My experience with Wilsons Combat :(

D

Daddycat

New member
Well, I'm wondering if I've made history today. As best as I can recollect without searching the archives I'm the first person I know of who has had a very disappointing experience with Wilson Combats customer service. At least I can't remember seeing any such posts in the several months that I have been a member of TFL. About four weeks and some change ago I sent my Springfield Compact to Wilsons for some custom work. I.E. Tighten the slide to frame, Install matchgrade barrel, install set of tactical nightsights, plus set of hex head screws for the grips, all told $586.95. A week ago this past Monday I call to check on progress and talk to their guy over there who puts me on hold to go check. When he comes back on the line he says its almost ready, that the slide to frame is done, all thats left are the sights. I ask him about the barrel and he tells me that it is already done. I send him the money and wait for the gun to be shipped on Monday which would put it here on Today (Tues.) Gun does not come. While at work I call Wilsons and ask if they shipped the gun. Their guy says no, that they are shipping it today. THEN he tells me the reason they didn't ship it is that they did not install the barrel and will be sending me a refund for the barrel in a couple of days! The reason that they did not install the barrel is that my gun has a ramped barrel and they don't have any ramped barrels! He was unable to explain why he told me this work had already been done when I had talked to him over a week ago, or why they had not called me to tell me this, after all they have had the gun for over a month and had had several subsequent conversations with me as work was supposedly progressing. At this point I'm furious but have to hang up as I am at work and have to see a client. After the client leaves I called Wilsons back and calmly explained to them that I had chosen them due to their excellent reputation for customer service. I quoted their motto about the customers satisfied or some such thing and ask if he thinks they have lived up to their reputation in this instance? He did have the grace to say no. I pointed out to him that after all this and the not inconsiderable inconvience that he has not made any gesture or offer to compensate me in any way, and in fact has put me in the position of having to ask to be compensated which is both frustrating and embarassing. I'll give him some credit, at this point he asked me what I wanted. I told him at aside from wanting a match grade barrel in my gun which I'm not going to get, that not charging me for the nightsights ($205.00) would be good. He said he did not have the authority to do this but would talk to the person who did and would call me back in a few minutes. The good news is that he did call back in 10 minutes to tell me they would send me a check for the sights as well as for the barrel they did not install. I thanked him and hung up.
Well, what do you folks think about this experience? Do you think I should have asked to be reimbursed for the whole thing? What would you have done? I'm interested in hearing from anyone who cares to respond.
Daddycat

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"A rigid investment in flexability is but another closed system of thinking"
 
Hey atleast they did make it right in the end. You do have to commend them for that. You can't judge a whole company by one individual that you had a problem with, but when it came down to it the company did at least try to make things right when the guy went to his "higher up".

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www.1911forum.com
 
I would wait until the gun arrives to make a final decision. If all other matters are satisfactory and the refund check is forthcoming, I would call it even. After all, if they have tightened the slide to frame fit to your liking, they are entitled to payment for this service and you get the sights for free.

BTW, 205.00$ :confused:, for night sights?! Do they tuck you in at night, or what? ;)

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Guns cause crime like spoons cause Rosie O'Donnell to be fat!

I hunt, therefore I am.
 
Sounds like they did the best they could - after the fact.
They should have contacted you ASAP as soon as they realized they had a problem... BUT, they did make it right by you by giving you some free sights (At least thats who I read it). Over all - I think your even.
I wouldnt hold anything against Wilson Combat for this... In fact - if every company who screwed up was this cool about it - the world would be a lot better of a place.
 
Like George said, they should've contacted you when they noticed the problem. However, gettin a compensation in that amount is a tribute to Wilson. Remember, like any company, there are in business to make money. Try getting that kind of compensation from Colt, Springfield, Kimber etc. I bet you'll get a totally different response.

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Svt
1911 Addiction
1911 Forums
"Rangers Lead the Way!"
 
I appreciate the fact that they did agree to not charge me for the night sights. I also agree that other shops likely would not have. I hate the fact that I had to ask. I mean I really hate that. Had I been less assertive I would not have gotten this, in fact, I would not have known about the problem until the gun arrived. Now if the gun is much improved in accuracy when I get it I may feel less "abused" ;) I'm holding my breath about this as I've learned that barrel to slide fit increases accuracy more so than slide to frame fit. Any one out there know any shop that can install a match grade barrel and return the gun in less than two weeks ? :)

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"A rigid investment in flexability is but another closed system of thinking"
 
On balance, I think that Wilson was fair with you. The issue of the ramped barrel should have come up before you sent the pistol out for work. I would say that both parties ASSumed too much.

For the record it should be noted, that a brand new Glock with Trijicons costs less than the modifications on this 1911.




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BOYCOTT SLICK & WESSON

"To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it."
Confucius
 
If you ever in the position again politely ask to discuss it with the manager. The guy on the phone was probably as embarrassed as you were. He doesn't have the authority to make the decisions to rectify the situation. He probably wishes he does, but he doesn't. Discussing it with him just adds time to the process. If you nicely tell him that you realize he can't help you and ask to talk to someone who can, he happily pass you along with a sigh of relief.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by PTGDVC:

For the record it should be noted, that a brand new Glock with Trijicons costs less than the modifications on this 1911.
[/quote]

For the record, a 1911 will fire just about any reload and won more competition than any Glock. Please, lets avoid the Glock is better than world arguments.
 
Daddycat, try
Novaks Handgunner Outlet
800 Ligonier st.
Latrobe Pa. 15650
Ph#(724)694-2134
E-Mail TNovak1845@aol.com

Or maybe Brian Bilby
Advanced Combat Pistols
1010 Westwood Blvd.
Jackson, Michigan 49203
Telephone: (517) 782-1911
E-mail bbilby@45acp.com

And last but not least our very own,
George Stringer
Stringer Gunsmithing
501 W. Main St.
Earlington, KY 42410
Phone (270) 383-3346
E-mail gunsmith@spis.net



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"The Gun from Down Under !"
http://www.para1911fanclub.w3.to/
E-mail hotshot_2000@hotmail.com
Alternate E-mail
HS2000@ausi.com
 
Here's my .02...

Wilson's representative done to you the *SINGLE MOST UNACCEPTABLE* deed that a true customer oriented business can do. He lied to you!! That is unacceptable and unexcuseable, period.

Every business has times when they can't perform their services up to customer expectations, like the barrel shortage that WIlson experienced in this situation. However, there is *NEVER* a situation that mandates a business to lie to a customer...NEVER!

In your situation, although I'd be very dissapointed and unsatisfied, I would somewhat understand the parts shortage. However, there's no way in h*ll I'd let this situation go without talking personally to the highest "ranking" person that I could contact at Wilson Combat and letting them know how I felt about being lied to. If you think about it, you're actually mad because you were lied to, more than being mad at them for the service. At least that's how I'd feel in yor situation.

They could have called and told you about the shortage and offered to let you send the gun back when they got some barrels and them cover shipping, or a similar arrangement. It would have taken at the most, a minute or two and the cost of a phone call.

Far cheaper than a $205 set of night sights and losing two customers, you (I would assume) and definitely me. I refuse to do business with Wilson Combat and any other company that I know will blatantly lie to it's customers like they did to you.

Is it obvious yet that... I DESPISE LIARS!! :D

This post narrows it down to Ed Brown and Les Baer when I go top shelf in the SA .45ACP arena. I am looking to get a Kimber soon to see if I really want to play in SA pistols. If I like it enough, I will probably order a top shelf custom. You can now rest assured that it won't be a Wilson.

R6
 
R6,
If you go by what you just preached about, then you better forget Kimber. When I called their custom shop, the reps flat out lied. The first time, the rep told me that my Ultra Elite was shipped back to me after getting rework done. When I didn't receive it in two days, I called back. Found out that it was still being worked on.

Clint Smith, he preaches about how Les Baer Custom is the only shop he'll support. If you look in the Wilson catalogue, there's good ol' Clint praising about Wilson Combats. I guess Les deals with liars. Hmmm better boycott them too.

Ed Brown, if you believe them about the delivery time of their parts, well then you're a born sucker. Gunsmiths, they give you a turnaround time, most of the time they're way off. Better boycott them all too.

If you dig deep enough, every company lies at one time or another. Guess you better boycott them all. I'm not saying lying is right (it's flat out wrong!), but it's just the facts of life. They all lie sooner or later.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Svt:
Clint Smith, he preaches about how Les Baer Custom is the only shop he'll support. If you look in the Wilson catalogue, there's good ol' Clint praising about Wilson Combats. I guess Les deals with liars. Hmmm better boycott them too.[/quote]

My understanding is that Wilson did indeed make some "Thunder Ranch" guns for Smith some time ago but that Smith decided not to repeat with them for whatever reason. I think Wilson is quoting some old comments made by Clint Smith before he struck the current deal with Les Baer.
 
Svt,

Very good point. I'll concede that my above reaction is a little extreme. Also, you are correct in that sooner or later you will get a lie if you do business with almost any company, especially where shipping and/or turn around times are concerned.

I guess I could have better expressed my feelings about daddycat's situation as having raised expectations from a self proclaimed "customer satisfying" top shelf custom shop that demands top dollar for their products and services, such as Wilson Combat.

In my opinion, the prices that custom or specialty shops demand for their high end, high quality custom services tend to raise customer expectations far above what they'd expect and/or tolerate from a mass manufacturer such as Kimber.

I hope this makes a little more sense than my "off the hip" initial response to daddycat's situation. Just another arguement for "aimed fire" as opposed to "point shooting". :D

R6
 
Also, I'm not trying to defend Les Baer, but according to what I've read, David is right. I understand that Clint Smith and Wilson parted ways and he now exclusively endorses Les Baer Customs. If memory serves, I believe that Clint Smith makes it clear in the latest articles that Les Baer is the only shop he actually endorses by putting his name and "Thunder Ranch" on the line.

FWIW, I don't give a rat's backside what Clint Smith endorses. I don't know Clint Smith. I included Les Baer in my list of possibles based on my experiences with him in the world of drag racing. I have met him a few times at the track and he comes across as a down to earth, top notch guy (with the absolute baddest PRO 5.0 Mustang I have ever seen!! :D). If his attention to detail on his pistols is reflected in any way by his racecar, he should be one of the best pistol smiths in the world.

R6
 
Being a cust. serv. rep. myself, let me play Devil's Advocate here. Is it possible that the gentleman was initially just "misinformed" as to the progress of your gun? Remember, the phone jockeys are not the 'smiths who are working on your gun. The rep. could have been told something by the other party, that would later have been corrected. At that point, however, you would have been so irate, that he may not have felt it wise to explain. It would be easy for you to assume that he was simply making excuses(CYA).
Those who complain to me w/o being rude, or angry(toward me), are the ones that I bend over backwards for. I will be THEIR advoccate on behalf of mngmt. The "blowhard" that demeans me, or my employer, is the last order of business for that workday. Just my $.02 :)
 
Hmm. . .That's funny, but I don't remember "rudeness" being one of the criteria customer service considers when determining how to best serve its customers. If you have an angry customer, it's probably best to try and figure out why he is so angry. To simply dismiss the customer as a "blowhard" is to assume that he or she has no right to be upset. And BTW, I was present when Daddycat made his call to Wilson's, and if anything his response was quite restrained. Funny how it's just assumed that someone who complains is being "rude."

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"Those who would sacrifice liberty in the name of security, deserve neither liberty nor security."
 
Reading the story and replies, I find myself on Victor's side also. I think it's highly unlikely that the rep lied to you about your barrel on purpose. It's much more likely that he was given bad information by someone else, checked on the wrong gun, etc. What would be the point of lying about something like that? They know you're going to figure it out when you get it back. That would be even worse than not having ramped barrels in the first place. And of course it's still not very cool that they gave you bad information (and took a while to do it), but I'm quite impressed with a $200 gift to keep you happy. In all, I don't really see this as a bad spot on Wilson's record. They fell down, but they did what you said was needed to keep you happy.
 
Victor,

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Is it possible that the gentleman was initially just "misinformed" as to the
progress of your gun?[/quote]

Possible, and even quite likely. However, before the gun was shipped back to the customer, someone at Wilson Combat had to know that it was incomplete. They still didn't call to let him know that they only partially completed their job and that he would be recieving a refund for the unperformed work.

Although still disappointing, this would beat the heck out of opening the box after waiting more than a month and being told that it was being completed as ordered and finding that one of the very things that they said was completed was, in fact, never even started.

Also, jester made an excellent point regarding the handling of irate customers. Revenge and spite aimed at a customer who is enraged by your company's actions is almost as dispicable as lying, IMHO. At least you're honest and admit to taking a dump on part of your customer base. I hope they aren't reading your comments here.

R6
 
R6,
I own a Les Baer 1911 and absolutely love it. However, I bought it for the quality of the pistol, not for Les Baer's "friendliness". To many, Les is a prick. There was an thread not long ago about Les Baer's terrible customer service. I found out first hand that they aren't the greatest either. I didn't have to send my gun back for rework or anything, just simple questions like types of ammo to break it in, powder and bullets they recommend for reloads. They acted like they did not have the time to deal with such questions. I will never buy another Baer for their customer service. I will buy another for the quality of the firearm.
 
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