Leatherman, they fix and upgrade with no questions. Once I sent my sideclip in to have it tightened and it came back with a new blade and new, beefier plier head. Awesome.

Weaver, will not buy another, scope fogged up, they said scope to old and said lifetime warranty no longer valid!

Redfield will not buy another!
Redfield Wide Field 3x9 fogged up sent it back in and was told it was too old and I could trade it in plus another hundred or so bucks get a refurbished scope. I said no and they sent it back busted, they swapped the locking ring a rear eye piece assembly scratched all to hell. After over a month they exchanged the scope with a refurbished scope and after the first shot, black specs coated the inside. They wouldn’t take the scope back and I replaced it with a Leupold! They screwed the wrong person, I placed that scope on the tower at the Base Range for all to see and Redfield sales in 1987 interior of Alaska took a major dump and Leupold became the #1 scope to buy!

Leupold, O’I love these guys I do!
A Sheep hunter dropped his rifle on a hunt and the scope looked like a bulldozer ran over it. Leupold gave him a brand new scope; it was bent where it shouldn’t have!
Crosshairs will only move so far, sent it in and fixed, no hassle!

Remington Rifle, O ‘Love these guys too!
Bought my Model 700BDL when I was 18 and the rifle had just a little too much headspace and they fixed it and unknown to me the stock was faulty and they replaced it to! Many rounds later I had the barrel replaced, NO HASSLE!
Model 11-87, the kick pad looked like it was actually melting, called Customer Service and had a new pad overnighted for Saturdays Turkey hunt. NO HASSLE!
MODEL 870, THEY FIXED IT, NO HASSLE!
Everyone I know who sent there rifle and shotguns back, NO HASSLE!

Ruger, real butt heads they are!
Brand New Ruger M77 300 Win Mag bore diameter out of tolerance and would not shoot any heavier than 150’s. They said nothing was wrong with it and sent it back with a nice nickel size group shot with 110 grain bullets. Another fella wanted it so I sold it to him and replaced it with a Ruger M77 25-06!

Sent my Ruger Model 77 25-06 in for a new barrel and in shipment the stock was busted. They had the audacity to say even to the local gunsmith it was because of a hot loaded 25-06 round. Now explain to me how the hell the same stock used for the 30-06 on a 25-06 can be busted and the crack didn’t originate from the action or bedding, the grip was busted and it was clear some heavy was laid on it. After two months fighting, I finally got hold of a Gentleman in Consumer Relations and had a new stock in 3 days. The rifle was insured, no skin off Ruger back, just a pin head for a customer service manager!

Good greef, you would think I learned my lesson from the first time!

Springfield XD45 Guaranteed accuracy and made in USA? BS!
Made in Croatia and was told the XD45 has a trigger pull like no other, NO SNIT! I was told by Customer service they have shot it and couldn’t hit with it ether and had to have a trigger job done!
Feels good until you actually shoot it with the worse trigger pull on the planet even worse than oil can!
I was told I had to send it in for a trigger job to get it to shoot right!
I have heard batteries not included, but accuracy?

Springfield is the most unfinished product I ever have witnessed!

____________________

RCBS The NO HASSLE COMPANY!

I had a Knight Revolution that for some reason would hang fire. The firing pin would get caught and either not touch the primer or only barely and not enough to fire it. With muzzle loader season fast approaching the understood my urgency tried to fix it with a redesigned trigger. It still had problem and I end up with a disc elite that was upgrade to stainless. They paid for the shipping both ways each time the rifle shipped and were very quick about it. The whole episode occurred over a 2 week period. I hate that the company went under but they just fell being in advertising and new gun design(the KP1 was good but too late) and no amount of great customer service could fix it.

Queens Cutlery - Back spring broke on my Bird and Small Game knife. Sent it back to the factory and they replaced the back spring, sharpened the blade and replaced a little logo that had worked loose, no charge.

Orvis and Cabela's - where can I start? Just excellent. And they give back to the communities, conservation organizations, and environment.

Thompson Center.
Had a 50 cal Hawkin muzzle loader which had a bulged barrel about 3/4 of the way down from the muzzle, I figure someone didn't fully seat a bullet over the powder or loaded one hell of a powder charge!
Also had a cracked stock but I was able to fix that just fine. (it was free, so still a good deal)

Anyway called TC, got shipping info and sent the barrel back for repair/replacement. Fully expected a bill for it, a couple weeks later I get a new barrel back, no charge!
This was 10+ years ago, hope they still do things the same.

Long story short, had this Mossberg 9200 that was having some weird issue with shells swelling at the base (I think it was firing out of battery). 15-20 year old gun. I sent it back to Mossberg, and a week or so later, I get a call that they're replacing it with a brand new Model 930 with a 24" turkey barrel, a 28" barrel, a regular stock, and a pistol-grip stock with the whole thing dipped in MO Breakup..... GRATIS.

THAT is customer service. I'll just about bet that none of the "B" gun companies would take back a two decade old gun and give you a new one!

I purchased one of the Ruger SR9's before they came out with the new trigger and sent it to them for the recall. They sent it back with an extra mag and a cap, not to mention the much improved trigger. I'm a Ruger fan for life, I'm even purchasing a new Hawkeye International for deer season this year.

I took a pair of Rocky boots back to Dick's, because the boots made a squeaking noise as I stalked early morning hunts,while there was still dew on the grass.

I got another pair of boots as soon as Rocky gave them the go ...

I had bought a box of ballistic tip noslers for my 30-06 from Federal. They looked mean so I figured I would give them a chance. It took three rounds in the boiler maker to put a 150 lbs. 5 point buck on the ground from within 50 yards. When I gutted that deer, not a single round had made it half way through one lung. I sent an email to Federal explaining my disappointment in the round. I recieved an email back the following day asking for my address so they could send me 2 boxes of different bullets that they felt would perform to my expectations. I killed deer with both types of rounds, and was very pleased with their performance as well as that of their staff. If the rounds didn't cost $60 a box, I would have bought more!

Bought a new Weatherby xxii back in 2007. When it arrived at the dealer the stock fit was very poor. Emailed Weatherby explaining the problem. They sent shipping materials and payed shipping both ways. When I got the gun back in about 2 weeks it had a new highly figured stock on it and the fit was excellent. The service Rep emailed back and said she would not have been satisfied either and appologised for the inconvenience, proving she actually did look at the gun when it was returned and was not just patronizing an old f&%t. Thanks again, Weatherby!

Cabelas is top notch. I ordered a GPS for deer hunting last year. I needed it by Friday to head up north. Well I ordered 3 weeks ahead of time, the first one I broke. They replaced it free. The second one, same model couldn't get a signal. Now I am really in a pinch as it is Wednesday before I leave. I called at 10 pm. They overnight one for Friday and tell me to send back the other one when I have time. Firday at 3 pm and hadn't arrived yet. I called them again, and they actually contacted UPS and within 10 minutes the driver was at my house. Now that is customer service. I might pay a bit more but it is worth it.

Midway USA - I ordered a cleaning rod, but it was curved. On UPS back to them it got broke by UPS - they denied the claim. I call Midway. No questions asked they send me a new one - and don't want me to send back the broken one. They have a customer for life as well.

Many moons ago, I was in the market for a new moose/bear/deer rifle. I had decided on the Remington 7600 in 35 Whelen. I asked at the local gun shops and the one I frequented most gave me a quote and said it would be about two weeks delivery. No problem, order it. I'll have the purchase price with all taxes by then. I get a call in two weeks. "What price did O quote you?"
"$460.00"
"OH........"
"What do you mean 'OH'?"
"That's my cost. But I quoted you that, so that's the price."

I made my way down to the shop post haste. I ended up getting the rifle for cost, no shipping charges. I also ended up purchasing from that shop spare mags, sling and QD swivels, scope, rings, scope cover five boxes of ammo and hard case.

Geez ... I hope some company execs are reading this. The good ones can smile. The bad ones ... well, maybe they will get a clue.

If anyone from Browning is reading ... I love you guys but my BPS 20ga has been back-ordered going on 5-months now. Grouse season is 6 weeks away! :-)

The old Redfield company in Denver sent me a new scope once after I sent one back for repair to recharge the nitrogen after young son had unscrewed the eyepiece trying to focus the scope. There had been nothing really wrong with the scope's performance, but the rep said the tube was bent. No charge for scope or shipping.

If you want to experience good customer service, call the folks at DR Products in Vergennes, VT. Not gun related, but we all have to mow or cut something!

BTW, never had to send a rifle back to Big Green ;-)

By the way, it was new off the shelf.

Cabela's customer service is #1 with me. They have helped to locate difficult to find items and exchanges and returns have never been a problem. ---And they are friendly when they do it.

On the other side of the coin, several years ago I bought a Rem. 11-87 and discovered that it patterned the shot charge quite low. I sent it back to Rem. and they said they repaired it "To within the parameters of their quality requirements" but I couldn't see any difference and had to buy a holo sight and relegate the gun to turkey hunting since I couldn't hit anything with open sights.

I've had excellent customer service from Nikon and Leupold---exactly what they offer in their guarantees.

Nothing to do with customer service, but:

As I stand at the window today looking out over beautiful Lake Washington on a crystal blue Seattle morning watching the U.S. Navy Blue Angels practice for Seafair and listening to the unmistakable sounds of freedom, I am quite emotional as I reminisce about my service days.

Mostly, because I am gently reminded that there are few things in this old World that can’t be resolved by a liberal application of TACAIR!

(Snif)

Dropped a Daisy BB gun one fridgid morning in Indiana about 1968. The plastic stock broke and they went me a new one gratis. Remington 597 has been sent back twice with the same results. Jam-a-matic in, jam-a-matic out. S&W has worked on my pistol twice with no charge. They fix it and all I have to do is pay to ship it there. RWS has a lifetime warranty and they have rebuit my air rifle three times when performance dropped below 800 fps... no charge and I only paid $169 for the gun new...

Coleman lost me last year when one of their "premium" stainless steel flasks (brand new, first use) allowed 8 ounces of Wild Turkey to seep out of it's brazed seams. By the way, it was stamped "Made in China." The whiskey soaked into a vintage leather backpack that cost about $400 but is irreplaceable today. Anyway, Coleman said they'd send me not only a new flask, but one of their top of the line daypacks to help with the loss. Not comparable by any means, but OK. More than a month later, nothing appeared in the mail. I called Coleman back. Oh, the supervisor said, sorry, we'll get that right out. In a week the flask came. A month later I e-mailed the sup again. Where's the daypack? They'll send it, he said. Almost a year later, nothing. I think I'm done with Coleman, and all my friends have heard about this, because I'm so angry about my leather pack being ruined.

Have had some good experiences with Burris, Cabela's and others. Bought a scope in Rifle,
CO, and upon close examination in the daylight, it had a piece of fuzz inside it. Dropped the scope off in Greeley,CO, on my way home, and four days later had a fuzz free
scope.
Leatherman, on the other hand, has lost me forever. Pliers on my Supertool have developed a definite wobble over the years, and the wire cutters take a bit of finesse to operate. A friend suggested send them back for an overhaul, so I called to check requirements. Got connected with a very snooty woman who informed me that they no longer made that model, and if parts were not available they would just exchange my tool for something. Being very patient and polite to this dingbat, (took considerable effort), I explained again that rather than get something I didn't want, I would get along with what I had, and I didn't want REPLACEMENT, I wanted REPAIR! She went into her spiel again about exchange and I thanked her and hung up. About a week later I read where Leatherman had agreed to turn out a special run of multi-tools for the BATFE engraved :"Think Forfiture". I called again, and e-mailed to get the truth about the BATFE
tools, and was shuffeled, hung up on and the E-mail was ignored. I will use the old Supertool until it is usless, but will never buy another Leatherman.

Here's one

If I could,. sneak it in,.. durring 80's late Sept through Mid Oct
I would spend a few days in Door County Wisconsin
Fly fishing for big Browns ( actually caught a lake run brown of just under 20 lbs) and salmon.

Thw drill was cast as far out as possible
while stading in the water ,. which was always cold,. it was work too so you could stay warm for a time.
Mostly 8 wt stuff but of wind was really up ,. #10 wt
But put a windoff the lake in teh equasion
and sooner or later the cold seeps in. and then you COLD
not chilly but cold right to the bone.
So back to the car warnm up something hot to drink than back at it .

I had,.. still have,.. a thermo vac steel insulated thermos, a gift from my parentrs
Mornings I would fill it with screaming hot tea with sugar and honey. Too many calories were not a concern casting that hard that long in that weather.

On one trip lost the top one ,. wrote the company saying last Iknew a new top was $2.95 .Sending along a check for that amount.
Told em what I used it for and that it was the only thing i could find that would keep the tea hot from morning to mid afternoon or until I finised it or someone else did .
That was in,. I think 1988 and the thermos was 5 years old then ,.

I would buy another one any day if i needed one , but I still have the old one

Long story short, Browning service is awesome.

Work in progress: Last fall I bought a new Weatherby SUB-MOA Vanguard with all the trimmings in .30-06. Only one problem: The trigger has a tiny amount of creep. It is minor and incredibly consistent, and the rife produces .750" groups. But it still bothers me to think about it, when I do think about it. Didn't buy it for hunting, only bench work, so I was in no hurry to fix it. I'm no novice with triggers, but try as I might, none of the usual quick-and-easy adjustments worked. I figured I'd get to the serious work sometime this summer. But then before I could do that, I found myself at the NRA convention in Phoenix in May. Lo and behold, there was the Timney booth with its beautiful golden drop-in triggers. The Weatherby model looked and felt gorgeous. And, it was on sale for $30 less than the catalogue price. A gentleman overheard me talking about my Weatherby problem, and asked to me to speak with him for a moment. Turns out, he was a Weatherby rep. Anyway, he gave me his card with a technicians' name on it, told me to send the trigger to him at Weatherby, and say "it is out of spec," and they will send me their finest trigger to drop in, free of charge.

Haven't done it yet, but this column has reminded me to add it to my to-do list. If the service turns out to be as friendly and proactive as the rep at the NRA convention, I'll sell a couple Weatherbys by word-of-mouth next time I'm at the Ben Avery range.

To Yohan: The whiskey seepage occurred during a summer camp-out with friends. In Arizona. The 25-year-old poker cards that were also in the backpack got damp, but we still used them because we honor tradition. And no one got hurt, either. Imagine that!

Buck knives is great. So is Midway and Lee Reloading. I broke a 30-30 cal. primer pin, through my own fault. Ordered a new one from Lee over the phone and told them it was my fault. I expected to pay for the pin, but they sent a new one free of charge, and they paid the postage. Their products and service are first class. Ruger and Smith and Wesson are excellent too. I have never had to send anything back to Remington, but they have an excellent reputation as others have reported here.

Several years ago I purchased a Winchester M70 in .375 H&H Magnum. Brand new condition. I reload but always shoot a box of factory ammo first in any new firearm. Several of the case necks split on the first firing. I contacted Wichester(ammo mfr.). The person I spoke with asked a couple of questions and asked that I return any unfired ammo and the brass with the split necks. A couple of weeks later I received a short letter advising me that the case necks on that lot were nor properly annealed. In addition I received certificates for two boxes of ammo. Very nice of them!

I had a Bushnell Scopechief that I had owned for 19 years and six months. The cross-hairs in the scope faded to invisable. I sent them the scope and the original reciept of purchase along with the box and papers that came with the scope. It had a warranty of 20 years. Six months left. To save a lot of typing they sent me a new - upgraded scope. Scopechief scopes had long been discontinued.
Also, I cannot say enough about RCBS. I have been reloading for over 50 years. Jay Postman was wonderful. The new crew is just as good.
Silvertip

I bought a pair of Danner boots and the stitching was bad and I didn’t have the receipt because it was a gift. That particular model was discontinued and they refunded me the price of the boots at list price!!!

Ruger is outstanding in customer service. I have a 10/22 that was given to my brother back in 1976 as a "first real gun" Christmas present. We really, without hesitation, shot that thing for years and even used one of those old BMF activators on it. Finally blew the extractor and spring clean out of it. It still worked so I shot it for another 8 years, WITHOUT THE EXTRACTOR! My buddy said that I should contact Ruger to see if I could get another spring and extractor for it. I did and they sent it to me FREE OF CHARGE. It now shoots and extracts without shooting. I said it to the rep then but I'll say it again. Thanks Ruger!

My only real story is with Ruger. A couple weeks before opening day, I'm cleaning my M77 .270 and find a pit within a couple inches of the muzzle. The gun was maybe 10 years old at the time, but couldn't have had more than 5-600 rounds through it and I clean everything religiously. I just couldn't imagine neglect was the cause, but I call them up and tell them the situation. They say "send it in" and I do. Two weeks later, it was delivered to my parents' place (where I was hunting) with a new barrel installed, no charge. I sing their praises any time I get the chance.

I bought a Remington 870 Express Super Magnum the day they hit the racks (I'd been waiting for Big Green to make a 3 1/2" 12 gauge for several years.) I shot nothing but low brass trap loads through it for several months. The first time I shot a 3 1/2" load through it, the bolt came off the carrier, locking the gun up (with 2 rounds in the magazine.) After disassemling it, and unsticking the spent case from the chamber with a rod, I noticed a small burr in the front of the chamber. I called Remington, and they gave me an authorization number to ship the entire gun back to them via UPS at their cost. When I got it back a few weeks later, they had not only repolished the chamber, but had refinished the entire gun, removing several scratches,etc. that I had already accumulated. I was already a Remington fan, but that cemented my loyalty.

Clay,
You wrote:
"Springfield XD45 Guaranteed accuracy and made in USA? BS!
Made in Croatia and was told the XD45 has a trigger pull like no other, NO SNIT! I was told by Customer service they have shot it and couldn’t hit with it ether and had to have a trigger job done!
Feels good until you actually shoot it with the worse trigger pull on the planet even worse than oil can!
I was told I had to send it in for a trigger job to get it to shoot right!
I have heard batteries not included, but accuracy?

Springfield is the most unfinished product I ever have witnessed!"

Buy a Llama sometime, complete crap. I have a Llama IX-C high cap 1911 style 45. Standard parts won't fit, replacements are like finding hens teeth, and even after many hours of work it still won't feed HPs reliably. Mostly will feed FMJ but even that hangs up sometimes.

I replaced it with a Springfield 1911A1, and to my amazement also is not made in USA! Mine was made in Brazil, guess Brazil makes better guns than Croatia as the 1911 worked well after I adjusted the extractor. It was used and I assume the previous owner liked to drop a round into the chamber and slam it shut, as the extractor was loose on a round and ejection of empties was inconsistent.
I also added a beavertail safety and bobbed the hammer, added white dot sights, and soldered on a brass shim on the back of the trigger strap to take out the slack and now have a very nice carry gun. If I get ambitious I would like to round off some of the sharp corners on the gun but that can wait.

Late getting in on this one, but agree with Proverbs regarding Browning. My buckmark .22 has palstic recoil components that break and they've been terrific to deal with; to the point of sending me a bag full of replacements after several episodes...they kept track of me despite a move and phone number change.
Off guns but still on customer service...I had responsibility for customer service in my bailiwick for several well known consumer packaged goods companies over the last 30 years. At one we participated in an interesting study:
3 scenarios
1- a customer is pleased with the goods and service of his/her purchase-rating 0 or par.
2- a customer is unhappy with the goods or service and then is tretaed badly by the company-rating -50 (and they tell all their friends)
3- a customer is unhappy with their goods or services, and then is made whole by excellent customer service and follow-up- rating +50 (and they really tell their friends)
This was statistcially proven, and is the hallmark of those companies that get it right, many of which are named here.
Thanks!

Surprised there's nothing here on Swarovski. Best optics and company ever. The only thing better than Swarovski optics is Swarovski customer service.

#1. Foolishly loaned out my SLC's a month before my hunt and they came back with the grip peeling off the underside. Called Swaro, 'send them on in at our expense' they said. I sent them in, was given a brand new courtesy pair for my hunt until my newly refurbished pair arrived a few weeks later.

#2. Spoke a few months back with a Swaro rep. at an expo about economy/optics etc. and praised the company in the process. The rep asks for my contact info, 'I may want to publish a testimonial from you' he says. Three weeks later I come home to a big box on my door step; inside are two Swaro T-shirts, two Swaro polo's and two Swaro hats with a note from the rep thanking me for the kind words.

It took me four tries to get on here and I forgot what the hell I was supposed to be commenting on. Commie bas... oh yeah. You opened up a can of worms on this one, Phil. "Customer Service Stories"

The best ones are the ones you've never heard because you have never had to send one of their rifles or handguns back.... Ruger, Knight...

I have dealt with Mossberg and overall I was extremely satisfied. My one bugaboo with them involved the safety on my Model 500 shotgun. It was the old plastic safety slide and broke when I was shooting some of Federal's brutal 3" maximum slug leads from the bench (broke the earpiece on my glasses too). I called Mossberg to order a new safety lever and had already disassembled the shotgun and removed the broken one. Well that lady from Mossberg would not send me a replacement safety lever because I had not attented an approved Mossberg armorer's school. I argued, cajoled, and cried to no avail; I had to send the shotgun to them. Mossberg turned it around fast and when I received it back from them. the bolt had been upgraded, and they replaced my magazine tube...no charge! So overall it was a good experience. I still think that sometimes the "liability" issue is carried too far although I do understand where they are coming from.
Ruger has always been a good company to deal with. They did sell me a firing pin for my P-85 amd explained to me over the telephone how to get the old firing pin out as I couldn't find any instructions online at the time.

Traditions sent me a free front sight for my .50 caliber flintlock when I wrote them and asked how much they charged for it as I planned to make the purchase. I'd bought the rifle at the Greensboro, NC Gander Mountain without the sight on it and saved money doing so. Finally wanted a front sight and figured the manufacturer would have what I need. Good products and I'm a loyal customer.

I have a Ruger Red Label in 12 gauge which shoots and handles great. Unfortunately, the barrel selector/safety switch came loose so that it would move from safe to fire on its own as I carried it pheasant hunting, which is a problem. I called Ruger and got a human being in a timely manner who had me send it back to the factory COD. The service rep was efficient, knowledgeable and professional.

Since it was going to be in their shop anyway, I had them make two changes to the gun: 1. set the ejectors to only lift the spent shells (I clean my mess and hate rooting round in the field for them), and 2. set the safety so it does not automatically reset on 'safe' every time I break the action. These improvements cost me $50. The factory sent the gun back at their expense with the repairs and gunsmith work done properly.

Since these repairs were done, the trim between the barrels has become loose. While I was pleased with Ruger's customer service, I am disappointed in my Red Label. I shall probably not buy another Ruger again.

Stay tuned!

I"M #$%^&*()&^%^&*)^)^)%(^%(^)&*(^_)^T&(YG OUIGBLH (P*&*(&B&* PIUH RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay tuned!

I"M #$%^&*()&^%^&*)^)^)%(^%(^)&*(^_)^T&(YG OUIGBLH (P*&*(&B&* PIUH RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!