Orion Telescope & Binocular Center

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Name:Orion Telescope & Binocular Center
Web Site:http://www.telescope.com
Address:Telescope & Binocular Center
P.O.Box 1815
Santa Cruz, CA 95061-1815
Phone:
Orders:800-447-1001
Inquiries:
Fax:
Other:
Types of Stuff:
checked Telescopeschecked Eyepieceschecked Binoculars
checked Tripods/Mountschecked Accessorieschecked Books
checked ATM Materials
Methods of Purchase:
checked Storechecked Phonechecked Web(checked Secure)
Methods of Payment:
checked Visachecked MasterCardchecked Discover
un-checked American Expressun-checked Checkun-checked Money Order
un-checked CODun-checked Financing 
Description:
Vote Highlights Vote
Orion Telescope & Binocular Center
Tried to order two key items I needed for our annual sky party, and to my disappointment, both were on backorder for over 2-months!!!

That seemed way too long, especially when competitors were carrying alternative items, which I had to purchase instead. They definitely need to reconsider offering alternatives when backorders are more than a couple of weeks. Easier said than done. But 2-months is simply ridiculous.

Service is great, but prices on many items are only mediocre. The good news is that their value-to-price ratio has been steadily increasing on many of their new products. More bang for your hard earned buck makes this vendor exciting.

All in all, you got to love a company that sends you full color catalogs every few months.

Overall Rating: 8
Price:7 Service:9
Weight: 20 (Notable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=455287

Orion Telescope & Binocular Center
They have excellent price guarantee, esp when things went on sale after you bought them. They will refund the difference. Their preown items are like new, but with a big discount.

Overall Rating: 8
Price:7 Service:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=353768

Orion Telescope & Binocular Center
Of all the experiences I have had with Orion, they have been very good. I ordered one of their XT10" today. Their prices on some things are a little high (IE, Lanthanum ep's), but overall the prices are good. Most of their products seem to be good quality. They need to offer larger apature dobsonian SkyQuest XT telescopes, I think a 12" and 16" would go over really good. When I have called, they people have been very helpful and friendly. At least they do not market "Junk" telescopes as some manufactures do.

Overall Rating: 8
Price:8 Service:9
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=125009

Orion Telescope & Binocular Center
Good customer service overall. Prices are a little on the high side. Product line geared toward a novice astronomer. Someone who has been in astronomy for a long time and has used many different types of telescopes may want better quality scopes and accessories than Orion offers in their current catalog. Right now they tend to market relatively low quality telescopes that might dissapoint a beginning astronomer. The rule of thumb in astronomy is and has always been, the bigger the scope, the more you will see and better images on the eyepiece!

Overall Rating: 7
Price:7 Service:7
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=110500

Orion Telescope & Binocular Center
I purchased a Super EQ Mount with 6" rings. It arrived without a manual. The bolts to hold the rings would not go all the way in so they flop with about 1/4" of play. Call #1: Omitting the manual was an error, the Orion rep said, and he directed me to their website where I could download a PDF copy. I had to call back to talk about the rings. Call #2: The tech rep acknowledged the problem - "others have encountered it." He did not know if it was because they had not drilled the rings deeply enough or had the wrong sized bolts. He recommended getting additional washers, which I had already figured out but had hoped they had replacement bolts. This is the second product from Orion that has arrived with the wrong sized bolts, the first being a 6" Dob. In both cases the tech rep was already aware of the problem and in both cases the suggestion was to go fix it myself. Prices are good and service in terms of delivery time and telephone availability is good. But shipping products that require assembly without manuals is a pretty clear indicator basic quality control is lacking. Continuing to ship the wrong sized parts which make the product unuseable is worse. After 30 years of being an amateur astronomer, I have become convinced that the "amateur" refers not to the people doing the observations but the people selling us the gear.

Overall Rating: 5
Price:8 Service:8
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=68928

Orion Telescope & Binocular Center
Yes shipping plus tax makes it not competitive for californians, and of course i saw on adorama web site that they dont authorize sells of orion's products to californians.What a surprise when you see the price you pay for shipping when you buy directly from them....

Conclusion : there is nothing special about orion's products, and you can find elsewhere a better deal if you know what you want, btw we shouldn't have to beg for good service.

Overall Rating: 5
Price:2 Service:8
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=590791

Orion Telescope & Binocular Center
I've made quite a few purchases from Orion over the years. Everything from a $5.00 star chart to a $1200 scope. Their service has always been uniformly excellent. Fast delivery, sturdy packing, and quick response to any problems/exchanges/returns. Recommended.

Overall Rating: 10
Price:9 Service:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=454964

Orion Telescope & Binocular Center
Fast service, responsive to email. Prices vary by product. Good scope values; tend to be high with accessories.

Overall Rating: 9
Price:8 Service:9
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=427736

Orion Telescope & Binocular Center
I can't think of anything negative to say about this organization...and I do mean "organization" in the truest sense. These folks know what they're doing! Every order I have placed - and I've placed 1/2 a dozen, or so - has been flawless from the beginning of the transaction to the timely delivery to my door.

This is a company that other similar type internet vendors should model themselves after - a true customer servant!

Overall Rating: 9
Price:8 Service:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=323627

Orion Telescope & Binocular Center
I've seen good rating for www.telescope.com but my experience with them has been bad will not reply to emails they will answered your questions one time and thats it after that you are on your own. All I can say is AVOID DOING business with them there customer is bad.

Overall Rating: 0
Price:8 Service:0
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=272194

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