s&w customer service?

[Axis II]

I have some oxidization on a s&w 642 and emailed them with pictures and i received an email stating send them my information and they will email me a FedEx shipping label to send the firearm in for inspection.

Anyone send a firearm back to smith and Wesson? If you how was your experience? I hate shipping guns for fear they will get lost in transit and I'm poor so no way to replace them. They stated if its a warranty issue they will fix it but i might have to pay. I hope they call me and say hey its going to cost this much and not just fix it and send me a bill.

your thoughts?

 

[Telekinesis]

I haven't sent anything to Smith & Wesson, but I have sent a gun in for warranty work (a Bersa that had to go back several times...). My experience was a bit of a mixed bag due to the people doing the work, but shipping the gun went flawlessly. I wouldn't hesitate to ship a gun if it needed warranty work. S&W also probably set up the shipping so that it has tracking and maybe insurance, so that might help worries about it not arriving.

As far as them charging you for repairs, I would expect that they would call you first and get approval if it wasn't covered under warranty. Maybe include a note in the package asking that they call you before completing any work not covered by warranty?

Let us know what they do to fix it. I have a S&W 442 Pro that is having some issues with rust (odd considering the Pro is stainless with a black finish as opposed to the standard 442 which is carbon steel) and am interested to know how they handle the fix.

 

[silversport]

I sent back an old S&W 459 and it was trouble free...my only complaint and it is a minor one is that a call to find the status on my pistol work yielded information that did not agree with what was getting done and when it was done...

Sending was not an issue when sent the way requested by them with tracking...no real worries.

I did this within the last 18 months...

Bill

 

[buck460XVR]

If the 642 is a relatively recent model and you are the original owner, repairs should be free till the day you die. If not a recent model and/or you ar not the original owner, odds are it still will be fixed for free. There have been many reports of finish problems with the 642s and similar air-weights and S&W has offered to refinish them once for free. Regardless, S&W will not fix your gun without a estimate if you are required to pay. As for the shipping, S&W pays for it and insures the gun. Nuff said.

 

[Squire Western]

I have been dealing with the folks in Springfield, Massachusetts for the past 25 years. Their Customer Service is second to none, and many are 3rd or 4th generation or even more than that, S&W. They really bleed their brand.

These people live and die with the quality of S&W products. Many great conversations over the phone for a multitude of years with these wonderful people, have made me realize that they are true American Champions.

 

[Milt1]

If S&W patterns their return service after Ruger then in all probability you won't get charged. I've sent several pistols back to Ruger and have never been charged.

 

[cdk8]

I had some fail-to-fire issues with a 442. They turned it around fast with no out of pocket costs to me and the gun came back giving deep primer strikes and no issues since. My guess is that if there is a charge for the work (I'm not sure if most firearm warranties cover clear coats/anodizing or not????) that they will contact you prior to doing anything, as that's the professional way to do business and, from my experience, I'd rate them as very professional, FWIW.

 

[Fred in Wisc]

I've only had to use Smith service once, but they were quick, paid shipping both ways, and it worked perfectly when returned. That was probably 2 years ago or so.

 

[grogetr]

I sent my shield back for a very heavy trigger. They paid shipping both ways changed out the internals and checked everything out. It did take about 3 weeks to get it back but it was much nicer when I got it.

 

[Dog Soldier]

S&W and Ruger have great customer service. I have not had a problem in over 50 years. They will call for your approval before charging you for repairs.

 

[Roons]

I had to send my M&P Shield back due to the mag dropping issue. They fixed it very quickly and returned it right away with shipping paid. I think it was only 2 or 3 weeks total.