Unusually rude treatment by a Firearms Manufacturer

Status
Not open for further replies.
sempai9

sempai9

Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2012
Messages
15
Location
Idaho
Has anyone dealt with Standard Mfg out of Connecticut? I purchased a BCG from them a few months ago and used it in a custom build for a friend. We went out to the desert to test the AR-15 and had short stroke, single fire issues. First time ever to have any issues with one of my builds. It turned out to be the BCG. I put another manuf. BCG into the gun and it runs like a dream now. I have measured and compared this BCG with others and the Gas Key seems undersized and not staked well. Otherwise I don't see any differences. I contacted them on their website, got no response. contacted them again and got a short reply of "send it back and we will check it out". Really? No RMA? I have never dealt with such casual attitudes like this. I was a materials analyst for most of my 40 year career and know proper dealings with Supply Chain issues, warranties, return authorizations, etc.
I made a few phone calls and the same woman answers the phone, told me to send her an email. That didn't work well....no replies to my emails. Finally after weeks of this silliness, I called again this morning. I asked why they are avoiding me. She got rude and told me to send the item in, angry voice, with "Have a good day!" and then hung up on me. Wow! I am not going to purchase any products from Standard Mfg ever again. I have dealt with many and most Firearm Manufacturers and have never ever been treated rudely by any of the customer service or technical people. Lessons learned.

Edit added....
Please note that the greatest frustration is lack of response to my several emails to get this resolved in the first place. Additionally I was hoping for an email response that would have advised me of the correct address and department or person to reference.
If they don't offer that kind of professional dealings, then I will know for future reference. I usually try to buy products that go into builds for other people that are good quality, because I care about what I do for other people and take pride in my work and service. I was embarrassed that this lady who asked me to build the AR-15 for her, took that day off, was excited to have a day of testing her "Baby" as she called it, and then we had the failure of the BCG to function. I also learned to take spare parts out with me when doing that kind of testing. First time to experience this and again, lessons learnedl.
 
Last edited:
I called Kahr a few years to get a manual and possibly some parts for a gun I'd just purchased. The "gentleman " I spoke to was very rude and not willing to help. When I called back the next day I got the same treatment. I have never considered buying another Kahr and related my story to the guys I shoot with. I wonder how many potential sales their attitude killed that day.
 
sempai9
I have dealt with many and most Firearm Manufacturers and have never ever been treated rudely by any of the customer service or technical people.
Click to expand...

It seems like quite a few companies, not just firearms manufacturers, have forgotten or ignore the Golden Rule of Sales/Customer Service, which is treat every customer the same way you would want to be treated if you were the customer.
 
bannockburn said:
sempai9


It seems like quite a few companies, not just firearms manufacturers, have forgotten or ignore the Golden Rule of Sales/Customer Service, which is treat every customer the same way you would want to be treated if you were the customer.
Click to expand...
Definitely. It's one thing not to get the outcome you were hoping for or to have to deal with a hassle, it's another to be treated rudely in the process. I've been on the receiving end of poor CS, it absolutely changes how I feel about the product...
 
I understand your dislike in the way the discussion was handled. On the other hand, you want to talk
about something they can't see, touch or handle. They don't know you or what capabilities you may have. You may have much greater knowledge about the product than the person you end up talking to, but they don't know that. What's wrong with just sending it in with a note detailing what the problem is and what you tried. Is this all because you don't want to pay for the postage? Send it in.
 
Mail it back l and you’ll probably be getting a new replacement in a week or so :thumbup:.

I’m not a big fan of short customer service folks either, I think this would be a one-and-done buy from them for me, too.

Good luck getting a fix, and stay safe.
 
I don’t know anything about the manufacturer the OP is referring to but most everyone is understaffed and spread thin. It’s not just firearm manufacturers. Lots of times in small companies, a guy running a machine is also answering the phones.

It’s a miracle anything is manufactured in the US anymore. After the 2020 pile of crap we are still shoveling, things will probably never be perfect. Can you imagine dealing directly with a manufacturer in China or Turkey?

Send the part back or just don’t deal with the company again.
 
jag22 said:
I understand your dislike in the way the discussion was handled. On the other hand, you want to talk
about something they can't see, touch or handle. They don't know you or what capabilities you may have. You may have much greater knowledge about the product than the person you end up talking to, but they don't know that. What's wrong with just sending it in with a note detailing what the problem is and what you tried. Is this all because you don't want to pay for the postage? Send it in.
Click to expand...

+1

Businesses that cater to "hobbiests" (this one), come with brutally time consuming customer service requirements. The customer wants to burn hours of time discussing the most tiny detail like "I saw a scratch on one piece of ejected brass. I think there is something wrong with my gun".....stuff like that. And they want to spend an enormous amount of time on each and every detail of their hobby. But it's not a hobby to the merchant. It's a business. They need to take care of the issue promptly and move on to the next one. In this case, the lady doesn't want to screw around burning time talking about the bolt carrier or creating an RMA. Just send the part in with a note explaining the issue and leave it at that.

Tony

Edited to add - I was in Aerospace Supply Chain Management for 20+ years. I can't ever imagine telling American Airlines, United, etc that they needed to get an RMA to return a product. That would be quite an insult to the customer.
 
Last edited:
Then too one never knows just how many “rude” customers that voice on the line has dealt with that day or week.Like the man said send it in.
 
What does their warranty information say? Do they say they will send you an RMA or does it say it’s on your dime?
 
The past year has been a nightmare for everyone. I can't reliably get in touch with Dr. or Insurance, and forget EVERYTHING related to the gov. Too many are out of or off from work.
insure it, and send it...
 
Just my opinion, but customer service that hands out rudeness is poor customer service. I don't give a crap how many rude customers a person has had that day, or if their dog just died, they are being paid to be helpful and polite. They are a reflexional part of the business they work for. If I had a customer service rep that I caught being rude, they would be looking for a new job the next day. Customer Service employee's are not allowed to have a bad day when it comes to doing their job . Prompt, polite, and helpful CS helps a business grow . Bad CS helps it crash and burn.
 
When they said “send it back back we’ll check it out” you could have saved yourself a lot of troubles by just sending it back for them to check out.

It’s not THAT much of a hassle. You literally get a box, print a label, tape to box and either drop box it for delivery or take it to a hub.

Probably would have taken a lot less time and effort than what your put yourself and their CS department through.


Remember. Just about every business is struggling and stretched thin. They don’t have time for phone Karen’s or entitlement on something that will make them no money. They were willing to take a look when they could have easily just told you all sales are final and that’s that.
 
Last edited:
daniel craig said:
Remember. Just about every business is struggling and stretched thin. They don’t have time for phone Karen’s or entitlement on something that will make them no money. They were willing to take a look when they could have easily just told you all sales are final and that’s that.
Click to expand...
Probably a reasonable approach and is likely the case but the manufacturer who warrantees a product to be free of defect is obliged to deal with it, not so much that the customer is obliged to be sensitive that they may have alot going on. It doesn't take much effort to pretend to give a crap about a customer's problem. Being short and snappy is just a good way to lose business. It sounds like they were reasonable in that they advised him to send it in, but if a customer has a follow up inquiry or needs additional assistance, they should pretend to care or at least be fake polite.
 
DustyGmt said:
Probably a reasonable approach and is likely the case but the manufacturer who warrantees a product to be free of defect is obliged to deal with it, not so much that the customer is obliged to be sensitive that they may have alot going on. It doesn't take much effort to pretend to give a crap about a customer's problem. Being short and snappy is just a good way to lose business. It sounds like they were reasonable in that they advised him to send it in, but if a customer has a follow up inquiry or needs additional assistance, they should pretend to care or at least be fake polite.
Click to expand...
I sort of agree. In their mind the interaction was over after “send it in”, that’s *IS* them caring. Everything after that justly came off as pestering when the solution was already offered.

It’s like ‘we gave you the solution it ain’t our fault if you don’t use it.’ Honestly, they probably don’t care about losing business because brand loyalty isn’t as big as a good deal and they know that the customer is likely to ditch them for a better deal elsewhere. Plus spending resources fixing something when you could be selling something is less profitable anyway.

Companies are way less likely to want to work with you when they provide you an adequate solution and you refuse to take it for....spite? Laziness? I’ve been on both sides of this, personally I’d rather they just send me the defective item with their contact info and a note on what’s wrong rather than bothering to waste time with calls and emails.
 
I have never witnessed the level of outright animosity from so many manufacturers "customer service" divisions in last 3 months . I think that politics, run away inflation and damage to the US economy is the reason.
 
it can't cost more than $10 to ship a BCG anywhere in the US, i would just eat it. Ruger gave me customer service so bad I have never called back, and consider them a non-supportive company. I hear thats unusual. OTOH, RIA gave me friendly customer service, but would not do return label, sticking me with a very high shipping cost. on top of that, they refused to fix their defective product, and became rude once challenged on it. So I just fix stuff myself now. CMMG was non responsive but offered a return label very good support. So my experience has varied.
 
sempai9 said:
I was a materials analyst for most of my 40 year career and know proper dealings with Supply Chain issues, warranties, return authorizations, etc.
Click to expand...

That was your career, with the business you worked for. They make be a smaller “hand shake” type of business vs a “let me transfer you to...” type.

If they said, “send it in.” So they can make it right, send it in. No need to keep asking the same question to the same person.
 
I really don't like new members (of any site) griping about a business or manufacturer. In this case we don't know how reasonable or reputable the member is. He might be a great guy who got mildly screwed or he might be up tight and complain about everything under the sun.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

BSA1
  • Locked
What do you do with bad AR BCG?
Replies
18
Views
685
Schlegel
S
S
  • Locked
Suggestions For Dealing W/ S&W Customer Service
Replies
19
Views
973
Arkansas Paul
Arkansas Paul
ColoradoMinuteMan
  • Locked
Your best customer service experiences?
2
Replies
47
Views
2K
Crawdad1
Crawdad1
Tom Servo
  • Locked
Kahr customer service?
Replies
3
Views
369
12GA
1
D
  • Locked
Looks like manufacturers are jumping on the price wagon!
Replies
11
Views
1K
tomrkba
tomrkba
Back
Top