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 .
Yes, while not the only important issue, CS is important to me when buying a product.
Bad CS is the reason I won't today, even pick up and look at a certain popular brand of pistol.
 
No. I buy guns based off of personal experience, mostly from friends, co-workers & other research. By the time I buy, I have a good knowledge base on them. In all my life, I have never had to send a gun for service, so I have no experience with any manufacturers customer service department. Am I lucky?...I think not. Instead, I know how how to troubleshoot, and I know the most common problems, and how to prevent/correct them myself.

Some of my rules (no joke):

I clean my weapon after every shoot
I clean my magazines after every shoot
For the 1911, I use only Wilson Combat mags
I replace all magazines every couple of years
I do not shoot the cheapest/dirtiest/high sulfur ammo; even for practice
I never, ever use +P ammo in any auto pistol
I never judge my weapon on its performance except with my defense ammo
I inspect my weapon regularly

I'm sure everyone has some sort of rules they follow, mine work well for me.
 
It's definitly a factor. I won't buy another Kimber or Taurus because of their CS. I will continue to buy Smiths and Rugers.
 
Good customer service is important to me. Everything else being equal, why shouldn't I choose a company that is concerned about satisfying its customers as opposed to one that isn't?
 
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.
Click to expand...

+1 ... I think that it is very important to buy from a company that stands behind its guns. I have never had to send a gun back to a manufacturer, but then again my guns do not get hard duty. But a gun for which the manufacturer no longer provides support, or one made by a company that will not make a defect right, is not worth owning IMO unless you are a collector rather than a user. When you buy a gun, you are really buying into a support system. Even if you don't want to send your gun back, and instead prefer to use a local gunsmith (I do this occasionally) it is important sometimes that the Smith be able to contact the manufacturer to ask questions or obtain parts.

On the other hand a poorly designed gun is not worth owning regardless of the service available for it.
 
Generally, I'd have to say "no", but there are specific exceptions.

I once had a rear sight that fell off of a Ruger Super Blackhawk while hiking trough some rough, bushy country. I called Ruger, and they sent me another in the mail with no charge to me. That's the only time I've ever used their customer service, but I've owned a lot of Ruger handguns.

On the other hand, I once bought a Springfield Armory "Micro-Compact" 1911 in .45 ACP. The guide rod broke before I had 20 rounds through it, and it took them over a month to get another one to me. Ok, so it only cost me agrivation, but I've not owned another SA firearm since. It's a shame, 'cause they're good guns.

But with a few special exceptions, I don't usually consider CS very high on my list of considerations. In fact, it' down toward the bottom...until I get bad service.

Daryl
 
Absolutely! There's a couple of brands that I won't even consider due to reports of their poor customer service.
 
To me it is a factor when considering older guns. Example, a gun like a Colt Python requires someone VERY knowledgeable about them - and there aren't but a few left who can service them. As wonderful as the gun is, if it needs parts or service, if you can't get it fixed, you have an expensive paperweight.
 
I voted yes. I love my FNPs and they are known for great CS but the key guy in CS left recently and the thought is CS is gonna go down the tubes. I'm really wanting a FNX-9 and a FNP-45 Tactical but I may wait. Smith and Wesson M&P is next in line to replace the FNP.
 
I've never really considered manufacturer customer service. I will opt out of a gun purchase though if the dealer I'm buying from has crappy customer service. I bought my first handgun from a little shop and the guy was pushy to begin with but I didn't know much so went along with it. Then after getting everything situated and set up I was filing out the paperwork and in the ethnicity section is says select all that apply. I'm caucasian and asian, and he insisted and more or less made me choose only 1 ethnicity. The was the last of it I was taking from him, finished the purchase and I won't go back again.
 
Customer service reputations and experience are huge factors. Years ago, I had a Ruger GP100 4" stainless that no matter what was done to the sights or who shot it, pulled left. Called Ruger Cust Svc, spoke with a very professional gal, got a call tag and sent it out for barrel re-tightening and it was back in short order and shot very well. I had an experience shortly thereafter with Remington and will never buy another thing from them.

It's worth it to pay for quality and reputation.
 
My experience in getting my Taurus TCP 738 left a nasty taste in my mouth. It's a better gun now that it was taken care of but I just don't want to risk having to deal with them again.

So yeah customer service is a big deal to me.
 
Yes I grew up on S&W and the first few gun I bought were Smiths. I was thought I was having issues with a gun I had. I called spoke with a helpful lady who promptly sent me a new set of sites even though she didnt think it would help. Once I received them I called her back and explained that it was me all along. I was told thats ok it happens to all of us. At the same time I mentioned the slide on my 22A was cracked and she through one in the box as well. On the flip side. I called Taurus with regard to a Rossi my wife owns. The person that answered the phone said they couldnt sell me a spring much less send me one. They wanted me to ship the gun to them. I realized at that point we were done. I have never used Glock service but Ive been told they work. Honestly thats playing a role in my next purchase. I have considered a Kahr CW45 but unsure their policies.
 
It's not a reason to select a particular gun...

But it is a reason to rule one out for me. I recently had poor customer service from S&W, which i know flies in the face of many other people's experience here. Perhaps it was because the gun in question is a Walther; i don't know for sure. Anyway, it has stopped me from buying a S&W revolver. I will probably get over it some day soon because i really would like a 629.
 
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