S&W Support fun

R

RampantAndroid

New member
Hey all,

Figured I'd make a thread, given the experience I just had with S&W, given it's left a bit of an impression on me. Specifically, an impression that I'd not hesitate to buy another S&W gun ANY DAY and be CONFIDENT that S&W would service it.

Problems I had: M29-10 bought in 2011 new, 6.5" - Bluing looked worn off cylinder. Ejector rod would bind up. Damage to barrel where it meets the forcing cone (metal flaking off.)
Model58-2, bought 2011 4" - Blueing wearing off, notches wearing abnormally fast.

Sent it in for service by S&W, paid shipping labels from FedEx. Got guns back 2 weeks later. Work done?

Crane screw replaced, cylinder replaced on Model 29. Also, a scratch on the wood grip of the 29 is somehow gone - the grips are still the originals, but they worked a scratch out. Wow. Just....wow.

Model 58, new cylinder.

No blame game played, no delays. They just...fixed it. I got back guns in amazing condition. Only thing they did NOT do is redo the metal damage on the model 29 (photo from weeks ago that circles the damage) but while they didn't fix that damage, the cylinder no longer binds up when opening/closing/ejecting rounds.

All in all...just, wow, S&W. You. Rock.

:D
 
Glad to hear that.

I had a similar experience.

There was a tooling mark in my 686+.

Called a rep, sent it in, got it back.

S&W is trustworthy.
 
I've had similar experiences with S&W with a new 637 and a vintage M-36...both were shipped with S&W provided FEDEX labels, and there was no charge for the parts or labor. They are number one in the industry for customer service in my opinion...BTW, in both cases, I had the guns back in my hands in seven days flat. This all occurred in the last year and a half, so I'm not talking ancient history. Rod
 
Good to hear.

I am not a fan of many if not all their semi autos, but I can recommend them for those they do suit knowing they will be taken care of if there are problems

I returned a 15-22 for fixing and it came back shooting flawlessly.

I still have my 41 magnum (N frame) that while I cannot shoot well (iron sights issue) I love that gun dearly. Also a Model 41 that is as sweet as they come.
 
I used to carry a M29 on duty. This was from 1980 up until 1991. The gun was highly abused and often shot with what might be thought of as .44+P ammo. Twice I sent this gun in for repairs. Once it needed a new hammer and the stud the hammer pivots on, I had to pay for those parts. Other than that S&W took care of things. They did call me once and ask about non-stock parts I had altered.
 
They do go above and beyond. A while back I sent in a revolver with a cracked hammer and got a new frame. That's a little overboard (whole new serial # hassle) but I guess they had their reasons. Despite that, the work was done quick and professionally.
 
I wonder if they would do the same if the gun was bought used.
Are you the original owner of both guns?
 
In my limited experience, S&W does not ask or much care whether the person returning a gun is the original owner or not.

What does make a difference is the type of damage. If they examine the gun and conclude that the problem was either from the factory or was something that they could be responsible for, they will repair it free of charge. If the problem was caused by abuse or something the customer was responsible for (like an over charged handload) they will charge for repair. I will say that they seem amazingly tolerant, though. I have seen guns shipped to S&W with damage that I knew was due to the customer's stupidity and S&W fixed them at no charge.

Jim
 
I still have my 41 magnum (N frame) that while I cannot shoot well (iron sights issue) I love that gun dearly. Also a Model 41 that is as sweet as they come.
Click to expand...

Which 41 magnum? The model 57 and 58 are both N frame, I believe. The 58 is a fixed sight police model, the 57 is adjustable and meant for hunting.

I wonder if they would do the same if the gun was bought used.
Are you the original owner of both guns?
Click to expand...

Yup, original on both but they didn't ask about that...they just did the work.

I will say that they seem amazingly tolerant, though. I have seen guns shipped to S&W with damage that I knew was due to the customer's stupidity and S&W fixed them at no charge.
Click to expand...

Given they worked scatches out of the wood grips on my M29, yeah. I am....OVERLY impressed with these guys. I will NEVER hesitate to buy another S&W revolver. That said, I have a .44 and a .41. What else would I need :)

Did you have to pay for shipping?
Click to expand...

No, they sent me overnight FedEx labels that were pre-paid.
 
That is good news.

This is one of the reasons I bought my S&W M&P9L. Well I did just sell it, but getting another smaller barreled one very soon.

I do know that S&W for they're M&P's can have Apex Tactical trigger parts, sears you name it from them and they'll still work on it. They send it back with the Apex parts still in it. Which I think is the way it should be, but that can only generally work if the manufacturer's; management, customer service and warranty department know that specific product and they have tested it out thoroughly.

I've read this on numerous forums, but don't know how long that took them to start doing that though.
Or maybe Apex Tactical worked with them in the beginning, or tried to and eventually they got through to them and sent them the products. Of course I'd assume a mfg would really like to know what the mfg process was they used for the products. It is always safer to just put in the original parts before you send it in though. I'd assume Apex Tactical is the exception though. Any new company making aftermarket products you'd be very foolish to leave the parts in though, no matter what they're reputation. You could also get someone who just started and who knows how they train them.
 
There was a tooling mark in my 686+.

Called a rep, sent it in, got it back.

S&W is trustworthy.
Click to expand...
Many sing the praises of a manufacturer's prompt customer service, but a gun with tooling marks shouldn't have been sold in the first place. It seems, more and more, the gun makers (not just S&W) are using their customers for quality control. If the customer doesn't send a bad gun back, then maker got away with sipping another sub-standard gun. Perhaps is cheaper for them to fix the bad guns, that get returned, than it is to maintain a higher degree of quality control. IMHO, that doesn't make the maker trustworthy.
 
yep, they rock...
i sent in a 686 no dash for the L frame mod..
only asked me for the serial #..sent a shipping label..
7 days later i had it back..
fantastic service for a 25 yr old recall...

i'm impressed and glad i have several of their products..

that's what customer service is about..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top