Taurus Customer Service, again

[The Rabbi]

I've posted elsewhere about Taurus' outstanding(ly bad) customer service. I am still waiting for a revolver screw and thumbpiece ordered over a year ago.

Anyway, I recovered a Model 817 from the theft last March. Some chowderhead had tried to obliterate the serial number from the barrel (it also appears on the frame, untouched) and the police scratched an id number under it.

So I called Taurus to see if they would do anything. The guy on the phone told me I could send it in and they would probably replace the barrel and charge me for it. Also told me I had to send all the police paperwork with it.

Way to keep the dealers happy!

[molonlabetn]

Would it be worth an insurance claim?

I mean, the damage to the gun wasn't Taurus' fault... But, waiting a year for parts is an issue though, I'm no fan of Taurus and that is confirmation why.

[The Rabbi]

Not sure why you are mad at them. They didn't cause the theft and are offering to fix the problem. You expect them to do the work for free?

There's good customer service and outstanding customer service. Outstanding would be for them to replace the whole gun. Yeah, they aren't strictly speaking liable for it. But I am a dealer, I do sell their product, and I have lots fewer resources then they do. If this were a Ruger I am confident they would do just that because they've done it for others in the past.

Good customer service would be to have me send it in and they'll repair/replace the barrel at some nominal cost.

Lousy customer service is telling me to send it in along with a ton of documentation and maybe they'll think about fixing it if they can and will charge me all the way.

Which company would you rather do business with?

[Guest GetoffTheX]

Taurus does Blow when it comes to customer service. I had to deal with them one time with an old 38 special revolver that needed some parts, they said because of its age, they couldnt do anything with it, and I could trade it in for a newer model.lol

PS: Rafsanjani can lick my balls.

[Guest Disney]

1. Quit selling Taurus products.

2. Quit your bitching.

3.......

4. Profit.

[Marswolf]

Everyone play nice....

But I agree that this sounds like an insurance claim thing to me.

[Guest Disney]

Oh, and I do agree that they seem to historically have some really sucky customer service. Rabbi should be afforded a LOT of privilege being a dealer for their product. One sure fire way to NOT sell your product is to hack off the ones that are selling it for you.

[The Rabbi]

Everyone play nice....

But I agree that this sounds like an insurance claim thing to me.

Insurance claim?? WTF?

Most policies have deductibles. The cost of the gun was probably $250-300, well within the deductible.

Anyone buying insurance recently has noticed that companies are very reluctant to write anyone with a claim. So save your claims for the big items.

Finally, I could not even get property coverage for the shop. Insurance cos will not write it. My insurance solely for liability is already $1400/yr. When the break-in occurred I lost about $4k worth of stuff. I had to eat the whole amount.

[Urse]

Insurance claim?? WTF?

Most policies have deductibles. The cost of the gun was probably $250-300, well within the deductible.

Anyone buying insurance recently has noticed that companies are very reluctant to write anyone with a claim. So save your claims for the big items.

Finally, I could not even get property coverage for the shop. Insurance cos will not write it. My insurance solely for liability is already $1400/yr. When the break-in occurred I lost about $4k worth of stuff. I had to eat the whole amount.

That sucks...I guess you don't get into the gun business to become rich huh?

[The Rabbi]

That sucks...I guess you don't get into the gun business to become rich huh?

Honestly, just based on numbers it is a crappy, dying business. Margins are incredibly thin. I would bet most people have no idea how much of the retail price is gross dealer profit. It's about 5-10%. With the internet that makes things worse because the traditionally high margin items, scopes, holsters, etc can now be bought at a discount with no sales tax via internet.

On the plus side, I love what I do and have gotten to meet some really terrific people. Since I dont depend on it to feed the family it works out OK.

[Marswolf]

Sorry to hear you can't get get coverage, Rabbi. I know of one shop in my area who did have insurance though and had a claim that was paid a few years ago. If you like, I'll dig out their phone number for you and you can call them.

[Guest ETS_Inc]

Want to make $1,000,000 in the gun business?

Start with $2,000,000.

Rabbi, it sounds like Taurus doesn't want you to sell their guns. It's too bad their price makes them so dang popular.

[Marswolf]

Rabbi, it sounds like Taurus doesn't want you to sell their guns.

You could be right.

[The Rabbi]

Frank, they make decent products at good prices. That's why they have been so succesful. But this customer service issue is going to get them, similar to Smith's sell-out to Clinton got them.

[saintsfanbrian]

Let's see

The guy on the phone told me I could send it in and they would probably replace the barrel and charge me for it. Also told me I had to send all the police paperwork with it.

Way to keep the dealers happy!

So they are willing to replace the barrel for a fee, which is something that you agree would be the right thing for them to do since it isn't their fault that the gun was stolen.

They are asking for the police paperwork to make sure that you aren't trying to destroy evidence etc.

I don't see where they are in the wrong on this one. There are probably plenty of unscrupulous people would take evidence that was stolen from the police and try to have it "cleaned" in just the way you are talking about.

While customer service HAS gone the way of the Do-Do bird. This one doesn't seem unreasonable to me. If the costs are that prohibitive, you could always turn it in at the next gun buy back in your area.

Does the barrel HAVE to be stamped with the serial number? Can you purchase another barrel from them and take it to a gunsmith and have them fix it?

[The Rabbi]

You missed it.

To the question, are they violating anything they said they would do or would be obligated to do, the answer is no.

But are they providing a level of customer service consistent with what great companies provide, companies that I would want to deal with and feel good about recommending to my customers? A resounding NO.

[Guest Tombstone]

Okay, Now I am sitting here with my fingers crossed...... Hoping that nothing happens to mine. LOL

[The Rabbi]

The situation was mooted today when I sold the gun as is. So we'll never know what they really would have done.

[Guest Phantom6]

I bought 6 of their M-94's and had trouble with two. The hammers would fall but the triggers would not re-set until I thumbed the hammer back again. I called them and they told me to try "this" so I tried "that" and it didn't work so they said send 'em back. I sent them back and within 3 wks had 'em back good as new which is really good because .... well, they were new. No fuss, no muss. Not even any shipping charge. Not quite as fast as Springfield Armory but still passable IMHO. Maybe I just held my mouth right when I talked to them.

Still though, I really can't imagine why someone would expect a manufacturer to fix something for free when the mfgr. did'nt cause the problem to begin with. When I screwed up my Springfield I certainly didn't expect them to repair it with out charging me because it was my fault, not theirs. They did though and even paid the frt. both coming and going which I thought was outstanding but I fully expected them to charge me for the repair and the frt. Glad you sold the pistol but in my opinion it's a case of FIDO.

[The Rabbi]

O.K.

Which company would you rather deal with, one that fixed your stuff for free and even paid freight or one that nickled and dimed you? Are you more likely to buy a Springfield or a Taurus next time (not counting cost)?

Which company do you think I as a dealer will recommend to my customers? Do you think it's easier to sell a gun when you can tell the customer "any problems you have the manufacturer will fix it for free even if they have to replace the gun" vs telling them I've had to wait 18 months for a part?

What do you think repairs/replacements like that cost a company? How much business do they lose when guys like me get on the internet and tell stories of their sucky rude customer service?

[Marswolf]

Well, Taurus may have great customer service or they may have terrible customer service. But complaining because they wouldn't fix your problem, that was in no way their fault - for free - tells us nothing about the quality of that service. It only tells us you wanted them to fix your problem at their expense.

[The Rabbi]

Well, Taurus may have great customer service or they may have terrible customer service. But complaining because they wouldn't fix your problem, that was in no way their fault - for free - tells us nothing about the quality of that service. It only tells us you wanted them to fix your problem at their expense.

If I had come on here and explained the issue and then went on to say that Taurus not only would fix the problem but actually just send me a new gun, would that tell you anything about the company? Or would you just think I was boasting or fluffing or trying to sell more Tauruses?

Obviously it would tell you a lot, especially that it was a company whose products you might want to buy.

But instead I relate this story, and others that have happened with their service, and you just carp at me like I'm whining.

Go ahead. Order a Taurus. I'm sure they're better than Glocks.

[Marswolf]

I think the stories about good and bad customer service with any company are useful. I just don't see this situation as indicating bad customer service.

If I had been in your situation, I would have though it great if Taurus had offered a free fix to my robbery, obliterated serial number and police ID scratching problem. But I wouldn't have expected them to do it and I wouldn't give them a bad rap for wanting the police paperwork and charging for the repair. That's what I would expect them to do.

I just don't think you were fair to Taurus for getting mad and accusing them of poor customer service because they wouldn't do the work for you for free.

And from my experience with a Taurus 44R, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. Fantastic revolver. I was dumb to sell it. One of the few guns I've ever gotten rid of that I regret having done so.

[Guest Phantom6]

...How much business do they lose when guys like me get on the internet and tell stories of their sucky rude customer service?

Under the circumstances you present here I'd say shop owners like you that EXPECT and demand that a mfgr fix a problem that they had nothing to do with and then gripe and complain about not getting something for nothing stand to lose more. You are telling on yourself. Drive on.

[The Rabbi]

I think the stories about good and bad customer service with any company are useful. I just don't see this situation as indicating bad customer service.

If I had been in your situation, I would have though it great if Taurus had offered a free fix to my robbery, obliterated serial number and police ID scratching problem. But I wouldn't have expected them to do it and I wouldn't give them a bad rap for wanting the police paperwork and charging for the repair. That's what I would expect them to do.

I just don't think you were fair to Taurus for getting mad and accusing them of poor customer service because they wouldn't do the work for you for free.

And from my experience with a Taurus 44R, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. Fantastic revolver. I was dumb to sell it. One of the few guns I've ever gotten rid of that I regret having done so.

If they're going to charge me for it what do they need the police paperwork for? Duh.