Disappointed in S&W

[Sabre03]

I find the answer from S&W interesting and not what I have come to expect from US gun manufactures; here it is:

I purchased a new in the box, unfired, 1981 S&W Model 36 from a local gun store; the gun came in the mint original box will all documentation , even the 1981 warranty card. Anyway, I found that with a little pressure the cylinder would rotate clockwise when closed with the hammer down. I contact S&W customer service and explained the situation and they said they would "take care of it" and provide a shipping label to return the gun. Here is what the customer service representative sent me, fully aware of the date of manufacture:

Hello Mark,

I just put an order in for a pre-paid, pre-insured FedEx return label. Please allow around 5 business days for delivery. Please follow the instructions that will be included in the package. Include a letter with your contact information and a description of the issue. We stand behind our products and will make this right for you.

Regards, Steve
Customer Service
1-800-331-0852 Ext. 2905
http://www.smith-wesson.com


A few weeks later I get an invoice from S&W asking that I pay $83 to authorize the repair. I contacted them and the same guy that said he would take care of it now says that S&W did not offer a life time warranty until 1989 and since my gun was manufactured prior to that it wasn't covered. The interesting part is they admit that the gun is unfired and that the problem is cause by a manufactures defect.

I probably shouldn't have expected anything different, but having been a loyal S&W customer for 35 years and the owner of 13 of their handguns I was a little disappointed. I have come to expect American gun manufactures to stand behind their product and have had great luck with Colt, Ruger, Rock River and Weatherby.

Am I wrong to expect this level of customer service?

 

[XTrooper]

Seems clear cut to me. There's no warranty on the weapon yet you still want them to repair it for free. When in hell did everyone decide that they were entitled to everything for nothing?

When I bought a used former Kentucky State Police Model 1076 that needed a new extractor and extractor spring, I was told I would have to pay for the repair because the pistol's prior government service invalidated the lifetime warranty. Instead of whining on an Internet forum about it, I paid the repair bill and received the repaired pistol back in short order.

As I see it, you have two choices. Either pay to have the revolver repaired or sell it and let someone do what's necessary.

BTW, refusing to do out-of-warranty repair work for free has NOTHING to do with "customer service."

 

[Sabre03]

Sounds like you should expect more from the people you do business with. This gun was unfired, not used, and the manufactured admitted as much, S&W also admitted that the defect was caused by them. They also made an explicit promise to repair under warranty knowing the condition and manufacture date.

If that is whining then I guess I am a whiner.

 

[Hunt200]

I don't think you are whining, if they admitted it was caused by a manufactures defect, I would be disappointed if I had to pay. Ask to speak to a supervisor.

 

[Maximumbob54]

Seems clear cut to me. There's no warranty on the weapon yet you still want them to repair it for free. When in hell did everyone decide that they were entitled to everything for nothing?

When I bought a used former Kentucky State Police Model 1076 that needed a new extractor and extractor spring, I was told I would have to pay for the repair because the pistol's prior government service invalidated the lifetime warranty. Instead of whining on an Internet forum about it, I paid the repair bill and received the repaired pistol back in short order.

As I see it, you have two choices. Either pay to have the revolver repaired or sell it and let someone do what's necessary.

BTW, refusing to do out-of-warranty repair work for free has NOTHING to do with "customer service."

+1, I can't even add to that to make it any better said.

 

[M29since14]

No question at all about this one. They should fix your gun. While it is kind of an odd situation, it IS a new gun and they made it. If it was shipped in a defective condition, they should repair it or give you a new, non-defective gun of the same type - THEIR choice.

 

[ken158]

I'm with XTrooper - S&W may have made it but the current owners did not make it. I will get you off the hook and give you 1981 retail and fix it myself!

 

[W.E.G.]

Did you still get free shipping?

 

[Pisgah]

Just curious -- have you tried putting a bit of oil down in the cylinder stop hole and working it a bit? It is just possible that a bit of foreign matter, or even rust, is preventing it from rising all the way, or limiting the spring's travel.

 

[Dave T]

I'm with XTrooper - S&W may have made it but the current owners did not make it. I will get you off the hook and give you 1981 retail and fix it myself!

The OP bought it brand new, unfired and in the box. He is the current owner. What the (expletive deleted) are you talking about?

If a company won't stand behind something they made and screwed up (warranty or not) they don't need any of my money. Maybe that's why I buy old, used S&Ws rather than new ones.

Dave

 

[ogilvyspecial]

Basically it boils down to stated Company Policy, which, when you consider that they'll cover defects back to 1989-90 is pretty darn fair in my book. On top of that you don't even have to be the original owner to get taken care of.

Seriously, you should'nt be too dissapointed by a Company that won't fix a 30 year old product for free, even if it's never been used.
30 years is 30 years..........

 

[Nightowl]

I think they should fix it. If it had been used, then no. But it was clearly an unfired gun. Years ago I had a model 28 that had a bad cylinder from the factory. It had only been fired once, the time the cylinder was discovered to be bad. Even though it was several years old, Smith replaced the cylinder.

 

[Pointblank2U]

Caveat Emptor!

 

[scooter123]

The way I look at it, in 1981 S&W was controlled by different owners and different people than today. Quite simply, IT IS NOT THE SAME COMPANY. Same brand yes, but an entirely different company. I think that you are expecting too much, especially since it's a late Bangor Punta vintage gun.

 

[msnden]

I think they should fix it. If it had been used, then no. But it was clearly an unfired gun. Years ago I had a model 28 that had a bad cylinder from the factory. It had only been fired once, the time the cylinder was discovered to be bad. Even though it was several years old, Smith replaced the cylinder.

Well said!! of course they should have fixed it, had it been used it would be a different story, but in this case the revolver should have been fixed. but, it is the world we live in. I would send a letter to S&W explaining your disappointment. maybe someone with some common sense will read it, jmop msn

 

[Retired W4]

I had a similar experience with Boker Knives. I even talked with the owner in person at the Blade Show here in Atlanta. The guy's a jerk. I sold all my Bokers and will never buy another one. New is new, and when new is defective the manufacturer should stand tall and fix it. I hope this turns out well for you in the end.

 

[GKC]

It depends on the policy in effect at the time your gun was made...unless a later policy supersedes it. For example, if the policy in effect when your gun was made was a one year warranty (for example) from the date of original purchase, then you have no valid claim. Not only are you out of the warranty period, you are not the original purchaser. Now, if S&W made the lifetime warranty that covers the handgun regardless of who owns it retroactive to all guns they had ever made, or back to a point in time that would have covered your revolver, then it would be covered...but if they put that policy in place in 1989 (or whenever) and for guns of that date and newer, then you are not covered.

The repair cost ($83) is very minor. I would pay it and be happy that they would agree to work on it. Some manufacturers won't even work on their older products, regardless of what you are willing to pay.

 

[Geronimo Jim]

How much would it has cost them to fix it? How many hard feeling have they created. Did they have to right not to fix it? Absolutely. Was it smart. Probably not. After many years in business, the best advertising is a happy customer.

 

[kkramer673]

I don't think a 30 year-old gun is "new". It may be unfired, but it's definitely not new. And if the poster had inspected the revolver's functioning before buying it, he would have detected the issue.

 

[65kaiser]

How much would it has cost them to fix it? How many hard feeling have they created. Did they have to right not to fix it? Absolutely. Was it smart. Probably not. After many years in business, the best advertising is a happy customer.

Ding... Ding.... Ding.... we have a winner!!!! Just common sense, good business practice.