Colt service.

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  • steves2

    Member
    Dec 26, 2010
    83
    Chevy Chase, MD
    Several months ago I bought a new Colt Competition Stainless in 9mm. I went to the range several times with it, and the empties, especially in rapid fire, were ejected into the middle of my forehead… not pleasant!

    At the end of September I called customer service at Colt to see what to do about this. The guy sent me a “Return Material Authorization” notice and a FedEx mailing label to return the pistol. He said that the process would take a week to 10 days, and it would be returned after it had been repaired.

    When I went to send the gun, I tried to get extra insurance as the instructions on the mailing label said that the package would be insured for $100. I tried to pay for more insurance as obviously I paid a lot more for that pistol. I couldn’t buy extra insurance without voiding the mailing label.

    The gun was picked up by FedEx on October 1 and signed for by Colt on October 4.

    A couple of days ago I called Colt to see what was happening as it had been 12 days since they received it and I hadn’t heard anything. First problem… the guy I spoke to in their repair process said the gun wasn’t signed into their system until October 13! It had been loose and untraceable inside Colt for 9 days! This guy further told me that it wouldn’t be fixed for from 30 to 45 days. When I told him that the first guy had told me it would be from 7-10 days, and that I wasn’t happy that my gun had disappeared inside the Colt system for 9 days, the new guy offered to send it back, unrepaired.

    I told the guy that I had read fairly often about Colt’s reputation for customer service, and that this experience seemed to reinforce what I’d read. I said that based on what I was going through I was going to be unlikely to buy from Colt again.

    What are your experiences with Colt, and what suggestions other than patience would you advise?
     

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    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    Unfortunately that sounds like some of the stories I've heard as well. I have heard good stories recently...it really seems hit or miss. The most recent I've heard on warranty repairs is that the repair time is running at about 45 days.

    My own experiences with Colt customer service haven't been recent but were always excellent. I had a Detective Special revolver worked on about two years ago and the work was done in an exemplary manner and returned in less time than quoted and at a very reasonable cost. Since then lots have changed...Colt no longer performs work on double-action revolver made prior to the new Cobra plus a number of layoffs. Not a good way to keep customers.

    How the mighty have fallen.
     

    inkd

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 4, 2009
    7,512
    Ridge
    My advice would be to not buy a Colt handgun.

    If you do, find an experienced Gunsmith to service it.
     

    inkd

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 4, 2009
    7,512
    Ridge
    Thanks for the input.

    When you get it back, if you aren't happy with it, there are a couple IP's here who are great with 1911's.

    I'm not sure where you are in relation to them, but they are worth the drive, or shipping cost.
     

    inkd

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 4, 2009
    7,512
    Ridge
    So much for Colt "quality"!

    In all actuality, it probably only needs the extractor tension adjusted. It seems to be functioning fine.

    I don't like Colt, at all. But, in the grand scheme of things 1911 wise, this is not a big deal.
     

    dist1646

    Ultimate Member
    May 1, 2012
    8,758
    Eldersburg
    In all actuality, it probably only needs the extractor tension adjusted. It seems to be functioning fine.

    I don't like Colt, at all. But, in the grand scheme of things 1911 wise, this is not a big deal.

    Not difficult to correct but, attention to detail before it left the factory was certainly lacking.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    Occasional mistakes happen to all gunmakers. When I was in law enforcement, at the time we were still using revolvers. We got in a shipment of new S&W Model 64 revolvers and another instructor and I took them to the range for function testing. One wouldn't target at all...it turned it had a barrel that was never rifled...it was a smoothbore.

    When we got back to the office I called S&W and was told it had to pass through twelve or more inspectors hands and something as glaring as no rifling got by all of them.

    While it's annoying the OP's pistol has what is likely a minor issue and shouldn't have happened things do get missed and that's what warranties are for.
     

    Moyaone

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Sep 22, 2017
    99
    I sent them a 1911 in Sept of 16 and they returned in in Feb of 17. The repair? They replaced the barrel. Now, I was in touch with them every 10 days or so on email, and made probably a half dozen phone calls as well. Very nice folks to talk with, but still, nothing happened. In the end, the gun shoots great and is very accurate, but I would have gladly paid out of pocket for a new barrel and required fitting to avoid the five month debacle. Just my recent experience. By the way, Garrett at Engage Armory in Rockville recently did some trigger work on the same pistol for very reasonable price and with a quick turn around. If you can get your gun back, you might want to consider doing so to avoid the frustration I experienced. Good luck!
     

    dist1646

    Ultimate Member
    May 1, 2012
    8,758
    Eldersburg
    Occasional mistakes happen to all gunmakers. When I was in law enforcement, at the time we were still using revolvers. We got in a shipment of new S&W Model 64 revolvers and another instructor and I took them to the range for function testing. One wouldn't target at all...it turned it had a barrel that was never rifled...it was a smoothbore.

    When we got back to the office I called S&W and was told it had to pass through twelve or more inspectors hands and something as glaring as no rifling got by all of them.

    While it's annoying the OP's pistol has what is likely a minor issue and shouldn't have happened things do get missed and that's what warranties are for.

    They must have ordered the shot shell version by mistake.:innocent0
     

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