Colt service

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steves2

New member
Several months ago I bought a new Colt Competition Stainless in 9mm. I went to the range several times with it, and the empties, especially in rapid fire, were ejected into the middle of my forehead… not pleasant!

At the end of September I called customer service at Colt to see what to do about this. The guy sent me a “Return Material Authorization” notice and a FedEx mailing label to return the pistol. He said that the process would take a week to 10 days, and it would be returned after it had been repaired.

When I went to send the gun, I tried to get extra insurance as the instructions on the mailing label said that the package would be insured for $100. I tried to pay for more insurance as obviously I paid a lot more for that pistol. I couldn’t buy extra insurance without voiding the mailing label.

The gun was picked up by FedEx on October 1 and signed for by Colt on October 4.

A couple of days ago I called Colt to see what was happening as it had been 12 days since they received it and I hadn’t heard anything. First problem… the guy I spoke to in their repair process said the gun wasn’t signed into their system until October 13! It had been loose and untraceable inside Colt for 9 days! This guy further told me that it wouldn’t be fixed for from 30 to 45 days. When I told him that the first guy had told me it would be from 7-10 days, and that I wasn’t happy that my gun had disappeared inside the Colt system for 9 days, the new guy offered to send it back, unrepaired.

I told the guy that I had read fairly often about Colt’s reputation for customer service, and that this experience seemed to reinforce what I’d read. I said that based on what I was going through I was going to be unlikely to buy from Colt again.

What are your experiences with Colt, and what suggestions other than patience would you advise?
 

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Don't buy a Colt. If you find a gun or manufacturer that doesn't meet your expectations it is silly to buy from them.
I bought a Colt Combat Commander back in the mid 80s and it wouldn't fire two rounds in a row. When I took it apart I found burrs on everything from the springs to the slide. I spent the next three day carefully honing every piece of that action and refitting them to the gun. When I got done with it the gun would go through the magazine like it was originally designed to do. Then I tuned the ejector, enlarged the ejector port, beveled the magazine opening and put in a barrel bushing. I then refinished the gun in a Parkerized finish. The gun worked well and ejected cases into a spot about three feet in diameter. I worked up a load that would make two inch groups and then traded it off for a bunch of reloading equipment.
I haven't bought a Colt since and I don't plan to in the future. They have lived off their name and reputation for so long that both have lost their meaning.
 
30 days is a lot closer to the standard turnaround of most gun companies than 7-10. Of course you would hope an estimate would be consistent within a business.

Telling the guy that you heard Colt's rep stinks and this stinks so far frankly isn't going to get you very far. My wife works doing a lot of CS for a rather large company. She gets yelled at on a constant basis, sometime with words I don't think I've used in the presence of others. I'm not sure how you talked to the guy on the phone, but typically the person you're talking to is pretty limited in terms of what he/she can do. Getting mad at that person rarely leads anywhere.

As for where you are now, there are two options. Have them send it back or let them try to fix it. I guess it depends on how badly/quickly you need the pistol back and whether or not you can fix it on your own. Were it me I'd probably let them fix it. I usually find a month goes by much faster than I anticipate.

For the record I had a Colt 1991 that loved to eject into my forehead. Traded it to a friend that knew the issue. Not sure what he ever did with it. I have yet to have the same issue with other 1911s, from Auto Ordnance, to RIA, to S&W, and SA. But it was a sample of one and I can't judge a whole brand off of that.
 
Tunnel Rat - Thanks for your reply.
I wasn't in any way rude. I was more struck at first at how the gun was lost in their system for 9 days.
I was annoyed at the different time frames, but the guy immediately offerds to send it back unrepaired...no "i'm sorry you were told something that wasn't correct".
I've worked at a bunch of customer service oriented jobs, and the approach didn't seem to be about fixing things for the customer. It was more, here is our process, you're in the process...
 
Back in the 90s I had two Colts sent for overhauls on them and had good service from them. Mine was not repairs, but they took 60 days on both.
 
Any time I get an answer that I consider unacceptable, from any company I call, I ask to speak to a supervisor. It generally results in a better, more acceptable answer. If I was the OP I'd call them again and see if a different rep give a better answer, if not, try to escalate. Can't hurt.
 
steves2 said:
Several months ago I bought a new Colt Competition Stainless in 9mm. I went to the range several times with it, and the empties, especially in rapid fire, were ejected into the middle of my forehead… not pleasant!

At the end of September I called customer service at Colt to see what to do about this. The guy sent me a “Return Material Authorization” notice and a FedEx mailing label to return the pistol. He said that the process would take a week to 10 days, and it would be returned after it had been repaired.

When I went to send the gun, I tried to get extra insurance as the instructions on the mailing label said that the package would be insured for $100. I tried to pay for more insurance as obviously I paid a lot more for that pistol. I couldn’t buy extra insurance without voiding the mailing label.

The gun was picked up by FedEx on October 1 and signed for by Colt on October 4.

A couple of days ago I called Colt to see what was happening as it had been 12 days since they received it and I hadn’t heard anything. First problem… the guy I spoke to in their repair process said the gun wasn’t signed into their system until October 13! It had been loose and untraceable inside Colt for 9 days! This guy further told me that it wouldn’t be fixed for from 30 to 45 days. When I told him that the first guy had told me it would be from 7-10 days, and that I wasn’t happy that my gun had disappeared inside the Colt system for 9 days, the new guy offered to send it back, unrepaired.

I told the guy that I had read fairly often about Colt’s reputation for customer service, and that this experience seemed to reinforce what I’d read. I said that based on what I was going through I was going to be unlikely to buy from Colt again.

What are your experiences with Colt, and what suggestions other than patience would you advise?
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Empties in the middle of the forehead? Talk about shooting distractions!
 
My advice, buy another handgun to satisfy any urges to own and shoot something new, compared to what you presently have. This has helped me previously and it can aid in not worrying about a firearm out for repair. Colt has it and we can only hope Colt can adjust/fit/repair whatever needs to be done which likely involves the ejector/extractor/firing pin-stop area.

My prior experience with Colt is, back in 1988, a .45ACP 1911 which ejected into my forehead. I paid a local shop to make any adjustments which probably involved some filing/tuning of the ejector. Back then, I knew nothing about the 1911. I know more about the 1911 now, but I've still never tuned an ejector.

My next Colt was an issued AR-15 probably around 2000-2001. I was unable to get through the initial shooting portion of the class. The Range Master/Armorer issued me another AR-15 after determining there was a burr somewhere in the upper which was ruining the gas rings. I wasn't able to get through five rounds before failing to eject and cycle, otherwise.

I didn't buy another Colt for myself until January 2016, a .45ACP Commander. I kept it 4 months before returning it to Colt a couple of times. The staked-on front sight loosened and would fall out. That was one trip involving just the slide, which was also lost in Colt's system a few days. The 2nd trip involved replacing the entire gun as the frame began cracking. A couple months later, I received through my FFL the Commander replacement.

By then, I'd lost confidence in Colt and sold the Commander to an acquaintance. A couple of weeks ago, I heard his front sight (on that replacement Commander) had also fallen off. A year later, I bought a Ruger 4.25" 1911 which also needed the slide to go back to Ruger for a broken front sight (a semi-common Ruger problem on its 1911 guns made prior to 2014; mine was made in 2013, even though I bought it in 2017).

For 9mm pistols, I mainly choose Glock. Overall, I'm happy with Glock, but have had a few problematic ones from this brand, too (owning ~20 of them over 20+ years).

Colt has undergone some recent personnel changes (lay offs) and I don't know its current reputation to fix things or what it will do to satisfy its customers. I heard the fellow who was my contact has since been laid-off. I can't see me buying another Colt.

Once your Colt comes back, perhaps it'll be good-to-go and a keeper-for-life. Until then, don't worry about it and someday it will be returned to you. Once it's returned, then you can function fire & test to decide whether to keep it or not. Otherwise, sell it as there are several 1911 companies out there putting out good product. I generally don't recommend a 1911 to anybody anymore. The cost, maintenance, time, and need to repair or have repaired is too much for me to recommend, unless the prospective owner completely understands owning any 1911 can be this way.
 
Fair enough, and like I said I can't know how you spoke to the person. In explaining it more it seems you tried to be reasonable.

I've worked at a bunch of customer service oriented jobs, and the approach didn't seem to be about fixing things for the customer. It was more, here is our process, you're in the process...
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In my experience when you call someone on that phone that's about all you're going to get. Unless dealing with a smaller company I've found the people on the phone are authorized to do little besides work the process and typically have a bunch of waiting calls to get through. If you want to get more satisfaction asking to speak to a manager or supervisor, as mentioned above, is typically the best route.
 
If the problem happens mainly during rapid fire it's probably not the gun. The machine doesn't care if it's fired one round per second, one round per minute or one round per hour, the rounds will eject in the same manner either way. The biggest change with rapid firing shooting is your grip and how you handle the gun. Colt isn't going to fix that.
 
"Empties in the middle of the forehead? Talk about shooting distractions!"
- Totally distracting...after two or three of those my eyes close! Not safe!

"If the problem happens mainly during rapid fire it's probably not the gun. The machine doesn't care if it's fired one round per second, one round per minute or one round per hour, the rounds will eject in the same manner either way. The biggest change with rapid firing shooting is your grip and how you handle the gun. Colt isn't going to fix that."
- When I'm shooting a slower cadence the empties go past my ear. When I shoot longer steady strings, or more rapidly, it's forehead, forehead, forehead.

Thanks for the advice. I'll be patient.
 
I've had only one experience with Colt customer service, and could have been more impressed.
I sent them a gun that I had bought used, a model no longer in production, and it was repaired, returned in the quoted time, and no charge.

If I had called them and they couldn't tell me where my gun was, I'd be rather irked. Being irked that they wouldn't have been able to tell you if you had called them, is being irked without much reason.

I don't have any recommendation other than patience, unless you can develop the ability to sense, in advance, when a product will need service before buying it.
 
...the empties, especially in rapid fire, were ejected into the middle of my forehead…
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My advice to anyone who owns a 1911 type of pistol is to learn how to take care of such minor problems themselves. I would never send a 1911 back to the manufacturer for such a minor problem. Join the 1911 Forum and learn how to adjust the angle of the ejector (as well as extractor tension, et. al.)...it is not rocket science. If you posted your problem over there, you would have been deluged with advice, illustrations, etc., and you would not have had to endure the time, effort, and Colt's Service Dept.
 
Well, someone has to say it, so......... you're probably limp wristing. :D

Sorry about your bad CS experience, it seems to be the rule rather than the exception these days, and not just with gun manufacturers.
 
If you posted your problem over there, you would have been deluged with advice, illustrations, etc., and you would not have had to endure the time, effort, and Colt's Service Dept.
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You're likely right. At the same time I'm of the opinion that a good company has a good customer service department too. Making them correct production issues, even if minor ones and in limited batches, is how they are held accountable.
 
My Kimber in 9mm never ejected a case in my forehead, either before installing the Ultradot, or afterwards.

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Colt lost me as a customer when my Colt Combat Elite peened its frame out in 3000 rounds. They replaced the frame, but did not fix the hard recoil problem. It was a matter of early unlock and out of tolerance geometry of barrel, link and slide. At the time, the Colt warranty was two years. Colt has gone through multiple bankruptcies since then, I think any Colt warranty, even if advertised as lifetime, is only as good till the next bankruptcy cycle.

The Hell with Colt.
 
Huge thanks to those who replied. From here, and other forums, I have learned that tuning 1911 ejectors and extractors is fairly straightforward. If I had known that I would have probably ventured forward on my own with the help of the fine contributors on YouTube. One of the reasons empties come straight back is the tension on the extractor.
I don’t think the problem with every shooting problem is “limp wristing”, but thanks for your advice. I may not always be as accurate as I want to be, but I am a firm believer in grip and ‘follow through’. The hits to the forehead were making me into a Hindu or a Catholic on Ash Wednesday though??????
 
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