Sending back a firearm, to the dealer or the manufacturer? Help!

[IdahoSkies]

Well, I need to return a gun, and I have never done it before so I would appreciate some help. I have a .32 Berretta Tomcat whose frame has cracked. (Save the I told you so, I followed all the ammo recommendations, loved the gun and thought it wouldn’t happen to me, but it has. Its less than 2 years old and has less than 400 rounds through it).

The manual says to return the firearm postage prepaid to the address provided. From what I gather Berretta USA is replacing them with INOX stainless slide models, after determining the firearm is non-reparable. The review and replacement process seems to be taking a number of months. I purchased the pistol (new) from a local dealer who has “lifetime warranties” on their firearms. The warranty is a repair or replace with a same or similar model.

I am not interested in a replaced blued tomcat (my current model), for obvious reasons. I have ran across some incidents of the INOX models also cracking, so I am somewhat leery over having that replacement. I don’t have a problem with a .32 (I like them better than the snappy recoil of the .380s in the same size packages), and I am not real keen on being without a carry piece for months. I have also been looking at acquiring a 9mm for times when I can carry something larger than a pocket pistol. So my questions are:

1. On shipping the firearm, from what I can see (from the sticky here and else where) I can ship to the manufacturer without FFL but I have to use UPS or Fed Ex, right?

The next couple questions are more opinion issues:

2. Do I send it to the manufacturer for a new replacement (almost a guarantee), or do I take it into the dealer on their warranty?

In any event I will probably “upgrade” the piece to a keltec .32 instead. I am trying to figure out the best way to do that so I can minimize my loss from the berretta and get into kel tec .32 and 9mm like the bersa thunder or something similar. I also don’t like being without a carry piece and my other handgun a 4” .38 is not really up to the task.

All input is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[docnyt]

If Beretta has not sent you a prepaid sticker and it may take months for a reply, I would take it to your dealer since he may be able to send it to Beretta himself without much trouble. After all, he does have an FFL and can send by USPS rather than the more expensive Fedex.

 

[WC145]

Have you tried calling Beretta yet? The factories paid the shipping both ways on the three guns I've had to send back to the factory for repair (Springfield, S&W, Fusion). You should call Beretta's customer service dept and see what they can do for you.

 

[IdahoSkies]

I guess what I am really asking is, what do you think would be more advantageous, to use the dealer's warranty, or the manufacturer's warranty?

 

[nalioth]

I guess what I am really asking is, what do you think would be more advantageous, to use the dealer's warranty, or the manufacturer's warranty?

The dealer is just going to ship it back to Beretta or give you another one from their stock that may or may not crack.

If Beretta will send you a prepaid shipping label, you're better off dealing with the factory directly, IMHO.

 

[greyling22]

Get an FFL to send it back for it via the post office. It's lots cheapertha overnighting via fedex or ups.

 

[JohnBT]

Let the dealer ship it, and put a short, neat, polite note in the box with your phone number telling them what the problem is.

 

[[email protected]]

My first choice would be to get a prepaid box directly from Berretta .... but if for what ever reason you can't do that (can't figure out why they would not) then go through the dealer... but then it is one or two more places the pistol has to be handled through and I don't like that...

 

[243winxb]

I purchased the pistol (new) from a local dealer who has “lifetime warranties” on their firearms. The warranty is a repair or replace with a same or similar model.

Go to the dealer. He will return it to the factory.

 

[BullfrogKen]

Do what JohnBT suggests and work it through your dealer.

When it comes back, see if you can work out a deal through him to take the new, unfired gun you're going to get back from Beretta off your hands, put it back up for resale in his shop as a new gun, and give you credit towards the gun you want.