I am a loyal, lifetime S&W customer, an NRA Life and SWCA member who currently owns 51 S&W revolvers. So I think it's safe to say that I love S&W revolvers. I have always liked S&W itself, spoken highly of the custom shop, and been an advocate of the company. But sadly, I think that is about to change.

To make a long story short, I sent four revolvers earlier this year to S&W for a re-blue (Models 10, 15, 19, and 36). I asked for a standard polish. They gave me a high polish.

The high polish on the 15 and 19 didn't bother me. However, I carry the 10 and the 36 from time to time, and it's not exactly the finish I wanted on a carry gun. It is way too shiny. Great for my N Frames, but not on a carry gun. Maybe some folks would disagree, or maybe some would even prefer the high polish, but I don't think it makes a difference--that's my preference and that's why I asked for.

Although the quality of S&W customer service seems to have declined over the past few years, I have generally had good experiences with the S&W Custom Shop, so I figured they'd make this right. My local shop/gunsmith, which happens to be one of the largest on the East Coast, called and asked them to fix the problem. S&W informed them that there was only one type of bluing available, and that there was no such thing as high polish, standard polish, etc.

That didn't make sense to me, so I called the manager they had spoken with and left a message (very nicely) pointing out that S&W has always done high polish, standard polish, and bead blast finishes. In fact, if you check the S&W website, they make that clear, and indicate that a high polish finish costs $250 and a standard polish is $200. S&W still insisted to my store that there was only one finish. They gave me the phone number for the S&W manager. I left him several messages referencing the fact that S&W does do different finishes, and that their website/price list reflects that. This gentleman never bothered to return my calls. When my store got ahold of him this week, he said he was done dealing with this issue. My store pointed out that their customer (me) was an avid S&W collector who owned many S&W products and had sent literally dozens of guns to them for work over the years, and they replied that they didn't care.

Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed by this. It's almost like having your childhood hero spit in your face. I called S&W back and asked for the "overall" S&W manager for customer service. They gave me another gentleman's name and I left him a message. No response as of yet.

I will always love S&W revolvers, but I think this might be the nail in the coffin of my dealing with the company itself. I have never been one to gripe extensively about MIM parts or internal locks or whatever else, but when you treat your customers like this, something is wrong. If they are treating their most loyal, avid customers this way, I can only imagine how the everyday customer who buys just one S&W revolver gets treated.

I have had some minor issues with S&W service over the last couple years, which annoyed me, but I’m sad that things have gotten to this point now. There are plenty of good gunsmiths you can send a revolver to without having to be treated like this.

Anyways... Just had to gripe a little. If anyone has any suggestions as to anything else I can do, let me know.

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Aaron Terry

They're copying Taurus with more than the Governor? That would make me sad.

I like guns with a high polish blue...just send 'em to me.

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'Merica!

The horror.

write a letter to S&W, outlining your issues and the responses that you received and address it to the "office of the President"

good luck.

The stock is down to $2.74. SWHC

Possible there is now only one re-blue as a "Cost Cutting" issue and the web site has not been changed.

Makes no difference.
The o/p asked for a standard polish. If they could not abide by his wishes, they should have contacted him and discussed the matter instead of just applying the finish they wanted.
You would think that any company would want to please all their customers, especially the loyal, lifetime customers.
Are they looking to do a chapter 11?
I agree with another poster.... contact the president and see if anything happens. If that does no good, it's clear they have no interest in customer service.
Good luck.

Not that it makes much difference, but I'm curious:

Did they charge you $250 (high polished price) or $200 (standard finish price)?

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

They charged me the high polish price.

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Aaron Terry

If I may ask, why did you pay for something that you didn't want?

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'Merica!

They want payment when they take the gun.

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Aaron Terry

Hi
Sorry to hear about your luck with S&W I have recently bought my first ever smith A 24-3 took it to the range with some some ammo I loaded up cast lead light target loads fired four shots and the cylinder jammed tight against the barrel got to looking at it and their was metal shaved off one side of the barrel where the cylinder had been hitting it. Sent it to Smith it took a couple of months to get it back shot it for the first time yesterday and I am very happy with it now. They replaced some small parts which they sent back in a bag and fed ex it back quicker than they said they would for a grand total of 84.00
I am happy with the pistol now it shot the best group yesterday I have ever fired with a big bore revolver about two in for 8 rds.
Regards
Bob

S&W customer service seems to vary, somewhat randomly.

Most get good service. A few get excellent service. A few get miserable service. I won't rehash the details of the saga of getting the forcing cone on my 29-2 redone. Suffice to say that I got miserable AND excellent customer service in the same incident, in that order.

S&W eventually made a reasonable effort to fix the problem they caused, but not before lawyers got involved.

Just be glad they made your guns PRETTIER than you wanted them and not the other way 'round. I ended up with a 29-2 with the box and tools that's pretty much worthless except as a self-defense implement. Not exactly the outcome I was seeking...

They want the payment upfront before they do the work.

OK, so you must have known you were getting the high polish since it is the $250 price.

My take on this is you are serious about the finish on your guns. I have some of each gun you mentioned and I would not spend $200 on any of them, much less $250. All my guns are kept in pristine condition but those I bought used and worn will stay the way I got them.

As to S&W customer service, I cannot say a bad thing about them. They have done exactly as I asked every time I dealt with them.

A couple months ago, I called asking for four ACT mags for a 1911. This was on a Friday morning and they were in my hands the following Tuesday and at a price lower than the local gun dealers.

At what point did you know this? Before or after paying $250 per gun?

Since you willingly paid $250...the high polish price...is it safe to assume that you learned about the price differential after it was too late?

I mean, otherwise, if you knew that a high polish job was $250, and you paid $250 knowing this, in that case you would really have nothing to complain about.

I'm assuming you saw the web-site pricing after it was too late and you got results that you didn't want, right?

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'Merica!

Actually, what worked for me was having a lawyer friend contact their corporate counsel and give him a detailed account of what had happened, and insisting upon a resolution which clearly wasn't a money scam on my part.

Their corporate counsel got a VP involved who arranged a resolution VERY quickly. I just wish I didn't end up eating the cost of the extra barrel I had to buy in order to ensure that I had one good one to send them, since they had none of their own. It was lucky I did that too, since one of them had been redone one time too many and wasn't usable... oh yeah, and paying for the same trigger job twice, since they replaced the tuned parts with stock parts when they did the original "repair".

I didn't know it would be a high polish before I paid. They take a credit card #, do the work, and charge the card. I suppose I could call the CC company and dispute the charge... haven't done that yet.

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Aaron Terry

OK...fair enough.

So...at this point...what would S&W have to do, in your view, to make the situation right?

(I'm hoping that someone with some pull at S&W is reading this thread).

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'Merica!

At this point, I'm not sure what they COULD do to the guns that wouldn't make things worse.

I don't know what the markings look like, or whether the OP cares, but removing the new finish and polishing the gun AGAIN has to have SOME effect.

Personally, I'd rather have the high polish, but that's not what he asked for or was expecting. A reasonable compromise would be to credit him the difference in price.

If you order Chinese take out, they can't charge you for Peking duck when you ordered beef lo mein, even if they give you Peking duck in a sealed bag when you come to get the lo mein. They really can't give the duck to somebody else, but they can't charge you for what you didn't order or expect either.

Their mistake, their loss.

From what I read, Springfield has the best customer service right now and a lifetime guarentee.

I agree, cmort666. That would be reasonable to me, but they're not my guns.

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'Merica!

Big Surprise! Nothing is what it used to be.

How well does this polish compare with the old Bright Blue they used to offer, mainly on Magnum revolvers, although some other models could be ordered with that finish?

BTW, refinishing is just one reason why I vastly prefer stainless guns.

I've had a similar experence with a watch shop in my local mall that deals in expensive watches, where one guy I talked to was a dismissive *** like the guy who did that to you and another who was a very nice open helpfull lady who I would gladly do buisness with if I was to buy a rolex

so what I'm saying is that you should try and seek out a good manager who will help you and make a point to only deal with that person from now on.

now if their all like that at that particular office, try another smith and wesson office or try and contact a higher up above these people and voice your complaint.

after all you shouldnt give up on them because of a few bad apples.

and if all else fails do like that guy with the 29 -2 and get a lawyer involved if they wont do what you paid for as long as you know your a 100% in the right and the evidence is in your favor.



what if he thought it was 200 + a 50 buck shipping fee, we dont know the specfics of the order plus he put down that money for all three guns, not just one.

I believe S&W is no different than any other large manufacturer corporation. For every 10 customers they upset due to product repair issues, and those who threaten not buy from them again; several hundred grab one of their items, walk to counter and pay for it. Many Smith gun owners on this site in fact, including myself, have complained about their CS. But, many including myself continue to buy S&W firearms. Granted, the company may not be what it was a decade ago, but it's selling quality firearms to someone. Maybe you personally won't return and that's ashame considering the amount of money you have sent to them. But, with no responses from S&W tells me how they feel about one customer. I will admit however, I've heard Ruger and/or Taurus gun owners with similar complaints. Even expensive quality built 1911 owners. I can't say I've heard any bow owners having CS issues.

That question has already been answered by the person to whom it was asked.

Thank you.

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'Merica!

Folks, Smith & Wesson Customer Service ain't what it used to be

I read the title of this post and the thought that went through my mind is the part about what it "used to be". I'm one of those people that has a story from days gone by that is nothing more than a joke at this point. My story also revolves around a refinish (engraving and high polish on a SS revolver). I ended up with a laser engraved pistol with a satin finish. I was then told that due to the laser engraving they would not be able to do a High Polish as there was not enough surface material left.

I have 4 letters documenting the initial service request and follow up letters. I included the service request letter per their recommendation. I have copies of several of the follow up letters and I placed twice that many phone calls trying to get someone to make this right. This is all documented. The service request letter I sent with the revolver included a description of the services that I desired, including the prices they had quoted me over the phone. I also spoke with the technician that worked on my revolver prior to the work being started.

Once I found out about the problem, I went up the chain from one manager to the next and even wrote to their president. In the end they all but told me to get bent. They didn't even try to make things right. Of course I had to pay for services that I didn't want in order to get the gun back and never did get the services for which I was willing to pay. The services I wanted happened to be considerably more than what I paid.

I read all the positive things written about their customer service and just bite my tongue. I've never mentioned this as it just sounds like sour grapes and portrays me as a whiner. I'm a huge fan, I've purchased five S&W revolvers in the past year and like the OP own dozens of their firearms. That said, I haven't purchased a NEW S&W firearm in over a decade. I wouldn't send them a thing to have repaired and restrict my purchases to previously owned S&W's.

I know that they are like any other big company and mistakes happen. I'm a pretty easy going customer but they did nothing to rectify my problem. I read about the many people that have had wonderful experiences with S&W's customer service and don't doubt it. However, when S&W and Customer Service are mentioned in the same sentence, I have no idea what people are talking about. Oddly enough this revolver has since had a high polish finish put on it and even though it is laser engraved looks pretty decent. No thanks to S&W's services.

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FCSA Member
NRA Benefactor

Sent in an L frame to have an ejector rod problem repaired. They did the "M" refurb and sent it back without fixing the problem it was sent in for. Not impressed.

I have to admit I havent bough any new guns from them either, but that wasnt because I didnt like them like with the M and P, it was because of the liberal lock they put on that goes against the prinicpal behind buying a revolver in the first place

and I have no interest in the M and P pistol, their ar 15 or any of their 1911s so till thats gone its all pre 1980 revolvers for me, although I do really like that thunder ranch 325.

and I am planning on getting either a 645 or a sqare trigger guarded 1988 - 1989 4506 but that's only because of the Miami Vice connection to those two pistols and the fact that vltor seems like their never going to actually make the bren ten.

and FYI they didnt fix a 1980's K22 that was sent to them either, twice as well but that was nearly a decade ago and I had heard about them supposedly getting themselves straightened out finally but I guess its the same old shenanigans after all so I guess the best thing to do is just go to a gunsmith for that kind of work and let their customer service go to hell if they obiviously dont value it like that guy who dismssed you for no good reason.

after all if their customer service all of a sudden gets no customers guess whos getting cut and guess whos going to be put underfire from the boss for underperforming?

Is this "high polish" you mention very similar to the old, "S&W Bright Blue?" I really liked that finish. Just curious.

I can only imagine what it will be like when the custom shop is outsourced to India,

S&W isn't what it use to be. I hope with their stock continuing to tank they get bought out by a gun company. Regards 18DAI

Every time I called and asked for the service Manager it was a Female??

So did you really speak with a manager or has she been replaced?????

Do you have a copy of your "written" request for what service you wanted/requested??

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Still Running Against the Wind

its not just S&W customer service that is coming up short. its everything everywhere. Im only 25 and i can see that things are going downhill fast, i worry about my generation and the ones younger than me.

I already asked that, on Page 3. Does no one here know?

I confess that I haven't used S&W customer service or the custom shop a lot, but I have had some experience with them, and my experiences have been uniformly bad. Some worse than others, but not a single one has been satisfactory, and I've usually run into just the attitude described at the beginning of this thread. So, I just don't buy their stuff any more. If I buy a Smith, it's an old one. If it needs work, someone else does it. I gave up on S&W's "customer service" a long time ago.

A couple of points:

One: the charges. I can attest to that, not knowing exactly what you are going to be charged. I inquired some time ago about having some work done on a handgun, and for some reason I had to give them my credit card number to get a quote. I got the quote, and decided to wait. Several months later, I noticed a charge on my card, from S&W, and so I called to ask what it was. Turns out they charged my card in error, because they assumed they had gone ahead and done the work. Of course, they refunded it...but there is something wrong with the system that doesn't confirm final billing before a card is charged.

Two: I had my own issues with CS a few months back. Back during the days of the M&P rebates, last summer, I bought eight M&P pistols (not all at once) but sent the rebate forms in all at once. They were received and entered into the online system. Then, people started getting their magazines...not me. People that were entered after me started getting their magazines. I called CS several times, and got various answers...the machines were broken, etc. I was always told I would have them in two weeks. Finally, by April, I was getting angry, so I started asking to speak to supervisors. I rarely got in touch with one, and even more rarely got a call back. I started trying to find a way to make an executive complaint, and you know what? S&W is pretty good at hiding that information. Finally, after a lot of searching, I came across the name and contact information for a VP of Finance, and sent her an e-mail, saying I knew she was not over CS, but perhaps she could forward my message on to someone who was. She responded to me personally, and apologized...the next day, I got a call from a manager in CS, and in two days I received via overnight mail the magazines I was due, plus two extra.

Now, why did it have to come to that? They obviously had some to send me. S&W needs to make their managers and executives far more accessible to resolve customer issues... if they care about that. Maybe they don't.

One final note...several weeks later, I got a package from S&W, and it was my rebate magazines. I struggled with my conscience briefly, and then contacted CS and told them. They just said they would send a label for me to send them back...no thank you or appreciation for my honesty. Oh well, honesty is its own reward. I got the label, and I did send them back, and I can sleep at night.

I have sent one revolver in to have repaired only to have it come back in a different manner than I requested. It appears that they just do what they want and do not listen to the customer. The gun was a 627-2 that I requested a Master Action job on. It came back with some internal work, but had bad hand/ratchet conflict that made double action shooting impossible. I fixed it myself and after about 9 months shooting, it needed a wider hand. When I opened it up I found that it had a .99 hand already in it. That's about as large a hand as one can find. I sent it back and they fixed the timing and sent it back. I was charged because I had worked on the gun. When it returned, it still had a .99 hand, even though I had requested a new ratchet and a .92 hand. So far it works , but I bought a new extractor from Brownells and when it needs a new hand it will get the new extractor.

One would expect to get what one asks for if he is paying the bill!!

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

go dig up some of the horror stories with the 15-22...... there was a point where one of our LGS quit selling them until he got ahold of a CS rep that actually tried to explain to him what was going on with that rifle.

Well, it's a publicly traded company. You guys could buy a majority share, and fix it from the top down.

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Same here, contacted S&W customer service many times because of the broken rivets on the tac. rail of my 4003. They couldn't care less.
Now this was it, I will get rid of my S&Ws (and the shares I hold).
If they do not care, why should I buy from them in the future - NO WAY.

Ahhhh, ok.

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Jack C

Oh no, they will be moved from Springfield to China.
Funny how they take good care of us MA residents Lovely place to visit.

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

BAH! I think it's all a bunch of Bull!.

I have never ceased to be pleased. amazed even at the quality of SW service.

Considering the size of the company, the number of guns produced, you can call 8am to 8pm M_F. Have a problem? they send you a Fed EX Pickup right to your door and deliver the repaired item back the same way.

They have sent me parts at no charge when I was willing to pay for them.

Turn around time is very fast, what more can you ask for??

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Still Running Against the Wind

Stopped into the S&W Retail and Shooting store today, while there, the girl working the range took a call from someone inquiring about whether the 325pd was still being produced, must have asked no less than 5 times why not.. my point, whoever called reached the retail sports store, a range officer took the call and gave it her best answer to a question than the customer on the other end of the line didn't want to except. I can see the post now... "S&W customer service sucks, they don't know what guns are being produced and couldn't answer my questions and the rep on the line was rude"

On a side note, looked like plenty of guns in the showcases, mainly revolvers. The M&P's looked like full size only, no compacts and no new 1911 E's.. They had the new AR Sporter, checked that out, for $638, looked like an awful lot of a gun.

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Jack C

Bite your tongue, can't add anything to your truthful post.

No matter where you go, restaurants, airports, theater, church etc. There he is, Mr. B buster, just waiting for you.

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

No way am I moving to China. India, maybe, but not China.

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But was her name Peggy?

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SW40VE AF
2000 rounds so far