Good luck getting help from Beretta

[paradox998]

In December I bought a new Beretta Tomcat as a CC piece. Took it to range for the second time yesterday and it failed after 18 rounds. I stripped the gun and reassembled, but the trigger still does not trip the sear. Since it is under warranty, I called Beretta customer service (at my expense - no 800 number). After listening to how important my call was to them for 90 minutes I gave up. Beretta customer service sucks (pardon my french). This is my first Beretta and it will be my last. :banghead:

 

[Redhat]

Sorry to hear that.

Does your pistol have an external trigger bar that runs behind the grip? If sao did you clean inside the mag well with a brush?

 

[paradox998]

yes on the mag well

I did give the gun a thorough cleaning, including the mag well. The trigger move a bar on the right side fo the gun, but the hammer does not drop. It is now locked in the cocked position. Also at the range the pistol slide came loose from the pistol after about 10 rounds. Thanks for the concern, sure more than I got from Beretta.

 

[paradox998]

clarification

I did clean the mag well with a cotton rag with CLP on it.

 

[MT GUNNY]

Mr 998

This is the First post (Bad beretta related) IVE seen since I logged on to THR over a Year ago!
I personaly havent had any problems with my 96. whatever is wrong they prolly know exactly whats wrong, if easy they will prolly ship you a part or give you instructions for warrenty shippment.

1 800 237 3882 I would atleast try one more time between buisness hours.
1 800 636 3420 1 301 283 2191
LBF

 

[MT GUNNY]

Did you use the cotton rag after problem or before, if before maybe a piece tore off jamming some piece of the internals
can you remove parts and try to find whats causing the problem, use your owners manual.

I found two more Numbers to try! Look previous post

 

[Eightball]

There was an issue with a Beretta shotgun at our store once; we had to send in either a stock set or a complete firearm to them. It was (and I kid you not) 18 months before we got our property back, and this is after weeks/months of haggling, letters, faxes, and phone calls.

Good luck.

 

[paradox998]

Thanks for the 800 number. It was not in the manual. I will inspect the gun to see if any foriegn matter is in there. I don't remember any tearing or unusual problems swabbing out the mag well, but you never know. Thanks again.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Also at the range the pistol slide came loose from the pistol after about 10 rounds.

????

There is only one way the slide can possibly come off of a Tomcat, unless it fractures into multiple pieces.

The Tomcat is a very simple design, so at the risk of sounding rude and presumptuous, I'm gonna say this is a result of improper assembly by the end user.

I called Beretta customer service (at my expense - no 800 number)

This also hurts your credibility, as it took me exactly one mouseclick after logging onto BerettaUSA.com to come up with the same toll free service number MT GUNNY posted.

 

[Redhat]

Can you move the trigger bar up and down with your finger?

You might try removing the right grip to see if the trigger bar spring was dislodged when you were cleaning inside the mag well.

 

[paradox998]

can only say what happened

The slide came loose after several rounds. Maybe it was assembly, but i doubt the first rounds would have fired correctly. I used my manual for the numbers. I was checking it for trouble shooting info and contact numbers. In any case, nothing excuses 90 minutes waiting for a customer service rep., especially on a Wednesday afternoon.

 

[Confederate]

You might see if this video offers any tips. This assembly/disassembly of a 21A may also prove helpful. Just in case you missed something.

Finally, I understand that a lot of Tomcats are having problems with cracked frames. You might want to inspect yours to see it that might be the problem.

I like the Tomcat. Hope you can get it fixed.

 

[WinchesterAA]

How long did it take you to disassemble the pistol?

 

[ants]

Be patient. Keep trying. You'll get the service you need.

If you called Monday, it was a holiday. Maybe try the 800 number tomorrow.

I'm no Beretta fan, but you honestly must try more than one phone call before you go on a public forum and say they suck.

If it's under warranty, I would talk to them before I disassemble it again. Be patient and keep trying, you'll get them on the phone.

 

[nelson133]

Couple that we see occasionally at the club range showed up recently with a new .32 Tomcat for the wife. They fired a few rounds and a piece broke out of the frame rendering the gun useless. I like my Model 96, but I'd think twice about the Tomcat.

 

[DawgFvr]

I had excellent service when I called Beretta's service/parts department. I just wanted to order an all metal recoil spring/rod for my Stoeger Cougar (the original part on the Beretta Cougar OEM vs the poly on the Stoeger) They took my call in one minute...order came through exactly three days later.

 

[paradox998]

Hello all:
I disassembled the tomcat this morning and inspected it closely. No foriegn material anywhere that I can find. The bar that the trigger actuates moves freely. I am beginning to think it is a problem with the safety failing to disengage. the trigger has tension, but does not release the hammer.

The 90 minute no response call was on Wednesday, not Memorial Day, and was initiated during regular business hours. I will try calling again this morning.

In terms of disassembly time, I was not in a hurry as I need to clean five guns that were used at the range that day. The Tomcat disassembles quickly as removing the slide is about all you have to do. I did not remove the grips as the manual says that it is not required and I have Crimson trace grips from Beretta on the gun. I have been advised that removing the grips unless really necessary is not a good idea.

 

[paradox998]

Fame is cracked.

Thanks Confederate. I watched the video and check my frame with a magnifiying glass. The frame is definitely cracked above the trigger guard, just as in the video. This pistol has less than 60 rounds through it. Great video link

 

[paradox998]

Got through to Beretta on the 800 number without a problem. Mornings seem to be the best time to call. I am sending the gun to them for repair. My guess is the slide problem at the range was related to the frame crack. I had noticed a little silver streak on the frame after the first outing, but thought it was just wear or a scratch from the slide. When I felt it with my finger today and looked at it with a magnifier it is definitely a crack. If you have a Tomcat I would view the video referenced above and check your gun carefully.

 

[WinchesterAA]

That sucks dude, glad you got through though.

 

[ants]

Good job, paradox. When Beretta fixes it, let us know how it all turns out.

 

[Confederate]

The video said Beretta was replacing some of the guns with their INOX. I'd sure pursue that if you could. Tell them that you have the Crimson Trace grips on it and that this is a gun you got for your father to protect himself with. Tell them that whatever they replace the gun with, that you need it to absolutely work, and that that's the reason you bought it. I find it unnerving that many of the replacement pistols also developed cracked frames.

Anyway, glad you found out what the problem was. Please keep us posted!

 

[searcher451]

I had the same issue with Beretta; same gun, too. The trigger crapped out after 66 rounds, and before the trigger went belly-up I couldn't get a single magazine to run through it without constant FTEs. I called Beretta and left messages. I sent emails that were eventually returned. It took six months, and I had to ship the gun back at my own expense, but they did eventually gave me a new Tomcat. This is the last Beretta I'll ever own.

 

[Confederate]

Searcher451, just out of curiosity, how did the new one work out? Unless Beretta has taken steps to eradicate the problem, it might be a good idea to just sell the replacement Tomcat. Also, I think I'd tell Beretta that because this is apparently an ongoing problem, they should send out a FedEx label.

If they balk at that, see if they'll throw in a free magazine or, as I stated earlier, request an INOX.



The Tomcat INOX.

 

[searcher451]

Confed: The new Tomcat is fine thus far, though we've only got a handful of rounds through it at present -- 60 at most. I was surprised that Beretta replaced the gun; they must have found something in the first one that they didn't like (it was crimping every cartridge that it attempted to kick out) and eventually gave up. Or maybe it was just as easy for them to slip a new one in the package -- who can say for sure? I gave up on it long ago, but my wife likes the feel and size of the Tomcat and actually shots it pretty darn well. We were at the range a week ago, and she did fine with a box of Winchester white box. Go figure why one would work and another would not.