Warranties, should I be concerned? Are they worth considering?

[BoneDigger]

When looking at a new pistol, if it is from a well known company, do you consider the length opf warranty in your purchase? Say for instance, Walther has a 1 year warranty where Smith and Wessson has a lifetime warranty. Would you buy the Smith over the Walther because of the warranty? Or, lets say there is a gently used M&P at a gunshop with a 1 year warranty for $400. A new one, with a lifetime warranty, runs $550. Do you pay full price and get the warranty, or buy the used one with a 1 year warranty?

Todd

 

[AirForceShooter]

if you get a lemon the warranty is worth it's weight in gold.
And the lemons do exist.
A lifetime warranty, that's backed up, also adds to the value of the gun when you go to sell it.

AFS

 

[D-Man]

A good question, and one I will be interested to see what other peoples thoughts are......

I believe that warranties are good to have, but most big name companies should stand behind their gun for any true defect not caused by negligence of the user.

For example, say you bought that M&P, and 2 years later the frame cracked through normal use. From what I have heard about S&W, if you worked with their customer service, they would end up replacing it free of charge for you.
Of course they don't have to do anything like that, but most companies will for goodwill and safety purposes.

I like the piece of mind warranties offer, but it only plays a factor in buying the gun.

 

[Spartacus451]

It's also worth considering whether they are competent enough to fix it under warranty. S&W has the best warranty service in the industry. Doesn't mean they can fix it. If it's a design issue they aren't already familiar with it can be a bear getting them to recognize it.

 

[40SW]

Warranties are important, but a manufacturer's and the model type reputation is as important if not more. Also as stated previously, they could have the most glorious warranty in the industry, but it may be that it takes them 6 months to fix a simple problem, or their customer service people are McDonalds drive thru dropouts who can barely speak English. I look at the whole picture. Example, Springfield Armory, great product, great service, competent people. Taurus: great products, aweful service, incompetent people. Another example: Kahr: great products, aweful service, no people to talk to. and so forth. Look at the whole picture.

 

[Jim Watson]

I do not pay attention to the details of a warranty.
I will certainly shoot a new gun enough to find out if it works or if it needs factory repair before any reasonable warranty runs out.
I will expect to be allowed to testfire a used gun.

After that, it does not matter much to me. I will probably modify it and/or shoot nasty old handloads in it to the horror of the warranty clerk anyhow.

 

[JLStorm]

warranties dont mean anything unless there is customer service to back it up. There are a few gun companies out there that have lifetime warranties but their customer service is unresponsive or takes 6 months or more to get a gun back to you, often with poor results. I look more at the customer service than the warranty, but I look more at reliability than anything else.

I have had three customer service type interactions and I'll share them as an example.

1. Taurus, I had a cylinder lockup issue with a revolver and was having so much trouble dealing with their customer service dept and heard so many horror stories that I ended up selling it back to the FFL I bought it from rather than deal with Taurus anymore.

2. Springfield Armory, great customer service great warranty. I had a ton of problems with the 1911 I bought from them, from faulty steel to feeding issues. Each time they fixed it within a month, but it was in the shop far to much for my liking.

3. HK, I decided I wanted the LEM kit installed I called HK's repair department who deals with all civilian customer service issues and left a message. Travis called me back in less than 2 hours and my pistol was back to me within 1 week upgraded, test fired, and thoroughly cleaned. I have spoken to Travis two more times for advice before buying a few new pistols, he is amazing and returns phone calls more quickly than my mother. So my HK, never broke, their service is very quick, and they have dedicated people in CS that are happy just to answer questions or give out RA numbers.


It was after Springfield Armory and Taurus that I realized a lifetime warranty doesnt mean anything if they are either unwilling to back it up, or if the gun is not well built enough to stay out of the shop repeatedly. Now I look at overall reliability of the model of weapon I am looking at as number 1. I know SA and Taurus generally make decent guns, but that isnt much consolation to someone who gets a one that QC overlooked. QC means a lot to me after those issues.

 

[tydephan]

The type/duration of the warranty plays a big part in my decision making process, but it is not a deal breaker.

Over the years, I have gravitated toward companies (like JL said) that not only offer a good warranty, but provide exceptional customer service. I try to not reward companies, who are uninterested in servicing their current customer base, with my business.

With that being said, if it's a gun I really want and it has a good track record, I will buy it even if the warranty is limited.

 

[browningguy]

To be honest I don't even think about the warranty. Cars yes, firearms no, although I do tend to buy guns with a reputation for reliability. As long as the warranty covers at least a year that's all I care about.

Of the stuff bought new, examples are Beretta 21 about 1991, EAA Witness PS bought in 1997, and many similar weapons none have ever had to have a warranty repair. Maybe I'm just lucky, I currently own about 60 rifles, pistols and shotguns and the only ones ever worked on were when I screwed something up, or I just wanted to make some changes to them.

 

[jeepmor]

I had problems with my Witness 10mm and decided to fix the issues myself instead of dealing with their horrendous service department. The issue got fixed with heavier magazine springs, but several other things were slightly tampered with in pursuit of reliability like the fluff and buff and such.

Going forward, I will try to pick firearms from companies that do care about their customers, not just the sale of their merchandise.

 

[nwilliams]

I used the lifetime warranty that came with my M&P when the mag release had to be replaced, didn't cost me a dime. The way I see it, take advantage of warranties whenever you can, no matter what the product.

Also now you can register many your products with the manufacturer online in just a few minutes, I do it whenever I get a new gun, scope or whatever. Even if you only get a limited warranty that only lasts a short time, its better to be safe than sorry, especially if all it costs you is a few moments of your time.

As for buying extended warranties, I usually base that on what the product is, how much the extended warranty costs based on the value of the product. However I always buy extended warranties when I buy expensive electronics.

 

[Hunter0924]

The details of the warranty are important to me. It has been said that lemons happen and they do. Aside from that fact a company that limits it's involvement in a product after it leaves the factory concerns me as well.

 

[Feanaro]

I generally buy used, so I don't even think about a warranty.

 

[buttrap]

Thats the last thing I think of as in general its just worthless paper. The track record of the company and real service means a lot more too me,also how easy it is to get parts. 35k 4x4 with 5k parts its a issue, 650 buck gun that needs a 65 buck part? no. I have yet to have need to send a gun in, pay shipping and wait that I can just order a part and pop it in. plus I dont trust shipping monkeys banging my guns around on loading docks too.

 

[BoneDigger]

So, what companies have the best track record in regard to warranties? I would have thought S&W but someone above said they don't know what they are doing?

Ruger, Kahr, Smith and Wesson, Colt, glock, Springfield Armory, Walther, browning, Taurus, Rossi, H&K, Sig, ... Who does well by their customers?

Todd

 

[tydephan]

So, what companies have the best track record in regard to warranties? I would have thought S&W but someone above said they don't know what they are doing?

That is a very subjective question.

I'll give you an account of my experience with Smith and Wesson.

I called them, regarding a mag binding issue I was having with my brand new M&P9c. Waited on the line for about 3 minutes. A very helpful person came on. I explained the situation to him. He said the gun needed to come back to the factory. He took my information, including email. He emailed me a prepaid UPS Next Day Air shipping label. I packaged up the M&P, including a letter stating my dissatisfaction of the gun and a request for night sights. I scheduled a UPS pickup.

The gun arrived in Springfield, MA a day later. 8 days later I got the gun back, delivered to my doorstep. The M&P was fixed and it sported a new set of night sights.

I've used other manufacturers warranties before. This was the best experience I've had, and not just because of the freeby. They were very professional and kind. Prepaid fast shipping. Quick turnaround. Fantastic.

Springfield Armory is similar. So is Glock.

I've always purchased Nikon optics and cameras. I called Nikon yesterday for a busted Nikon Prostaff 3-9X40 lense that I bought second-hand, just to verify they would fix it. They said "Yep, ship it to us. Should take us about 7-10 days to have it back to you."

These are the only ones I can vouch for, as I've had experience with each.

 

[Spartacus451]

Let me give a current example of how S&W is a mixed bag. My S&W 1911s all have trouble retaining the empty case against the breechface when the barrel links down. This is only a problem on the last round of a magazine where the head of the case has a tendency to get caught between the feed lips and the front of the ejection port.

I have sent the guns back to S&W several times and they have replaced extractors and barrels etc. One of the employees in the performance center is a USPSA shooter whom I met at a local match. I talked with him about the issue and what I thought the solution was (relieve the positioning pad so the extractor can pivot in farther when the barrel links down) and he did what I asked back @ S&W. He went a little too far and the gun won't feed because the extractor is blocking the case from sliding up the breech face. I called him up today and asked him to send me a couple of extractors (a factory only item according to S&W, they don't sell them to the public) so I could give it a go myself. He called back and is sending me a couple at no charge.

S&W has lost money on all the S&W 1911s they have sold to me. Between the shipping and the replacement parts and the labor it has all added up. Cost to me has been zero and they never put up a fight.

The plus side of S&W warranty service? The relationship is personal, and they stand behind their products as best they can. They never tried to deny I had a problem and blow me off. If this were an issue that were better understood and recognized at S&W they probably would have fixed it right off the bat.

The minus? The product has a flawed design (extractor claw is .125 high instead of .175 high like a regular internal extractor), and S&W doesn't really know how to compensate when the part doesn't drop in and needs fitting (the three extractors I have looked at did not have any fitting done to the positioning pad). Most people would be SOL because they don't have the expertise and time to track down and fix an issue like this. They also wouldn't have the personal relationship necessary to get the parts.