I am having a S&W customer service nightmare, REPLACEMENT SHIPPED!!!!

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cgb

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A replacement has been shipped and I recieved a tracking#.
See my last post, and thank you all for e-mails and advice!



I swear this is not an exaggeration, and this is exactly what has happened up to this date.

Four months ago I bought a S&W model 63. It took me a month before I even got a chance to shoot it. I did not even get through the first cylinder before it locked up. I called S&W and asked to send it in. They person told me it would take two weeks to receive a shipping label, and that they would send it in the mail. I just went ahead and sent it in on my dime, figuring it would come back fixed, my mistake. It came back in 2 weeks, I opened the box, and there was a big crack in the yoke. I called, and they e-mailed a shipping label. Wish someone would have mentioned that in the first place.

I sent it back in, this time receiving it back in just over a week. I took it out, and bam, the cylinder jammed. I suffered through the next seven rounds, and forced open the cylinder. The spent shells were stuck. I could not force them out with the ejector, and had to hammer a couple out with a dowel. The shells that stick are bulging, and obviously something is still wrong. Same problem it had in the first place. I called, got another shipping label, and sent it in. I received a call a week and a half later from S&W saying it was unrepairable, and they would send me another one. I asked if I could get a 617 instead, since I have a 4” and it works great, I would like a 6” also, and would pay the difference. They said no need to pay the difference and got the information of the FFL I wanted it sent to from me. I thought, cool, I’m happy with this resolution.

A month passed, and I called my FFL to make sure it had not arrived before calling S&W. I called them on the 18th of Nov. I was told by the customer service representative that it was sent on the fourth, and my FFL had it. I went down to my FFL, and they again stated it never arrived. S&W called my FFL while I was standing there, and the FFL got the serial number of the gun they said they shipped, went in the back, came back out, told S&W it was not there and asked for a tracking#. S&W said they could not find the tracking# and would call back. They were closed for the holiday week so I called back on the 1st of December. Guy who answered the phone said my gun was at the FFL, sent on the 4th of Nov. I explained what happened, and he said there was no record of me contacting customer service, the gun had been sent, and the order was closed in the computer. I said, then give me the tracking#. He put me on hold for 15 minutes, came back on the phone and said it’s strange, as there is no tracking# to be found. He said he would go to shipping right now and call me back. I never received a call back.

I called the next day, and got the same, “it’s at your FFL, shipped on the fourth, no record of you calling”. I finally, after being nice through this whole debacle, came unglued! I demanded to speak to someone in charge! I was transferred to someone else, and explained everything that happened up to this point. This guy looked in the computer, could find no tracking#, and put me on hold for 20 minutes. He came back on and said he found my gun, and it was waiting for the California CLFC# to come back. I said, “that system is instant, and gives you the number immediately” He then said it was left on someone’s desk and overlooked, they had the CLFC, he was walking it to shipping himself, and I would have it by Tuesday. I get a call on Tuesday, Dec. 6th, from a woman at Smith and Wesson asking me if I received my firearm, I said no, she said it was shipped Nov. 4th and is at my FFL. OMG!!!! Did MA. just legalize Marijuana or something? I explained the whole thing to her, AGAIN! She called the FFL, and no, as before, no gun, and as Tuesday came to a close, it did not arrive. I called S&W on Wed, the 7th. Once again I explained the whole thing AGAIN, and was put on hold for 10 minutes. Guy came back on the phone and said they were waiting for the CLFC, which as I said before, is INSTANT. I explained how the last guy said they had it, and said he was walking it down to ship last Friday. I was put on hold for another 10 minutes, and was told it was being shipped overnight as he spoke, and I could call back in a couple hours for a tracking#.

Thurs, no gun, Fri, no gun. I call Fri. afternoon, and again am told that is was shipped Nov. 4th, and my FFL has it. Critical mass was achieved, and a nuclear explosion ensued. “What are you people doing over there. I want speak to someone who is in charge and can do more that fog a mirror and answer the phone.” I was put on hold for 10 minutes and told I would get a call back. No call back. I have no idea what to do now. I have been nice, and I have been less than plesant, with no results of a straight answer. This is the worst, most incompetent customer service I have EVER received, and I have received some pretty poor service.
 
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Wow!!! I was shocked at how much was wrong with the 63. It was a piece of **** from the start and they obviously did not inspect it before initial shipment or after they had supposed repaired it the first time. Then nobody ever updates the customer call log so they collectively know the status of your matter. It's 3 steps worse than appalling.

I suppose it's no comfort to say this too will pass -- there are a lot worse things that can happen in life to get upset about (but nobody would blame you if you never bought another S&W). To be honest though, I'd be screaming mad.
 
Not sure it would help but emailing them a link to this thread might help. The old phrase about "a thousand attaboys being outweighed by one oh ****" comes to mind. Lots of folks read these threads and they live practically forever in the internet search world. At this point someone at S&W should take personal ownership of your problem and get it resolved.
S&W couldn't have had better CS when I needed it once but this is rediculous and sounds like a "Perfect Storm of Errors".
Good luck and try to keep your cool.
 
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Critical mass was achieved, and a nuclear explosion ensued.
I liked this line a lot! (Some of the language implied in the next one--not so much.)

What an exasperating experience! Although the way you told it, and the incredibleness of it all, elicited several good laughs from me. (I hope that is not upsetting to you; I am sorry for your ordeal.)

I am not sure what would be the best next step, but I would call again and demand to receive the tracking number while you wait; I would not hang up again, I don't think, until I had it. And I would be sure to document names and employee numbers or whatever to hold individuals responsible. I think I would also ask for reimbursement for the original shipping, if it were me, as it sounds like you were not offered complete information originally.

Good luck!
 
This is horrible! And puts a bit of a tarnish on a company that I have respected since I was old enough to know what a Smith and Wesson was. I hope it gets worked out to your satisfaction, CGB.
 
When Murphy gets in a rage--well, you and I are seeing what happens.
It is OK to lose it, find it and lose it again----don't make you a bad person and saves a lot of heavy drinking.
Lose it again if you need to/have to--don't let it build up.
I certainly would copy this post you made and put into a letter to the highest person at S&W that i could find--along with dates and names.
IT will make a difference if you can get it in the right hands, Send it Certifed with a signature required.
Blessings
 
Sorry to hear of your problems. What I would recommend is to call customer service, and (even if you have to explain the situation again) speak with and obtain the name and contact information of the most senior person in the department. Then, only deal with this person.

From the sound of things, this is a multi-level problem - how could they have a tracking number and an arrival date without a gun involved? Could there be a problem with the factory shipping department or the shipper?

Please let us know how things turn out.
 
I bet eventually S&W will make things right. But for going through all this trouble they should send you a discount coupon or something.
 
What I would recommend is to call customer service, and (even if you have to explain the situation again) speak with and obtain the name and contact information of the most senior person in the department. Then, only deal with this person.

+1

You need to cut the usual customer service channels out of the equation and have only one person working to resolve the issue. Get the person's phone number and extension so you can call them directly until you have your gun.
 
Sorry to hear CGB. Be persistent. As another poster says, document dates, names, numbers & times of your conversations. I think it's also a good idea to send off in an email a link to this thread. It IS documentation.
On another note... It is truly amazing that in a world full of Kaizen, 5S, lean manufacturing, (which inevitably turns into anorexic manufacturing), etc. that quality & customer service can be so poor.. And I'm sure a company like S&W utilizes these principals.

Good luck to you CGB and let us know now this all turns out.
 
May I suggest calling Kelley Rathman in S&W customer service at 1-800-331-0852 or better yet, email your OP to her at [email protected]. then follow up with a phone call.

Kelley is very professional and the most knowledgeable person in customer service. If she can’t resolve the issue, no one can.
 
I aplogise to the forum moderator for breaking the rules, and normaly do not use such harsh laguage when dealing with anyone. But this finally gave me a meltdown. If they had just said it will take another month, fine, but they kept promising the thing to me, and that's what has me upset. Not to mention the fact they keep telling me it was shipped a month ago. I have wrote down names and times, and wil use the above link to forward this to kelley Rathman. Thank you for the link.
 
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The mod's rules are what they are, and that's why the software checks for and replaces certain letter combinations with *s. There is an understanding that everyone's tolerance is different and the software saves a lot of other heartburn.
On the other hand, given the treatment you've gotten, I would not need a phone and my irritation would be expressed in a manner that would peel the paint off a battleship. (And yes, I do consulting on the difference between Tourette's and a choice in my off time.)
Each and every one of these problems would be bad enough and inexcusable individually. The combination is mindbogglingly disgraceful. You are way past the point I would have cranked off a consumer fraud complaint letter to my AG's office, copy to the Mass. AG, and a lot of other professional gluteal discomfort techniques.
 
The "Hassle/Problem" stemmed from changing a replaced Model 63 with a Model 617.
Also the computer shows what ever was put in. Possible another order for a different customer was mixed up with your.
Another "Way Out" consideration is what Glock had several years ago. an employee was taking firearms home after showing the firearms as being shipped out.
 
Dude I feel for you because my whole life is like that!! I'm not kidding! Go through 30 years of exactly stuff like that with EVERYTHING you purchase and come back and we'll see who hates CS/sales people more. Good luck!
 
I'd be melting down too ans then some! You need compensated for not only the shipping costs but also for the anxiety they have put you through.

Here is yet another reason I will never buy a NEW S&W! Too many horror stories from their crappy workmanship and in your case INEXCUSABLE customer service! Everyone says not to worry about the IL but I saw with my own eyes one lock itself up with .38's!

I would be posting this on every forum I'm a member of to alert them of their shenanigans.

Personally I'd ask for my own money back and purchase an older model for about the same price if not cheaper!
 
Welcome to the modern era of customer service. It's not just Smith & Wesson, it's every industry. Corporations and corner stores alike have had to reduce personnel and the ones that are left are doing their work plus the work the departed ones used to do. Unless you get through first thing in the day, you're likely to encounter workers experiencing mental overload.

I have a home theater system at Best Buy for repairs right now. It was sent out for one problem and returned with numerous new ones along with the original one plus the remote no longer can access the setup functions. I took it back, spoke with the store's general manager, who just happened to be behind the Geek Squad counter at the time, and was told she would have a local home theater "guy" look at it Monday and if he couldn't straighten it out, she would sent it out for repair again.

Two weeks later, I stopped in to check on it and was told it is en route from the repair center to the store. Nine days after that - yesterday, to be precise - I stopped in again only to be told that they don't know where it is. I looked on the shelf where the store manager placed it and low and behold, there is was! The Geek Squad member then decided it was never sent out. After I went through a little meltdown of my own, I was told the store manager would call me when she got in later that afternoon.

At 8:00 p.m., I went back to the store (ever try calling Best Buy?) and learned that the store manager was off yesterday. You're now as up to date as I am.

But we're talking about S&W here, so here's my gripe. They ship items to me via FedEx. FedEx hauls it down I-81 through PA, passing within five miles of a FedEx ground distribution center near my south-central PA residence to Martinsburg, WV from where, unbelievably, it is sent back up to PA in the U.S. Mail! It takes eight days for a package from MA to get to me.

MidwayUSA is in MO and every time I place an order, I have it in two days. Just this past Wednesday, I placed an online order at 4:00 p.m. and it was on my doorstep at 2:00 Friday afternoon (when I returned from my first trip to Best Buy).

I told an S&W customer service rep about how their packages to me are routed when I was placing an order but she didn't seem to really care about how crazy their shipping was. So I pay an extra eight to ten dollars for next-day shipping and have the goods the following day.

Since American customer service shows no signs of improving, can you imagine what frustrations our grandchildren will have to endure?

Ed
 
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ive dealt with springfield armory/firing pin, & sturm ruger/refinish. awesome customer service, with consideration on both companies. this situation your having with S&W is making me reconsider ever sending my 10 in if i have difficulties with the gun.
 
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