Companies That Stand Behind Their Products - Let's Make A List

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Mr.Blue

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Nothing pisses me off more than having to pay shipping to send a defective product back to it's manufacturer. If a firearm is fairly new and does not function correctly, then it's manufacturer should make it right, free of cost, to the owner. To me, it is a deal killer if the company will not 100% stand behind their products. To have to pay $70-$120 extra for a new firearm, just to have it work correctly is reprehensible.

I do realize that these companies lose a lot of money on sending guns back and forth to idiot owners who send guns back for minor things, or for operator's errors. I do not want these companies to lose money. Perhaps make the owner pay shipping initially, with the promise to reimbuse the owner if the gun is actually defective. This is a fair way and will also discourage owners from sending back guns for ridiculous reasons.

Companies like Beretta are pompous and unyielding in their customer service approach. They will NEVER pay shipping to get a gun to them even if the gun is obviously defective. I will never buy another firearm from Beretta again. They may make quality guns, but their CS sucks.

Let's make a list of companies who will pay shipping for defective guns and those who refuse.

From my experience here is my list:

Pay shipping:

S&W
Ruger
Springfield
Marlin
CZ - although I sent gun to CZ Customs (where I bought gun) mistakenly, having to pay shipping. To make it right, CZ gave me free merchandise.
Laserlyte - unbelievable CS

Won't pay shipping:

Beretta - worst CS among premium gun makers.
FNH

I think this list will be helpful for buyers when comparing equal quality guns.

What has been your experience?
 
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I think this list will be helpful for buyers when comparing equal quality guns
Click to expand...

A list like this will help at least one forum member......me.

I am looking for a 380 double stack and the finalist are CZ and Bersa with Beretta in the mix if i can figure out a little more money.....anyway, I will now look into their CS a little more. I am big on Customer service
 
Hi-Point pays shipping both ways, probably will throw a free mag in the box coming back and who knows maybe some other doo dads too. (seen someone got a set of new sights a while back) :neener:
 
Pretty much every company I have dealt with wishes to stand behind their products. I depends ont he customer service agent you contact, and what your expectations are. For me, if I purchase a gun and something wears out or breaks due to use, I don't expect the company to pay shipping or repair the product free of charge. If there is a defect I would.
I don't expect trinkets and freebies, I want my favorite companies to stay in business.

I shipped a pair of Swarovski binos back to the mfr for a customer that left them out and his puppy chewed the rubber coating off of them. Swarovski sent him a new set of binoculars, and a rawhide bone for the dog. That is above and beyond in my book, and I totally wouldn't expect that. If there is damage caused by negligence it should be at the companies discretion.

I guess I would add Swarovski to the list.
 
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A couple of companies I have had great experience from:
Ruger
Hi Point
S&W
Dillon Precision
Hornady

Good, but not excellent:
Mossberg
Remington

Poor to awful:
EAA (I hear they're getting better)
 
Crimson Trace has been awesome with me! Repaired a used set of grips for me for free, and when the new laser unit turned out to be defective from their supplier, they just gave me a whole new set of grips.
 
The best CS I've ever experienced has been not needing it.

As for companies I have dealt with, I've had good CS from Glock (even though they are bipolar). I haven't had to use anyone else's so I can't help there.
 
Ruger as never paid for shipping anything back in my experience. Sporadic performance in returning. Two guns sent same time for same issue (needed a part replaced that's factory install only) and one came back in two weeks the other came back six months later.

H&K is horrible as is Beretta, Stoeger, and Benelli.

S&W is OK but sometimes you get passed around a few times until you get where you want to be.
 
Kudos to both Ruger and RCBS!

I got one of the early LCPs involved in the recall, and it cost me no money, hassle, and very little time (just the time to box it up). The shipper stuck a pre-paid box in my front door, I boxed the gun up, and could have called the shipper to pick it up but I just dropped it off. It was returned within a week with a few extras for my trouble.

The shaft on my RCBS loader rusted a bit (got flooded) and when I called to see 'bout buying a new shaft, they offered to send me one for free.
 
Thompson/Center sent me a new rifle. I had an old T/C .22 Classic I bought new about 20 years ago. It was getting a tiny chip on the side of the chamber from the extractor. T/C considered this a safety hazard and offered to pay me the purchase price for the rifle or exchange. Since T/C no longer makes a .22 auto, they said I could exchange the rifle for anything in their catalog, except the ProHunter series.I swapped a 20 y.o. 22 rifle for a brand new T/C Contender rifle in 7mm-08, blued with a walnut stock.:cool: They paid the shipping,too. Now that T/C has been bought by S&W, I wonder if their customer service will be as good.
 
The best CS I've ever experienced has been not needing it.
Click to expand...

WINNER!

The only guns I have ever had to send back to the maker were ALL Rugers. While they did what they could to fix them, I have never had that issue with Browning, Remington, S&W, HK, Kimber, or a myriad of others

Ergo, when I went looking for a CCW gun, the one company I didn't even consider................Ruger
 
keystone sporting arms was awesome. my daughters cricket rifle had trouble extracting, they paid shipping both ways. nice folks

Glock is bi-polar, one day i called about an updated trigger bar some guy fussed at me about shooting reloads and how i was gonna end up hurting myself blah blah blah... i hung up and called the next day, different guy tells me yes there was an upgrade. I told him i bought it used and he said no prob, sent me the trigger bar and a complete set of replacement springs since i had no idea how many rounds had been through it.

Remington treated me right too. sent the part I needed no charge.
 
Hi Point has the best customer service I've ever seen for anything- ever. It seems to me as if the primo military manufacturers like Beretta don't really like their customers.
 
Mossberg.

Was having trouble w/ a 500 dropping shells out the bottom. Emailed them and they sent me the parts I needed no charge and quick response time.

Not necessarily guns, but related:
Excellent service from Buck knives and Kershaw knives and Spyderco.
 
CZ has excellent customer service I have never needed for any firearm, but they answer questions, provide details and assistance over the phone, (talked me through swapping the safety for the decocker on the P-07), etc. DARN good people.

RCBS, they stand behind their stuff 110%, no questions asked. My next press will be green, too.

Berry's Bullets, top flight people, great products.
 
H&R 1871 is good also. I had issues with a new 45-70 and they sent replacement parts free. Offered to fix it also but I told them could swap some things myself.
Lee, RCBS, Lyman, Dillon, Frankfort Arsenal, and CH-4D are all good to deal with in the reloading area from my experience.
IMHO it is not that a product NEEDS a repair but when the service is needed then the companies willingness to make it right is the criteria that I go by.

The bad--Heritage firearms, lack of owning responsibility of a poorly produced product or remedying the problem at any level.
 
I have had good experience with some of the firms listed under the good category but in my limited experience I've also had success with Beretta and Remington.

Beretta: Bought a Stampede that broke (out of time & broken firing pin) after shooting less than 200 rounds. I shipped it to Beretta at my expense (not knowing any better) and they sent it back to me less than two weeks later and paid the shipping. Not only that, but the trigger on the Stampede was now freakishly light.

Remington: Bought a Super Cell recoil pad from Cabelas for my 11-87P. It did not fit. I called Remington and they told me the shorter length of pull on the Police model was the reason and they sent me the correct one for free.
 
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