That rep is blowing smoke up where the sun don't shine. It doesn't matter if the scope is at 3X or 9X. If you're using the center reticle your POI should be the same.
What he may have been talking about is your BDC reticle (if you have one). That will definitely change depending on your power setting. But a straight duplex reticle there shouldn't be any movement in the crosshair - only magnification.

A change in eye relief due to different magnifaction could make you use a different cheek weld, that could make a minor change in impact. Or at high magnification you have better clarification on your target. Still this all amounts to slight changes in impact. 12 inches means something is very wrong.

A BDC reticle has drastic changes with magnification. That is one way the Spot-On website is used for. The crosshair will stay constant throughout various magnification. The rep gave some obvious misinformation. I am pretty familiar with the Spot-On website.

If being obnoxious made you smart you would sure be a genius.

Experience is how I came up with that statement. Ive never had one 12 inches off but it is a common problem in "decent" scopes whether you know it or not. Ive seen it with my own eyes on numerous occasions and have scopes on hand that do it and have seen higher end scopes than the Nikon prostaff do it.

Nikon
 

There is an app on the app store called Nikon Spot On. It's supposed be a ballistics calculator to show you where to aim your scope at different magnification settings. I thought it was kinda worthless myself. The customer service tech said that it will show you where to aim with my scope, but I kept telling him that my scope doesn't have the BDC reticle. He wasn't very helpful with any of it.

If you have a bore sight use that and see if you can see it move through the power range.

and trust me....you will want to check this from now on before you hunt with low-mid range scopes or better yet you might as well test them all because it IS a pretty common problem.

Experience huh? Funny that you live in a state that doesn't even allow a high powered rifle to deer hunt with. You've also never mentioned any out of state hunts you've been on and yet you're now an expert on this, LOL!!! Well I have two safes full of scoped rifles and have been shooting for more years than you've been alive and I've yet to have a rifle off more than a fraction of an inch at 100 yards between low and high power setting.

Nikon
 

I'm going to try to sight it in tomorrow at 6x and 9x. I may post some pictures

I'm not going to argue with you about it.....you can just continue to think what you think I don't really care.

The guy is obviously talking about their BDC reticle system and has no idea what you were talking about. I'd go up the ladder and talk to someone within the company that can give you some satisfaction with the problem you obviously have if that rifle was 12" off from one power setting to another like you mentioned. Good luck and keep us posted!

I love it when someone is wrong and just flat won't admit it. Nobody on this thread other than yourself has come up with what you did because you're flat out WRONG! :rolleye0011: PS: I'm certainly glad you don't care, but if I were wrong I would!