I am done with LEE and their poor Customer Service! Rant, Vent

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Rule3

Rule3

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Was going to write a long essay but scaled it down.(I wrote a thread about adding a LnL Ap to my LCT)
Been a LEE customer for many many years. Started reloading with their press kit.
Over the years I have purchased hundreds of dollars of equipment. Pretty much every handgun die set with FCDs, 4 rifle, 3 presses. powder handling (PPM, Disc,Double Disc. Adjustable bar, Auto drum (2 of them!)) all the accessories. Dipper kit, primer tools, adapters etc etc. To many to list, I learned with single stage and dippers, hand priming I have an inventory list I think I will send them along with his post. How to loose a customer over a $1.00!

I do like the Classic Turret press. ( also have a Hornady LnL Ap)

Years ago if you needed a little part, O ring or something you could call them and they just sent it to you. Well those days are over!

So the issue is my Auto drum PM is jacked up. I sent e mail and been back and forth over and over.

So I was told to send it back to them(I pay shipping) and they would fix of replace it for HALF PRICE so 1/2 of $55 is $27.50 and $10 to ship it USPS=$37.50! (this is just the drum part)

I then asked about 2 tiny O rings that go in the rotors and another tiny plastic part. She says they are free if I order them and just pay shipping.:what: The tiny o ring is $1.00 (their price) shipping would be $10.50!!!
Nope !they will not just send me one!! All this involved around 5 e mails back and forth!

A complete Auto Drum at MidSouth is $37.50 or at Natchezz! Lee screwed these up with the new plastic bottle hopper like they did with Safety prime (no round one anymore)
I understand that their stuff is not high priced to begin with so warranty is not like paying up front say with Dillon, RCBS or Hornady but good grief for a o ring and plastic part for a long time customer??
I have enough equipment without ever having to buy anything else from them!
Guess it is an essay
:fire:
 
Rule3 said:
Was going to write a long essay but scaled it down.(I wrote a thread about adding a LnL Ap to my LCT)
Been a LEE customer for many many years. Started reloading with their press kit.
Over the years I have purchased hundreds of dollars of equipment. Pretty much every handgun die set with FCDs, 4 rifle, 3 presses. powder handling (PPM, Disc,Double Disc. Adjustable bar, Auto drum (2 of them!)) all the accessories. Dipper kit, primer tools, adapters etc etc. To many to list, I learned with single stage and dippers, hand priming I have an inventory list I think I will send them along with his post. How to loose a customer over a $1.00!

I do like the Classic Turret press. ( also have a Hornady LnL Ap)

Years ago if you needed a little part, O ring or something you could call them and they just sent it to you. Well those days are over!

So the issue is my Auto drum PM is jacked up. I sent e mail and been back and forth over and over.

So I was told to send it back to them(I pay shipping) and they would fix of replace it for HALF PRICE so 1/2 of $55 is $27.50 and $10 to ship it USPS=$37.50! (this is just the drum part)

I then asked about 2 tiny O rings that go in the rotors and another tiny plastic part. She says they are free if I order them and just pay shipping.:what: The tiny o ring is $1.00 (their price) shipping would be $10.50!!!
Nope !they will not just send me one!! All this involved around 5 e mails back and forth!

A complete Auto Drum at MidSouth is $37.50 or at Natchezz! Lee screwed these up with the new plastic bottle hopper like they did with Safety prime (no round one anymore)
I understand that their stuff is not high priced to begin with so warranty is not like paying up front say with Dillon, RCBS or Hornady but good grief for a o ring and plastic part for a long time customer??
I have enough equipment without ever having to buy anything else from them!
Guess it is an essay
:fire:
Click to expand...
The why I buy Lee in Doubles, by pass there CS.
 
I think they are suffering from all kinds of issues right now. I'm an older guy .... but I had a major issue with one of their older guy CS people who really screwed-up an order of mine over an issue he caused between my shipping address and my billing address. What a mess. I think it was the office manager that finally called me and got it all squared away but it took days and I missed out on an item I needed because by the time they got the old ordered fixed the product was sold out.

I was furious because of the way it was handled.

Fast forward a couple of months later and I run into another problem with a wrong die sent and good gosh it was another mess .... I had to send the wrong one back, at my expense mind you, in order to get the replacement.

That was pretty-much it for me.

But the lady told me they were having personnel shortage problems and some competency issues ... I could tell she was at her wit's end.

I have not run into similar issues with RCBS or Redding. Both of them have continued to operate like clockwork imho. I broke an autoprime feed tub in the middle of the pandemic and RCBS had a new one to-me in two weeks ... which was fast at the time.
 
Ya that is ridiculous, I don't have any experience with Lee as I have Hornady equipment and They have sent me many little extra parts with zero charge when I need them for repair,
 
I've always liked Lee but there not what they used to be, I'd still like to try the app but most anything else I buy rcbs now. Looking to get a new primer tool soon and probably get the rcbs.
 
Yeah i do like my app presses. And my turret. I quit buying them plastic ratchets though.I just manually index it. Im not in a hurry when loading. I did 50 40SW yesterday and 50 more today. Im trying to use up my long shot powder. I had it a long time. I found a bunch of 180 grain FMJ'S. I forgot i had. So a 7 grain load of long shot should due them justice. Troy the RCBS bench prime i love. Get the flip tray too for the primers. Makes life better when loading the feed tubes.
 
CoalCrackerAl said:
Yeah i do like my app presses. And my turret. I quit buying them plastic ratchets though.I just manually index it. Im not in a hurry when loading. I did 50 40SW yesterday and 50 more today. Im trying to use up my long shot powder. I had it a long time. I found a bunch of 180 grain FMJ'S. I forgot i had. So a 7 grain load of long shot should due them justice. Troy the RCBS bench prime i love. Get the flip tray too for the primers. Makes life better when loading the feed tubes.
Click to expand...
Think I'd need a hand prime for the feel seating primers, I mess with some short magnums so feeling for loose primer pockets are a big deal. I want a tool to use shell holders in tired of have to used specialty ones to prime. So the rcbs that uses normal holders is what I'm thinking, tho I may try the universal primer.
 
I have and use a mixture of Lee , RCBS, Lyman, Redding, and a few C&H trinkets
thrown in.
Never had any problems with any of my Lee
tools, but that said, they were all from the
day when Richard Lee was still around, and
pretty much when people were still hired
by merit and experience and an affinity to
do a particular job.
JMHO- every industry in the U.S. is semi
gilflirted right now. We'll have to get back
to hiring people that can actually do the
job, and throw quotas and such silly
prerequisites to the side. If you can't cut
the mustard, you get the boot. Sub-rant over

Good Luck
 
Well, I'm sorry to hear about the OP's trouble with Lee CS. But, just a devils advocate piece, when looking at what's behind that $10.50 shipping for a $1 part. When an order comes in, someone has to go into a warehouse and pick a part off the shelf, put it into an envelope or box, print a shipping label, create a tracking number, and put it in the appropriate place to be picked up by us or usps. That whole process may take what...15min? That person is making let's say $15/hr. So that operation is costing Lee $3.75, plus $.25 for the part, so $4 maybe $5 to do. And then, I'd imagine as Lee, you want to bake in a mild deterrent to keep folks from abusing the system, so double the cost, and you get a shipping cost of around $10 to get your "free" replacement part. I don't know, seems somewhat reasonable to me. I will say, thats why if and when I do order replacement parts from Lee, I don't only order one thing. Personally, I'm pretty happy with them. Recently, I rebuilt a lee 4-20 lead pot that I bought well used. Put in a new inner liner, heating element, valve and potentiometer for $10.50. Also had them send a plastic ratchet for my LCT and a couple other odds and ends. For $10.50 that was a hell of a deal. As far as that new bottle goes for the auto drum...yeah, they missed the mark on that one. The auto prime tray...yeah, not my favorite, but its still what I use. They make very good entry level equipment, and I've been happy with it. Though, as my skill level increases, I'm now starting to bump up against the limits of what Lee products can deliver, and it may be time to start upgrading my equipment to make use of those skills. But in the meantime, I'm still able to create serviceable ammunition with a reasonable investment of time and money
 
Last edited:
He has a good point ^^^^




I have a mix of Lee, RCBS, Midway and Lyman reloading gear. I like my Lee Breechlock single stage press and Lee dies. Never had a need to call them for anything so I have no experience with that. I have called RCBS and Midway for minor things and have been happy with their Customer Service.
 
Ranger99 said:
I have and use a mixture of Lee , RCBS, Lyman, Redding, and a few C&H trinkets
thrown in.
Never had any problems with any of my Lee
tools, but that said, they were all from the
day when Richard Lee was still around, and
pretty much when people were still hired
by merit and experience and an affinity to
do a particular job.
JMHO- every industry in the U.S. is semi
gilflirted right now. We'll have to get back
to hiring people that can actually do the
job, and throw quotas and such silly
prerequisites to the side. If you can't cut
the mustard, you get the boot. Sub-rant over

Good Luck
Click to expand...

I actually spoke with Mr Lee many years ago when I was having an issue with one of their products. He was most helpful in helping me solve the issue.
Also chatted about Wisconsin were I met and married my Wife.
 
bersaguy said:
Well, I'm sorry to hear about the OP's trouble with Lee CS. But, just a devils advocate piece, when looking at what's behind that $10.50 shipping for a $1 part. When an order comes in, someone has to go into a warehouse and pick a part off the shelf, put it into an envelope or box, print a shipping label, create a tracking number, and put it in the appropriate place to be picked up by us or usps. That whole process may take what...15min? That person is making let's say $15/hr. So that operation is costing Lee $3.75, plus $.25 for the part, so $4 maybe $5 to do. And then, I'd imagine as Lee, you want to bake in a mild deterrent to keep folks from abusing the system, so double the cost, and you get a shipping cost of around $10 to get your "free" replacement part. I don't know, seems somewhat reasonable to me. I will say, thats why if and when I do order replacement parts from Lee, I don't only order one thing. Personally, I'm pretty happy with them. Recently, I rebuilt a lee 4-20 lead pot that I bought well used. Put in a new inner liner, heating element, valve and potentiometer for $10.50. Also had them send a plastic ratchet for my LCT and a couple other odds and ends. For $10.50 that was a hell of a deal. As far as that new bottle goes for the auto drum...yeah, they missed the mark on that one. The auto prime tray...yeah, not my favorite, but its still what I use. They make very good entry level equipment, and I've been happy with it. Though, as my skill level increases, I'm now starting to bump up against the limits of what Lee products can deliver, and it may be time to start upgrading my equipment to make use of those skills. But in the meantime, I'm still able to create serviceable ammunition with a reasonable investment of time and money
Click to expand...

Yes I agree with you and what it takes to ship an item regardless if it is $1 or $100

My main complaint was not so much the o ring or other little things but their warranty of the customer paying to send it back and then paying 1/2 price of MSRP. Guess I expected the way it was years ago.

For Mr
deadeye dick

I never ordered anything direct from LEE. I was very nice with my initial e mail, that the powder measure was not working correctly what should I do, and they gave me the above option. Been in customer related business my whole life. Perhaps read and comprehend my initial post. "Just saying"
 
Rule3 said:
Years ago if you needed a little part, O ring or something you could call them and they just sent it to you. Well those days are over!
Click to expand...

Yeah, afraid that’s going to be the case moving forward with more mfg, than just Lee. If you look on eBay and see what these “free” parts are selling for, you will see why.

I also see them wanting a photo of the broken part, in essence questioning my honesty.

Then again as a mfg. myself, I could never wrap my head around lifetime warranty but I do wish I could buy one meal at restaurants then come back whenever I am hungry for free meals, or buy one car and have it repaired or upgraded for life…
 
jmorris said:
Yeah, afraid that’s going to be the case moving forward with more mfg, than just Lee. If you look on eBay and see what these “free” parts are selling for, you will see why.

I also see them wanting a photo of the broken part, in essence questioning my honesty.

Then again as a mfg. myself, I could never wrap my head around lifetime warranty but I do wish I could buy one meal at restaurants then come back whenever I am hungry for free meals, or buy one car and have it repaired or upgraded for life…
Click to expand...
lifetime warranty might be a thing of the past.
 
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