Gear breaks, parts wear out. It is a fact with anything mechanical, and firearms are not immune. We can all relate to horror stories of trying to deal with a companys customer service to have our firearm repaired. Some companies just do not understand that a happy customer can be a lifelong customer and brand advocate. On the flip side, you have probably heard stories from a customer who had stellar customer service and cannot say enough good things about a company that went the extra mile to make them happy. Heres one of those stories.
We purchased a Smith & Wesson 642 Airweight 38 Special knowing the frame was cracked because we wanted to repair it and experience S&Ws customer service. We had one of our anonymous team members send the pistol so we would not get preferential treatment. Heres what happened. On December 26, our representative went to Smith-Wesson.com, and under the Resources panel, clicked Service for Contact Information. The website apologized in advance and asked for our patience and provided an email address. Not a good sign. We typed up a short note that read:
Smith & Wesson Service, I have a S&W .38 Special Airweight revolver, and I believe the frame is cracked below the barrel (see photo). The serial number is BMA3896. The numbers on the left side are A5 9X887. The numbers on the right side are 21104 241. It is also marked MOD 642. Please let me know what I need to do in order to get this revolver repaired. Thank you.
We clicked send and shortly received an automated reply, saying it would be up to five business days before we would receive a response. On January 6, we received an email with detailed instructions on how to pack the revolver, along with what to include: a note describing the issue and our contact info. A FedEx mailing label was included. We shipped it promptly, and with the FedEx tracking number found out it had arrived at S&W on Friday, January 10. On January 17, we received a telephone call from a representative of S&W stating the company would replace rather than repair the pistol and wanted our FFLs info so they could ship the new gun.
It took a total of 22 days to resolve our issue. Even though it to took longer than the five days for S&W to get back to us after the initial contact (seven days), it was, after all, during the Christmas and New Years holidays.
Our Team Said: We got a brand-new 642 at no charge – more than we expected. Obviously, we are happy with the service.
