Smith & Wesson Customer Service - or Lack Threrof.

[Waveski]

I had an issue with a S&W revolver , decided to try my first "Mothership" venture. 3 weeks after sending the gun to them I called and asked if the firearm had been evaluated. After being on hold for 30 LONGGG minutes a polite rep told me that the piece was indeed in the system , and that an estimate would be determined in about ..... two months. Wait wait wait , I said - two months - just for the estimate??? Yes , he said. And how long on top of that will it take to be serviced , I asked. No definitive answer on that one.

So , if I throw in 2-3 weeks for repair and a week for shipping that comes to ... 3 1/2 - 4 months turnaround. That is a long time , a very long time. I am not impressed. Contrast that to Ruger - I sent in my MkI for tune-up last winter ; 3 weeks total from my door to my door , several internal parts replaced , no charge.

I know that Smith is dealing with recall issues , but that is certainly not my problem. I did not put large quantities of product into the market place which are in need of correction. Truth is , S&W customer service is woefully understaffed. 30 minutes on hold is unacceptable.

I am not happy , and it will be months before I find out if Smith & Wesson will perform in such a way as to mollify my dissatisfaction.

Harrummph.

 

[HPCadm17]

That is sad to hear. I researched S&W and found a few gripes regarding their customer service, and admittedly this was a minor factor in my decision to purchase the M&P 2.0. With no real known reliability issues I decided to bite the bullet (so to speak) anyway. I just hope it doesn't require warranty service in the near future. Hopefully they can get their act together before too long.

 

[Cump]

I guess it's hit and miss, depending on an issue. When I have diagnosed a problem, including some my own doing, which required a small part, S&W has mailed me the part at no cost without requiring the gun. Of course, I could explain and document the issue. I like that reasonableness and respect, and I've appreciated when Ruger has done the same.

Some others have not.

 

[someguy2800]

I sent one of my contender pistols in last year and had it back in 2 weeks, fixed at no charge. They probably have different people working on the TC's than the S&W's but it was shipped to S&W service.

 

[Schwing]

I hate to say it but the worst customer service I have ever experienced was from Smith & Wesson. After a similar delay, I received my gun back with a note stating that they tested it and found no problems. They included a single spent casing as proof. The problem was that it jammed about every 3 or 4 rounds. When I called back they apologized and promised to send out a prepaid box so I could send it back in. The box never arrived and, on my follow up call, I was told that they had no record of my previous call and that they had already tested my gun and would not do so again.

 

[243winxb]

Sent my M29-2 back on April 27, 2018. Hope it makes it back to me sometime this year.

As far as being happy with the repairs/service , it depends on the gunsmith doing the work.

my first "Mothership" venture.

Most go well. Just prepare yourself for the bill. Good luck.

 

[George P]

Their repair area is SO swamped, that those time frames have become the norm for them. They would do well to authorize reputable smiths around the country as warranty repair centers.

 

[Jackal]

Sent a Shield back to S&W for a customer due to a bent takedown spring. 6 weeks later we got it back fixed.

 

[Waveski]

They would do well to authorize reputable smiths around the country as warranty repair centers.

That certainly would make sense.

As to the service department being swamped , that does not speak well for product performance and reliability.

Long hold time on the phone , extremely slow turn around time , it all adds up to : Not Good.

 

[beag_nut]

NOBODY beats Ruger for Customer Service. NOBODY. I have never needed to send in any handguns to them, but the two times I lost a part, they sent a new one THE NEXT DAY, NO CHARGE. Unbeatable.

 

[someguy2800]

I will say also that my experience with service when I sent my contender to S&W was excellent. They sent a fedex pickup to get it, returned it quickly, and it was free. I broke a screw off in the frame which was my fault and they still fixed it for free. It’s a 35 year old gun and I’m not the original owner. Actually it’s older than me.

 

[Waveski]

someguy -

How long ago did your good service take place?

NOBODY beats Ruger for Customer Service.

My Ruger CS experience --- A few months ago I sent in a MkI which did the occasional stovepipe. 3 weeks - THREE WEEKS from my door back to my door - service rendered and NO CHARGE !!! Contrast THAT with waiting 3 weeks to be told that it would take another 2 whole months to get a crummy estimate.

I think the Smith & Wesson et al is suffering the "Curse of the Hillary Hole". Things ain't right at Smith.

 

[beeenbag]

I guess it's hit and miss, depending on an issue. When I have diagnosed a problem, including some my own doing, which required a small part, S&W has mailed me the part at no cost without requiring the gun. Of course, I could explain and document the issue. I like that reasonableness and respect, and I've appreciated when Ruger has done the same.

Some others have not.

This has been my experience as well. They may be backed up but from my experience they will do their customers right.

I lost the grip pin in my 3913 after swapping back and forth with some hogue grips and factory, called them up and told them I had lost it, wanted to purchase it and new springs as well while I was at it. They refused to let me purchase any of it and sent it all to me for free. No shipping charge or anything. That’s excellent customer care to me.

 

[Jonesy814]

Back in 2013 I bought a Springfield Armory Mil-Spec 1911. After about 3 months the front sight flew off. Called SA, and they emailed me a shipping label. All they needed was the slide. I sent it off on a thursday and had it back by noon the following friday.

 

[someguy2800]

someguy -

How long ago did your good service take place?

August last year

 

[Waveski]

Someguy - Maybe that was prior to Smith getting swamped with recall and warranty work which , btw , is a problem of their own making.

 

[someguy2800]

Could be. Either way if they are swamped with recall work at the moment that is no reason to write off the company. They will get back on top of it in time, nobody is perfect. They have been in business for 165 years. Just be patient and shoot something else in the meantime.

 

[farm23]

I have S&W, Ruger, Glock, Freedom Arms, North American Arms and Charter Arms. The only CS I have was on a CA and that was for a very minor sight issue. Nick the owner called me and emailed a return label. The gun was gone less than a week. I am sure any of the above can get behind in service but S&W seems to be behind the 8 ball just now.

 

[Jim NE]

I had a revolver go to S&W and the experience wasn't great, though it could've been worse. Took several months, and they even kind of lost track of the gun, but not in any significant way (they found it quickly.) When it came back, it wasn't repaired all that well, either. When Smith fixed my Sigma about 8 or 9 years ago, it was a better experience, though not perfect.

My best experience was with Desert Eagle last year. Had a problem with a new 1911 I'd just bought, and it only took 5 days from sending the gun out til I had it back in my hands in good working order. I was impressed with that. That problem hasn't recurred, either. Also had a relatively good experience with Heritage, by Taurus. Had two issues with that gun, though, both resolved.

 

[Trey Veston]

I have a S&W CS horror story, and it is the reason I have passed them up for my past three pistol purchases.

My daily CCW was a S&W M&P40 Compact. Loved it! But it was a bit bulky often times and I neglected to have it with me one day when I had a close encounter. Decided I should get a single-stack sub-compact. Partner at work needed a good home defense/truck gun but couldn't afford a decent gun so I sold him my M&P on a payment plan.

I replaced it with a S&W Shield PC in 9mm. Great little pistol that had a decent trigger, great sights, and comfortable to shoot. Then I took it to the range.

At 7yds, it was great...



Racking the slide seemed gritty though. Then I backed up to 20yds and used a bench rest. Best I could get was 10-12". Shot a couple of boxes of different ammo with the same results. Field-stripped it and discovered that the barrel was messed up; had a large lump on the top...



I called CS and got a woman who tried to argue with me that 10-12" at 20yds was acceptable for a defensive pistol. I asked to speak with a manager. He agreed to have the pistol looked at. I sent it in and TWO MONTHS later I got it back with a new barrel. The problem was that the new barrel had two nicks in the crown...



I took the pistol to the range again and now it would do about 6-8" at 20yds. I called S&W and they said they wouldn't look at it again. Back then (2016) nobody made replacement barrels for the Shield; especially the ported PC Shield. I sold it to a guy that said he would never shoot it past 7yds anyway since that's how far most self-defense shootings are. OK...

I replaced the Shield with a SA XDS in .40 S&W and really like it. It will shoot under 2" at 25yds with cheap ammo.

No more S&W for me for a while.

 

[Waveski]

Could be. Either way if they are swamped with recall work at the moment that is no reason to write off the company. They will get back on top of it in time, nobody is perfect. They have been in business for 165 years. Just be patient and shoot something else in the meantime.

OK , Smith&Wesson has been in business a long time - but not because of horrible Customer Service. Longevity is no excuse for poor performance in the here and now.

As to "shoot something else in the meantime." , what if I had but one firearm? Guess I'd have to go out and buy another in order to not have a 3-4 month gap in self defense. Under the circumstances , it certainly would not be a Smith&Wesson! If CS drives a customer to another company - that is an abject failure.

"Write them off" ... , maybe , maybe not. Let's see how they deal with my revolver and what the cost is. (If I were in charge of CS it would be a n/c as a peace offering...)
"Write them off" is a ways up the track , eta uncertain. . VERY dissatisfied has already arrived at the station.

 

[DesertVet]

Give Smith and Wesson a chance to do the right thing.
My experience with their customer service was excellent although one of the times they were backed up with recalls and it was not a timely fix.
Good or bad I have used Smith and Wesson customer service more often then other gun companies but they have always made the situation right by me in the end.

 

[JONWILL]

Is it an older revolver?

What needs to be done to it?

 

[Waveski]

Give Smith and Wesson a chance to do the right thing.

I am doing just that.

Is it an older revolver?

What needs to be done to it?

Model 60 no dash , early 80's I believe. Problem : action binding when trigger and/or hammer is about 3/4 drawn back. Gradually worsening. There is no cylinder friction. When working the action with sideplate removed my minimally trained eye could not detect the source of the binding , so - off to the Mother Ship. And , apparently , there it will stay for a prolonged period of time.

 

[DesertVet]

Smith and Wesson doesn’t always work quickly but in my experience...be patient and they will make it right.
Let us know how it turns out?