S&W Customer Service, my latest experience

M

MLeake

New member
I've been happy with previous experiences with S&W CS, so this time shouldn't have surprised me, and yet it did.

I had been looking for an M&P45c, but new ones are just not in the system; I've heard S&W had a major contract tie up most of their recent production, but don't know if that's true.

Anyway, the only new 45c I could find had a thumb safety, which I did not want. I have a full size M&P45 waiting for me at the LGS, that has no safety, and I didn't want two manuals of arms for the same type pistol.

So, I ordered the 45c with the intention of removing the safety.

I emailed S&W via the contact tab on their website, to ask about frame plugs; they responded the next day, providing the phone extension for their parts department.

I called today, expecting to buy a frame plug. However, when I told the guy what I needed, he asked for my name and address, and told me the part was on its way.

Just like that. No charge, no shipping fee, nothing. Just a free part, free delivery, for a change I'm making to the pistol as my option.

If anybody were to wonder why my safe is over half full with S&W products, this incident might help to explain it.
 
That's good to hear, but comes as no surprise. Its completely in line with my experiences with S&W. They are a standout company which is NOT usually the case with such a large company/industry powerhouse.
 
It just makes sense, too. Had they sold it to you, they would have made how much profit? A few dollars maybe? They would also have to take up more of someone's time to make a proper purchase of it. (probably killing their profit)

In the end, they don't make any money on a simple thing like this anyway, so why not make the customers happy and invest in their future?

It's just good business.

I'm glad to hear they've treating you right.
 
I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.

I've never had anything but good experiences with S&W custserv.
 
I am surprise (but not shocked) that they gave you an optional part.

I would imagine they just treated it as customer service because you told them about trying to get one without the safety, couldn't find one and bought one anyway. S&W has a well deserved reputation for good customer service.

Now if only they would remove the ILS and weld-up the keyhole on their revolvers for people who "couldn't find" ones without them..... LOL
 
It really is good to hear stories like this. Thanks for relating it.

Too often we only hear the dark side of C/S experiences...like the one I had with Sig's lack of C/S last year. It's good to know that a fine old American company like Smith & Wesson still takes pride in not only making great products, but in keeping customers happy.

I love my M&P pistols. My M&P 45 has become my "go-to" gun for almost all purposes now. It holds 10 big .45 caliber rounds in the magazine and yet still feels slimmer in the hand than my Gen4 Glock 19. Utterly reliable, completely impervious to sweat rust on my long hikes and shoots like a dream.

Great products with great features, great customer service and I got a heckuva great deal with their LEO pricing too. It's the little things, the attention to details, that make me keep coming back for more.
 
Congratulations. An MP9 was on my list together with the PX4 I ended up purchasing (a good deal on a used unit). Problem is that they are rather expensive here in Europe and I wonder if that fine customer service you enjoy in the US is the same over here, together with spare parts and aftermarket parts availability.
 
My experience has been a little more uneven, but overall still good. Smith refinished my 642, which was one of those with the peeling clearcoat finish, for free, including shipping free both ways. But when I wanted to get the small and large grip panels and a replacement retention pin for them for my M&P 45, they took my credit card number. :confused:

Overall, I came out ahead, but it seemed a little chintzy to do the bigger job gratis and charge for the plastic parts. Oh well. Maybe it depends who you speak to on the phone.
 
Mleake, I thrilled that your interactions with S&W were a smooth as they were. Sadly in the middle 1970's the two interactions I had were far from as smooth as yours. I had an issue with pushoff on my M-66 no dash, and a problem with the hammer bushing no my M-60. Both were repaired by S&W at no cost to me, but sadly I had to get rather firm on the phone with the C.S. manager before he was willing to address either of the problems. 35 years later I still have both, and both are still excellent weapons. I'm glad to here that S&W is standing behind its products.
 
I bought a S&W MP15-22 a while back.

I was extremely disappointed in the fact that even being a later production it developed the classic problems experienced with that gun all had commented on. So, boo to S&W production that had not worked out the problems and or did not tune them before shipping.

When I sent it in and got it back, incredible- it worked flawlessly with any ammunition I tried in it (and had a stack of three horribly old types of ammo and a bunch of low velocity high accurate target. They nailed it for the fix.

Service end you cannot ask for anything more than they fix the problem.
 
Same good experience here with Smith and Ruger. It seems a warranty is a non issue. Just call either company and they fix the problem with no questions asked, no matter the date of manufacture. Even ship the parts for free.

Hint to other gun companies......great customer service really does build a good customer base.

PS: Unless you follow through then "Life time warranty" is just printing on a manual. Again a lesson to certain "other" gun companies.:)
 
A certain South American company I know has a "Lifetime Warranty." To them it means you can keep sending it back for the rest of your life and they still might not get it fixed.
 
OP

I emailed S&W via the contact tab on their website, to ask about frame plugs; they responded the next day, providing the phone extension for their parts department.

I called today, expecting to buy a frame plug. However, when I told the guy what I needed, he asked for my name and address, and told me the part was on its way.

Just like that. No charge, no shipping fee, nothing. Just a free part, free delivery, for a change I'm making to the pistol as my option.
Click to expand...

I had a similar experience with CZUSA, they sent me a grip screw no questions asked.
 
Post #19

Hagar the Republican

A certain South American company I know has a "Lifetime Warranty." To them it means you can keep sending it back for the rest of your life and they still might not get it fixed.
Click to expand...

Post#19

All well said and done, I can't disagree, but can you back up those statement's? Not trying to be an Internet police,....MUCH!:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top