Would I like to see a "zero defect" QC goal being met. Sure. But in the meantime, if the company makes good on every purchase, this hue and cry that the product wasn't perfect in the first instance is unfair I believe.
I believe a custom shop such as USO should not let any scope out the door that is not perfect in every way, and if that maeans selling less scopes to acomplish this, so be it, they'd be all the better for it. May be, they couldn't stay a float with those small numbers going out the door though, who knows. Someone with a decent head on their shoulders reviewing these failures and USO's overhead could surely tell.
The point is, nobody wants to see USO go under, but everyone that sees clearly knows they will if they don't start making every **** scope that goes out the door, stay out the door first time. People only give you a pass for so long. John makes a good point about a custom gunsmith letting flaws slip through the crack. This would be totally unacceptable and even if he did make it right in the end, what does that say about his attention to detail, and his interest and ability to satisfy his customers. I personally know of a couple gumsmiths, and have heard of many more than that, that would NEVER let a rifle go out of their shop that isn't perfect. Letting the customer bring it back and tell them something wasn't done right just isn't how they do buisness. But you know as well as I do, there are MANY, MANY people that operate this very way. Lack of respect for their customers, and pride in their work is what it comes down to.
USO has really gotton noticed from the advancements and otherwise unavailable options they've brought to us, but this in no way eliminates them from operating their buisness unscrupulously, for any reason, weather it be lack of revenue or lack of management, and I do hope they pull it together quickly... for everyones good.
It sounds to me, by the number of very nice scopes that function flawlessly that are in the hands of several guys, that they DO have the ABILITY to make the scopes the way we want them... PERFECT. The question is WHY is it that, either all the parts are not manufactured perfectly, inferior parts make it to the person doing the assembling, assembled incorrectly or sloppily, why they're not each tested rigorously for TRACKING and everything else, and anything else I forgot. The answers are right there somewhere, and believe me, they know exactly what is leading to every problem that happens, and you never will. They will either stop having them and correct what ever was the cause(s), or they will not and you will see more of the same results. Money talks, and if money's tight they may change. If they indeed are concerned with not letting a single inferior product out the door, which should be their GOAL, this will help us when times $$ are good. If they are truely in this just to make money with something no one else has quite yet, and not build a name into an awesome reputation at the same time... they are doomed. Their reputation is already creating problems for them that has undoubtedly cost then serious cash. I hope for their sake, they are not set themselves on a path to make up this loss in QUANTITY. Without QUALITY first, they are nothing.
I can seperate the fact from fiction and the reality of the situation for myself, so I appreciate being able to read all sides of these stories, I only hope there is more info to come, and from both sides. The more debate, the more I get a feel for what's really happening.
If I had bought a USO scope already and did have good luck with it, I would have to, in all good conscience tell them that their odds of getting a good one may be better than 50/50, but how much I'm not too sure of yet. Could you imagine having to say that about a custom barrel maker, a gunsmith, stockmaker, bullet maker, etc???
You live or die by your reputation. Sometimes folks get started off on the wrong foot putting something on the market too quick, sometimes they get things figured out quickly enough it don't hurt them too bad, sometimes they never recover from it. We almost always end up as guinea pigs at some level on a new product.
The guys that choke at the thought of spending that kind of money on a scope will just have to get over it if they want one. I know it would be a hard pill to swallow for me, but if the tone changes and they prove themselves worthy of my hard earned money, I've been known to help in the rewarding. Until then, I read on...
That's my bla, bla, bla...