Wanted to share and document my ongoing terrible experience with the S&W customer service department.  I had my LGS send back my 640-1 back in September 2023.  I accidently managed to break the trigger pivot stud when I had the side plate off trying to do a deep clean.  With the trigger pivot stud broken, the gun is basically a paper weight and unserviceable.  I knew the process was going to be painful based on a fairly recent experience my Dad had with S&W customer service, but there was not much else that could be done except to send it back for the repair.

My LGS finally received a service quote in the mail a few weeks ago from S&W.  The gun was evaluated in the performance center and they want ~$110 to do the repair and ship it back.  I called S&W customer service for the first time 2 weeks ago on Tuesday 3/19.  I really want them to warranty the repair as I don't think I did anything wrong to cause the break, so I asked if they would reconsider fixing the gun under warranty.  The service rep said that he would have to reach back out to the performance center gunsmith again to have them re-evaluate the damage to see if it could qualify for a warranty fix. He assured me that he would call me back the next day with updated status.  I thought cool, no big deal.  

Two days passed, no call back from S&W.  I called the service department again on Thursday 3/21, got a different customer service rep. Explained the situation and was told that the gunsmith had not yet responded to the request to re-evaluate the repair work.  Was told that customer service does not have a means of talking with the gunsmiths directly as the gunsmiths do not have access to their phones???  Was told again that I would be called back as soon as they had a response back from the gunsmith.  

No call back Friday, Monday or Tuesday the following week.  I called S&W customer service for the third time on Wed 3/27 and talked to yet another new customer service rep.  This time I made it known that I'm starting to get annoyed and did not appreciate being told I would be called back with status never to receive a phone call.  This rep must have apologized 5 or 6 times for the situation but still said the gunsmith had not responded.  I was promised with 100% certainty that I would get a status update call the following day either way.  Guess what, no call back yet.  

I guess I'll be calling back for the fourth time on Monday.  I'm really disappointed that this is the state of S&W customer service.  I've bought many S&W revolvers over the years and I really enjoy them, but this is absolutely ridiculous.

Short version:

You broke your gun while it was disassembled and want the manufacturer to fix it for free?

Can you explain how? They usually just don't break.

Respectfully, it seems to me that when you broke the trigger pivot stud when you had the side plate off, you created a situation that places the repair outside of reasonable warranty expectations.  S&W is not expecting / wanting customers to remove the side plate.  

Given that, $110 seems reasonable.  

I get you’re frustrated and but you’re not listening to what these reps are telling you. They don’t have direct contact with the shop. That means they can’t promise an update in any short time regardless of the customer service babble they are also telling you.

The more you hassle them on a problem you may or may not have been at fault for the lower your chances of them granting you a warranty claim.

Sit back, relax and fondle your other guns while waiting on a response.

I’d be happy for them to charge me $110 for something I broke. Sounds like a good deal to get your gun firing again. It was your fault after all.

I’m not 100% sure how the stud broke.  I was trying to get the small parts back together and suddenly I noticed the stud had sheered off.  It could very well have been my error and that’s fine.  I simply asked them to reconsider fixing it under warranty, I did not demand it.  You don’t know until you ask.

I’m overly frustrated that 3 people in the customer service department have told me that they would call me back with status and have all failed to do so in a timely manner .  The line about the gunsmiths not having access to phones seems a bit far fetched to me and more like someone trying to blow smoke.

I guess when I tell someone that I will do something, I personally find it unacceptable to not follow through so that’s my expectation for them or any other service department as well.

Smiths are well paid to repair firearms and not to talk on the phone. Can you imagine a 1000 of you wanting to speak with the gunsmith? Nothing would get done.
Call the dealership where your car/truck is being repaired and chances are that you will not talk to the mechanic.
Best of luck with the repair.

Good luck to you. Sounds like your mind is made up and they are at fault.

Call back, demand that Mark call you.

So you did a deep clean, outside of normal service, broke the pin, sent it to S&W, they advise you that it will be $110, you balk and want them to eat the cost for something you did, you want a gun smith to personally call you back and so now that S&W hasn't fallen over themselves to get back to you, they have bad customer service?

Attached File

Stop bothering them - they must have work ahead of yours.

You are in the line for a re-eval of the first evaluation which took a long time.

Guess what? The re-evaluation will probably take as long as the first evaluation and if you decide to get it repaired it will go back in line for more waiting.

For what little they are charging, I would definitely change the status to repair it for $100.

Hell just send it to TK Custom and get it fixed

Man it’s 2024, I’m just happy to get someone who speaks English on the phone

Pretty much.  If it broke while shooting or cycling ok.  You have the side plate off doing work?  Yea I can see their point.

This probably didn’t turn out ho he expected.

Pay the $110 or have a nice paperweight. You broke it.

You broke it, they offered to fix it for a reasonable price.

You are now dragging them for not fixing it free, or at least not calling you back.  

Damn.

$110 seems reasonable to me.

You broke it now just pay to have it fixed and be more careful with the next deep cleaning.

It's a known weakness with that series. Another reason why new S&W's are persona non gratis in my house.

It's not really an easy fix to do it right but its a ''toss in the dumpster'' break if not fixed.

Going to bet OP did very little to actually break or damage it.

This where  ultrasonic cleaners prove their worth. Take off the grips and throw the handgun in and turn on the timer.
Gary

So, it "just broke" eh?  Not that I'm going to tear down mine to check, but I highly doubt that.  Be happy they are going to fix it at all after you went all shade tree gunsmith on it.

It's unacceptable for them to keep missing their own deadlines. My guess is that by trying to get them to reevaluate for warranty you ended up in some black hole where nobody is paying attention. If you had accepted their bid and paid for the repair it probably would have gone in the queue and get handled eventually.

He might of done “ very little to actually break or damage it “ but it did happen when he was tinkering with it .
OP it’s not much money to turn your paperweight back into a usable gun . Pay it and move on .

The aluminum J frames are notorious for this, no?

Not that I have ever heard and I own  three of the OP's gun. It's my daily carry.

Ah, yes, the aluminum J frames are, OP's gun is stainless steel.

All the same, that shouldn't break when you take apart your FCG.

If a $300 AR's hammer pin broke, we would say the manufacturer was incompetent.  Why should S&W get a pass?

Could have been worse.
Browning wanted $350 to replace all of the fire control parts in my 725.
They have a known issue in low use guns, and couldn’t tell me what parts actually needed to be replaced  to fix the problem.

CS to Gunsmith- hey, the guy who broke his pistol, the one we gave a quote to, he responded back and wants it fixed for free under warranty.

Gunsmith- fuck that guy (sets pistol aside).

OP you should have just said "ok, thanks, please fit it".

You're lucky.

$110 didn't seem unreasonable for something that you said you did.  

I've had pretty good service from them recently.  Even sending me small parts for free.

2 years ago I sent them a 2" model 10 I bought used that was made in 1982.  It had a frame crack where the barrel screws into the receiver (where J alloy frames normally crack).  They sent me a new model 10 free.

I thought that was pretty good CS.

It's always strange when you get responses that vary so much. Overall I think that all the companies have become worse. Seems like it comes with the modern way of doing things unfortunately.

Wrong.

If you are not willing to accept the risk = send it to the manufacturer for all service and alterations.

Once you start taking it apart past normal cleaning it is all on you - on a S&W taking the side plate off is not normal cleaning.

He tried to be a gunsmith and screwed it up = he pays for his mistake




If your AR pin broke while shooting - it is a manufacturer problem and they should fix it   (if you are incapable of replacing it with a spare you have laying around or are OCD)

If your AR pin broke because you took it apart and messed it up somehow - you learn a lesson in being responsibility for you actions and you pay  -  although most manufacturers would probably send you one for free anyway hoping you can finally not screw up a simple task.

Fixing that pin in a S&W is going to require S&W resources - not a simple fix, your fault = you should pay - even if the cost is just to teach you to stop messing around inside S&W revolvers because you don't know what you are doing.

Kinda where I'm at. OP, just pay the damn 100 bucks and get your gun back and a lesson learned.

Yep, I've had mostly good luck with return & repairs (except with Staccato).

What generation is Smith up to on the 640?

How did you go about demanding the repair? Why did you use a LGS to send it back instead of contacting their customer service yourself? I think this is where you messed up honestly.

I guess Ive had really good luck with smith

But this is a current generation firearm they still make

Own up the the responsibility for causing the problem.  Pay up and move on with life.  
The whining on a gun BBS is not going change a darn thing.  In the end your caused the problem.
Why on earth would you expect warranty coverage when you did it?

This

With that said, I broke my 15-22 and contacted S&W for repair. I expected to pay for the repair, but they fixed it for free.

They have my M&P 2.0 right now as the dot screws sheared off during firing leaving half in the slide. Their screws they supplied with the gun. We'll see if they take care of me

They've had your gun going on 6 months? Jesus just tell them you'll pay the $110 and be done with it.

Still faster than Glock...

One of the nice things about living in Georgia, Glock is 20 minutes away. They allow people to show up and get your gun fixed. It is a great system. HK and DD are here too but still make you send your guns in though. I’ve had to send a couple of guns back to HK in the past few years. It sucks that there are only an hour and a halfish away but you still have to send them your gun through FedEx. Though they did make the process pretty painless and their turn around was pretty quick. I’ve been lucky, I bought my first S&W pistol in the 90s and I’ve never had to send one back to the factory.

You dont relive the pressure from the mainspring and pull the trigger or cock the hammer back with the side plate off.

Wait till you get it back with the stud sticking out of the other side of the frame and the cylinder out of time.

You haven't even SEEN how low Smith and Wesson has fallen.

But you're about to.

Yup...

FPNI.

"I really want them to warranty the repair as I don't think I did anything wrong to cause the break." Okay.

Pretty cheap price to fix for your mistake.

And then you made this thread that the reps and gunsmith saw, and they added a month to your wait

This. SW's opinion is pretty much customer's pulling side plates = no no.

Would you take your TV apart or the cylinder head off your truck, screw it up, then ask the manufacturer to repair it under warranty for you lol?

I have always had great service from SW !never needed them often but always went well .