Wow I didn't realize posting my frustration about the status of my repair would cause such a stir. Maybe I could have been a little more diplomatic in my original posting but I was furious at the time after just speaking to Colt CS. I invite those questioning my situation to call Colt. Their toll free number is 1-800-962-2658 and my repair order # is 35570. If nothing else your phone calls may help me get my pistol back sooner.
Colt Customer Service Sucks
- Thread starter bamiller
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Just hung up with Christy in customer service. She said pistol was currently being "nickeled". Ask her if any completion date had been established. She said not really but it would surely be after the 1st of the year because of the holidays. ASSUMING it would be done January 3rd, which I highly doubt at this point, it will be 17 weeks for the repair/refinish job. I'm sorry but that's BS!
Wildalaska
Moderator
Really? I get quoted 6-8 weeks just for OEM nickeling all the time. Colt doesnt do their own nickel plating, no gun company does IIRC.
OK we have a misunderstanding about the word "log in". As soon as your gun arrived, it was entered into Colts log books, it would have then gone into the que system for repair.
Now you recognize of course that with a gouge like that, it may very well be that you will get a new frame right? You further recognize that if that is the case, there is 90% of the reason for your delay. If that not is the case, even then the delay is reasonable.
I will address some other points later.
WildofftotheofficeAlaska ™©2002-2010
thinkingman
New member
OK...guilty of that....I will admit the Colt worship gets me a bit emotional.
In re OP, I am sympathetic as we have an expectation and sometimes it's not met.
I guess guns are a bit different in that many times when something gets broken/damaged, we expect immediate repair/replacement.
A $700 flyrod gets broken, we get a new replacement in a few days.
Guns, being highly regulated and serial numbers being registered, can't just be replaced immediately.
I understand and sympathize.
Perhaps be thankful the bike accident didn't have more serious consequences.?
Wildalaska
Moderator
Let me continue.
Colt is a "small" company. Their production revolves around shedules where Gun 1 is produced in "X" month, Gun "2 in "Y" month, etc. In addition, they have their contract guns such as the one in question here. These contract guns usually differ from their regular offerings.
In addition, their service department is still servicing many models which are long discontinued. The servicing of these firearms can be labor intensive.
Service is usually FIFO unless parts are involved, then it is FIFO with parts. Some parts are subcontracted. Other parts are in stock. Other parts are special in house runs. Finishing is either in house or subcontracted. No gun company that I am aware of will initially finish or refinish just ONE GUN. They will invariably batch them, otherwise, it becomes COST INEFFECTIVE and you will go out of business. I have this issue regularly. If we build 5 rifles at the same time, four stainless and one blue and the blue is ready first, it will be shipped last, since we can't blue just one gun and have to wait for a run of bluing.
Now lets talk about the OPs gun. He messed it up bad by his description. By his description it is a Lipseys special run. It differs from a normal Colt Defender in that the slide is Black and the grips are wood. Assuming for the purposes of argument that the slide is blackened stainless and needs to be refinished, it will have to wait (even after the process of being put in line in and then prepped for refinish) for Colt to batch blue a number of stainless slides since the process in bluing is different. Thus, OPs slide sits there and waits until Colt has enough stainless stuff ready to justify firing up the tanks. As I haven't seen a blackened stainless Colt for several months I bet that accounts for some delay.
Frames. Alluded to earlier. Again you have the batch process...you dont juice up the nickel tanks for one gun.
Grips: Special made. Time to get new ones if not in stock.
Hope this give folks a better understanding of how servicing works. As a further observation, customer service folks have a habit, learned or not, of telling folks what they think they want to hear. We have that problem too, sometimes. Browning is good at breaking the bad news. Send a Superposed back and they will tell ya it takes a year, take it or leave it. Me, I prefer to say, it will be ready when its ready. Most folks can deal with that eventually.
WildhopoeyourgunturnsoutokAlaska ™©2002-2010
Colt is a "small" company. Their production revolves around shedules where Gun 1 is produced in "X" month, Gun "2 in "Y" month, etc. In addition, they have their contract guns such as the one in question here. These contract guns usually differ from their regular offerings.
In addition, their service department is still servicing many models which are long discontinued. The servicing of these firearms can be labor intensive.
Service is usually FIFO unless parts are involved, then it is FIFO with parts. Some parts are subcontracted. Other parts are in stock. Other parts are special in house runs. Finishing is either in house or subcontracted. No gun company that I am aware of will initially finish or refinish just ONE GUN. They will invariably batch them, otherwise, it becomes COST INEFFECTIVE and you will go out of business. I have this issue regularly. If we build 5 rifles at the same time, four stainless and one blue and the blue is ready first, it will be shipped last, since we can't blue just one gun and have to wait for a run of bluing.
Now lets talk about the OPs gun. He messed it up bad by his description. By his description it is a Lipseys special run. It differs from a normal Colt Defender in that the slide is Black and the grips are wood. Assuming for the purposes of argument that the slide is blackened stainless and needs to be refinished, it will have to wait (even after the process of being put in line in and then prepped for refinish) for Colt to batch blue a number of stainless slides since the process in bluing is different. Thus, OPs slide sits there and waits until Colt has enough stainless stuff ready to justify firing up the tanks. As I haven't seen a blackened stainless Colt for several months I bet that accounts for some delay.
Frames. Alluded to earlier. Again you have the batch process...you dont juice up the nickel tanks for one gun.
Grips: Special made. Time to get new ones if not in stock.
Hope this give folks a better understanding of how servicing works. As a further observation, customer service folks have a habit, learned or not, of telling folks what they think they want to hear. We have that problem too, sometimes. Browning is good at breaking the bad news. Send a Superposed back and they will tell ya it takes a year, take it or leave it. Me, I prefer to say, it will be ready when its ready. Most folks can deal with that eventually.
WildhopoeyourgunturnsoutokAlaska ™©2002-2010
Colt said they are refinishing not providing a new frame but you are missing my whole point arguing irrelevancies/making excuses for Colt. The bottom line is by the time I get my pistol back it will be AT LEAST 4 months and 1 week from the time it was delivered to Colt. Now I must admit this is the 1st gun I've ever had to send back to a manufacturer for repair but if that is considered reasonable turnaround for a repair then IMO the whole industry sucks.
Wildalaska
Moderator
Please see my points above about refinishing. And if they have told you 4 months, would you still be unhappy?
WildididntseeanyexcusesjustanexplanationbythewayAlaska ™©2002-2010
I had a ceramaplating job done by CCR, no damage to repair, that took over 11 weeks.
The custom job on my BHP is expected to take 12 - 20 weeks at Novak.
A similar job would have taken up to 10 months at Cylinder & Slide due to backlog.
The damage to your gun was not a defect, you caused it via bike wreck. Not sure why you seem to think you would get priority handling; your overall time, including delays, is in line with a major frame repair.
The custom job on my BHP is expected to take 12 - 20 weeks at Novak.
A similar job would have taken up to 10 months at Cylinder & Slide due to backlog.
The damage to your gun was not a defect, you caused it via bike wreck. Not sure why you seem to think you would get priority handling; your overall time, including delays, is in line with a major frame repair.
Duallydondon
Inactive
Colt Series 80 1911
Just got word from Colt Customer Service that my new unfired pistol is on the way back,,went to shoot it for the first time and when I pulled trigger, hammer did not release,,,on a brand new pistol!!!! Has this happened to anyone else? Seems to speak volumes on quality control,,,anyway just had to put in two cents worth!
Just got word from Colt Customer Service that my new unfired pistol is on the way back,,went to shoot it for the first time and when I pulled trigger, hammer did not release,,,on a brand new pistol!!!! Has this happened to anyone else? Seems to speak volumes on quality control,,,anyway just had to put in two cents worth!
Aguila Blanca
Staff
I just had a pistol worked on at the Colt Custom Shop. In and out in less than two weeks. No complaints here. The only firearms companies I've found with customer service as good as Colt's are Henry Repeating Arms, and Armscor/Rock Island.
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