Not fighting, but rather just trying to give correct answers to your problem! If POI moves to any appreciable degree when you change powers on a variable scope there is a problem, no ifs, ands or buts, and it doesn't involve what MC mentioned. I'm talking more than about 1/2 to 1 MOA shift in POI from low to high, so maybe that's where the miscommunication we're having lies. If you have any more than that from the lowest power to the highest power the scope will go then there is an internal problem that needs correction. A 12" shift like you mentioned is absolutely ridiculous and even a $100 cheapo scope shouldn't be off very far as to really even be noticeable. However, the cheaper the scope the more likely you are to have any type of problem with it, especially if it's placed on a big bore rifle with a lot of recoil.