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[mvrk28]

i bet if you just asked for you money back you would be free to wait on someone else's dies for a few months.

and i am waiting on a set from them, also.

I think it's funny how people seem to keep saying i can do this or if they worked there they'd just refund my money and tell me to pound sand. Think about what I'm really asking for, realistic time frames and communication. Is that really too much to ask for from a company you paid a premium price to?

 

[cal30_sniper]

I think it's funny how people seem to keep saying i can do this or if they worked there they'd just refund my money and tell me to pound sand. Think about what I'm really asking for, realistic time frames and communication. Is that really too much to ask for from a company you paid a premium price to?

With the current status of raw material availability and workforce limbo, yes, that is too much to ask for.

They are likely operating with a volume of orders that is unprecedented in their history, they aren't getting reasonable estimates of material availability from their suppliers, they're being constantly bugged with customers saying 'where's my stuff' who know exactly where their stuff is (waiting in line like everyone else), and you expect them to be able to give you a reasonable estimate of when they'll finish up your individual order on your command?

"Come on, Man!"

Would you rather them hire another machinist to catch up, or someone to send emails?

 

[rayporter]

i sent a scope to optical services for retical work in may and when i asked about lead time she said they were just working on march orders then. so i could take it from there.

 

[valleyforge.1777]

I have ordered custom dies from them two different times and their products are outstanding. They are well worth the wait. I think they are really doing the best they can. I do not think it is reasonable to expect them to go through their list of customers waiting for products and send everybody email messages and updates about lead times since every project is somewhat different. I think it sounds like they have responded to most of your inquiries and at this point I think you have inquired about the timelines enough times that now you can just sit back and relax and wait and eventually you will get your dies but you will probably not get any additional satisfaction or useful information by continuing to make additional inquiries. John Whidden is an upstanding individual, a genuinely good human being, and I think his company is a great resource for all of us. I think they are doing the best they can and I think they are doing it quite well given the overall situation that we are all in.

 

[sneaky]

I would be surprised if the person making dies is the same person running phones and emails. If it is, then that problem can be remedied quickly.

With labor shortage like right now, that's as far from the truth as you can get. People would rather stay home and get govt money than to work, yet here you are saying it's an easy fix. I think they should refund your money, sometimes it is better to divorce customers than to put up with those who refuse to acknowledge current conditions.

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[sneaky]

Are you building a 6.5 Karen by chance? Short, fat, makes a lot of noise but doesn't accomplish much?

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[ryjack70ss]

With labor shortage like right now, that's as far from the truth as you can get. People would rather stay home and get govt money than to work, yet here you are saying it's an easy fix. I think they should refund your money, sometimes it is better to divorce customers than to put up with those who refuse to acknowledge current conditions.

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Agree. You either want the dies or don’t. And the 6.5 Karen was pretty funny too. My new entertainment since the meme thread closed.


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[valleyforge.1777]

Well, I don't work for them and don't know much about how they run their shop, but I can say that the guys who have communicated with me and answered my calls and emails about my two custom die orders are the same guys who do the work making the dies. My most recent order was in January. Their dies are outstanding and you will appreciate the quality when you get them.
I have a set of 9 mm dies on backorder with Dillon right now to have a spare set. They charged me up front and made it clear that it will be about a year before I get them, and I am guessing their estimates are likely going to turn out to have been conservative. I guess one could say that a company should not charge you for a product until they start working on your order and for a larger operation like Dillon that probably would be doable (althoguh they do charge upfront for all backorders). For a small shop like Whidden they would then wind up consuming valuable personnel/time tracking down people to get their payments and that would slow things down even more for all of their customers.
Other shops make custom dies. If you don't like how Whidden operates, ask for a refund and cancel your order and get the dies somewhere else, but they may not be as nice as the Whidden ones. I think Redding and RCBS and Foster will make custom dies for you, and several smaller shops, too. Good luck with getting custom dies from any of them right now.

 

[rayporter]

a 6.5 karen meeeoowww

the cat is making the dies

 

[georgiaboy]

I know them very well so I am partial, but those folks are busting their asses and working a lot trying to keep up with demand and not sacrifice quality. They can't find enough help, material costs increases, downtime on machines because of techs/parts/covid bullshit. Maybe just try to have some grace. I will tell you that the owners are two of the smartest and finest humans I know. Best of luck on whatever you pursue with dies.

 

[SURVEYOR]

Whidden built a 300 Winchester on a 700 action for me several years ago. Great rifle. And good folks to deal with.

 

[Unoboats]

Karen, If they fricking new, they would tell you, No one including vendors for builders can give prudent timelines, telling what they were lead to believe by the vendors is most likely the story. Sucks to be you but man up, suck it up and find some used dies or borrow some dies till your nice custom dies come in.That gives you something to do in the meantime, that's exactly what i did then sold the set of dies i had bought on ebay, when I so stupidly built a 6.5PRC without checking for components and dies. Joke was on me. Sorry to be harsh, but the Widdens are good hard working people who are caught up in this shit show like everyone else. So what do you do, Government worker, Lawyer, Doctor, Steel Broker, (LOL). Come on man let's get to better subject matter.
Just saying, Manufacturing sucks big time right now, we build boats, you want to see a real shit show, try buying a boat and get a accurate delivery date.

 

[rayporter]

yesterday i got my whidden dies that were ordered in February.

also got a 10% discount good for 90 days as a way of saying sorry for the delay.

 

[Pro953]

Remember when you filled out a order form from a catalog, sent it in and then just waited for weeks until one day it magically showed up.

God I miss those days sometimes…


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[MuleyFever]

.

Everyone sticking up for the business here is applying a serious double standard. They would never accept this kind of customer service from their attorney or realtor or truck dealer and yet somehow, businesses in the firearms industry get a pass. Every. Single. Time. It's unreal.

I've now had four custom barrels made and paid three separate gunsmiths to work on my rifles. Small sample size compared to some, but the one thing they all have in common is terrible communication and an attitude that says we should all be grateful they even speak with us. LOL

Again, we wouldn't accept this kind of CS in any other line of work but when it comes to guns all the sudden it's okay and we make excuses for them.

And then we turn around and criticize Millennials for their terrible customer service.

Very true. I think its because its a luxury item and not a necessity like your truck.

I am waiting for my Tikka build I was told would be done in February when I sent in my deposit in October. It sucks but

 

[rayporter]

three years ago i ordered dies from whidden and they showed up in 2 weeks. now that is fast to make dies.