I just spoke with S&W's customer service department to ask why authorized warranty repair stations other than the factory were no longer listed on the Smith & Wesson website. I was informed that Smith & Wesson has withdrawn all of them! Too bad, as some were highly skilled one man operations who had earned the trust of customers over many years. It was comforting to know the warranty repair would be performed by someone you knew rather than "luck of the draw".

If S&W hires the same type of folks that do the work in the Performance Center, I would have no problem sending my firearms in for "luck of the draw" repairs. They have their act together and I'm sure that all receive factory training and current info not available to "outsiders". Not to mention having parts readily available.

That may not be a completely bad thing. In 2010, I bought a new 2008 limited-edition Remington Model 700 in .257 WBY. On the third shot, the extractor spring broke so I took the rifle to Michael Fix Gunsmith, a Remington Repair Center near Reading, Pennsylvania after making an appointment with the owner and sole employee.

Mr. Fix (his real name) turned out to be in severe need of a personality transplant. The fact that I had called ahead for a 10-minute job (for someone like me doing it), had driven over an hour to get to his shop and was the only customer in it meant nothing to him. He would provide me with no better estimate of completion time than a firm, "I said I would call you when it is ready."

Two months later, while on the phone with my media relations rep at Remington regarding another matter, I was asked if there was anything else she could do for me. I told her about my service experience and asked her how much brand loyalty an experience like that would have instilled in a young hunter who had just purchased his first rifle. She agreed and less than an hour later, I received an icy call from Mrs. Fix advising me that my rifle was ready.

I really wound Mr. Fix's clock when I checked his work by chambering and extracting an empty case before leaving his shop. He was genuinely insulted and wasted no time letting me know that.

I wonder if he was equally insulted when Remington terminated him as a factory-authorized repair center.

So you never know what kind of treatment you will receive from a contracted repair center. You didn't buy the gun from that facility and probably don't live near enough to it to potentially be a customer so they aren't motivated to take good care of you. The manufacturer, on the other hand, has a vested interest in your satisfaction with their product and service.

Ed

When we use the drive thru we check the order before we leave right.