bannockburn
Member
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 26,299
Excellent-Ruger
Excellent-Beretta
Excellent-Beretta
Gun Companies with poor and good customer support
- Thread starter wally
- Start date
- Status
Taurus 617 CCW
Member
Terrible:
Hellcat firearms
Walther
H&K (on the dealer side)
Poor:
EAA
Fair:
Smith and Wesson
Kel Tec
Taurus
Excellent:
SCCY Industries
Ruger
Sig Sauer
PWS
Tactical Solutions
Glock
Springfield Armory
Hellcat firearms
Walther
H&K (on the dealer side)
Poor:
EAA
Fair:
Smith and Wesson
Kel Tec
Taurus
Excellent:
SCCY Industries
Ruger
Sig Sauer
PWS
Tactical Solutions
Glock
Springfield Armory
BigLar
Member
The only time I needed to test these sort of waters was when I dropped a magazine from my FNX9. Cracked the follower. Called FNH USA. They sent me out a new one, no questions asked, free of charge. Received in a couple days.
Very pleasant experience. I believe I'm the 3rd owner of this particular firearm, and at the point this happened, round count was around 7-8000.
Very pleasant experience. I believe I'm the 3rd owner of this particular firearm, and at the point this happened, round count was around 7-8000.
It really doesn't seem relevant but the best service I ever got was from IntraTec. A cartridge didn't feed right and damaged the ramp. My dealer shipped it back, they fixed it and I got it back in no time. I don't remember exactly how long since that was a very long time ago. At least 20 years if not more. They aren't even in business now but their service was great IMO.
Also I have seen Henry go above and beyond servicing one of their rifles. It wasn't mine but it belonged to a good friend. He had scratched the surface on his Golden Boy and they refinished it even though he sent the rifle in because the sights were off. He got it back in record time too.
Also I have seen Henry go above and beyond servicing one of their rifles. It wasn't mine but it belonged to a good friend. He had scratched the surface on his Golden Boy and they refinished it even though he sent the rifle in because the sights were off. He got it back in record time too.
orionengnr
Member
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2005
- Messages
- 5,710
Para Ord--excellent. I bought a used C-6 a number of years ago, had trouble with it, and posted on a 1911 site. I was contacted by George Wedge, Para employee who had been reading the forum. He asked me to send it in, which I did. They fixed it. Can you say "proactive"?
S&W--excellent. I bought a used revolver (M-396) and the previous owner had had used some sort of chemical that had removed a good chunk of the finish. I sent it in with a request for a price on a re-finish. S&W sent it back to me within a week or two, re-finished good as new...free of charge.
Ruger--excellent. My LCP was affected by the recall, although I had no issues. They paid shipping both ways, fixed it within about a week and threw in a spare mag and a hat.
Kahr--excellent. My PM9 (bought used) had the infamous barrel peening issue back around 2005-06. I contacted Kahr and they asked me to send it in. I asked if I could send the "top half" (slide, barrel, recoil spring assembly) so I would not need to use FedEx/UPS. They said sure, so I sent it in using USPS...$4.35 back then. A week later, I had a new slide, new barrel, new recoil spring assembly...and new Trijicon night sights (because they did not have a slide that would accept the XS Big Dot sight I had bought the pistol with. They would have taken care of that, but I was very un-impressed with the Big Dot, and readily took them up on their offer). Trijicon > XS Big Dot.
Springfield--excellent effort, okay execution. My EMP was an early production model (s/n 1705) and was a nightmare. Every form of malfunction a 1911 has ever had. I sent it back, they kept it for a month or more, and eventually sent me a new one (s/n 2750). It had almost every malfunction a 1911 has ever...well, you get the idea. I sent it back, they worked on it...IIRC I sent it back twice. Then I sold it to a local guy, with full disclosure at a big loss and with about five mags (got a free one every time sent it in...gotta give them credit for that). He sent it in once more. I'm sure the new ones are perfect. I hope.
Colt--not so good. Tried to buy a recoil spring assembly for a Defender several years back...no cooperation at all.
Kel-Tec...good effort, poor results. I owned four different K-T pistols (one P32, two P3ATs, one P11), which all failed to function as designed...a variety of problems. I bought new mags and a bunch of different ammo types, to no avail. I contacted K-T repeatedly, they sent me a variety of parts which had a variety of effects. Some problems were diminished, some were unaffected. None was ever reliable enough to carry, or to trust my life with. I sold each at a loss with full disclosure and will never...ever...own a Kel-Tec again.
I'm sure there are a few others, but these are the ones that I recall right now, so they are the ones that made a lasting impression.
S&W--excellent. I bought a used revolver (M-396) and the previous owner had had used some sort of chemical that had removed a good chunk of the finish. I sent it in with a request for a price on a re-finish. S&W sent it back to me within a week or two, re-finished good as new...free of charge.
Ruger--excellent. My LCP was affected by the recall, although I had no issues. They paid shipping both ways, fixed it within about a week and threw in a spare mag and a hat.
Kahr--excellent. My PM9 (bought used) had the infamous barrel peening issue back around 2005-06. I contacted Kahr and they asked me to send it in. I asked if I could send the "top half" (slide, barrel, recoil spring assembly) so I would not need to use FedEx/UPS. They said sure, so I sent it in using USPS...$4.35 back then. A week later, I had a new slide, new barrel, new recoil spring assembly...and new Trijicon night sights (because they did not have a slide that would accept the XS Big Dot sight I had bought the pistol with. They would have taken care of that, but I was very un-impressed with the Big Dot, and readily took them up on their offer). Trijicon > XS Big Dot.
Springfield--excellent effort, okay execution. My EMP was an early production model (s/n 1705) and was a nightmare. Every form of malfunction a 1911 has ever had. I sent it back, they kept it for a month or more, and eventually sent me a new one (s/n 2750). It had almost every malfunction a 1911 has ever...well, you get the idea. I sent it back, they worked on it...IIRC I sent it back twice. Then I sold it to a local guy, with full disclosure at a big loss and with about five mags (got a free one every time sent it in...gotta give them credit for that). He sent it in once more. I'm sure the new ones are perfect. I hope.
Colt--not so good. Tried to buy a recoil spring assembly for a Defender several years back...no cooperation at all.
Kel-Tec...good effort, poor results. I owned four different K-T pistols (one P32, two P3ATs, one P11), which all failed to function as designed...a variety of problems. I bought new mags and a bunch of different ammo types, to no avail. I contacted K-T repeatedly, they sent me a variety of parts which had a variety of effects. Some problems were diminished, some were unaffected. None was ever reliable enough to carry, or to trust my life with. I sold each at a loss with full disclosure and will never...ever...own a Kel-Tec again.
I'm sure there are a few others, but these are the ones that I recall right now, so they are the ones that made a lasting impression.
doc2rn
Member
Beyond awful: Taurus, sent the gun in assembled came back in parts
Good: Glock 32 Kaboomed, billed me for a new barrel 9 day turn around
Great: Ruger sent in my Standard and they did a complete rebuild in 3 days.
Good: Glock 32 Kaboomed, billed me for a new barrel 9 day turn around
Great: Ruger sent in my Standard and they did a complete rebuild in 3 days.
I've had Colt replace a couple of .22 unit barrels
(very expensive) for the 1911 kit. I had a brand new MkIV Gold cup go full auto, due to a sear spring that had no heat treating at all. Should have sued their butts off. They sent me a sear spring (praying that I was a nice guy). I called them to ask about their 22 unit working on a commander frame (it will, but looks and feels strange) and the guy on the phone didn't think that the kid should be used on the Gold cup!
(very expensive) for the 1911 kit. I had a brand new MkIV Gold cup go full auto, due to a sear spring that had no heat treating at all. Should have sued their butts off. They sent me a sear spring (praying that I was a nice guy). I called them to ask about their 22 unit working on a commander frame (it will, but looks and feels strange) and the guy on the phone didn't think that the kid should be used on the Gold cup!
Taurus - bought a used 66 7 shot, barrel was heavily leaded, got the bore cleaned up and realized there was a crack on the inside of the barrel right at the front of the frame. Called, paid $50 for a prepaid shipping label, back in 8 days with a new barrel. Got it back two days before the letter saying they had received it, advising up to six weeks for repair!
justice06rr
Member
Good/Excellent: Keltec, Spikes Tactical, Smith and Wesson
Poor: Palmetto State Armory - slow shipping, bad CS
Poor: Palmetto State Armory - slow shipping, bad CS
DeadMoneyDrew
Member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2013
- Messages
- 265
+1 to Ruger providing great service. Awhile back I decided to disassemble my Single 10 further than recommended, since watching a YouTube video on the matter clearly makes me a qualified gunsmith. Lo and behold I had a hard time getting the thing back together, and when I finally did it wouldn't fire. Shocking, I know. :O
Turns out I somehow damaged the cylinder. Ruger replaced the damaged parts at no charge, even though I clearly explained the whole story. All I paid for was outbound shipping, which was fine with me since I was at fault for the damages.
Go Ruger!
Turns out I somehow damaged the cylinder. Ruger replaced the damaged parts at no charge, even though I clearly explained the whole story. All I paid for was outbound shipping, which was fine with me since I was at fault for the damages.
Go Ruger!
SniperJon
Member
It's funny to see everyone that had good experiences with Kel-Tec. They were my nightmare. I sent my PF-9 slide/barrel in for light strikes and after 5 weeks they sent back a used one in much worse condition cosmetically than mine with a heavily worn barrel that they just put a new firing pin in. I also sent mine in with their accessory steel guide rod installed and they sent back the factory plastic one and kept mine! I e-mailed them and never received a response so I sent it back with a very descriptive note that I would rather have mine back than the one they sent or have this one replaced again but I want my steel guide rod back at the very least. They sent me the same used/worn slide and barrel back after waiting another 5 weeks with the same plastic guide rod even! I put it together and sold it the next day.
The Lone Haranguer
Member
Great: SIG-Sauer, Smith & Wesson and Ruger. Adequate: Kahr. Poor: Taurus (but, to be fair, this was almost 20 years ago).
Horrible--EAA: bought a brand new Zastava EZ40 and the thing would not feed. The EAA rep was very rude and refused to pay any shipping. Thankfully the dealer allowed me to return it to them for a full refund. The sloppy tolerances on this pistol were among the worst I've ever seen on any gun.
Bad--Remington: had a brand new 870 Express that would jam when the slide was drawn back. The Remington rep insinuated that I didn't know how to operate a pump gun(I had over 20 years experience at that point with Winchester and Savage pumps). It was sent to a repair shop in Oregon where they had to machine the bolt. It has worked flawlessly since.
Excellent--Marlin: I lost the front trigger guard screw to my 60 and they mailed me one free of charge.
Bad--Remington: had a brand new 870 Express that would jam when the slide was drawn back. The Remington rep insinuated that I didn't know how to operate a pump gun(I had over 20 years experience at that point with Winchester and Savage pumps). It was sent to a repair shop in Oregon where they had to machine the bolt. It has worked flawlessly since.
Excellent--Marlin: I lost the front trigger guard screw to my 60 and they mailed me one free of charge.
Nicolai
Member
In my few customer service contacts with S&W, I've had exceptional customer service.
I had one customer service contact with Colt, years ago, and was not happy with both the way I was treated by the "customer service" people and the outcome.
I had one customer service contact with Colt, years ago, and was not happy with both the way I was treated by the "customer service" people and the outcome.
Maybe it has to do with how profitable they are when it comes to making decisions like paying for shipping. company's like S&W are publically owner company's with shareholders, perhaps these decisions are made in a more professional way when you have a board of directors, and are held accountable under the rules and regs of a public company. Maybe not, but it is a consideration. I haven't looked them all up, but we do know that Ruger and Smith are public company's. Are Sig and Glock traded on any exchanges, here or in Europe? A few are probably owned by larger corporations.
When it's a public company, these things are usually taken care of at the manufacturers expense.
I wouldn't be surprised to see extended warrantees come out some day, to insure your gun like your TV, it's actually a good idea for a start up. Lifetime warrantee on your gun, "if it doesn't come with one already it is something to consider.
When it's a public company, these things are usually taken care of at the manufacturers expense.
I wouldn't be surprised to see extended warrantees come out some day, to insure your gun like your TV, it's actually a good idea for a start up. Lifetime warrantee on your gun, "if it doesn't come with one already it is something to consider.
InkEd
Member
Ruger has been the best. MPA, SA and Henry were good. S&W was okay. Sig Sauer and ATI were less than impressive. This is based on my personal experiences with them.
Peter M. Eick
Member
Springfield - Excellent. Fixed my loose M1A sight on their nickle both ways. Got a couple of mags for my trouble.
EAA - good. Had no problems getting what I needed for parts. Reasonable prices also.
Colt - Good. I had to pay shipping in but they fixed my Dback nicely several times.
RCBS - Great what else would you expect?
Sitting here, I can't think of a bad experience with any gun manufacturer. Probably the closest to a problem was my Browning Cynergy, but the factory repair center took care of it. My only complaint is that they could have explained the problem more fully so I would not repeat it (which I have).
I did remember a bad one last night.
Walther. I bought a PPK about 15 years ago and broke ejector after ejector. Two trips to walther and it still broke ejectors. I never got an ejector to last more than one range session. My dealer took pity on me and let me trade it in but Walther would not fix it after the second trip back inside 2 weeks.
EAA - good. Had no problems getting what I needed for parts. Reasonable prices also.
Colt - Good. I had to pay shipping in but they fixed my Dback nicely several times.
RCBS - Great what else would you expect?
Sitting here, I can't think of a bad experience with any gun manufacturer. Probably the closest to a problem was my Browning Cynergy, but the factory repair center took care of it. My only complaint is that they could have explained the problem more fully so I would not repeat it (which I have).
I did remember a bad one last night.
Walther. I bought a PPK about 15 years ago and broke ejector after ejector. Two trips to walther and it still broke ejectors. I never got an ejector to last more than one range session. My dealer took pity on me and let me trade it in but Walther would not fix it after the second trip back inside 2 weeks.
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sarge912
Member
Henry has always been exceptional for me.
Rossi has been okay but did fail me once.
Interarms (when they made the Walther PPK) was outstanding.
Rossi has been okay but did fail me once.
Interarms (when they made the Walther PPK) was outstanding.
silicosys4
Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2012
- Messages
- 3,667
Shipped my sig 1911 back on the 2nd, got it back today 6 days later. Shipping was free both ways. Seems to have fixed the ftf issue
I would have to rate sig at excellent.
Kahr's shipping label expired three days after they issued it because I couldn't take half a day off work to take it to a shipping center. Still haven't gotten another.
I would have to rate sig at excellent.
Kahr's shipping label expired three days after they issued it because I couldn't take half a day off work to take it to a shipping center. Still haven't gotten another.
Welding Rod
Member
Poor:
Kimber (and poor QC too)
BCM
Kahr
Good:
CMP (Probably the best ever)
Ruger (but really poor QC)
SAI (great service but really poor QC)
Rock River (great service but sometimes hard to reach)
CMMG (but poor QC)
S&W
RCBS
Hornady
Don't Know because Their Stuff has Always Worked:
Berretta
Winchester
Colt
Sig
Remington (only have experience with older guns)
Tikka
Kimber (and poor QC too)
BCM
Kahr
Good:
CMP (Probably the best ever)
Ruger (but really poor QC)
SAI (great service but really poor QC)
Rock River (great service but sometimes hard to reach)
CMMG (but poor QC)
S&W
RCBS
Hornady
Don't Know because Their Stuff has Always Worked:
Berretta
Winchester
Colt
Sig
Remington (only have experience with older guns)
Tikka
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Colt: Great. My New Agent was recalled for a new RSA and thumb safety. I registered online and the next day received a FedEx two-day shipping label. Took it to FedEx on a Wed., they received it on the Friday. It was worked on and shipped back to me FedEx two day on Monday and was back in my hands on the Wednesday again. Seven days door-to-door, four of those days were in transit and there was a weekend.
Silma: Awesome. Silma is a little manufacturer in Italy that just makes double barrel guns. I wanted to get some skeet chokes, so I emailed them inquiring about getting a pair. They emailed me back asking my address. I figured they wanted to calculate shipping or something. Two days later, the chokes were in my hand with a note requesting I send them a check for €35.
Silma: Awesome. Silma is a little manufacturer in Italy that just makes double barrel guns. I wanted to get some skeet chokes, so I emailed them inquiring about getting a pair. They emailed me back asking my address. I figured they wanted to calculate shipping or something. Two days later, the chokes were in my hand with a note requesting I send them a check for €35.
Arkansas Paul
Member
About the only one I've really worked with was S&W.
Had a Sigma 40VE that was dropped and the front sight broke off. I told the guy on the phone that it was my fault and he said it didn't matter. I was expecting to pay for it since I did it, but they fixed it for free and paid the shipping. Top notch service.
Had a Sigma 40VE that was dropped and the front sight broke off. I told the guy on the phone that it was my fault and he said it didn't matter. I was expecting to pay for it since I did it, but they fixed it for free and paid the shipping. Top notch service.
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