S&W Warranty Repair - 8 Months and Counting - Normal?

[pgwoodgrain]

Hey, all. Long-time listener, first-time caller.

Wanted to share my experience so far with a S&W warranty repair and see whether anyone has had a similar one recently.

My Lew Horton 27-8's hammer pivot pin broke, so I had my local gun shop send it back to the factory for a warranty repair.

The gun was picked up by FedEx on 9/13/2023. S&W's communication has been spotty and full of false starts since it arrived at their factory. After a long period of radio silence, my gun shop guy learned in December that S&W had just realized it'd need to go into the special Performance Center repair queue instead of the regular one.

I guess that means the queuing process had to start over. We made contact with the factory again a couple weeks ago and they confirmed they had it but gave no further update.

After eight months, I'm frustrated. I'm starting to wonder whether they even have the resources anymore to repair this gun, and what it'll take to get them to admit it if not--and, if they throw in the towel, what my options will be to recoup its collector value, which exceeds its original retail price.

Wish I had it back--not only for the obvious reasons, but also because I'd have loved for my first post here to show a picture of it wearing the birdseye maple Culina target grips that arrived back in October!

Has this happened to anyone else within the past year?

 

[chase45]

Not normal. I had a 586 with busted pins that they replaced in about 2 months. Sent it in before Christmas. I have to wonder if going through your shop has hindered progress. Anytime I have had a warranty issue I contacted them directly with no 3rd party involved and received fast service. They also fixed a BG38 with a broken part in less than a month in the same time frame.

The last time I read about lackluster CS on a repair issue was also a guy who went through his shop instead of contacting directly. Maybe just a coincidence though

 

[pgwoodgrain]

Not normal. I had a 586 with busted pins that they replaced in about 2 months. Sent it in before Christmas. I have to wonder if going through your shop has hindered progress. Anytime I have had a warranty issue I contacted them directly with no 3rd party involved and received fast service. They also fixed a BG38 with a broken part in less than a month in the same time frame.

The last time I read about lackluster CS on a repair issue was also a guy who went through his shop instead of contacting directly. Maybe just a coincidence though

This is a good point--I've wondered, too. I'm hoping I won't have to re-initiate any sort of warranty claim made by the shop on my behalf if I reach out directly.

 

[chase45]

This is a good point--I've wondered, too. I'm hoping I won't have to re-initiate any sort of warranty claim made by the shop on my behalf if I reach out directly.

The only other thing Ill mention is all my warranty claims have been on current production guns. Not certain what the current 27 is up to now or if the -8 is current. My 586 was a PC gun and it also did have to go to the PC shop which I was told added some time. Sent mid December and returned late Feb or so if memory serves. I did send a email to CS around the time the 586 was originally due back for any repair notes and that is when I learned it was sent to the PC portion of S&W. They requoted me a another 2-3 week timeframe and fell in it squarely.

There should be a control number that your gun shop should have regarding it. If not the serial should probably get CS to where they can check the status.

Id be irked at 8 months. Its time for that girl to come home.

 

[pgwoodgrain]

The only other thing Ill mention is all my warranty claims have been on current production guns. Not certain what the current 27 is up to now or if the -8 is current. My 586 was a PC gun and it also did have to go to the PC shop which I was told added some time. Sent mid December and returned late Feb or so if memory serves. I did send a email to CS around the time the 586 was originally due back for any repair notes and that is when I learned it was sent to the PC portion of S&W. They requoted me a another 2-3 week timeframe and fell in it squarely.

There should be a control number that your gun shop should have regarding it. If not the serial should probably get CS to where they can check the status.

Id be irked at 8 months. Its time for that girl to come home.

Thanks, Chase. This is all good info to have.

The gun isn't current production, which could be the fly in the ointment here. Maybe it's an older bluing process, or the need to run up a part they no longer stock.

But yes, agreed. I miss her dearly.

 

[jeffrefrig]

FWIW, I bought a new 27-9 back in September of ‘22. After shooting a few cylinders of 38 Spl. When I did the cleanup that night I found a chunk of the forcing cone broke off. I took it to the shop where it came from. They sent it in. Two months later I got it back. Now the gun would only work in four of six cylinders. They sent it back. Their shop is a pretty big one, the owner is a good smith. They get regular visits from the local S&W rep. After a month & a half the owner was pretty ticked off. He demanded my gun and a few others sent back, he fixed mine and tested it inside a half hour. I don’t know if anything’s changed but I have a couple other issues that I will pay to get fixed w it’s this gun. Very nice looking gun, but live and learn. It would be uncool to compare to another American company that has a ten to twelve day repair turnaround, my house to my house repaired and cleaned up.

 

[rct269]

Such service is entirely normal under the circumstances, and symptomatic of the REAL problem!

The first thing you get beaten into your head at what I call Problem Solving School is to make sure you've identified the REAL problem before you start spending valuable resources trying to correct symptoms or apparent problems. The nature of the REAL problem goes like this: In the beginning, 1857, and continuing for about 100 years, S&W's philosophy very clearly was, We will be successful if we build the best possible product for the price. Then, along about the middle of the 20th century, things began to change-----to their new philosophy. That goes like this: We will be successful if we build our product at the lowest possible cost.

The symptoms arising from this philosophy abound! We hear about them on a regular and frequent basis right here------damn shame too!!

Ralph Tremaine

 

[pgwoodgrain]

Not normal. I had a 586 with busted pins that they replaced in about 2 months. Sent it in before Christmas. I have to wonder if going through your shop has hindered progress. Anytime I have had a warranty issue I contacted them directly with no 3rd party involved and received fast service. They also fixed a BG38 with a broken part in less than a month in the same time frame.

The last time I read about lackluster CS on a repair issue was also a guy who went through his shop instead of contacting directly. Maybe just a coincidence though

Today I called S&W customer service with my serial number and asked for a status update.

The rep told me they couldn't give me updates directly since I sent it in through my FFL. If there's any news, he said, it'll be given to my contact at the gun shop, not to me.

According to him, this can't be adjusted, and I'll keep having to rely on this game of (literal) telephone.

Frustrating.

 

[PHS327]

I dropped and lost the knob from the end of the ejector rod on my model 69. When I contacted S&W they sent me a shipping label and told me to send it in. So I boxed it up and took it to Fedex. I was told I would have to let Fedex know I was shipping a gun when I dropped it off. When I told the first Fedex employee I spoke to I was shipping a gun she said "We don't do that." I said, "Yes you do."
So, she turn to her manager, who was standing right next to her and asked him. He told her they do if it was properly packaged before it was brought in.
Anyway, more to the point, when the gun was at S&W for 4 weeks, I called and asked for a status update. The CS agent said, all she could do was verify they had the gun and said 4 weeks was about the current average. About a week later, they shipped the gun back to me. I received it last week. All they did was replace the ejector rod, which probably took them less than 10 minutes.

 

[Fishinfool]

OP - In the past I have been accused of having an impatient nature. That may be true, but in this case I would feel fully justified in raising he** with both S&W and your dealer until the issue is resolved. 8 months with no information or action on S&W's part is ridicules and unacceptable.

Larry

 

[MelvinWalker]

OP - In the past I have been accused of having an impatient nature. That may be true, but in this case I would feel fully justified in raising he** with both S&W and your dealer until the issue is resolved. 8 months with no information or action on S&W's part is ridicules and unacceptable.

Larry

Me as well....And I just a few weeks ago sent an 22A semi-auto pistol in for a dangerous major recall that happened a few years ago.

I can tell you if I don't either hear something or have it back and completely fixed in about six weeks or less, I'll be making major waves.

 

[444 Magnum]

OP,
I'm sorry you're having a bad experience. My recent experience was just the opposite.

I sent two pistols to S&W in March. A 19-5 and a 586. The cylinder would not open on either pistol. (these were pistols I just inherited) Both were shipped to the PC in Springfield.

The 19-5 was received by S&W and shipped back to me the next day with a note that the extractor had been adjusted. Just about a week from me shipping it to me receiving it. The action was fine and shoots great.

The 586 had a lot of wear and the cylinder wouldn't open. I asked them to "go through it" and replace anything that was worn. I never received an estimate for repairs. I got it back last week- roughly 2 months. Everything seems to work fine. There was a note in the box but no explanation of any repairs. The note said they test fired the 586 and the results were within S&W parameters.

Probably both were simple repairs; but both my pistols were outside the 1989 lifetime warranty time frame (1985-1986) and I am not the original owner. S&W covered shipping both ways, fixed both pistols, and I wasn't charged anything. I am very pleased.

 

[Retired W4]

Your gun was likely shipped to TN for repair. The Performance Center is in MA so it was probably re-shipped from TN to MA which probably confused the PC folks. I would not speculate why they might be confused but at best your piece went to the bottom of the list up in Massachusetts, after spending time at the bottom of the TN list. I recently sent a 29-2 in for minor repair and it was shipped directly to the PC due to it's age, as I was told. I got it back in a little over 3 months. With a broken hammer pivot pin I'm surprised S&W didn't just send you another (new) gun.

 

[gwpercle]

My Mom had a saying ... "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

My mom would have called S&W every freaking day untill someone did something ... and "Let me Speak to your Supervisor" was one of her "ways" of getting things done . The people at the top can do more for you and they don't like hearing complaints . She was nice but persistent as a hungry bull dog with a bone and never took "no" for an answer !
She also liked to say ..."Where there is a will , there is a way !"

I've used her methods a time or two to get things done ... be nice , speak to the right people , be persistent and ...
... you will get taken care of !
Gary

 

[Lou_the_welder]

Not normal. On average, on the guns that I had sent in, they were returned around 4 weeks. But I sent them in myself.

A long time ago, I sent in a 625 through my LGS and that one took a long time to get back. But not 8 months!

I don't know where I heard, it's better to send them in yourself. But I think it's true.

 

[Photog]

A very bad scenario is that they received the gun, as they said, but now have no idea where it is and are actively looking for it, hence no update on repair status. This happened to a buddy of mine, although with a different manufacturer. Took them 10 months to find the pistol,

 

[cruiserdan]

This is precisely why I recently sent my S&W PPK/S to Walther instead of S&W for the safety recall. The time frame from my first email to Walther about getting it done to getting the gun back in my hands was 11 days.

 

[MelvinWalker]

My Mom had a saying ... "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

My mom would have called S&W every freaking day untill someone did something ... and "Let me Speak to your Supervisor" was one of her "ways" of getting things done . The people at the top can do more for you and they don't like hearing complaints . She was nice but persistent as a hungry bull dog with a bone and never took "no" for an answer !
She also liked to say ..."Where there is a will , there is a way !"

I've used her methods a time or two to get things done ... be nice , speak to the right people , be persistent and ...
... you will get taken care of !
Gary

I like your mom....She's my kind of people.

 

[Retired W4]

My Mom had a saying ... "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

My mom would have called S&W every freaking day untill someone did something ... and "Let me Speak to your Supervisor" was one of her "ways" of getting things done . The people at the top can do more for you and they don't like hearing complaints . She was nice but persistent as a hungry bull dog with a bone and never took "no" for an answer !
She also liked to say ..."Where there is a will , there is a way !"

I've used her methods a time or two to get things done ... be nice , speak to the right people , be persistent and ...
... you will get taken care of !
Gary

My Mom said the same. She also said "You can catch more fly's with honey then vinagar."

 

[ruger 22]

I had a warranty repair done last year and it took 6 weeks. I had an old model 10 fixed recently and this was not warranty. It took 6 months which I was quoted right in the beginning from S& W which explained that this repair needed to go to the custom shop and that had a long wait time.