What would you do?

[tthomp302]

So recently I bought a stock from a well known manufacturer who is known for making quality stocks. I paid around $1350 plus shipping for said stock. Upon inspection, I notice that there is a foreign object underneath the clear coat in a very conspicuous spot so now it’s all I see.

I have called the manufacturer and the person there claimed that “it is unavoidable” and the best they could do it “paint over the clear and then clear over that” but that does not actually fix the issue with there being a rather noticeable flaw in the stock, it’s just covering it up. I assume they don’t want to eat the cost of a complete refinish, but it is not my fault that QC was not followed and that it was allowed to be shipped to me like that.

I have not posted what it is because I am messaging the owner of the company personally to see if there is another avenue of getting it fixed through him. I just am irked by this initial response. These things are not cheap to buy, and I feel like some of these companies just taking us consuming their expensive products for granted. For $1350 it should not have those kinds of issues, and they should do an entire refinish and eat the cost.

Would you be upset if this was the case? Or am I overly critical. Is this a proper response from customer service?

 

[scasa]

Lets see what it looks like. You cant give a response without seeing what your talking about

 

[tthomp302]

Was trying to be slightly discreet about it since I am still working on resolving it in another means. But there is a hair under the clear coat.

 

[Ccrider]

They can fix it if they choose to. @Bc'z can fix it.

 

[farmerjohn]

Was trying to be slightly discreet about it since I am still working on resolving it in another means. But there is a hair under the clear coat.
View attachment 1524217

Hi Feller, I consider myself to be easy going and in 78yrs I've learned that things don't always go your way and I've learned to accept that without getting my panties in a wad, BUT, if I'd paid 1350$ for that stock that damned hair would have to go !!! It would drive me nuts also, count me in your corner... John
PS, if I was sitting on a deer stand I couldn't quit looking at it, within an hour I'd get it out with my pocket knife ...

 

[tthomp302]

Hi Feller, I consider myself to be easy going and in 78yrs I've learned that things don't always go your way and I've learned to accept that without getting my panties in a wad, BUT, if I'd paid 1350$ for that stock that damned hair would have to go !!! It would drive me nuts also, count me in your corner... John
PS, if I was sitting on a deer stand I couldn't quit looking at it, within an hour I'd get it out with my pocket knife ...

I am definitely in the same boat. I understand that things happen, but also at the price point I find it pretty unacceptable. I always give a chance for any place to fix things before taking the the internet or anything like that. The initial response of “it’s unavoidable” really irked me.

 

[338 Mollett]

For 1350 I would be a little more demanding with the company after that first response. And there is no way you should have to pay someone else to fix it.

 

[boltfluter]

For 1350.00 it should be perfect! That's a lot of money to me.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

It is now a thorn in your side, tell them to fix it are you will go public

 

[pdog06]

They should fix it or replace it and sell it as a Blem.. period.
I find it hard to believe they didn’t see that when they were polishing the clear.

 

[K22]

The "hair" would not bother me but what is that awful looking "bubble" texture forward the pistol grip?

The latter would definitely bother me to the point that I would pursue a fix at the highest level of their company. Often if the "dog won't let go of the bone" the dog eventually wins.

Many years ago, I had a defective barrel in a new Remington 700, 22 250. You can imagine the difficulty I had convincing them of that fact. When I say defective, it shot 2" to 2 1/2-inch groups at 100 yards. It took several attempts escalating the issue up the management chain but finally they sent me a shipping label, I shipped it back with a detailed letter and targets. I got an apology letter and new rifle shortly thereafter.

If you are not satisfied, pursue it. As others have said, that is an expensive stock and it should be blemish free.

 

[Will Henry]

In the unlikely event that I paid 1350 dollars for a stock, I would want it minus the cat hair. I once owned a Brown Precision stock which featured a hot dog wrapper as part of the filler in the fore arm. The words "HOT DOG" were plainly visible, and nicely aligned on the bottom of the stock. When I painted it, I left that visible. I didn't pay 1300 dollars for it though (more like seventy). WH

 

[6.5 forever]

They should fix it or replace it and sell it as a Blem.. period.
I find it hard to believe they didn’t see that when they were polishing the clear.

I wouldn't even pay for it as a blem...

 

[nakneker]

That would bug me, paying top dollar should come with some good CS. Saying “we can’t do anything about that” is a lazy easy way out. Hopefully you get a better response to your email.

Let us know how it goes. It’s fair to share customer service experiences both good and bad.

I called RCBS yesterday because my Charge Master supreme needed a new charging cord, totally my fault. I said as much too but they insisted it’s wasn't a big deal and sent a new one, including the postage. This wasn’t the first time I hung up the phone and made a mental note to keep supporting those guys. Good CS makes a difference.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Why is that a tough repair?

 

[M-61]

I always give a chance for any place to fix things before taking the the internet or anything like that.

That ship has about sailed.

 

[Dimner]

Id send it back for sure and demand a new one. That carbon fiber is ripped right by your hair as well. I have no clue what is going on with that stock. Was it 'nephew' training week?

 

[RubiconJoey]

The company made a mistake and it happens. You can argue that they should have better quality control, but that's another topic. The topic is how do they handle it now. IMO there are only two ways this should be handled.

The first is they offer you a partial refund. How much is debatable.

The second is if you truly don't want the stock, they should send a prepaid return label to return the defective stock and offer you a new stock at no additional cost or a refund. Ideally they would bump your replacement order to the top of the queue if there's a long lead time for the stock.

Short of those two options, the company isn't owning up to their mistakes and should be held accountable.

 

[Bc'z]

Well that sucks!!
Hairs happen more often than I'd like them. They're easy enough to deal with if it's caught/seen when the coating is wet.
Unfortunately this wild hair landed in the layup and is clearly visible.
It could be covered up easy enough, digging it out is possible, but your gelcoat will be compromised and need filled with a compatible material.

My 1st thought was, at least the hair wasn't in his eggs at the local diner.

 

[jimmymac]

I'd live with it and enjoy the stock, but that's me. I wouldn't be thrilled, but I'd get over it pretty quick. If it bothers you enough to post here it must be a big deal to you. Good luck.

However, if that @Bc'z guy screwed up my paint job I'll be blabbing about it here endlessly and naming names.