Ridiculous response from S&W on Shield Plus mags

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neil0311

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I e-mailed S&W customer support hoping to get some reassurances that they’re working hard to get magazines for the Shield Plus into the market, and that they understand the issues.

Instead I got a tone deaf and frankly ridiculous answer to my question of when we can expect the retail availability to improve. I almost can’t believe they sent this to me.

“ These magazines are currently not set up for individual sale. Please continue to check with us periodically for updates.”

Not set up for individual sale????? So you get the two in the box and if one breaks or you just want more…you’re out of luck? I am flabbergasted by that response.
 
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I'm going to go with the idea that demand exceeds capacity and that if they had the means to provide them then they would. We are not on the inside so it's difficult to evaluate the decisions and priorities but I'm not sure S&W even makes their own mags. They may be constrained by the supplier and only have what's needed for new production. Not sure.

I would be more confident in guessing that if they could make them available they would. I've stopped trying to make sense of today's world. While you may find it "ridiculous" that you can't buy a simple magazine it is the reality nowadays to find anything related to firearms to be in short supply or unavailable.
 
lhump1961 said:
While you may find it "ridiculous" that you can't buy a simple magazine it is the reality nowadays to find anything related to firearms to be in short supply or unavailable.
Click to expand...

Notice I never said that I thought the constrained supply was ridiculous. I said the response was ridiculous. Two completely different things.
 
:D

That's automated response everybody has been receiving from S&W.:mad:

This one was commented several times... do not expect anything else for next few months.
You can always buy another Shield Plus and get 2 new mags with it. :p
Just kidding...
For now, sit tight, relax and wait few more months... hopefully...
or follow this thread for details:
Where are the Shield Plus Magazines?
 
I don't know what other response they could give besides the obvious...customer service departments are most likely kept in the dark on these particular situations and are told to give a canned response, just like the one you received. I am sure S&W would be more than happy to sell you individual magazines if they had them available, as was stated above, I am sure they probably get the same ridiculous response when they contact their magazine supplier about availability...

Sent from my SM-A115U using Tapatalk
 
Their priority is to make sure there’s 2 mags to go in the box with every Shield Plus they sell. Imagine if everybody bought 3, or 4 extra mags, and now they can’t sell the guns because they don’t have enough mags. There are priorities in life. GARY.
 
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N4KVE said:
Their priority is to make sure there’s 2 mags to go in the box with every Shield Plus they sell. Imagine if everybody bought 3, or 4 extra mags, and now they can’t sell the guns because they don’t have enough guns. There are priorities in life. GARY.
Click to expand...

Good manufacturer should think ahead before selling new product. :mad:

I'm not picking on S&W, but whenever money is involved, there is no proper thinking. Priority is always the same... "First we, them later" :(

Imagine new car you have bought... and you don't have access to spare parts... :D
 
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I agree S&W could come up with a better reply, but these are not normal times in the supply chain.

Some folks are waiting months for repair parts for appliances, cars, etc.
 
jurek said:
Good manufacturer should think ahead before selling new product. :mad:

I'm not picking on S&W, but whenever money is involved, there is no proper thinking. Priority is always the same... "First we, them later" :(

Imagine new car you have bought... and you don't have access to spare parts... :D
Click to expand...

Agree, and this isn’t their first rodeo. One would assume they knew they were releasing a pistol into a booming market, and that the primary value proposition for the new pistol was magazine capacity. Sure the new trigger is cool too, but if you own a Shield 1.0 or 2.0, I doubt you’re buying a Plus for the trigger alone.

I have both a P365XL and a Hellcat, and both have been wildly popular in this same market, and magazines are available (and were shortly after release).
 
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jurek said:
Good manufacturer should think ahead before selling new product. :mad:

I'm not picking on S&W, but whenever money is involved, there is no proper thinking. Priority is always the same... "First we, them later" :(

Imagine new car you have bought... and you don't have access to spare parts... :D
Click to expand...
Extra magazines aren't a spare part, they are an accessory.

More like a dealer installed trailer hitch for a SUV than a water pump. If you need to a haul a trailer that hitch not being available right away is a deal breaker. But most people won't so not selling that SUV to them would be foolish.

The term "spare magazine" implies you are buying them in case the ones that came with the gun break with normal use. And that magazines breaking is a common problem. That's not why most people buy extra magazines. They buy them because they want to carry more ammo, are competing in a match that requires multiple magazines, are training is such a way they are constantly stepping on magazines, like to arrive at the range with a bunch of loaded magazines or just feel better having some spares even though they know they will probably never need them.

I fall into that last group and like having about 6 magazines for every gun I own that takes a magazine. But in many tens of thousands of rounds of shooting I have never worn one out. I have had magazines that never worked right, typically aftermarket mags, but never had one that worked great stop working. If magazines are available immediately after buying a gun and shooting it enough to make sure its a keeper I buy more magazines. But knowing I might have to wait a few months to do so would not stop me from buying a gun.
 
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I know you guys who bought the Shield Plus are focused on that, but it is not simply a matter of introducing the Shield Plus before mags were available.

It is difficult to get just about any S&W 9mm mags, and has been for months. The 17-round mags for 9mm full-size are nowhere to be found, for example.

It seems to be a general supply issue much bigger than just you Shield Plus guys.
 
jurek said:
Good manufacturer should think ahead before selling new product. :mad:

I'm not picking on S&W, but whenever money is involved, there is no proper thinking. Priority is always the same... "First we, them later" :(

Imagine new car you have bought... and you don't have access to spare parts... :D
Click to expand...

That's going on right now with many auto parts. The manufactures cant even buy them for themselves.
 
Living in a limited mag capacity state (15 max) I can say 15rd mags for the 2.0 Compact are readily available. The only mags I’ve had that wet the bed are a Nighthawk 9mm 1911 and a couple very old/high use Wilson 1911 .45 mags that are easily 30 yrs old lol. Those get relegated to only range use.

I do feel comfortable with the 24 rounds for the Plus though I do want to pick up 1 or 2 extra 13rd mags at some in case either of the 2 I have go bad.
 
As far as "supply chains" go, get accustomed to the inconvenience and be pleased that you have gotten what you have got....
New cars are at a premium where they are available. Some manufacturers cannot get their hands on the chips they need to assemble an operational vehicle. (That is why the cost of used cars is astronomical.... they work, and if you need one, there is an option that many have frowned upon in the past.) I, for the moment have all of the magazines that I want or need, but there are some things at the grocery store that have recently become unobtanium.....
 
Muss Muggins said:
So what could they have said that would removed the burr from underneath your saddle . . . ?
Click to expand...

It’s not just me. Or at least shouldn’t be. This is table stakes for a firearm manufacturer, especially when the mag capacity is what they’re advertising.

Maybe a response more along the lines of:

“We recognize that magazine capacity is key to the value behind the Shield Plus, and we understand they have not been available, but we are working to make them available to our retail partners. We have increased production and working hard to increase supply for our customers.”

Would that provide a definite timeframe or exact solution? No. Would it show they understand the need and urgency? Yes.

The response I got didn’t even acknowledge there’s a problem.
 
Selling everything you produce might lead a manufacturer to believe there’s really not much of a problem, and might be a bonus. And if they never make extra magazines available, are you gonna sell yours?

At times like these I’m reminded of this King of Queens scene between Doug and his dad:


Joe Heffernan : Why couldn't the Knicks get Shaq, boy if they let me run that team for one year...

Doug Heffernan : Dad if you ran the team there would be 87 players and a billion dollar payroll.
Click to expand...

neil0311 said:
It’s not just me. Or at least shouldn’t be. This is table stakes for a firearm manufacturer, especially when the mag capacity is what they’re advertising.

Maybe a response more along the lines of:

“We recognize that magazine capacity is key to the value behind the Shield Plus, and we understand they have not been available, but we are working to make them available to our retail partners. We have increased production and working hard to increase supply for our customers.”

Would that provide a definite timeframe or exact solution? No. Would it show they understand the need and urgency? Yes.

The response I got didn’t even acknowledge there’s a problem.
Click to expand...
 
Muss Muggins said:
And if they never make extra magazines available, are you gonna sell yours?
Click to expand...

Yes…and will never buy another product from S&W again. I own 2 pistols and a rifle now. I also own firearms from Sig, Springfield Armory, Glock, Ruger, etc.

I bought my P365XL a month after the model was released for sale. Mags, slides, grips, sights and other accessories were available almost immediately, despite it and it’s original predecessor being the best selling EDC pistol in the US. Same for my Hellcat a few months later.
 
Apples and oranges. Both guns introduced well pre-pandemic. . .

neil0311 said:
. . . I bought my P365XL a month after the model was released for sale. Mags, slides, grips, sights and other accessories were available almost immediately, despite it and it’s original predecessor being the best selling EDC pistol in the US. Same for my Hellcat a few months later.
Click to expand...
 
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