Best/Worst Customer Service?

[Scorpiusdeus]

Sig was awesome the three times I had to contact them. Once for a used gun. No grief and super fast service.

I'm currently dealing with S&W on a mag drop issue with the M&P which so far they are doing a great job on as far as communication and offers of resolution.

Comp-tac, Midway USA, AIM Surplus, and Blade Tec have all been fabulous with customer service for the things I buy from them.

 

[RichardB]

Ruger and NAA: both good service for me.

 

[gbelleh]

I've had great customer service from Springfield, S&W, Kel-Tec, H&K and Glock.

Horrible customer service from Sig last year after I bought what turned out to be a defective CPO 228.

 

[jgorniak]

Bought a Kel-Tec P-3AT from a co-worker who had grown impatient with it. Took it home, did the fluff & buff, then discovered the ejector was missing. Called Kel-Tec, they had a new ejector to me three days later, no charge. Good service can't possible get any better than that.

 

[dispatch55126]

Hack the product all you want, but THE BEST customer service is Hi Point. The warranty the weapon, no questions asked. If you have to send it in, they usually give you a magazine or two for your trouble.

Remember, this post is about customer service, not the product.

 

[loop]

Best customer service by far KelTec. Had a broken extracter spring and called up. Didn't ask any more than make and model. Few days later had a new spring, spring screw and extractor - no charge.
Worst, by an equal margin, EAA. Seems like their customer service people are just waiting for an argument.

 

[TimboKhan]

I am not saying that I don't want companies to have great CS, but I am a little confused as to why it has become such a big deal to you when you say this:

I have not had to use S&W service for almost 17 years

I mean, to me the best possible customer service is not ever needing to use the customer service, you know? I want companies to satisfy their customers. I think it's important for any company to do so, but even more so for gun companies.

Still, it doesn't factor into my purchase decision process for a few reasons: First, I have never once had a problem that necessitated me sending a gun back to the factory. I would like that streak to continue and operate as though it will. Second, even if I do have to send a gun back, I am fortunate to own enough guns where it isn't a problem in any situation. Third, paying shipping isn't great, but it isn't the end of the world either. That isn't to say that I will happily pay it, but paying it isn't going to result in me screeching about how I will never buy a gun from company X ever again. Fourth, I understand that guns are mechanical objects. There are going to be lemons here and there. It sucks, and in a perfect world it wouldn't happen, but we all know this isn't a perfect world. I will bet many hundreds of dollars that the very same old guns that we admire and rave about today were occasionally looked upon as ye old crap. You can't tell me that there was never a NIB Colt SAA in 1887 or whenever that didn't have something wrong with it straight from the factory. It's no different today. Fifth, and finally, with some pretty rare exceptions, I inspect all of my guns before I buy them for glaring flaws. I have not purchased particular guns because I have found things that don't make me happy. I am no genius gun guy, but a basic inspection past looking down the barrel and checking the sights is a good idea. I know you can't find everything, but you can find a whole lot more than you think with a good solid inspection.

 

[LiquidTension]

HK -

I called them once years ago when the magazine was falling out of a friend's USP40 during firing. I figured the magazine release lever spring was bad. They sent me a new one, no charge. I told them it was for a used gun that someone else had bought and that I was just fixing it for him - they didn't care. They shipped the part out promptly and the gun has run fine ever since.

Kimber -

I Sent my Pro Carry back when a screw bushing got stripped out. They staked the new one in at an angle, and it was a full size bushing instead of a slim one like I prefer. I basically put it back in the safe for a few years because of the ordeal it was to get it shipped out the first time (no fault of Kimber there, that was UPS all the way). The gun has never been reliable and I finally got off my lazy butt and shipped it back to them for service on 12/14/07. They called me, explained what possible problems were, fixed it, and got it back to me before Christmas. Well, it was delivered before xmas anyway - UPS delivered it to the wrong address The first two times it was shipped on my dime. I called them today because it still won't feed and extract reliably. This time they're paying shipping both ways. They've always been polite on the phone, I'm just not very happy with their actual gunsmithing abilities.

EAA -

Their policy is that you pay shipping both ways. If you call to ask about progress, your gun gets put on the bottom of the pile. That's pretty terrible policy if you ask me. My experience with them hasn't been bad though. The frame on my Witness Elite Match 10mm cracked after about 80 rounds. I called them and they said to send it in, which I did. The lady on the phone said not to send the $20 return postage because they'd be shipping out a new gun and would contact me for shipping info. Well, after over a month and no word from them, I called them today. The lady said that they were replacing the gun but they were waiting to get some more in and it would be about 3 weeks. She said not to worry about the $20, they'd cover it. The wait is killing me because I LOVE that gun, but I know it's hard to get them because it took me 9 months to find one in the first place.

I'm only out $10 shipping on that one as well. I convinced the FedEx guy to ship that one and the Kimber ground instead of air for a total cost of $19.63 instead of ~$80. Once again, the lady I've been speaking to at EAA has always been polite and I've never given her reason to act otherwise.

I wouldn't be surprised to find that many bad CS stories stem from someone calling the company up and having an attitude. Perhaps it's because people are mad about their guns breaking, or maybe it's because they're preparing for a battle after reading horror stories online. My policy is to be nice. It's worked for me so far.

 

[-C4-]

-1 for Ruger. I had a problem with a part in my Ruger Mark II. They wouldn't just send me the part, but rather wanted me to send back my gun for repair. They also told me it would be 4+ weeks to get it back as well as them replacing and not returning any non-stock parts in the gun. They also wanted to charge me $50 for the repairs and return shipping. Throughout the process they didn't really seem to care, so needless to say no more rugers for me.

 

[sandwich]

When I saw the title I thought you were going to talk about retail customer service. And I thought I was going to be able to rant about Gander (ripoff) Mountain.

 

[Autolycus]

Originally posted by Hoppy590: compare the profit margin on the sale to the original owner. now wonder if they are really affected by sending you the ring. remembering that HK's standard policy is probibly NOT to help people with used guns like that.

Do you have reason for suggesting that they probably do not want to help people? I believe that this claim goes against the theory of customer service.

 

[sandwich]

Do you have reason for suggesting that they probably do not want to help people? I believe that this claim goes against the theory of customer service.

Lol I used to work in customer service. Trust me, some people really do not want to help you.

 

[hexidismal]

I haven't honestly had much experience with firearms companies customer service, so i can only say what my personal best and worst experiences were.

Best: Smith & Wesson - They payed for shipping both ways, worked fast, and were very easy to contact and speak with on the phone. I've known alot of other shooters who have sent guns into smith and had them come back not only fixed but also improved at no additional cost.

Worst: Magnum Research - They sell expensive products, and don't have a huge share of the market. You'd think they'd want to build a bigger customer base by making people happy. They expect you to pay shipping both ways, and they will not consider fixing the slightest little issue at anything less than outrageous prices if the gun is one minute past the expressed warranty.

 

[Glockamania®]

Glock customer service is top notch.

Not only did I get to discuss about gun laws, but also technical stuff and they'll send "some" free parts for free. Also, they have great calenders!

 

[wheelgunslinger]

CZ-USA is phenomenally good.
They even have a place on the czforum where you can ask their rep a question.

My CZ85 is just a super good weapon and I really feel much better knowing that if I have any malfs, that it's going to be covered and quickly.


Don't get me started on Ruger.

 

[mike4guns]

i never needed any cs due to firearm related issues but i have delt with ruger and glock for accessorie items that my shop would'nt help me with. i think the busier the gun shop guy gets the greedier he gets. now i use him for ffl acceptance and he regrets not helping me i bet. anyway glock was real helpfull and so was ruger. my guns "all" have treated me well but i treat them better. now ammo is a whole other story...

 

[Grunt]

compare the profit margin on the sale to the original owner. now wonder if they are really affected by sending you the ring. remembering that HK's standard policy is probibly NOT to help people with used guns like that.

What their profit margin is or is not, my point is that people out there make claims that HK is anti-civilian, anti-gun owner, poor customer service, they vote Democrat, kill puppies and what not. What I'm saying is this is NOT the case with their customer service from my experience. Matter of fact, I tend to think that the tales of poor customer service are nothing more than internet myths by people that have a grudge with HK. Sorry but I've heard stories and I've experienced them first hand and I have to say I don't buy the stories of poor customer service from HK.

 

[tblt]

looks like not many people have to contact glock or springfield

 

[doc2rn]

Worst = Taurus
Best = Ruger

I have only experienced these two. Ruger w/out a written warranty fixed the broken firing pin. I am still waiting on the Grip screws for a Taurus 92 AFS that I orderred a yr ago. Called every 3 months, was told they are back orderred. I found out they quit making/ using 6mm screws.

 

[Dollar An Hour]

Have had several excellent experiences with S&W... Free 2-way shipping is no small thing either.

Sig, meanwhile wants you to spend $60 to FedEx overnight a pistol to them to fix defects that should have never left the assembly line to begin with. I became disenchanted with Sig and sold the two I owned.

Ruger, Kel-Tec and Steyr are all terrific.

I don't own Taurus but have only heard bad stories about their customer service. Even so far as losing your gun when call after a month to see what the holdup is!

 

[RH45]

Best: S&W I have a .460 that they had a recall on and when it was there they replaced the sights for me at no charge, and they paid the shipping both ways.

Good: Ruger I sent in a .454 that the cylinder was locking up and they repaied it, but, on the peperwork it just said "repaired"

Not so good: Olympic arms I had a new barrel installed on an AR15, and the accuracy wasn't what it should have been. I called Olympic arms, and they said they had a bad run of 1-8 twist barrels, and that I should send it in. They assured me that they would test fire the new one for accuracy, and were real nice to me on the phone, but, in the course of almost a year, they installed two more bad barrels in 1-8 twist before they finally put a good 1-10 twist barrel on it. I went as far as emailing the V.P. of sales to ask for help, but, he emailed me back saying that wasn't his dept. my response to him was that without more sales, there wasn't a need for a V.P. in sales. Oh, and I paid shipping there 4 times!!

Worst: Para Ordnance I bought a P14-40 Limited stainless that was a jam-o-matic and wasn't accurate. I had a local gunsmith look at it and the barrel fit was so poor that it was scary. I called Para, and sent it in with a detailed letter, but, they changed the grip safety, recoil spring, and mainspring, charged me $100-$150, plus shipping, and refused to do anything with the barrel. I bought an Ed Brown barrel through Midway USA and had the local guy fit it. After that, it ran 100%, and was very accurate, but, I sold it at a huge loss to get an STI.

 

[paperpuncher49]

In my experience:

S&W, Thompson Center - Excellent
Ruger - Good
Sig Arms (now Sig Sauer - CS that's gone to hell but not come back

 

[Fisherman_48768]

Worst experience I ever had was with Springfield Armory concerning a 1911A 2 letters to them were never answered and 3 phone calls were dismissed or forgotten. Rear sight fell off, plunger tube fell off and I don't remember the 3rd issue anymore as it was 20+ yrs ago. Haven't bought a Springfield produce since and have led potential buyers elsewhere.

 

[dodgestdshift]

I was cleaning my Ruger Redhawk, and while putting it back together launched a compression spring in my cluttered basement. No possibility of finding it. Got out the gun schematic and parts list and called Ruger to get the part. They said no problem and said they would send me the part free. After a day I realized to my horror that I had misread the diagram and had ordered the wrong spring. Called them again. No problem they said, they would send the right spring, and they did, both springs free. Can't beat that service.

 

[simpleguy]

I have only had to use Ruger, they were awesome, it was a recall item. UPS on the other hand, stunk! I had to drive 20 miles to their central office in Portland on Swan Island......ridiculous.