Is Browning service the worst in the gun industry?

[IMtheNRA]

Here's an amusing encounter with the Browning / Winchester service department in Arnold, Missouri.

I have a Mark-III Hi Power safety switch that I sent in for repair a couple of weeks ago. The problem was really simple - the detent got stuck in it and would not move in or out. Maybe it got cocked to a side, or there was burr in the hole, or just some gunk glued it into its hole. Strange, but it happened somehow. Since the detent is pointy, I could not get a good grip on it with a pair of pliers, so I could not think of a way to pull it out.

So, I sent it to Browning, having figured that they must have dealt with this problem before. I expected them to either remove the detent or just replace the safety switch.

I got a letter from Browning requesting the I ship my Hi Power to them so they could "complete the repair".

I called them this morning, and told the customer service rep that I don't want to go through the expense of shipping a pistol just to have the safety switch detent removed from the switch that I already sent them.

The CS rep simply said that they're not going to repair my switch if I don't send in the gun. He curtly told me they'll have it on it's way today and hung up. It was about a five second call...

This experience, while not a big deal, was in shocking contrast to the great customer service and problem-solving attitude I experienced over the years from Beretta, Glock, Smith & Wesson, and especially Bushmaster and Dillon.

I always felt that the gun industry, as a whole, provides the best customer service of any other consumer product. Browning, however, should take some lessons by calling custumer service departments at their competitors to see how repair inquiries are handled. They're nothing more than dinosaur at this point.

Anyway, can anyone suggest a way of gripping the pointy end of the detent sticking about 3mm out of its hole?

If not, I'll just buy a C&S assebly. I'm sure they won't make me send in the entire Hi Power just for that!

 

[Onmilo]

However small the part may be it is still part of the SAFETY.
Browning has to have the whole firearm so that they can install and ensure that the safety system is working properly or they could well be liable if you shoot your toe off sometime down the road.

I don't blame them for wanting the whole gun.
I do the exact same thing for the exact same reason.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

same reason

that the ski shops refused to adjust bindings on those old skis i got cheap. i outsmarted em adjusted them my self! wanna see the cool scar from the operation on my knee that i got as a result?!

 

[Marshall]

I've never needed a Browning repair.

 

[IMtheNRA]

Bushmaster and Glock have no problem sending out parts that are parts of the SAFETY system.

 

[Seismic Sam]

NAAAHHHHHH... EAA could beat Browning any day of the week on HS C/S!

If your gun had been an EAA with that problem, the same thing would have happened, except that with EAA they would have then shipped the gun back to you withOUT the part being fixed, and then when you called to complain you would have a least a gallon of warm, yellow liquid poured into your ear by Paul, who would tell you that the gun broke because you shot handloads in it, and it's your problem to deal with.

 

[unspellable]

Customer service

You pansies should go over to the Taurus forum and read a few of the rants over there.

 

[browningguy]

I definately wouldn't call that bad customer service, they want to fix your gun, you don't want to do it their way, just a difference of opinion. I'd be happy they want to fix the gun.

 

[ravencon]

I definately wouldn't call that bad customer service, they want to fix your gun, you don't want to do it their way, just a difference of opinion. I'd be happy they want to fix the gun.

I have to agree. In today's litigious society I don't blame Browning for wanting to make the repair in-house.

 

[c_yeager]

It sounds to me that you flatly refused to enable them to properly do their job, and now you are upset with them. My sympathy meter isnt even regstering.

 

[striker3]

Were they going to pick up the tab for shipping? If not, I would not have paid overnight shipping fees just to get the detent pulled out. OTOH, if they were to pay for shipping, I would have had that thing at the FEDEX counter today

 

[Rembrandt]

"Browning service is the worst in the gun industry"

Title reads like something from the National Enquirer....attention getting, but little substance to back it up.

 

[IMtheNRA]

Nope, I was going to have to pay for the shipping. It's cheaper to buy a new safety switch than do that.

Perhaps EAA or Taurus have bad CS as well. I don't have any experience with them or their products. I was accustomed to stellar performance from other manufacturers. I found out Browning is not in their league.

Here's a short list of the reckless companies that will sell SAFETY system components to a toe-shooting knuckle dragger like me: Bushmaster, Glock, Cylinder-Slide, Brownells, Numrich...

Not a biggie, while I found Browning's attitude arrogant, I think a Cylinder-Slide safety would be a nice upgrade to my great shooting Hi Power.

 

[Jamie C.]

Gee, how 'bout you fix it yourself?

It's a small, pointy metal pin and a spring, stuffed off in a hole.

If it won't come out on it's own, go find a drill bit the same size as the hole, then hand-ream the hole a bit, if nothing else.

If all else fails, use a smaller bit and drill the bastard out.

Either way, it'll be a lot easier on your blood pressure than the service people at Browning apparently are.


By the way, I only "do" gunsmiths and service departments if it's something beyond my own abilities... like things that involve welding, for instance... Anything else... hell, it's only metal.... Gimme them pliers and that hammer. Oh, and the drill too.... and that file....



J.C.

 

[Azrael256]

When I first got a Springer GI, I hated the safety. Sorry, I just can't stand the GI safety. I called them, and they said they would install the one I wanted for $90. I asked them to just send me the one I wanted (the one off the "loaded" model), and they said no way. They would sell me other parts straight up, bushing, plug, guide rod, grips, even a MSH, but absolutely not on the safety, or any other trigger group part. They told me I could buy one I liked from an aftermarket supplier (and I did), but their company policy prohibited selling anything that might affect the safety of the pistol directly to the customer. They didn't want to open themselves up to any kind of liability problem. I was annoyed, but I understood, and I don't despise them for their decision.

 

[IMtheNRA]

Well, I don't despise Browning either. I was just blowing off some steam this morning. It was incorrect of me to claim that Browning has the worst service in the gun industry. I guess some companies may be worse. It's just the worst service that I have experienced, and I'm lucky that this is just a small annoyance. I'm grateful for the fact that Bushmaster, Glock, and S&W have been there for me on the few occasions that I needed their assistance or parts.

What's counter-intuitive is that Browning is going to send me back my DEFECTIVE safety when all they had to do was yank the stuck detent out of it or just replace it with a switch which is up to their specs.

I'm not asking them to sell me a new safety switch to build a gun with. I just wanted the switch that went bad to be repaired or replaced. There is no need for me to go through the expense of FedExing the whole gun to them. There is nothing wrong with the gun at all.

Had they not been able to fix this switch, I would have bought a new one from them.

Anyway, I'll drill and yank out the detent and buy a new one from Brownell's when Browning returns my defective part.

Don't tell Brownell's that I might shoot my toe off or I'll never get this gun back in service.

 

[trbon8r]

I'm still waiting for the punch line. Of course in today's era of ambulance chasing attorneys, Browning is going to cover their back side, and require that you send in the entire gun for repair. I can't blame them there.

Nothing to see here so please move along.

I'm not even a Browning fan. I haven't been interested in their guns since they started making them in Japan. I do love my Belgian BAR and my FN Hi-Power though.

 

[MountainPeak]

Hell, Ruger wants to "safety upgrade", some firearms, when sent in, whether you want them to, or not. I own a couple of Browning products, like them, and I don't blame them, or Ruger a bit! The lawyers have seen to it, watch YOUR BUTT, or you are OURS! New legislation has helped. Off topic, but Ruger has recently moved their "warnings" to the bottom of the barrel. My guess is, after a few lawsuits, the top of the barrel will state: "Look Under Barrel For Important Safety Instructions. DO NOT POINT barrel at your head, while reading the SAFETY warnings on the UNDERSIDE"! Yup, that ought to about cover it!!

 

[searcher6]

UPS ground

I always just ship my guns to factories using UPS ground. Even though its against stated company policy it is legal. Just don't put the company's name on the address label, use something like "Customer Service Dept." or "Warrenty Repair Dept." I never had any trouble with them not getting there.

 

[striker3]

I always just ship my guns to factories using UPS ground. Even though its against stated company policy it is legal. Just don't put the company's name on the address label, use something like "Customer Service Dept." or "Warrenty Repair Dept." I never had any trouble with them not getting there.

Only problem with that is that if for some reason they do come up missing, UPS does not have to reimburse you for the item as it was shipped in violation of their stated policies. The risk to gain factor is not worth it to me. $30 extra to insure that I have a way to seek restitution on a $500 + gun is worth it in my opinion.

 

[unspellable]

UPS

On top of that UPS has a reputation for trying to weasel out of claims. I wouldn't give them any weasel feed.

 

[IMtheNRA]

Searcher6, if you declare the shipment as a gun, like you're required to do, then they would make you upgrade the service to an overnight option.

UPS will use any reason they can find to refuse your freight claim if you ever had to make one.

 

[taliv]

i thought that bear coat guy was the worst service in the gun industry.

 

[Tim Burke]

No, Browning is not the worst.

HK service, anyone?

 

[Technosavant]

Azrael, 1911 safeties don't just "drop in". Buying one, tossing it in, and expecting it to work perfectly is a bit much. It might work, but I'd worry that it wouldn't fit correctly, and might not function as desired. While I don't agree with their policy of not selling any of the safety/trigger group parts, better quality versions are available aftermarket, and there's just too much incompetent 1911 gunsmithing out there anyway- too much tendency for somebody to just throw in a sear or something that isn't properly fit, and the person has a dangerous pistol.