Abysmal Customer Service
- Thread starter Groundhog34
- Start date
Bill DeShivs
New member
I see. Couldn't tell much from the very bad picture.
Just to be clear, I don't intend this post to be any sort of commentary on the customer service issue.
Captive recoil springs are captive for convenience and ease of reassembly. The gun will function just fine with the spring loose--it just makes it a little harder to reassemble the gun.
In other words, if you choose to do so, you can safely reassemble the gun and use it even though the spring is no longer captive.
Captive recoil springs are captive for convenience and ease of reassembly. The gun will function just fine with the spring loose--it just makes it a little harder to reassemble the gun.
In other words, if you choose to do so, you can safely reassemble the gun and use it even though the spring is no longer captive.
Groundhog34
New member
You must be upset, this is the ... third? Forum you've posted this complain on.
And?
And?
Walt Sherrill
New member
Bill Deshivs said:
They were attached. It's a captured recoil spring sold as a unit. Glock and other gun makers do it this way, too.
But as you note in another response, the darned thing will still work (or can be made to work with a minor adjustment) even though one end has come loose. If it's cheaper, I suspect that a Glock recoil assembly could be made to work, with minor tweaking, as the FNS and Glock recoil assembly assemblies are almost identical in design and size (for comparable slide sizes.) It may even be possible to reattach the disconnected end unit with the right type of glue...
I agree with Groundhog34 that the guide rod should have been replaced under warranty after failing in less than 400 rounds, but, his very widespread outrage and implicit claim to the contrary, it's not the end of the world. Rather than being able to say "it was a defective part, replaced under warranty", Groundhog34 is now free to rant about FN America's crappy warranty coverage. Had a mag spring failed (gone soft, or twisted) after relatively few rounds, FN America might have replaced that spring (or swapped mags with him), and it might have been more costly for them. As I noted in my reply to Groundhog34 on another forum, I think FN America should have replaced a part that failed after such limited use. It didn't and FN America probably shot itself in the foot by not doing so.
FNH makes great guns. I have three FNS models -- nice guns. The parent company, FN-Herstal (FNH) owns Browning and Winchester, and was the original manufacturer of the Browning/FN Hi-Power handguns. FNH still makes a variety of high quality rifles and shotguns.
The U.S. military has used FNH weapons for decades and currently uses The MK17 SCAR, The M249 SAW, the M4A1, M16A4, M240B, M2HB (a tripod-mounted machine gunn) and has contracted to provide with several other FNH variant models under. The FNH military weapons are widely used by most of the NATO militaries and by militaries elsewhere in the world.
FN America's warranty covers the gun, whether bought new or used, and not many gun makers do that. Some gun makers will send small parts, free of charge, but won't do major warranty work if the gun was bought used. For really big or expensive issues, any subsequent FN gun owner's gun is still covered by the warranty, and I've read of owners them getting their FN weapons serviced/repaired under warranty without problems. I've heard nothing about guide rod assembly (GRA) being replaced or GRA failures, until Groundhog34's problem raised its ugly head.)
The FN America manufacturing operation in South Carolina was set up to allow FNH to continue selling weapons to the U.S. Military. It's a relatively new operation and I suspect they're still operating on a shoe-string. Civilian weapons have not been FNH's primary marketing focus here in the U.S., and that may explain why things are the way they are. I suspect it will get better.
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To follow up on my first post, really "through" sells the other FN pistols on principle, can't stand to own any FN products.
I’m confused by the logic many people have these days that everything should be free and anything that brakes should be replaced free.
We have no idea how the firearm was treated or how many actual rounds it has through it.
Even if he has represented it accurately so what, why do you think any brake should be replaced free? You buy an item, the company offers to cover certain parts at their desecration to support their product. You are complaining because every part isn’t covered?
They have to do an analysis of all the parts, their wear, life and weigh coverage against the money made off the sale of the product. It’s almost impossible to offer a product with moving, wearing, stressed parts for a reasonable price and cover the replacement of every part forever and stay in business.
If you stop buying every product that follows this principle you will be living naked in the woods.
FN makes an excellent product and their support at least for me has been amazing.
My FNP was damaged up due to a defective round and they sent me an entire new gun and shooters pack.
We have no idea how the firearm was treated or how many actual rounds it has through it.
Even if he has represented it accurately so what, why do you think any brake should be replaced free? You buy an item, the company offers to cover certain parts at their desecration to support their product. You are complaining because every part isn’t covered?
They have to do an analysis of all the parts, their wear, life and weigh coverage against the money made off the sale of the product. It’s almost impossible to offer a product with moving, wearing, stressed parts for a reasonable price and cover the replacement of every part forever and stay in business.
If you stop buying every product that follows this principle you will be living naked in the woods.
FN makes an excellent product and their support at least for me has been amazing.
My FNP was damaged up due to a defective round and they sent me an entire new gun and shooters pack.
MandolinMan
New member
Is this something like when you buy a new car and the radio knob falls off after a few weeks? Bash the company and never support them again.
Groundhog34
New member
Here is the most irritating part of my post missed by all of my haters. Midwest is frequently out of stock although they do have the part in question. The price is $27 plus $7 freight. Total of $34 for a $5 part. They are used to being a government contractor. Charging outrageous prices for replacement part is a sure path to alienate clients.
Safestuffer
New member
So buy an rsa and get on with your life.
Or sell your fn's and get on with your life
But you aren't going to convince anyone except yourself that your one anecdotal incident means we should all consider FN's customer service to be "abysmal" and boycott FN.
Or sell your fn's and get on with your life
But you aren't going to convince anyone except yourself that your one anecdotal incident means we should all consider FN's customer service to be "abysmal" and boycott FN.
How did you determine it's a $5 part? You are talking a full new RSA?
bbqncigars
New member
Five dollar part my fanny! Even for my Canik that's $17 plus shipping, which I feel is damned inexpensive for an RSA.
Everyone will have vastly varied CS experiences as I've observed in my other "rate your CS" thread. I feel the same way about Burris. I have a incorrectly indexed windage turret on an XTRII scope and Burris just plain BS'ed me with excuses and denial of any issue. Long story so on my list Burris CS is in the trash, but another member may have had a positive experience with Burris...
Walt Sherrill
New member
Don't blame the UAW (alone) for Colt not having good production and quality contol practices in place.
Thre were two periods in Colt's recent history (the 1960s and the mid 1980s) when Colt product quality greatly deteriorated. Both of those periods were when the UAW workers at Colt went on strike and weren't building the guns! Colt staggered onward and used non-union new hires and outside firms to make and deliver their products. (I was just getting into handguns in the late 1990s, and Colt's reputation then was terrible, back then.) Colts products were highly regarded prior to those strikes.
The "Made by the UAW" emblem is NOT as important as the COLT label that is also on the box.
Thre were two periods in Colt's recent history (the 1960s and the mid 1980s) when Colt product quality greatly deteriorated. Both of those periods were when the UAW workers at Colt went on strike and weren't building the guns! Colt staggered onward and used non-union new hires and outside firms to make and deliver their products. (I was just getting into handguns in the late 1990s, and Colt's reputation then was terrible, back then.) Colts products were highly regarded prior to those strikes.
The "Made by the UAW" emblem is NOT as important as the COLT label that is also on the box.
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