Chiappa went cha-put

[C0untZer0]

Unless they replace the gun for free, Chiappa is off my list forever as to a manufacturer I'll buy from.

I was very interested in their 9mm Luger chambering for the Rhino, which isn't available in the states yet - AFAIK, but so far this story is making me think twice about purchasing a Chiappa.

 

[gamestalker]

I was really interested in buying one, not so much now.

I would try to make this as public as possible, might save someone from a serious injury, or worse. I for one am gonna spread the word, I would hate to see a friend or family member injured by a faulty design, such as this.

Thanks for sharing this with us.

GS

 

[beag_nut]

Wow, what a thread.
When the Rhino first came out I was somewhat impressed. Mainly because it fires from the barrel much closer to the "bottom". Then I read about the complexity of the action, so I lost a little enthusiasm. Then, just looking at the thing, it seems to be designed to "impress by appearances"; it looks "mean". That cost a few more points. Now, this thread, which first exposes a questionable part of its design, and finally kills all enthusiasm by their "customer service".
Now, I was born in Naples, and my mom was a WW2 "war bride". So, I've been around a long time, and I was exposed to severe pro-Italian bias growing up. But, I also used my engineering background to know that they sometimes "design" things differently, just because. As far as Chiappa Rhino's are now concerned, forget them.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

and I was exposed to severe pro-Italian bias growing up.

Beretta is the solution to your genetic firearm cravings.

If Ireland had a reputable firearms manufacturer, I'd be all over that. Of course I'm German too, so my HK covers that need.

In all seriousness though, a company's customer service record, smithing service policy ,and warranty are just as important as the quality of their firearms.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Thank goodness you did not get hurt.

 

[Rule3]

I am still interested in the interpretation of their "warranty" as I posted in post #47. What does line #1 mean then??

"I do not understand the warranty. It is a Rhino yes??

Their manual on page 20 Article #1 States "Will warrant without any time limit"??

The Paragraph #2 says about the one year, so what the heck does #1 mean??"

http://www.chiappafirearms.com/sites...vAPR2013_0.pdf
__________________

 

[HankB]

Beretta is the solution to your genetic firearm cravings.

If Ireland had a reputable firearms manufacturer, I'd be all over that. Of course I'm German too, so my HK covers that need.

Besides Beretta, the Italians also have Perazzi, Benelli, Tanfoglio, Uberti, and others.

And of course Germans can also choose Mauser, Walther, and several others. With a little bit of searching you can get an "Irish contract" Enfield, but then, it wasn't actually made there. (Didn't Rigby get started in Ireland?)

Count yourself lucky in this regard - there's not much to choose from if your ancestral homeland is Lithuania as is mine, but I did obtain some Lithuanian GGG ammo.

 

[Wreck-n-Crew]

Contact a lawyer for advice. You could be entitled to not only the cost of the gun but emotional distress caused from the fact your life was almost cut short by a faulty design product. If possible try to find a lawyer who has an office over a liquor store. (that means they are hungry)
Once again under no circumstance send them that gun. Once you do they'll bury the evidence and by the time they get done with you you'll be committed to the farm.

So far from reality. This is not a pickle or hot cup of coffee. Those so called "hungry lawyers" are not the big winners you would need to take a case with no evidence of any wrongdoing to begin with. Furthermore the thought that you could win money for cost of "emotional distress" on what "could have happened" is ludicrous on the face of it and in the eyes of any judge. You would be lucky to get them to fix it at best but a refund or reward is never gonna happen.

I am in no way a fan of the response by Chiappa and I understand the predicament they are in with the makers of the gun. However that is their own fault. They should never import the thing if they can't back it up with more than a years warranty. Just bad business.

I would demand they fix it or get a worse reputation than they already have for customer service when you share it everywhere there is to share it. Including You Tube, Facebook, and any forum that will allow.

 

[Fremmer]

Approximately how many .357 mag rounds have been shot through it?

 

[Pelo801]

Conservatively guessing, I would say more than 50 rds a week since April of 2011.

 

[Pelo801]

This is a copy of the email I sent in response to their initial response

This response is very disappointing considering the price point of these guns. I understand your policy of a one year warranty and I acknowledge my gun was purchased four years ago. However I believe the nature and severity of this failure warrants special consideration. The potential for liability and also potential for injury had the timing of this failure different. I believe I could have been seriously injured.

I purchased this gun when they first came out. The serial number is a relatively low one of 01167. I bought the first gun that any of the stores in my area received. I did this because of the unique and unusual design and the potential of this design to aid in better recoil management of a 357 in a snub nose gun. I made this purchase of at the time a relatively unknown company, producing a unknown gun with no known reviews. I took a chance on this gun and on your company, with a high price tag.

I am a member of several firearm forums and I will be sharing this incident of failure, along with your response and all future responses and resolutions around this event on these forums along with any social media sites I am also a member of.

I have decided to send my gun in despite this unsatisfactory response. I think your company representatives and gunsmiths would like to see this first hand. I will be including some pictures in a separate email that will follow this one. I will be interested in what happens once you actually have my gun in hand and can look at it. I sent it out today to the address provided in the response email

 

[Pelo801]

I had also called them and talked to some one higher up. They assured me they wouldn't do anything to me gun until they contacted me first. But they insisted their gunsmith needed to see the gun and then would decide on the warranty. Here is their response to my second email

I have issued a Return Merchandise Authorization number for the repair of your firearm which is SI-15000354. If you would please package the gun up in a box, write SI-15000354 on the outside of the box and include with the gun a copy of your proof of purchase. Failure to provide proof of purchase could result in a non-warranty situation and be subject to a $50/hour labor fee, payment of our shipping costs and cost of any parts which may be needed. Standard repair time is 4-6 weeks although most repairs are completed sooner than that. If parts and/or replacement firearm needs to be ordered, the repair time may be extended due to those circumstances. If you wish, you may call to check status (or email if you prefer) at any time. Thank you for choosing Chiappa!

Customer Service

Chiappa Firearms

1415 Stanley Ave.

Dayton, OH 45404

937-835-5000

http://chiappafirearms.com

 

[Pelo801]

Not to be snarky but I thought the exclamation point at the end of the last sentence was a nice touch

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I noticed that exclamation point too.

Well, reserve judgement until they tell you what they are willing to do. I'm glad you're at least getting some response from them.

So far from reality. This is not a pickle or hot cup of coffee. Those so called "hungry lawyers" are not the big winners you would need to take a case with no evidence of any wrongdoing to begin with. Furthermore the thought that you could win money for cost of "emotional distress" on what "could have happened" is ludicrous on the face of it and in the eyes of any judge.

While a bit gruffly worded, I agree. I don't think there is money to be won here. I also wouldn't listen to legal advice from someone on the internet.

 

[WestKentucky]

But daaaaaaaad, the guy on the Internet said it was OK to pour gasoline in the street and skate through it with firework sparklers.

 

[PzGren]

From the purchase date that you provided, the one year manufacturer’s warranty has expired on your firearm. We would be more than happy to take a look at the firearm for you, however you would be subjected to our $50/hour labor fee plus parts as well as shipping to and from to repair the firearm. In most cases, repairs are completed within one hour. If you would like us to look at your firearm please email us back. Thank you for your time

Customer Service

Chiappa Firearms

1415 Stanley Ave.

Dayton, OH 45404

937-835-5000

http://chiappafirearms.com

That is very convincing to not buy their product. It hardly can be considered user-induced failure.

 

[Waveski]

Pelo ,

As I mentioned a bunch of posts ago , My close friend had to send his Rhino back to Chiappa , more than once. I hope , really hope , that the 'smith who works on your gun is more skillful and conscientious than the guy who .....

Well , lets just say that I hope that they now have their act together. Who knows - it has been a year. Better management perhaps.

I am sure you will keep us all posted.

 

[Peter Gun]

All kinds of mechanical devices have failures, no too many perfect machines out there.
i think most companies have adopted the view that once a buyer has paid a premium for your product they should suck up any warranty concerns or repair costs in the interest of keeping their reputation as a premium product. I don't think legal liability is actually much concern in most cases.
Companies that fail to respond this way to concerns on their premium product usually fail pretty quickly.
Personally, I have been interested in buying a Rhino. Reports of mechanical failures don't turn me off. This kind of customer service definitely does.
The only acceptable response to this type of problem is " send it back and we'll take care of it" or even better "we are sending a call tag to return it so we can take care of it"
Anything less is just the bell announcing the downfall of the company.

 

[nugun55]

Well, after reading this thread I can scratch Chiappa off of my list. I would be very leery of buying any firearm with a 1yr warranty.

 

[Wishoot]

Well, after reading this thread I can scratch Chiappa off of my list. I would be very leery of buying any firearm with a 1yr warranty.

+1

Too many other manufactures that stand behind their products with exceptional warranties.

 

[Pelo801]

Just an update. I emailed Chiappa around 2-13 and they replied they had received my gun on 2-12. I emailed them again on 2-25 to check on the status. They replied on 2-26 to tell me it hasn't been looked at yet but was scheduled to be looked at on 2-27. Later that evening, the 27th I received an email from UPS to inform me I had a package coming on 3-3 from Chiappa firearms. But no email from Chiappa to let me know what was going on. I don't know if they're sending me a new pistol, my old one back, my old one repaired and with it being the weekend I won't get a response until Monday.

 

[DeepSouth]

Hopefully they will do you right, just with poor communication.
Not ideal, but it's probably the best case sanrio at this point.

Thanks for the update.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Interesting thread. In my opinion, the recoil shield is pressed into the frame. If they have the tooling, they should be able to press the remainder of the shield out and insert a new one. It is also my opinion that they should do it free of charge including the return postage.

 

[Pelo801]

I agree, they should be able to press a new shield into the frame. I believe they would have to take the lock work apart to remove the cylinder advance lever before pressing in the new shield. And doing this in one day seems pretty fast to me. That's why I'm wondering if they are sending me a new gun.

 

[Waveski]

You should not have to wonder. Phone calls are easy , and greatly appreciated by the anxious customer.

Hoping for the best , and standing by with the rest of this gang , 'Ski.