frustrated with quality control, need to vent some anger!

[treerat]

check out this video Smith and Wesson Pro Series - YouTube I would really like to give these guys a piece of my mind!!!!!!
with the **** they have been putting out lattely.
if they would deliver a gun to the customer assembled correctly it wouldn't cost so much for return tag shipping! probably could cut the cost of the gun by a guesstimate of 100.00! I would be happy if they just pocketed the money and asembled the revolver right in the first place. S&W has ONE more chance with me, if they get it wrong they can kiss my money goodbye!

NEW - model 63 barrel not indexed correctly, 25 thousands cylinder gap, pits all over, shaves lead, steel flakes binding up action.

NEW - model 60 pro series barrel not indexed correctly, barrel crocked to frame, 14 thousands cylinder gap, rear sight slot milled angled off toward the right in front, uneven crown,

almost 1400 dollars for two pieces of ****. thank you S&W!

 

[UDR2]

I hear you buddy. Sorry you have had to put up with that.

 

[PA Reb]

Who is that guy with the "large padded wrench"? I'd like to talk to him !

 

[allglock]

Been there many times my friend... But for some reason , I keep coming back.............
I have written many letters to Mr, Golden, but I think, they dont mean much to him. If EVERYONE, out there that had a beef, would write to him... Maybe, things might change.
But I, like others out there, buy a lemon, and then just sell it for a loss, rather than going through the "repair phase", which sometime is not pretty.
Alot of people buy a gun from S&W and never even fire it, or examine it... This is what S&W hopes for, IMO.
I am to the point now, that if I buy something and it has a problem, they get ONE chance to make it right , or I ask for a refund.
At least, they do pay shipping both ways, but I think that is why the guns are so high priced to begin with... They need to cover the cost of return repair trips, that are almost inevetable, on their new guns.

 

[allglock]

Like I said before, I wish new guns were like new cars... Compare a 1970s car to a 2012 car... NO comparison! The 70s car you would be lucky to get 100,000 miles out of it, and it would rust like no tommorrow, the 2012 car will probably take you 200,000 miles, and usually dont rust.
Guns are the exact opposite.. Most people would take a 1970s S&W over a 2012 S&W.... JMHO

 

[v-13]

Brand new S&W 617-6 sent back to S&W because of FTF issues. 4 out of 10 shots fail to fire in double action mode. they claim that it could be end shake on the cylinder. Wish they would take their time to get it right from the start.

 

[GreyEagle]

Sure wish I had a few of my 1970 auto's today..... I could sell them and buy some more Smiths.

 

[XTrooper]

Who exactly are you going to turn to for your problem-free revolvers? Believe me, the grass is NOT greener on the other side.

 

[slabside2]

Been there many times my friend... But for some reason , I keep coming back.............
I have written many letters to Mr, Golden, but I think, they dont mean much to him. If EVERYONE, out there that had a beef, would write to him... Maybe, things might change.
But I, like others out there, buy a lemon, and then just sell it for a loss, rather than going through the "repair phase", which sometime is not pretty.
Alot of people buy a gun from S&W and never even fire it, or examine it... This is what S&W hopes for, IMO.
I am to the point now, that if I buy something and it has a problem, they get ONE chance to make it right , or I ask for a refund.
At least, they do pay shipping both ways, but I think that is why the guns are so high priced to begin with... They need to cover the cost of return repair trips, that are almost inevetable, on their new guns.

+1 well said!

 

[slabside2]

I just bought a M&P 340 last week. I shot 2 boxes of 38 and about 20 rds of 357 mag. When I got home to clean it I was afraid to look it over not knowing what I would find. But so far so good. I must say it is a really nice little gun.......so far.
Mike

 

[K1500]

Nothing like old guns and new trucks...

 

[allglock]

Who exactly are you going to turn to for your problem-free revolvers? Believe me, the grass is NOT greener on the other side.

That is NO excuse and does still NOT make it right, to put out an inferior product... which may be a little less inferior than the "others".
When I was working, I was proud of the job I did!... Doesnt always seem that way with S&W.

 

[Ashlander]

What surprised me in the video was that the main spring they use in PC guns is a reduced power spring. I had thought they got that feel by smoothing the action or something that took craftsmanship. I also agree Pa Reb -- that big padded wrench didn't look like a tool for fine tuning!

 

[treerat]

just a thought, what if we set a date and all of us with quality control problems all send the guns back at the same time mabye the huge stack of guns that need fixed might get someone's attention!

 

[treerat]

as for the big padded wrench to turn the frame on to the barrel, I used this info to ajust my own barrels, I just wraped the frame and barrel with leather then used a BIG cresent wrench on the frame and a pipe wrench on the barrel, now perfectly alllinged, 1 click off center with the rear sight and it is perfectly sighted in at 50 yards. no scraches no tweeked frame, AND I DID IT BY EYE! so whats there excuse?

 

[Tyrod]

just a thought, what if we set a date and all of us with quality control problems all send the guns back at the same time mabye the huge stack of guns that need fixed might get someone's attention!

That might work. But, one thing for sure, I'd take forever to get your guns back and with a deluge of guns coming in at one time you can rest assured that quality control wouldn't be getting any better on those repairs.

 

[XTrooper]

That is NO excuse and does still NOT make it right, to put out an inferior product... which may be a little less inferior than the "others".
When I was working, I was proud of the job I did!... Doesnt always seem that way with S&W.

Who said anything about what I stated being an excuse? You missed what I saying.

Rather than being an apologist for them, I pointed out the sad fact that it's not just a Smith & Wesson problem, that, in truth, there is NOWHERE to go today where you can count on getting a problem-free revolver first time, every time.

 

[allglock]

Who said anything about what I stated being an excuse? You missed what I saying.

Rather than being an apologist for them, I pointed out the sad fact that it's not just a Smith & Wesson problem, that, in truth, there is NOWHERE to go today where you can count on getting a problem-free revolver first time, every time.

I took it as you were excusing S&W, for their lack of quality control, just because they are a slight notch higher, than any other competition.
Maybe, they know that people will come back to them, because there is nothing any better out there..... It still stinks that it has to be that way..

 

[confederate]

Im about to send a 637 back for the third time for 4 different problems. Im pretty dissapointed in smith&wesson right now.

 

[TNFrank]

No excuse for poor quality guns leaving the factory. I worked in the firearms industry for a year at McMilian Arms in '89 helping to build the M-88, 50cal Sniper Rifles for the SEALs and we had multiple quality control checks through out the process of building the rifles. If something wasn't right it would be before the rifle left the plant or it'd not leave at all.
I think a bit part of it is the high price of guns today. S&W(along with some others) figure it'd be easier to send out junk and fix what comes back then get it right the first time.
Beretta has been having a heck of a time with their Nano so it's not just S&W.
Of course if ya'll want a quality firearm I guess you could just buy Ruger.

 

[stuch77]

man everybody was in such a rush building those guns. if they slow down a couple notches while putting them togther there be alot less mistakes imho.

 

[XTrooper]

I took it as you were excusing S&W, for their lack of quality control, just because they are a slight notch higher, than any other competition.
Maybe, they know that people will come back to them, because there is nothing any better out there..... It still stinks that it has to be that way..

I agree. What's really sad is that everywhere you look it's the same.

Between the "don't give a damn" attitude and the plain incompetence
that is so prevalent today, we hardly have a chance!

 

[kenjen]

when you are owned by a corporation you must keep the stockholders happy. they will always be looking for ways to cut costs. cheaper labor and less doing more. the ''american dream'' corporate greed

 

[TNFrank]

You want a real nightmare buy a Kel-Tec.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

man everybody was in such a rush building those guns. if they slow down a couple notches while putting them togther there be alot less mistakes imho.

Howdy

Just as a point of argument, the great guns that S&W and all the other makers built long, long ago, were built by workers who were paid according to how many units they produced per week.

I am not denying there are quality problems today at S&W, but in the past as well as today, highly skilled workers work quickly, they have to in order to keep their jobs. This was as true 100 years ago as it is today.

 

[Sebago Son]

Not fanning the flames here, but just a question.

How many of you fellas that have problem guns bought them on-line from the low-buck / high volume houses?

Did you examine the gun in detail before you picked it out and paid for it?

 

[Steve in Vermont]

For me, I've bought 3 new S&W guns and they all appear to be working fine. That said, I'll probably never buy a new gun again, from anyone. I'll buy used in very good to excellent condition, "broke in" so to speak. S&W (and others) had better be thankful Japan isn't in the gun manufacturing business. They'd eat our lunch, as they did to the auto industry in the 70's and 80's. Welcome to our new world where everything, guns and people included, are "disposable".

 

[Steve in Vermont]

Not fanning the flames here, but just a question.

How many of you fellas that have problem guns bought them on-line from the low-buck / high volume houses?

Did you examine the gun in detail before you picked it out and paid for it?

Every gun I ever bought new was from a LGS, straight from the factory. But that's a good question, something I'd never considered. Could it be what S&W sends to it's LGS dealers is different than to the high-volume houses?

 

[Sebago Son]

Two points to consider Steve....

First off, if you pick your gun out at the Local Gun Shop you support the local trade.

Secondly, and more to the point, you will have a chance to select the exact gun you want and any obvious problem (such as excessive barrel gap, finish issues, etc.) are evident before you plunk down your cash.

It wouldn't be the first time that a Firearms Manufacturer had different standards for different distribution lines.

I've seen alot of guys buy online and use some of the "Big Box" sellers to save $5 a unit. You get what they ship and you know that the Big Box is not going to inspect the gun for you. When (if) there's a problem they tell you to take it up with the manufacturer... in this case, Smith & Wesson.

I can't say if Smith is building more dogs these days, but having lived through the early Bangor Punta days as a dealer I shipped alot of guns back to Smith that the Customer ordered through me and did not meet our standards. The Customer in these circumstances never laid out a dime until the guns were right...

Drew

 

[TNFrank]

Not to get too far off base but I've read that WalMart has a different(i.e. Lower) quality of tire that they sell. That's why major tire manufactures don't warranty their brand of tires sold by WalMart. Also I was on an archery forum a couple years ago learning about crossbows and was told that the crossbows that WalMart sells are lower quality then the same ones form the other suppliers. I've also heard that their guns are lesser quality too but have no hard evidence to back it up.