Why do gunsmiths/manufacturers seem to have such poor customer service?

[Newtosavage]

Is it my imagination, or is this common - I have been trying to communicate with a couple of gunsmiths to obtain some very common and inexpensive parts, as well as a couple of barrel manufacturers for a couple of project rifles I have going...

Across all of them, I get the impression they just don't want to be bothered at all. Won't return my calls or emails. When they do, they are cryptic and don't really help get us anywhere. One 'smith won't take orders online or let you call them - they only take printed out and mailed orders or will only call you back. Another barrel manufacturer responds to my emails in one word or one-sentence replies that don't help us get anywhere.

Even Numrich - maybe the most common gun parts supplier in the U.S., will no longer take phone orders.

I guess looking back, I've noticed that a lot of gun folks just don't like to communicate at all. At least, that's what I'm sensing. Has that been your experience?

These folks remind me a lot of "custom" bowyers in that if you are even able to get them on the phone, they never sound like they want to talk to you. LOL

I really wonder how some of these folks stay in business. Or are they just so swamped right now that this is the only way they can?

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

They aren't good because they don't have to be.

 

[sndmn11]

Gunsmith | Black Canyon Customs | United States Fritz is great

Weaver Rifles Web Kevin and Ty are as well

 

[CApighunter]

Pretty sure I’ll be using Shaen for any smith work from now on. Great communication and top notch work. Alamo Precision was also great.

 

[wyosteve]

Same with taxidermists. My thought is that just because you're good at your trade doesn't mean you're a good/smart business person.

 

[gbflyer]

Honestly after doing some of my own work I am starting to realize some of the reasons why we so often time experience this: They don’t make any money. I’m not sure why they do it. It pays better at Walmart than it does to be a gunsmith. We have to be careful not to come off as a cheapskate when we deal with them or we poison the well from day one. I’ve been guilty of this until I tried walking the proverbial mile at a small scale personal level.

I maintain a list of gun related manufacturers, smiths, and vendors that I’ve found to have good service, and also reaction to when things go south which is the most important for my repeat business. PM inbound.

 

[PNWGATOR]

Don’t use them.

Shaen Magan is fantastic in his workmanship, knowledge, timeliness and communication.

A couple others come to mind: Dallas Lane and Matt Whaley.

 

[JohnJohnson]

I've had very good experiences with LongRifles Inc. But I think you're right, they're not good because they've never had to be. Now that there's a lot more competition these days hopefully it'll drive some of them to improve.

 

[Reburn]

1) They are busy.
2) There is no excuse for this but I'm sure over time they get bitter for all the dumb ass questions they have to answer.
3) People have generally IMO gotten bitchier ,dumber and less patient.
4) Everyone wants it right now and is unwilling to wait their turn in line.
5) They are going to sell regardless so they dont have to be
6) As stated before just because your a good gunsmith doesnt make you a good business owner.
7) Lots of people want it cheaper then it can be done and make off hand comments about how they could do it better, faster and cheaper.
8) Did I mention they are swamped.

There are good ones out there and when you find them you must cultivate a good relationship with them. This really goes for any aspect of life.

Some of the ones in the above comments I have had atrocious experiences with. Ive had bad experiences with some site sponsors. Sometimes you just gotta let it go. I wont be back to them though.

 

[hodgeman]

The small one or two man shop has to stop whatever they're doing to answer the phone and talk to whoever is calling. Those calls are often people wanting to discuss theoretical options about a project they may or may not ever build, may or may not be able to afford, and may or may not even be feasible.

Repeat that 10x a day and you can see where it'd get tiring when you have paying work on the bench.

The best way to get a gunsmith to talk to you is show up in their shop with a rifle (or parts) and a checkbook.

 

[Squincher]

People with artistic or craftsman-like sensibilities rarely seem to be "people" people.

 

[4ester]

I think unless the shop is big enough to hire someone to answer phones, this is pretty typical.

Imagine trying to do something at the utmost precision, and being repeatedly interrupted by phone calls. Same as taxidermists.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Azone]

People with artistic or craftsman-like sensibilities rarely seem to be "people" people.

This^^

 

[woods89]

People with artistic or craftsman-like sensibilities rarely seem to be "people" people.

I think this is often true.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

I'd say customer service in the industry has definitely gotten worse in the past 10 years.
I think it comes down to demand, these guys are getting business no matter what so they could care less about customer service.

I was recently going to order a prefit barrel barrel from a company that rhymes with Vatriot Palley
They were so terrible to deal with that I took my money elsewhere

 

[Wrench]

It's a huge pain in the ass to answer the phone and have someone want to talk numbers when you are making your money by working with really little numbers.

I thought I'd smith full time at one point in my life, but the truth is it makes no money and has mega expense potential. Ever stop a carriage on the final pass cutting threads on a $800 tube? That job pays $175.00. As long as you don't break any tools or crash you'll make $70-80 an hour.......well, after tools and power, license and associated BS, you'll clear $35 bux.

There is a reason why many smiths only want to put brand new tubes on custom actions. The average person has no idea how much time and tooling it takes to make a setup ready to spin.

I'd say given the global pandemic and the difficulty sourcing some tools.....things are gonna go slow.
Just be happy if you can find one that does the type of work you want and does a good job of delivering it done right.

 

[WCB]

The reason they are a one man show or very small is because they want to be left alone and do what they want when they want. It is a function of most one man operations IMO. A buddy I work with is a trained gun smith (we still work in the shooting industry) and actually used to be a gun smith. He dislikes most of them with the same complaints as what is being discussed here. And dealing with them pretty regularly in my job there are other traits that tweak me more than grumpiness, slow ness, and seemingly general lack of caring.

It is the same with small engine repair guys...I have one guy I have used for years. His shop is always packed with work but I have never waited more then two weeks for anything to get done. He just plain and simply gets stuff done. It took me 3 or 4 bad ones before I found him. Find a good one be a good customer and realistic and stick with them.

For any gunsmiths reading this...not directed at all gunsmiths just he majority that I deal with in my job.

 

[ChrisAU]

I don't have much experience, but what I do have is recent and good. I don't think they answer phones a lot because they are busy. They work with their hands.

JES Reboring - sometimes took a day or two to return a message, but he was very pleasant to talk to every time I did. I do wish he had an email he'd share, that would have made our transactions smoother and faster.

Kampfeld Customs - Left Karl a message this morning and he called me back 10 minutes later. Extremely nice to talk to, he actually discussed things with me instead of just yes and no answers.

 

[Newtosavage]

I was told to call Northland Shooting Supply so I did. Left a message and they called me back within the hour. Very pleasant, very professional. Couldn't help me with what I needed, but I sure appreciated the response and the professionalism. I'll be going there for more items in the future, and it took that guy all of 3 minutes to call me back and answer my question.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Horologist, taxidermist, and gunsmith are craftsmen in the respective area of expertise, not providing CS. I am sure they could hire a FT cs rep but them you probably would complain about their prices being too high. I have also found that the top craftsmen in the field are, you guessed it busy. I have on GS that I know won't call me till after 6...he works from 8-5 does calls and paperwork after that.