And sometimes it's not there at all.
On 30 January, I had a conversation with Paul Pluff, Director of Marketing Services at S&W about my massively screwed up 686 revolver. Google “new 686 feature” for the whole story. Note in the photo that the cylinder on my new gun had 6 chambers and 7 flutes. The thinnest chamber had only 40% of the thickness it should have had. I posted pics of the gun just after I bought it in late December and the issue was picked up by over 20 other shooting websites.
At the end of my talk with Mr. Pluff, he told me he’d get back to me “in a day or two” with something that he thought would make up for the fact that I’d been sold an inherently unsafe revolver and had repeatedly been given the run-around by Customer Service. About six weeks later, I checked to see what was going on and he said he was “still working on it”, whatever “it” was. It’s the middle of August and I still haven’t heard anything. Apparently, Mr. Pluff has moved on and his promise to me has been forgotten. Keep in mind, I didn’t ask him for anything, it was his idea. When someone tells me, “We owe you and I’ll get back to you in a day or two”, I expect to get a call.
This is the most frustrating aspect of my experience with S&W’s Customer Service. The response, or sometimes lack of response, is extremely annoying. They tell me one thing and then change their minds. When I raise hell, they change their minds again. They promise something and then they don’t deliver unless I raise hell again.
I agreed to return the cylinder from my 686, even though I’d been told by a CS rep that I could keep it. I sent it back. I kept my word. It’s disappointing that S&W only keeps their word when a customer gets in their face. That is, until the next time.
When I tell someone, “I’ll get back to you” or “I’ll take care of it”, you can be sure I’ll do it. If I have a problem, I’ll stay in touch. That’s just common courtesy. When someone promises me something and doesn’t follow through, I tend to take it personally.
Now, here’s the best part: I posted this on S&W’s Facebook page and guess what? The post didn’t show up. It was deleted. Previous posts on this subject were allowed, but I guess they’ve changed their policy. It seems they don’t want their “Facebook friends” to read any complaints when they’ve dropped the ball and left a customer hanging.
My only resort is to post my experience on shooters’ forums. I know from past experience that S&W will react to negative publicity. It’s a shame, but that’s my only recourse.
On 30 January, I had a conversation with Paul Pluff, Director of Marketing Services at S&W about my massively screwed up 686 revolver. Google “new 686 feature” for the whole story. Note in the photo that the cylinder on my new gun had 6 chambers and 7 flutes. The thinnest chamber had only 40% of the thickness it should have had. I posted pics of the gun just after I bought it in late December and the issue was picked up by over 20 other shooting websites.
At the end of my talk with Mr. Pluff, he told me he’d get back to me “in a day or two” with something that he thought would make up for the fact that I’d been sold an inherently unsafe revolver and had repeatedly been given the run-around by Customer Service. About six weeks later, I checked to see what was going on and he said he was “still working on it”, whatever “it” was. It’s the middle of August and I still haven’t heard anything. Apparently, Mr. Pluff has moved on and his promise to me has been forgotten. Keep in mind, I didn’t ask him for anything, it was his idea. When someone tells me, “We owe you and I’ll get back to you in a day or two”, I expect to get a call.
This is the most frustrating aspect of my experience with S&W’s Customer Service. The response, or sometimes lack of response, is extremely annoying. They tell me one thing and then change their minds. When I raise hell, they change their minds again. They promise something and then they don’t deliver unless I raise hell again.
I agreed to return the cylinder from my 686, even though I’d been told by a CS rep that I could keep it. I sent it back. I kept my word. It’s disappointing that S&W only keeps their word when a customer gets in their face. That is, until the next time.
When I tell someone, “I’ll get back to you” or “I’ll take care of it”, you can be sure I’ll do it. If I have a problem, I’ll stay in touch. That’s just common courtesy. When someone promises me something and doesn’t follow through, I tend to take it personally.
Now, here’s the best part: I posted this on S&W’s Facebook page and guess what? The post didn’t show up. It was deleted. Previous posts on this subject were allowed, but I guess they’ve changed their policy. It seems they don’t want their “Facebook friends” to read any complaints when they’ve dropped the ball and left a customer hanging.
My only resort is to post my experience on shooters’ forums. I know from past experience that S&W will react to negative publicity. It’s a shame, but that’s my only recourse.
