Mathews Customer Service Feedback

[WyoElkHntr]

Just curious how everyone's experience with Mathews customer service (CS) has been. I recently purchased a brand new V3X from a dealer (Scheels) around 2 hours from my home. I wanted 75# mods which they didn't have on hand. Due to the proximity from home I opted to take the bow with 70# mods instead of order in the preferred mods which Scheels offered to do at no charge. I then contacted Mathews CS and explained the situation and asked if they would be willing to send me the 75# mods and I would send back the 70#'ers in exchange. I was essentially told to pound sand and they had no way to send me a set of mods even if they wanted to (which they made obvious they didn't). The rep told me to get ahold of Scheels and order a new set and I would be responsible for paying for the mods along with shipping to the store. Scheels later did the right thing and ordered the preferred mod and exchanged me at no charge but it cost me a 4 hr round-trip to pick up.

This is a relatively minor issue, but I have to say that I was disappointed with Mathews CS. I have been a loyal customer for about 15 years and while I like the product, I am not a guaranteed lifelong diehard. I don't feel like this was an above-and-beyond type request. Seems like it would have cost Mathews next to nothing to do an exchange for a loyal customer who just purchased a ~$1K bow. In my mind that is the type of action that really breeds brand loyalty. I know Vortex gets bashed on here a lot but this situation would have been handled very differently if it were a product of theirs.

Anyway, just curious of experiences with Mathews or other bow companies CS and how they may differ. Not really interested in the Mathews bashers (or Hoyt/PSE/Prime/Bear etc. for that matter) coming out of the woodwork.

 

[KitsapDan]

Chances are your dealer is simply going to stock the 70# units, and they’ll never go back to Mathews. And that’s why retail is retail, because they do those things. For a wholesaler/mfr to get involved in this stuff opens up endless issues. “New” returns may not end up being new, or are damaged, or lost or whatever. The amount of time and effort to deal with this could easily take up a f/t job if the mfr did this, and would actually hurt their dealer network.

If you owner a Chevy Duramax pickup do you think you could call Chevy to swap out parts for you on your new truck? Never gonna happen. Same thing here.

I know we all think of hobbies like archery as more personal, and the mfr’s as potentially more responsive, but they too are businesses, and not caterers.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

For future reference, you can order Switchweight mods directly from several different online retailers. Granted, those retailers aren't going to exchange for free something you didn’t originally purchase from them, but it might be preferable to 4 hours of driving.

I understand your frustration (and agree to a degree), but I don't think you'll find any bow manufacturer willing to ship parts directly to customers. Mods and top hats seem like they would be a logical exception to that stance, but I would guess Mathews just wants to avoid entirely the logistical headache of dealing directly with customers. To their credit, Mathews has the best reputation for continuing to offer parts for older bows. Having to go through a dealer middleman just is what it is.

 

[Billy Goat]

I think what you experienced is pretty standard for any of the big names. Everything goes thru dealers that's small parts/bow related. Can buy a few accessories, but that's it.


It's why I say people are usually better off to deal with a local shop, unless you want to put up with a bunch of headaches for small items.

 

[Wapiti406]

Im not sure if this situation has much to do with Mathews CS, unless Scheels explicitly told you that Mathews would go through with an exchange... The one experience I have had with Mathews CS was really good. I dry fired a bow that I had owned for about a month and destroyed the cams. They sent out new cams in about a week and half at no cost to me. They were up front and told the shop that next dry fire would be at my cost, which is understandable.

 

[hiker270]

Any issue I have had with Mathews bows have been dealt with by my dealer. Twice I have switched mods and both times the dealer took care of me with a trade and no charge. Local shop that I have been dealing with for years.

 

[whaack]

Pretty standard response imo. Mathew’s has a huge dealer network for a reason. Scheels is a great company too. Just kinda sucks you’re so far away.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WyoElkHntr]

I appreciate all the feedback. To be clear, I wouldn't expect the manufacturer to ship any random bow part due to a customer's preference, but I do feel that mods (the suggestion of top hats is a great point too) would be an obvious exception. Again, I feel that this type situation would cost Mathews very little to address and do wonders for brand loyalty. Many folks do not have a Mathews dealer in their hometown, and many dealers aren’t great to deal with. I take the point that this may be the standard for bow manufacturers, but I see an opportunity for one to rise above the rest with a very modest investment in CS. Many other sporting goods companies have done so and seem to be reaping the benefits in their customer base.