It has been over a month since I first contacted S&W via email about a cracked from on my 22 A-1. Three times they have responded that they are sending out a return shipping label, but I have never received it.

Anyone else experience this poor customer service? If so, any suggestions on how to get things moving along?

I just want my gun to be reviewed by S&W and a plan made to get it repaired or replaced.

I was just told they've had to change their computers yet again, and it's been driving them nuts. Emails have been lost and have had to be resent. Not surprising internal computer requests and messages are probably also being lost (again). Since shipping label requests are done via computer, it's not surprising this is happening at times.

Waiting times for CS reps to answer phones is also often long, especially since the number of folks working the phones may vary on any given day, and incoming calls for all the S&W businesses are routed into the call center. I've been told that sometimes there may be waiting times of up to an hour for incoming calls. I've also been told that the number of folks available for answering phones may vary from 15-30+ on any given day.

Then again, the storm weather back there has resulted in the expected problems. I got a message they'd closed some parts of the factory and sent people home late last week due to the weather.

It's also possible your .22 is one of the guns that may have to be sent to the Houlton plant for repair, but processed through Springfield. I don't keep up on those sort of ever-changeable details.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Yes, customer service could use some help.
I ordered 3 magazines back in August 2013. They never sent a conformation email nor did they charge me at that time, nor did they let me know that the mags were unavailable/out of stock/ backordered. Last week went to check credit card balance and low and behold, a charge from S&W for the mags.
Of course I received them,........almost 6 months later!! Just wish they could have communicated at least something. I had already purchased elsewhere. Of course I kept them. Can never have to many. I am not trying to bash, however if I would be out of business if I ran with that philosophy.

Sure hope they get these issues fixed. I love my 22, and want to shot it again, some day soon I hope.

I had that exact same experience a few years ago with a revolver I wanted to send in.

Called and a month later no ticket. Called again and almost two months later nothing. I kept forgetting I was waiting for it 'till I looked at my calendar.

I was going to take it to someone local, even though it was under warranty but thought I'd call one last time. I asked the rep if I had fallen thru the cracks and she said no and emailed me a ticket that afternoon.

Sometimes you just get a guy who wants to skate thru life. Just don't give up.

Dave

I've had similar experiences. Merchandise orders have no tracking system or emailed receipt. You can 'call' for order status. Somewhat 1980s.

I called twice for a shipping label for some custom shop work last summer. It never came. But only took 3 business days to get one for a warranty repair.

A review of their most recent annual report shows that they're updating their enterprise systems which appears sorely overdue and should remedy some these issues.

Been dealing with them for thirty years and have never had a problem. Have not used them in two years. But the smith and wesson I know will make it right for you.

Nobody gets results from email, new system or not.
Most people report good results from phone calls.

Not sure if this can help you with your 22 A-1 issues. In Australia the consumer laws are that the shop that sells you the product is responsible to give you the service, whether this is the repair, refund or replacement. If I purchased a gun that broke I would go back to the shop and demand my money back or a new gun, if I wanted a second hand (repaired) gun I would have bought one. A lot of shops here fob you off and tell you you have to contact the supplier however this is incorrect, in Australia anyway.

S&W have on their website the following message:
Due to increased call volume, we are experiencing longer than normal wait times. Please be patient and utilize our customer service email whenever possible [email protected]. We are working to remedy this situation as quickly as possible.

It’s a bad state of affairs when a company has to have a message like this on their web site.

On a different customer service issue, I want to buy some merchandise as the Australian S&W agent doesn’t stock or sell any. I tried to order direct from S&W online only to get a message to order from a local supplier that doesn’t sell the stuff.
I sent an email to S&W a week ago using their web page and have not had a reply.
Top Companies with world class customer service generally send you an email confirming they received your email, I didn’t get one.
Because I think the emails are being lost, I’m going to send in another email, that’s 2 emails they received for the one query, next week I’ll send in another.

Respect takes years to build and can be destroyed in minutes.

I had a horrible experience with their customer service within the past few months. It took multiple emails and phone calls to get anything moving, and I didn't get anything resolved until a PR rep from their Facebook page got in contact with me after a negative post. It took some doing, but they eventually made things right.

What I got told by the PR rep is that they're understaffed in the customer service department and they're actively trying to hire more staff and get them trained to fix that situation since the manager of the CS dept knows it's hurting business. They also switched over to a new computer system recently that's making things a nightmare for them, and they're working to get past that. He said that none of those are excuses for bad service, but that's what they've identified and are working to fix since they know it's not what their reputation is known for.

For now it seems we'll have to wait things out and keep giving reminders. I do hope that they fix the issues they've identified and get things back to the service they were known for.

I just received excellent customer service on a repair. I did have to call to get the tag but it was emailed that day and they turned my revolver around in 11 days. The repair was done properly and everything checked out fine at the range.

Well throw me in the river and call me Bob. Within minutes of sending another email I received a reply, listed below. This is good customer feedback, being honest that it may take 5 days to respond, is great. I

Dear Customer,
Thank you for contacting us!
We have received your inquiry and are assigning it to a representative. Due to the high volume of correspondence we are currently receiving it can take up to 5 business days to receive a response.
To help track your inquiry we have generated a reference number. Your ticket code is XXXXXXXXXXX. Please use this code in any further communication.

After reading another of these complaints directed at S&W CS... I thought about it.... we have one of the, if not the biggest gun manufacturers in the country.... they just made and sold more guns than ever..... if we lay out the rise in business with the amount of contact they will receive, I can see how they would come up short in the CS dept. Hiring employees and getting them up to speed is going to take time. Even after that process, how good do you think they will be... I own a business, after 7 years, an employee I hired to deal with my business, still sucks.... he's been here so long, I can't get rid of him.... I wonder if that could possibly happen to a company like S&W... oh well, just thinking....

I agree, a phone call is more fulfilling to me than email.... The few times I needed support, I called... and a few of those times, I didn't get right through... figured they were busy. I didn't waste my time here complaining about it... I called again...

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Jack C

Maybe if people stopped calling with questions like "when did my gun ship?", they'd have more time for important issues.
I've never once called for a ship date, but that's just me, ymmv.

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Sure you did

Had a frame failure on my 22-A and they were quick on giving me a new frame with the old serial number. But I just went to LGS and they shipped it for me. Cannot ship yourself here in Massachusetts.

I ordered mags for my 1006 directly through S&W after waitings months for another LGS trying to get them for me. Again quick and no problem.

If it's any consolation I ordered a replacement barrel from Mossberg over a year and half ago, never got a confirmation, never got a barrell.

When I called them about it, they had no record of the order but said they would be glad to put another in... at .... guess what

almost TWICE the price what it originally was... now isn't that something...

I emailed them about a problem with my BG380 and they kept sending a reply email asking for name,address,serial number,etc. I would send them a reply with all the info and I would get another email asking for the info again and again. It really started to get to me. I finally got someone on the phone and they sent a shipping label. The pistol was shipped to them weeks ago and I haven't heard anything, not even saying the received the gun. I'm surprised at the level of customer service this company has. You would think S&W would have Stellar Customer Service with how long they've been in business and how well known they are. Disappointed for sure.

Sounds like they did pretty good, they responded, sent you a label, which should have a tracking number... did you check the tracking?

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Jack C

I really don't read any bashing in this thread, more like frustration. The reality is that S&W has lost control of their prime directive: customer satisfaction. I got the same email as 'aussie' after waiting over a month for some info on the status of my repair. Still no reply on the follow up email. The computer glitch problem is beginning to sound like the gov. its lame.

vinny

I have read all of the threads on this subject, and have contacted S&W Customer for assistance many times myself since July 2011. I must be fortunate as all of my experiences have been excellent, although I wished that the part that I needed (rear sight elevation screw) in December had not been back ordered and then required almost seven weeks for me to receive it.

In a nutshell, I recommend "patience" and a re-reading of "Murphy's Law." However, I'm not making excuses for anyone, just addressing reality.

Like most companies, S&W operated for years with many stand alone legacy internal systems. Last summer they implemented an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that integrated all of these applications, systems, sub-systems etc. The last quarterly financial report commentary that I read on line was that the integration has gone well. That in itself is amazing.

When computer systems are functioning incorrectly anything is possible. Trust me, I worked for Dell for ten years, I know. It may be that the CS rep did send the shipping labels out, the system response that he or she had confirmed it, yet you never received it. That stuff happens.

Take a deep breath, go buy another S&W product (revolvers recommended) from your LGS or gun show, and then patiently work with CS until your problems are resolved. Personally, I have had no successes in the past with e-mails. Thank goodness telephone calls still work the best! I really dislike e-mails, twitters, Facebookers, and all of that ****. Just my opinions.

Don't shoot the messenger!

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That's what we do!

I have had no issues with S&W customer service over the years. The folks I have dealt with have been courteous and helpful and the work that they have done was completed in a timely manner.

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A gun has no brain.. use yours

I've been complaining to S&W about the finish flaking off of my 642 since August of 2013. I've received many acknowledgements of the complaint and in Dec. 2013 they said they'd send a shipping label. I still haven't received it.

Apparently, my complaints about the flaking finish and the customer service are both familiar complaints about which S&W has no interest.

You are not alone!

I've been trying to send my 342PD back to them for a canted barrel sleeve. I tried to get a shipping label a year ago and never received it. I called in Nov or Dec and they said they'd email me one. Never got it. I emailed in Jan (I think) and received a response that I'd get a shipping label but never did. Seeing this thread reminded me I have to email or call again.

I received mine the same day I called. Emails didn't work.

On the Walther forums (back when S&W used to handle all their warranty service) Kate Fredette was known to make things happen. She is somewhere up high in CS at S&W.

Maybe this will help someone here.

[email protected]

By Telephone:

1-800-331-0852 (USA)

or

1-800-372-6454

8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, Eastern Time

Back when S&W still handled Walther Service, Kate Fredette was known to make things happen. She is somewhere up high in the CS food chain. Hope this helps someone here!

[email protected]

By Telephone:

1-800-331-0852 (USA)

or

1-800-372-6454

8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, Eastern Time

I remember a couple of years ago when someone posted her email on that forum. I got her on the phone once just by accident and got my ship ticket emailed to me in an hour. That was after waiting for months for other reps to send me one.

I wonder if she's had to change that address.

Dave

Update: S&W sent a Sales Quotation to for either $233.00 to refinish the gun with the flaking finish or $45.00 to return it.

Yes, I've been very disappointed with S&W customer service. This is an ongoing complaint from many people posting online.

Jackaroo I would call S&W head office and ask for the Pres of the company.. Tell him the problem and scream in his ear. Quite often a order from the top does wonders for a problem down below.

This is the worst initial service I ever saw. Remember the recall on Walther PPK/S built by S & W? I sent a brand new out of the box pistol back to them with a note saying it is a brand new gun, and I expect to receive it back in the same condition it was in when sent. They sent it back, with scratches all over the right side of the trigger guard. I went ballistic. I e-mailed and made a complaint to the CEO. I got a phone call asking me to send the pistol back, they sent a return tag. I did so. This is the part where the customer service changes from horrible to exceptional. They called and said when they began making these guns again I would receive a new one which incorporated the change into the design. True to their word, they sent me a new pistol. I guess that is why I have had nothing but S & W pistols ( with a few brief sojourns into Colt single action pistols ) all my adult life. After a friend shot himself with a Colt, not fatal thankfully, I sold all of them. I have had nothing but S & W and S & W made Walthers since.