EAA customer service

[119er]

Had a great experience with EAA recently. I have a Steel Witness in .45ACP that I bought new a while back. It was shooting several inches low at 15 yds as verified by several other shooters. When I went to the NRA National Convention on May 5th I stopped by their booth to check out some of their higher end race guns. I started talking to one of their reps. there and described the problem I was having. He had me write my address on the back of a business card and sent me a fully adjustable LPA rear sight free of charge with no questions asked within 10 days!

That's pretty good customer service. Just thought that this deserved mention here.

 

[Stringfellow]

Good to hear--both for you and for them.

Sometimes business is so damn complicated, and it's difficult to figure out why a company does or doesn't succeed. Other times it is so obvious...such as what happens when you have abysmal customer service. EAA has great products--I hope they can see the light.

 

[s4s4u]

I am glad you got your problem solved, but I wonder if you would have had the same fortune had you just called their CS like most folks have to do. They have had a bad rep for a reason, hope this may be a sign of better things to come.

 

[119er]

Our interaction wasn't exactly pleasant but the result is what matters to me here. I wasn't looking for a buddy and he obviously wasn't trying to make any. To be fair I opened our conversation complaining about my pistol. It was the last day and last hours of the show and dealing with tire kickers all weekend would probably put me in a bad mood.

Bottom line is that they came through on their promise and I have a pistol that should shoot to POA. I will continue to buy their products. There is just something I like about the Witnesses. I have each frame size now and intend to purchase the caliber conversions for each.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

I have each frame size now and intend to purchase the caliber conversions for each.

Do they still offer conversion kits for the small frame guns? I thought that was discontinued when the discontinued offering the small frame guns.

For more recent models of the small frame guns, to convert from .40 to 9, all you need to do is buy their barrel. Some of the later model small frame gunss were built from the factory to be compatible; the .40 and 9mm guns had the same diameter barrels (and openings in the slide). Some of the early 9mms, before they began building .40 models, might not accept a .40 barrel.

I don't think I've run into a .22 kit for the small-frame Witness, but I'm pretty sure they're out there. Nothing from CZ, however, works. Witnesses look like CZ clones, but they're not clones in the true sense of the term.

I have had a bunch of Witnesses, but they were all bought used, so the only interactions I've had with Customer Service was to order parts -- and that has been fine. I had a nice .45 Sport Long Slide, but the barrel failed, and later the SuperSight broke and had to be replaced. Those weren't warranty issues, as the guns were used, but it was both aggravating and costly. Great gun, otherwise. All of my other Witnesses have been very good guns.

Were it not for the large number of horror stories about Customer Service (for warranty-covered guns) I've heard over the past 10 years, I would have bought one of their nicer large-frame guns; they have impressive features and generally great triggers, out of the box: the Elite or Pro guns...

In the past, it wasn't just that they wouldn't honor warranties on some problems, in many cases, they wouldn't even talk with the owner about the gun, immediately accused them of things they had no way of substantiating (sight unseen), and they often would refuse to even examine the gun. That was terrible customer service, and I found it offputting. It's going to take several years of good comments before I trust them.

 

[hAkron]

Our interaction wasn't exactly pleasant but the result is what matters to me here. I wasn't looking for a buddy and he obviously wasn't trying to make any. To be fair I opened our conversation complaining about my pistol. It was the last day and last hours of the show and dealing with tire kickers all weekend would probably put me in a bad mood.

Bottom line is that they came through on their promise and I have a pistol that should shoot to POA. I will continue to buy their products. There is just something I like about the Witnesses. I have each frame size now and intend to purchase the caliber conversions for each.

This mirrors a little closer to the general consensus of EAA customer support based on what I've read on this and other gun forums.

 

[119er]

This mirrors are little closer to the general consensus of EAA customer support based on what I've read on this and other gun forums.

Very true but I am giving credit where it is due. It seems some are quick to flame EAA, and some may have good reason to. When I bought my first one years ago I researched and though I screwed up because all I heard was bad stories. My experience has been different. He didn't sing me a lullaby but he sent me the part to fix my gun.

Do they still offer conversion kits for the small frame guns? I thought that was discontinued when the discontinued offering the small frame guns.

I wasn't aware that they consolidated frame sizes. I have an older 9mm that is a small frame and a new .45 that is larger. All calibers are now on this frame? If so that sucks b/c the small frame is sweet!

 

[Robert101]

It will take more than one good deed for me to buy an EAA again. When the vast majority of CS responses are favorable then I'll consider. If current trends are any indication, looks to me like it will be a cold day in hell when that happens.

Just take a look at Springfiled Armory and many other companies that have great customer service. The difference is monumental.

 

[hAkron]

Interestingly Springfield Armory used to be the importer of Tanfoglio guns in the US before EAA. The way I understand it, you can still send a bad P9 (SA's name for the Witness) to them for service.

 

[itchy1]

I'm sincerely glad that your experience with them turned out well. If mine had turned out half as well, I'd likely still be a customer. hopefully EAA is finally "getting it" and there will be more stories like this in the future.

 

[119er]

Got the sight installed and out to the range today. I had to crank the sight way up to get it on target. Looks more like a Top Fuel spoiler than a rear sight but it is a range gun anyway.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Does your Witness have a fixed (integral with the slide) front sight?

If you're having to crank up the rear sight a lot, you may be able to find a lower front sight that will make it possible to crank down the "spoiler" a bit.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Oops. Duplicated post. (How did THAT happen?)

 

[119er]

The front sight is integral to the slide. I don't really want to have to take it to a gunsmith to mill it off and dovetail the slide. That could probably cost me as much as the gun itself.

Maybe its not excessive but it sure seems like it to me. The only handguns I have with adjustable sights are revolvers. Have a look.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Having it milled probably wouldn't be THAT expensive, but you'd still have to buy a new front sight... so it would arguably end up costing you $100. You might check with a local gunsmith and see what he'd charge to mill the old one off and install a "staked" front sight (ala 1911). It might not be as much as $100.

That said, I expect I could live with a bit of the "spoiler" look rather than spending $100 or so.

I'd rather spend the money on ammo -- if I could find it. (I keep wondering why ammo companies aren't cranking it out even faster -- I'm pretty sure that they aren't send as much to support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as once was the case... I would have spent up to $700-$800 on ammo over the past 5-6 months had it been available... That seems like money lost that didn't have to be lost to the ammo companies. Maybe the ammo makers have found the "sweet spot" -- more profits from less work.

 

[119er]

I reload myself but the way I understand it is that ammunition companies make runs on certain calibers. They purchase new tooling to fit their machinery and run that caliber until they get unacceptable tolerances. After that the tooling is replaced with new for a different caliber and that run begins. The companies will not invest in more factories or machines for a temporary spike in demand. Certain calibers I believe are run all the time but others with less demand are "seasonal" so to speak. Therefore when a certain caliber not in constant production is bought up it is simply gone until the factory retools for that caliber. I am sure they have production scheduled far into future and contracts with suppliers that are aligned with that. Who knows, this all hearsay but it makes the most sense to me. The way I understand it this is how we ended up with the .380 shortage in 2008/9.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Your analysis may be correct -- but a .380 shortage is different than an EVERYTHING shortage!!

Gearing up to satisfy a spike of demand would make a lot of economic sense. I'm surprised that SOME company hasn't done it. This particular spike has been going on for the better part of a year, and seemingly has gotten worse.

I'll get a notice from Brownells or Midway or Natchez telling me that the stuff I want is in stock, and if I immediately go to their site just as I receive the email, they've already sold out.

The last notice I received still had some in stock, but they limited the amount purchased to 2 boxes. BFD! I passed.

 

[119er]

Very true but these are very uncertain times to be investing in something that is so volatile and subject to legislation. I'm sure Magpul wasn't expecting to move from Colorado due to new laws there. Actually when I spoke to some of their employees at the NRA convention they were unsure about where they were going and concerned about seperating their families to move with the company. It sucks but I would be nervous to build a new facility or expand one only to have it go idle until the next crisis. Most people will be stocked up after time passes and demand will plummet. It just may take longer this time. I think recent events have created an awakening of sorts and to me that is the silver lining to the whole situation.

 

[7mmb]

Your rear sight elevation looks just like the rear sights on my 9mm and 45 Auto Witness Matches after I adjusted them for elevation. I've heard that CZ75s and the Witnesses tend to shoot low. My Witness P Carry in 45 shoots low too but my Witness P-S in 9mm shoots pretty much to POA.

 

[119er]

Good to know. Mine was really about 10" low @ 15-20 yds. Can't remember now which line I was on at the time. I have an old small frame Witness in 9mm that shoots POA.

 

[greyling22]

why didn't you just file down your front sight some?

 

[119er]

why didn't you just file down your front sight some?

It would be difficult to match the "Wonder finsh" after completed and from the looks of things the front sight would have been dang near gone!

 

[ATLDave]

FWIW, I've had a couple of EAA CS experiences over the last couple of years, and would grade both of them about a B/B+. End results were good, not a lot of touchy-feely/delight-the-customer stuff. They could do better, but I've luckily avoided the horror stories, and love my Elite Match.