Does Customer Service factor in your Handgun purchase?

Does customer service factor in your handgun purchase?

  • Yes

    Votes: 106 77.9%

  • No

    Votes: 30 22.1%
  • Total voters
    136
  • Poll closed .
No

I sort of pull from experience with cars on this one. I hate arguing / haggling with the manufacturer over the problem.

My wife owned a Hyundai and the bearings went out the front driver's side wheel. It was obvious to me that it was the bearings; you could hear it for one thing.

We took it to the dealer and they denied it could be the bearings and they wouldn’t take it apart to confirm. After a lot of arguing they finally pulled the wheel off and yes they admitted that the bearings were shot. We got charged $289.00 anyway. That was because according to the dealer - the brakes in the front were so worn that they were in a "dangerous condition", supposedly they had to put on new brakes - said they couldn't let it leave their shop in that condition. They also had the car locked in the back otherwise I would have just driven it out of there.

I don't care if a dealer will completely replace my pistol with no hassle and they will even pay for the shipping... I don't want to mess with it. I did a tremendous amount of research when I bought my Toyota - I didn't want a car that spent time in the shop, and I never wanted to deal with the jags I had to deal with at Hyundai. I did a tremendous amount of research when I purchased my H&K P7M8 in 1985 - I wanted a reliable pistol - period. I have never had a single problem with my P7M8 - not one failure of any kind. And that's what I wanted.

Some people don't mind shipping stuff back to the mfg and dealing with gunsmiths.

If I get into customizing / building Glocks & ARs maybe I would accept that as par for the course. I mean if you're going to play around with mix & match lowers & uppers, you don't want to order something from a company; find out it doesn't work well with the other stuff you have and then find out that you can't send it back. Same thing with drop in barrels or after-market slides.
 
Not a bit. But then for the most part I only buy used guns, so I don't expect much in that department. I've also never had but one gun that needed service in my life (it got fixed).

Even in a new gun though, it just doesn't matter. If on the odd chance that something does happen, and the company can't/won't fix it, I'll just pay someone else to do it.
 
Just to clarify my previous answer.

The reason I consider the customer service factor in a handgun purchase isn't necessarily because I expect to use it, but because I consider it part of what a good company should provide.

If they don't have a good reputation for customer service, WHY don't they? If they don't have a good reputation for customer service, in what other areas are they cutting corners?

Finally, a company that works hard to keep customers happy after the sale generally (though not ALWAYS) also works hard to keep customers happy in every respect and that includes putting out good products.
 
if I worked CS, my attitude would deeply depend on the customers attitude, if a customer gets riled up because of something I have no control over (a broken firearm, broken parts) I may lose his claim and give him the runaround.
 
The reason I consider the customer service factor in a handgun purchase isn't necessarily because I expect to use it, but because I consider it part of what a good company should provide.

If they don't have a good reputation for customer service, WHY don't they? If they don't have a good reputation for customer service, in what other areas are they cutting corners?

Finally, a company that works hard to keep customers happy generally (but not ALWAYS) works hard to keep customers happy in every respect and that includes putting out good products.
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......same here. Customer service, IMO, is like insurance. No one wants to have to use it, but if you do, you want the best. All manufacturers produce a lemon once in a while, be it a firearm or an auto. Having a place to take it and know it will be fixed and the issues resolved is important. Giving money to a gunsmith to fix a problem that would be fixed for free from the factory seems foolish......if there is customer support for that product. If there is no customer support, I always wonder .......why?
 
I voted yes.
And a handgun purchase I am currently comtemplating will probably end up a Ruger just for that very reason. They have always been tops in my experience.
 
I can't say it's not a factor at all, but it's a very minor one.

For example, Hi-Point is supposed to have incredible customer service, but I've no interest in their products. On the other hand, H&K's customer service is somewhat legendary for its lack of...responsiveness, but they make great products.

That said, I've had to deal with S&W customer service, and the good experience I had with them might give me just a bit more confidence in the brand. I once received dreadful service from another maker, and I've since not found myself particularly interested in their products. Was that incident the cause? I don't know, but on some level, it might be a factor.
 
YES, if I am buying a used gun and it has a lifetime warranty from factory to any buyer thats great news. If I am buying a $2000 gun with no warranty theres no way I am buying. What if it's a lemon? shipping alone is $50 what if the repair costs $200++ ?
 
It's a pretty big deal considering almost every single handgun I've ever owned has had to go back for one reason or another. I think over my life time I've owned around 12 handguns, 7 at one time. Taurus was by far the worst and it's a tie between Sig and SW/Walther for the best. To the OP, I never had any trouble with Kahr customer service. It took them a couple days to get back to me after my initial call but after that it was a quick turn around.
 
CS really isn't a big deal for me in any purchase, my 1 CS interaction in the firearm industry was with, uh-o, Taurus and it was positive.

The main thing to remember with CS is that you're dealing with a stranger in a cublcle usually far away and you must be courteous and if you are rude to them you might not get very far.

When I deal with any CS I am as polite and respectful as possible and if I feel I'm not getting anywhere, I ask for a manager or someone in customer retention, emphasis on retention.

My 1 time with Taurus I was polite and they picked up, repaired and returned in less than 2 weeks on their dime even after I told them it was my fault for the damage.

I have dealt with many "gun people" (owners) and sometimes tact is not their strongpoint.
 
Because I am a firm believer in Murphy's law, I always buy from companies that stand behind their products.
 
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A growing reputation for good customer service played a big part in my buying a Charter Arms (Pathfinder) as my first handgun. I figured a lifetime warranty (with speedy service) was a worthwhile consideration. Let's just hope they stay in business this time around....
 
...I am as polite and respectful as possible...
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A wise policy. A person always has three choices when interacting with a someone who has to deal with the public all day.
  • He can choose to distinguish himself as more unpleasant than the typical customer.
  • He can choose to distinguish himself as more pleasant than the typical customer.
  • He can choose not to distinguish himself and remain the typical customer.
It shouldn't really be all that difficult to determine which strategy offers the best chance of getting a positive response, but from what I've seen, many people never figure it out.
 
Yes, definitely a factor for me. In regards to newer handguns, many companies have "equals". Some people have a clear defined handgun they would prefer over another brand, but just recently I had to decide between 2 that all else were equals. The one I went with actually had a worse trigger than its competitor, but I went with it knowing the reps of customer service for each company. I don't want something to break, but should it break I expect the manufacturer to stand by their product and do whats right (not give free stuff away just to make a customer shut up, but if something is broke I would like them to do their best to fix it).
 
Only insomuch as it better be hard to find information about it...

Company A, fair product but reports of poor service abound.

Company B, poor product, so reports of their AWESOME service abound. Their CEO flies to your house, same day, to retrieve the gun and make a personal apology. Ge even gives you $50 for your time.

Company C, excellent product. So few problems that reirts of their customer service, good or bad, are hard to find anywhere.

Guess what I buy? Yeah, company c.

Just like a car. 10yr/100k warranties mean nothing to me unless I fully expect to never use it.

"Yeah, she's been a real piece of crap, but they fix her every time." is not real appealing to me.
 
I tend to not buy products from companies that have given me poor prduct dervice on a warranty issue.

I do tend to buy more products from a company that has given me excellent customer dervice.
 
It's a big factor for me.

Part of my job involves customer service, and my company giving good customer service is the only reason we're still in business.

I took it for granted when I needed Rugers worked-on. (new 10/22 was unreliable feeding, barrel broke off of Redhawk due to manufacturing defect, bluged the barrel in my P90 due to a squib reload) No back-talk, just "send us the gun and we'll fix it and send it back without taking months and months."

Then, I read some horror stories about some Taurus experiences. Yikes.

I read about Kel-Tecs sometimes having issues, but that the company pretty much falls all over itself to make it right.

I've read good things about Charter's CS, and may consider a Bulldog snub at some point, despite Charter's reputation for horrible triggers.
 
Good customer service

Smith and Wesson repaired my sv9 with no cost to me including the shipping to them.
Ruger replaced my p85 with a new p89.
Springfield replaced my micro 45 compact when a piece broke after shooting 7500 rounds and also sent me 2 different times an extractor that broke after telling them about it. These are all great companies as far as I can attest to and will buy their product again when I need or want another gun.
 
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