Feedback Wanted on Cabela's New Return Policy

[arcticap]

I went to Cabela's yesterday and placed a 5.5 inch Remington C&B revolver on lay-a-way.
They had at least 4 or 5 of them in stock so I asked the sales person to let me check the trigger of a new one from the box before buying it.
The triggers on the first 2 revolvers that I checked weren't acceptable because of too much gritty creep and slack. Even the sales person acknowledged that those triggers needed some work.
The trigger pull of the 3rd one that I examined was a tad heavy but it had a very crisp let off so I put a deposit on it.
The sales person did acknowledge that their black powder guns are generally not returnable like all of their other products are.
There was a thread on TheHighRoad on April 4th, 2012 about how Cabela's refused to allow the return of a defective muzzle loading rifle. So it's possible that some folks will not be able to return a revolver simply because they're not happy with the quality of it as it comes out of the box.
Here's the thread:

Y'all learn from my mistake

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=652984&highlight=customer

If there's folks who have tried to return their revolvers back to Cabela's since April 4, 2012, then I'd like to hear more info. about their experience. I feel fortunate to have been able to check the gun out first before buying it. But I know that probably won't be the case for everyone else.

 

[Hammerdown77]

I called a couple of weeks ago about a very light trigger my gun had on it. I wanted them to send me a new parts kit, or just a trigger or hammer, but they said "Well, since you've only had it a month you can just return the gun and we'll send you a new one." I didn't really want to do that, since the gun shot so well. They actually told me to call Dixie Gun Works and ask them if they would repair it! I just called Dixie and ordered a new trigger.

Anyway, still sounded like they had their standard no questions asked return policy in place when last I talked to them.

 

[drsfmd]

The sales person did acknowledge that their black powder guns are generally not returnable like all of their other products are.

All guns are generally returned to the manufacturer or importer, not the store they were purchased from. I don't see this as a big deal, aside from the inconsistent quality control you mentioned.

 

[arcticap]

Time will tell if there's been a substantial change in how Cabela's handles their returns or not.
Although they sell some Traditions and Uberti guns, Cabela's imports directly from Pietta for the most part since the Cabela's logo is printed right on the box.
And niether Pietta or Cabela's offers any factory support for Cabela's guns in the U.S.A. that I'm aware of.
Either Cabela's takes them back or people will be stuck with the defects like the OP was in the link cited in post #1 above.
I'm trying to find out just what their selective return policy is all about.
Instead of being the "no questions asked" policy that they've always had, it was described to me by Cabela's as now being a selective return policy.
The sales person at my local Cabela's store also alluded about this to me.
What if someone buys a gun at the store as a gift for their spouse and it has fit and finish issues, will they automatically accept the return?
Will they continue to accept mail order guns back that have been fired if an issue develops soon after buying it?
If someone does get stuck with a gun having defects then that could be a big deal to some folks.
The fact that they've changed what became their standard "no questions asked" return policy could be a reason for some people to pause before mail ordering from Cabela's.
THR members have collectively referred a lot of business to Cabela's largely based on their liberal return policy and now I'm not so sure that they still have it.
Since it's important to be informed about it before buying from them or anyone else then I think that everyone would like to know what Cabela's is up to.

 

[toolslinger]

Hey all y'all that was me that got the defective rifle. Now the weird part about it was they did include a return label with the gun. Heck I repacked the gun filled out the form and had the thing on the box ready to go to UPS when I just happened to check the website just to make sure.
When I read the no return policy I actually called customer service and it was confirmed to me that I was not allowed to return it. When I asked why they sent me a return label I got some hem hawing about automatic generation.
I wonder what they would have done if I had just sent the thing back with the label on it before I checked?

 

[ZZZ]

I hope they didn't change their policy. I got a lot of BP guns from the bargain cave that just needed a tweak or two. I saw a lot in there that were toast though.

 

[Hammerdown77]

Surely someone knows or has contact information for Pietta service in the USA. I believe Dixie GW has a smith on hand that will fix problems with guns you buy from them, but I can't understand why Pietta doesn't include warranty or "service center" contact information in their owner's manual or on their website.

I've read forum threads where folks have said they've talked with the president of Pietta directly (Alchemista?) and he's sent them parts or helped them out, but really, you have to call the company president in ITALY to get warranty repairs on these guns???

 

[mykeal]

Warranty? As in, "The manufacturer warrants this product to be free from defects in material or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of manufacture. The manufacturer will repair or replace at his option any such defects..."? I don't believe there is any such warranty on any Italian replica firearms. Does anyone have a copy of this warranty?

 

[arcticap]

The Traditions cap & ball revolver owner's manual states their own written one year limited warranty.

One Year Limited Warranty
Traditions warrants this product to be free of defects in material or
craftsmanship for one year from the date of purchase and will repair or
replace, at its option, without charge, our product which is returned at
the owner’s expense to Traditions. Please enclose a full explanation of
the specific problem with the returned item.
Traditions will not be responsible for damage to the finished gun or
to any of its parts, as a result of careless handling, improper loading,
corrosion, neglect, misuse, alteration or damage to parts. Incidental or
consequential damages and those caused by improper packaging for
shipping, are not covered by this warranty. Damage to metal or wood is
not covered due to the inability of Traditions to control its use and
storage conditions.
This warranty will remain in force unless any of the following is
determined by the Traditions Customer Service Department:
1. Use of any propellant other than black powder or Pyrodex®.
2. Use of any propellant charges in excess of those recommended in
these Traditions shooting instructions.
3. Modification of component parts from their original configuration
as they were shipped from the factory.

http://www.traditionsfirearms.com/cmsAdmin/uploads/BPRevolver_manual.pdf

The manual also contains a Preferred Customer Warranty Registration Card that can be mailed in to Traditions or registration can be done online at this link:

http://www.traditionsfirearms.com/muzzleloader-warranty-registration.php

Uberti also has a USA factory service center, and folks have reported that they do perform factory repair work on their new guns and have replaced defective guns just as if they were under warranty, but I don't know what their written warranty actually is or they even have one.
The presence of a USA based service center and/or warranty repair service is probably one of the reasons why these other brands are more expensive than the Pietta guns that have the Cabela's label on the box.

 

[Hammerdown77]

And probably why Cabela's just replaces your gun, rather than sending it off to a service center. I guess all those returns go back to Pietta for repair at some point, it's just that Cabela's is dealing with that, rather than you, the customer.

 

[arcticap]

At least some of the returned guns are sold "as is" in the Bargain Caves at the local stores. That's where a lot of their returned goods are sold. Some items are damaged, used, worn or have opened packages with missing parts. They even sell used shoes that folks have returned. On the other hand some items look brand new. Carefully examining any item that's bought at a Bargain Cave is a must and can be a gamble. My local Bargain Cave doesn't receive many revolvers or pistols to sell like some of the other Cabela's stores do.