Posted: 3/6/2012 10:45:42 AM EDT
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Maybe you guys will think I'm over-reacting, but I was pretty disappointed today by a customer service encounter. I'm usually a pretty easy going person, so I don't think I'm asking for too much in this situation.
I bought a CMMG 308 SASS about 3 months ago, and I love the gun. It's been a great rifle. But last night, I was removing the free float hand-guard, and found one of the bolts holding it to the barrel nut had been over-torqued from the factory. The bolt broke off while I was trying to take it out, but I eventually got it out. I called up CMMG to see if I could get a couple extra screws to replace the one that broke, and maybe have an extra just in case. The guy on the phone was extremely nice, and said he would see what he could do, but he needed to check with his manager. Apparently, the manager wanted to know why I was removing the hand-guard to begin with. I thought that was odd, since it's my gun, and the hand-guard is designed to be removable with 3 allen bolts, so why would it matter? The manager then told the guy speaking to me something to the effect of "Once you start taking things off, it's kind of all on you"...... I told the guy on the phone I was a bit disappointed with that answer, since the hand-guard was designed to be removable. It's not like I was hacking away on the gun, I just took out 3 screws that held it together and one broke. I have a hard time believing CMMG expects someone to go the lifetime of this rifle and never remove those screws. He did offer to send me the screws if I payed the shipping, but said he could not send me any at no cost at all. I told him not to worry about it, I would just go to Lowe's and get a screw. He was nice enough to give me the thread dimensions to find a replacement screw with, so I do think the person I was speaking with was trying to be as helpful as possible, but his manager wouldn't let him send out 2 simple screws to a customer. Overall, the screw isn't even a big deal. I can find it myself at Lowe's, or pay them $3 to ship me one. It's just disappointing that a company didn't want to take the time to satisfy a customer with a $1,400 rifle, by spending $2.00 on a screw and some postage. The biggest disappointment is that I was basically told not to disassemble anything on the rifle, because any problems after that are considered my fault. Am I just setting my expectations too high, or does this seem like something simple a company should be able to handle for a customer? TLDR: A screw was over-torqued on my 3 month old rifle and broke off when trying to remove it. CMMG said I shouldn't have been trying to remove it, and did not want to send a replacement screw. They told me if I take it apart, any problems are on me. After expressing my disappointment, they offered to send the screws and only charge for shipping, but at that point I told them I would just get one locally instead. |
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I've tried to order replacement screws from several companies and they've always sent them to me for free. Most recently it's been Aimpoint and Nightforce, both oustanding companies.
Thats good business, and as a result I'll keep buying stuff from them. It sounds like CMMG wasted an opportunity to improve their reputation as a company and possibly create a repeat customer. |
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Here's one for ya: I recently acquired a LARS OP4 billet upper––an ambidextrous side-charger––and it was missing the retaining bolt that held the BCG in to the upper when the upper is removed (think replaces the charging handle). When I called their customer service and informed them that I had picked up one of their uppers used and was trying to find this bolt, they promptly asked me about the condition of it and several other questions. They sent me a bolt that I paid for, and a newer style charging handle for free (aluminum vice steel). Also contact information and a spec sheet/parts list if I had any questions later.
I mean, all I wanted was a bolt...sheesh. Talk about lousy customer service. Needless to say––my next side-charger will utilize their uppers. |
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Quoted:
Wow. I just told a buddy shopping for an AR to look at CMMG's. I guess I'll have to eat a bit of crow and tell him to just buy the one he wants instead. Dick move CMMG. I've built four M4geries with CMMG lowers, and have had no problems. I think your friend is good to go. |
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Smith & Wesson customer service is still top notch. Yeah, if need be they would have emailed you a UPS tag, had the rifle picked up, fixed it right, then mailed it back to you 
Or at least they would have sent you free screws. I do like S&W customer service, to borrow/butcher a quote "they set the standard that their competitors should follow." A cyber cookie for you if you remember where that came from... |
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I'm a customer service manager, and I can tell you that if I could make a customer happy by sending him 3 screws, I would do it in a heartbeat. That's basically what I would have thought too. I realize it's might be kind of petty, but if all it takes is 5 minutes and $1-2 worth of parts/postage to satisfy a customer, it's hard to believe that any company wouldn't just send them out. |
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I'm a customer service manager, and I can tell you that if I could make a customer happy by sending him 3 screws, I would do it in a heartbeat. This. I work in CS for a living, always have. I very, very seldom encounter someone in CS who unwilling to help me. Unable? A few times. Maybe I'm the luckiest guy on Earth but, I can count on one hand the number of times I've walked away from a CS encounter thinking "wow, that's kind of fucked up." One of my favorite CS stories is I sent an e-mail to Kershaw because the finish on a Leek knife's belt clip, I'd carried everyday for 5 years, was starting to wear through. My e-mail simply asked how much a replacement clip would be and how I would go about ordering it. They sent a reply asking for my mailing address and I sent it, never heard a reply and I thought "wow, that's kind of fucked up." I let it go. Three days later I had a package in the mailbox, 3 new clips, 3 sets of replacement screws and a custom badged "Kershaw" interchangeable screwdriver with all of the allen bits all of their knives take. I was mightily impressed. But, then, shit like that happens to me all the time when I deal with CS departments. |
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Not to disparage you OP I think it might be a little out of line to EXPECT a company to send out replacement parts of any kind. You payed for the parts on the rifle and that's all.
With that said I think it is a bright idea as a customer service rep to be generous with cheap parts. I can guess approximately how much 2 new sets of screws would have cost and that doesn't come close to the good will that tiny price could buy from a customer. If I need cheap replacement parts I can't find on my own I always ASK how much it would be to purchase them. I never assume they are owed to me. But I've had a couple of poor experiences with CMMG so I get where you're coming from. |
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Same thing happened to me with CompTac. I have a Ctac that I'd worn for less than a month. One of the screws that holds the clip on fell out. I hadn't adjusted the clips or anything when I got it, so it was obviously loose from the factory. I sent them an email and their reply was basically "the manual says you need to tighten them once a week. You can buy new ones for 1.99 plus shipping" HAH and you can fuck right off...I'm never buying anything from your company again. |
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Not to disparage you OP I think it might be a little out of line to EXPECT a company to send out replacement parts of any kind. You payed for the parts on the rifle and that's all. You're correct, but when one of the parts on the rifle is defective, shouldn't it be replaced? I've never looked at the warranty on this rifle, but I would assume it's more than 3 months. But of course, they implied that I voided that warranty when I took the hand-guard off. It's not like it was some neglected screw that rusted over for 10 years. The rifle is 3 months old, and the bolt snapped off when I tried to loosen it. It was clearly a defective screw, or it was overtightened from the factory. If this was a rifle I'd had for a couple years and installed/removed the hand-guard previously, I would chalk it up to being my own fault and ask to buy the screws. |
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Is there another kind? http://i.imgur.com/cAubk.jpg I can count on one hand the good customer service interactions I've had in the last ten years. Sure there is, I know people bash Bushmaster but their customer was great to deal with. Columbia Sportswear also has fantastic customer service. I had a parka that I bought in 2002 and the zipper broke. They have a lifetime warranty on zippers so I sent it in to be repaired. About a week later I received a phone call from their customer service to inform me that my coat couldn't be repaired, they were sending me a new one, and they asked which color I would like. A week later I received a brand new coat that had a retail of 3 times what I'd paid for the original. |
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Not that they owed you anything, but I would think just out of good will they would have sent a couple screws.
I just had a great experience with Minox CS. Had a problem with a ZA5 scope I had purchased, they paid shipping back to them, replaced my unit with another one with a different reticule(at my request), and since there was a delay in getting the replacement unit to their repair facility, overnighted it back to me so I could still have it before the weekend. Top notch response there. |
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Quoted: Is there another kind? http://i.imgur.com/cAubk.jpg I can count on one hand the good customer service interactions I've had in the last ten years. Don't own a Dillon, huh? |
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Companies I have had send me free replacement screws or other small parts with no urging required: Ruger RCBS B-Square (Crappy product, but customer service was great.) Talley Leupold Gerber That's off the top of my head. There are likely at least a couple more. Whomever CMMG is, they should review their customer service management. Repeat customers are pretty important to any company with a lick of sense. |
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Quoted: I bought an expensive namebrand backpack once with a "lifetime warranty". It developed a problem so I sent it to the manufacturer. Turned out the "lifetime warranty" was only for the life of the backpack - too bad. Fucksticks. Lol, we guarantee this will not break until it breaks  Speed |
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I always like to let companies know I've heard about their bullshit so I sent them this real quick.
"Words out ya'll were jerks to a customer over a couple of screws for a rifle. A dollar in parts and a couple of bucks in shipping vs. guys like me hearing about you telling a customer to pound sand. Not smart. There are many many options out there for us and your company is no longer one of them for a lot of us." They need to know there are consequences to treating people that spend money with them like that. |
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Quoted: I always like to let companies know I've heard about their bullshit so I sent them this real quick. "Words out ya'll were jerks to a customer over a couple of screws for a rifle. A dollar in parts and a couple of bucks in shipping vs. guys like me hearing about you telling a customer to pound sand. Not smart. There are many many options out there for us and your company is no longer one of them for a lot of us." They need to know there are consequences to treating people that spend money with them like that. Honeybadger don't give a shit...he'll fire off an email any damn time he feels like it. |