Poor Customer Service

For the most part, it doesn;t matter what you buy, price points are very similar on products with similar quality. Doesn't matter iffin it's a gun part or automobile insurance. What does differ greatly is customer service and how issues, if and when they arise are handled. It isn't just getting your monies back after an irritating phone call.

I agree with the OP, In my eyes, CS is a big part of why I stick with some brands and shy away from others. I don't see as to where he should have been responsible to file off any manufacturing burr. Expecting him to is not just a lack of CS but of QC too.

The OP didn't name the company outta respect. Just brought up the subject of what denotes good CS. Part of the problem in this country is folks and their low expectati0ns of products produced here.
 
How far does quality customer service go for yall?
Click to expand...
Most of the guns I buy are used. I fit gun parts myself. So, I don't rely on customer service at all. Almost all guns can be made to work. Most decent gun parts can be fitted to work well. I would have just polished the burr off of the guiderod myself.

In fact, when I lost a small part to my Fostech Echo trigger, I simply made a new part - made it better than the original Fostech part. Now, they sell the part in a replacement kit......don't need it, though.

Here's my bottom line. Good guns will work for centuries - long after any crappy warranty wears out and long after the company is no longer servicing the gun or perhaps even in business. Warranties won't do a lick of good when your gun doesn't work when you most need it to - they are worthless, IMHO. Buy good used guns that have parts available for them. Buy good parts that can be polished and fitted if necessary.

Think I would have just sent you back a picture of a file!
Click to expand...

I would have tried to buff it out using stainless steel polish before I'd take a rough file to it. The "burr" must have been small enough to miss when OP installed the guide rod"
 
Last edited:
What is your “baseline” for customer service, Cheapshooter?
Click to expand...
They resolve the problem. Which it appears the company you are complaining about did.
I have had aftermarket, and replacement items related to firearms, automotive, marine, and household that I had to do a little tweaking, and justin, or slight finishing to in order for it to work properly. Never bothered calling CS unless the item were obviously beyond a little TLC.
 
This post shows how one single employee can impact the reputation and good will a company works very hard to achieve. You don't know if it is an employee intentionally trying to damage the employer he is unhappy with, whether the employee is untrained or just a jerk. The OP based his opinion of the entire company on the actions of one or a very few. It's a shame when something like this happens to what is probably a good company.

I recently had an unpleasant experience with a vendor of my insurance company. I wrote a detailed letter to the insurance company CEO letting him know of my experience. I got a call yesterday from a representative of the CEO and she thanked me for writing. She said they have no way of knowing about poor customer service until they are made aware of it. She assured me that they would investigate the problem and get it corrected.
 
You guys crack me up. If you think "Fix it yourself" is an acceptable answer, you don't understand customer service or business 101.

This isn't about the issue with the guide rod or how it could have been fixed. The issue is with the company's response. Customer service.

On such small financial matters, the only acceptable answer to such a problem is, "I'm very sorry our part didn't work for you, sir, would you like to try a replacement or would you like your money back?"

Trinkets are cheap... customers are *damned expensive*. It's no different than going to a food joint and getting cold fries. Even if those fries came out of the fryer 15 seconds ago, the answer is "I'm very sorry, let me get you some new fries."

Would you rather lose 5 cents worth of fries or a customer from whom you stand to profit $1,200 or more over the life of their visits?

Would you rather replace a guide rod that you believe is perfectly fine and probably cost you $2, or lose a customer who may spend hundreds of dollars in the future?

Would you rather that customer went online and said "Let me tell you how awesome this company's response was" or "Let me tell you what kind of run around I got over a simple guide rod!"?
 
In my 40yrs of retail experience, I'd say about 70% of the defective returns in my shop are either not defective at all, or the defect is due to customer action.
 
Right. A certain amount of PR is necessary to stay in business,and the wholesale cost of a part to keep a happy customer might be every bit as good of an investment as advertising. It comes with the territory.

In the case of a manufacturer buying parts from a vendor,nothing in the contract says the parts have to work when assembled to the mating parts.

The requirement is that the parts meet the specs on the blueprint. If the drawing says the rod OD is supposed to be " .2495 p[us .000 minus .0005" and it measures .2493,its a good part.

If you use a Jo block to set up a Swede gauge and measure the OD at .2498,its a bad part.

The guy who sells aftermarket parts has no control over what (for example) Ruger does in daily production. Ruger could have a variance acceptable to Ruger. Its all in how the specs are written.

I once processed a non-conformance dilemma no one in house wanted to own. I had three electronics components that cost my company $50.000 each.They met the specs that the supplier guaranteed. Unfortunately,they did not meet the specs my company promised the U.S. Govt.
So,they were $150,000 worth of parts we could not sell,and we could not return them. The problem was NOT our supplier.The problem was our own engineers.
Its not about emotions .Its not about "My gun does not work"

The parts are to print,or they are not. There is a risk in aftermarket parts.

If a customer service rep has three people on hold,and he has listened to you for 10 minutes over a $20 part,he says "I'll give you your money back"

Done. He needs to move on. Next customer.

No lolly-pop.
 
amd6547 said:
In my 40yrs of retail experience, I'd say about 70% of the defective returns in my shop are either not defective at all, or the defect is due to customer action.
Click to expand...

In all my years of working with customers, the philosophy given to me the most by bosses I had the most respect for, and the one I continue to use, is "The customer is always right.....even when they are wrong." This was and is especially true in situations where the amount of monies is small compared to the negative impact of making an argument outta it. Do some customers take advantage of this? Of course they do. My wife managed a restaurant for 30 years and took back and didn't charge for thousands of meals that were mostly eaten. Funny how so many were from the same repeat customers. While others had nothing to say but praise for the same item. Working in construction most of my life, it was normal for customers not to have a clue as to what they were getting or how it was done. Most looked at the bottom line(cost), even after being told you get what you pay for. Even after recommending something better and warning them of their choice, when they were disappointed, it was still my fault. But for every one that took advantage or didn't have a clue, good customer service made the difference between a lifelong repeat customer and a lot of bad mouthing to others. These forums are a prime example. Folks whine about this companies CS and praise another's. It does have an impact. Again, the OP wasn't trashing a particular company, only stating how he was disappointed with their customer service, without telling us who it was. With today's technology, CNC and 3D printers, almost anyone can open up shop making after market gun parts. Those with competitive prices for quality parts along with good CS are the one's that will stick around.
 
If you buy parts and services long enough you will have a problem .
Last summer I bought a Mag-Na-Port Predator a very nice Ruger Super Blackhawk . The Predator Package is not cheap and received mine mid summer . The Revolver had some problems so I called Mag-Na-Port the call did not go well . I ask to speak to the head Gunsmith and was put on hold . The young lady I spoke to came back and said the gunsmith had told her it was a reload problem (high primer) that the Revolver was fine . It made no difference that I was using new ammo not just reloads . This did not make me happy and I sent the Revolver to a trusted gunsmith and paid to have it fixed . Will I buy from Mag-Na-Port again not if I can help it .
 
Keybear: I'm not questioning your experience.Sounds like you had a legitimate beef.

Magnaport does a lot of EDM work. That means grinding electrodes,Making precision setups,and making sure the burn is flushing properly,etc.

My point is the Head Gunsmith has plenty of work on his plate that requires focus.The shop is only making money when he;s turning and burning.

If you get a CS rep,whose job is talking on the phone,fine.IMO,its not entirely reasonable to ask a key shop tradesman to walk away from his cut to talk with you on the phone.

Everything else you said might well be legit.I'll take your word for it.
 
HiBC It made me sick when I shot this Ruger . I shoot lead coated but lead and lots of it . This Revolver had zero end shake and the cylinder gap was so tight the cylinder would lockup on the forcing cone when hot . The recoil plate was not fit at all and would jam . Years ago then I called Mag-Na-Port an older lady always took the call . She was a nice person and very helpful . The young girl I talked to could only say hello
 
What kills me is when a gun guy who posts on a number of forums, decides to go into business and still posts like he’s just another poster.

I have to admit, that can really turn me off. I’m not your pall anymore, I’m your customer and my cash means you should be polite, or risk losing my sale.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top