
"Lifetime warranty" is an impressive marketing term. People see that on ads and product specs and think it's guaranteed for as long as you own the product. In most cases if you read the ultrafine print (you know the one you need a magnifying glass to see) you'll see that the company reserves the right to change the terms of the warranty at any time. Again it's mostly marketing hype to get you to buy their product.
Posted by Dennis Plank on March 19, 2014 at 8:44 AM
Looks like you started a bit of a firestorm, Rick. I do think I've seen aftermarket leg locks for tripods on the web.
Genny asked if other manufacturer's tripods have manufacturers or dealers warranties. Go to the manufacturer's website-not the US importer to check. Out of curiosity, I just checked the RRS website and had to download a copy of the users manual to find the warranty (5 years). Note RRS does not use a dealer network-you buy directly from them so it's their warranty and their tripods are beautiful, but expensive.
Posted by Frederic Hore on March 19, 2014 at 11:22 AM
Many years ago, I looked at the Gitzo Mountaineer, and decided it was overpriced for what you got. I wasn't impressed with their twist-lock leg locking systems, nor their ballheads. A fellow photographer had their Gitzo leg lock seize after doing some ocean side photography. Salt corroded the aluminum fittings on the carbon fibre legs. He could not get parts, and ended up replacing the whole leg section right from the ballhead platform. Cost him something like $500! Yikes!
In the end, I purchased several years ago, the Manfrotto (Bogen in the US) 055CX3 carbon fibre from B&H Photo. On that, I installed an Acratek GV2 ballhead (made in US) and have been very happy with this combo.
I also have the smaller companion to the 055, the 190CX3, which is a bit smaller and lighter, but still a rugged 3 section tripod great for travel and hiking into remote areas.
With adjustable snap locks (with a tool supplied by Manfrotto), I've found them to be durable and easy to use with gloves on even in the -40C winter temps here in Quebec. I just returned from a 13 day trip to Antarctica, and the 190CX3 with GV2 ballhead performed flawlessly.
Cheers,
Frederic in Montréal
Posted by Rick Cloran on March 19, 2014 at 11:36 AM
Hi folks, Brian seemed to have picked it up but Keith and some others missed it, maybe I just went on too long. It wasn't about the lack of parts for the old 320 that I was questioning Gitzo's status. I expected that. It was the fact that a model 1325 bought in 2008 is deemed out of its service life and no parts are supposedly available (the last part of my original post). Out of warranty yes, they are clear it is only five years now. Out of its service life?? Sorry, I do not buy that if you are supposedly one of the best out there.
To answer some other questions, I actually started off the corporate link ending up with Manfrotto service Italy (same story). Next to the CRIS outfit in AZ. They are the ones who say the 1325 is out of its service life with no parts available. Then to the Manfrotto service center in NJ, who have never responded to any of several e-mails.
What started me off on the 320 was that I would expect someone with a little marketing savvy to respond that while the tripod had originally borne the claim of a lifetime guarantee, it was a marketing item from a prior distributor and no longer the policy of the current distributor, then offer some minimal trade in discount for my older tripod against the purchase of one of the current models. In effect... "We're not disowning anything, but it has very limited value given the age".
Posted by Paul DeCesare on March 19, 2014 at 1:29 PM
Wow Rick, looks like you really did your homework. I was surprised to see CRIS say they didn't have parts, but they can only get what's made.
You got me thinking then, is there something out there a bit more affordable that RRS that is good quality? I then remembered that Jay and Varina Patel endorse Induro, so I looked at B&H and was surprised to see 40-50 reviews on their tripods and still rated at a full 5 stars. This doesn't guarantee parts availability 6 years from now, but by the looks of things you get the stability you're looking for at half the price. I've had to sell my Gitzos this month because we need a house down payment, so I'm relying on a cheap pod I have, but when it's time to buy up again, I may look into Induro further. Maybe that's an option if you end up having to ditch what you have.
Posted by David Chauvin on March 20, 2014 at 7:17 AM
I bought an Induro CF (300 series) two years ago and love it. I had been a Gitzo user for twenty five years but after reading about the quality and cost advantage of the Induro I decided to give it a try. I still have two aluminum Gitzos so have nothing negative to say about them.
Posted by John Neukirch on March 20, 2014 at 8:24 AM
I'll throw my two cents worth plug for Induro here. I purchased a CT414 with a BHL-2 head in August, it was more then I needed as I currently don't own a big piece of glass but wanted to have a tripod that would be able to handle whatever I want to throw on it in the future. The thing is a beast, rock solid and smooth slides and locks. It is pretty heavy but I rarely hike very far these days to get to my shooting locations. I considered Gitzo but decided I couldn't pass up the much more reasonably priced Induro.
Rick, I tried to email you via this site, but my message bounced. I have a 1325, which began falling apart on me a couple years back. It cost $200 just to replace the leg, and then the other two started coming loose, so I opted for a brand new tripod (Induro). If you think you can recycle some of the parts for yours, you're welcome to have it for cheap. Please contact me if you're interested.
Discussion
17 repliesI followed up with a request for a leg collar for my Gitzo 1325. They responded that this 2008 purchase is both out of warranty and past its service life and so no parts are available. With the five year warranty bit, I wasn't surprised by this first part, but out of its service life?? I like Gitzo tripods, but if this is the attitude, it would seem to be worth it to look at the alternatives more closely.
-- I think you'd be lucky to find any product that still has replacement parts for a 25 year old model - I'd certainly never count on it for that long
-- New owners/distributors aren't usually under any obligation to honor the previous companies policies, such as the lifetime warranty you had. Unfortunately, that's always true. If I get a lifetime warranty from my car dealer and they go under, other dealers or the car company aren't going to care, nor should they have to.
I don't mean to sound callous... it always stinks to have the rug pulled out from under you, but I don't think your expectations are realistic given that your warranty was not a direct manufacturer warranty.
Odds are that Gitzo still has some of the best customer service and warranties in the business, even if it's not close to what you had 25 years ago. That said, I'd say look at alternatives - it's always good to shop around. RRS in particular has a good reputation, and there are a lot of up-and-comers in the tripod/head area.
Did you call Manfrotto/Gitzo in NJ directly, or did you call the contracted place that REALLY does the repairs over here in Arizona? If you called NJ only, then try CRIS in Chandler, AZ and talk to someone there about the parts for the 2008 Tripod. Here's their info from the website:
Genny asked if other manufacturer's tripods have manufacturers or dealers warranties. Go to the manufacturer's website-not the US importer to check. Out of curiosity, I just checked the RRS website and had to download a copy of the users manual to find the warranty (5 years). Note RRS does not use a dealer network-you buy directly from them so it's their warranty and their tripods are beautiful, but expensive.
In the end, I purchased several years ago, the Manfrotto (Bogen in the US) 055CX3 carbon fibre from B&H Photo. On that, I installed an Acratek GV2 ballhead (made in US) and have been very happy with this combo.
Manfrotto triopd: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/584475-REG/Manfrotto_055CX3_055CX3_Carbon_Fiber_Tripod.html
Acratech GV2: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/599678-REG/Acratech_1152_GV2_Ballhead_Gimbal_Head.html
I also have the smaller companion to the 055, the 190CX3, which is a bit smaller and lighter, but still a rugged 3 section tripod great for travel and hiking into remote areas.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/548529-REG/Manfrotto_190CX3_190CX3_Carbon_Fiber_Tripod.html
With adjustable snap locks (with a tool supplied by Manfrotto), I've found them to be durable and easy to use with gloves on even in the -40C winter temps here in Quebec. I just returned from a 13 day trip to Antarctica, and the 190CX3 with GV2 ballhead performed flawlessly.
Cheers,
Frederic in Montréal
To answer some other questions, I actually started off the corporate link ending up with Manfrotto service Italy (same story). Next to the CRIS outfit in AZ. They are the ones who say the 1325 is out of its service life with no parts available. Then to the Manfrotto service center in NJ, who have never responded to any of several e-mails.
What started me off on the 320 was that I would expect someone with a little marketing savvy to respond that while the tripod had originally borne the claim of a lifetime guarantee, it was a marketing item from a prior distributor and no longer the policy of the current distributor, then offer some minimal trade in discount for my older tripod against the purchase of one of the current models. In effect... "We're not disowning anything, but it has very limited value given the age".
You got me thinking then, is there something out there a bit more affordable that RRS that is good quality? I then remembered that Jay and Varina Patel endorse Induro, so I looked at B&H and was surprised to see 40-50 reviews on their tripods and still rated at a full 5 stars. This doesn't guarantee parts availability 6 years from now, but by the looks of things you get the stability you're looking for at half the price. I've had to sell my Gitzos this month because we need a house down payment, so I'm relying on a cheap pod I have, but when it's time to buy up again, I may look into Induro further. Maybe that's an option if you end up having to ditch what you have.
Max