Springfield Customer Service Experience - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

45nut · 11-09-2006, 02:03 PM

Well,,I bought my XD45acp back in the spring..like march or april and at that time I called SA and ordered a spare magazine and a flashlight holder that was advertised in the literature inside the pistol case.

I got my spare mag pronto,,,,waited,,,and waited,,,and waited but no FL holder,,,so in june I finally called and got told,,,"oh sorry,our vendor has had production issues with them and we expect them in the fall"

Ok,,,I really wanted a genuine XD gear part so I decided to wait,,well,,,its not early fall anymore so I just called back,,,now its "sometime in the first quarter of next year"

Well,,jeeze louise,with the thousands of options available now did I want to wait? Not really,,,so I said,,"well,,since I have been so patient so far ,how about a hat for my time ?"

"NO,,its not our fault and we dont do that"

"oh,,,who authorized the catalog and printed them and put them with the pistols with the flashlight holder as an available item ?"

silence.........

"ok,,whatever,,cancel my order I will go elsewhere for my needs"

click.

Well,,, really,"customer service" there.
I would think a little token would not have been out of line for waiting six + months. It's free advertisement for crying out loud.
Oh well,,with all the options now I will just look at spending a buck or two elsewhere.

Kinda disappointed with them though.

wmrawls · 11-09-2006, 02:25 PM

Customer service in any company is a weak point in this day and age. Having worked as a CS manager and currently having that department working side by side with mine (I'm the director of logistics for my company) I would encourage you in the future to bump the call up the line and ask for the supervisor or manager. In most cases you will get at least somone more attentive. MOST, not all, CSRs are tightly controled over what they can and cannot say to a customer. If the CSR was in the US you have a better chance to get satisfaction. If the call is routed to India or Pakistan you can hang it up. And dont hesitate to write a letter of complaint, you might be surprised at your response. I am big believer of letter writting, sometimes an e-mail works but hand written letters seem to get much more attention and I have gotten lots of gift cards and free meals by polietly complaining and in your case your in the right and the company should step up and try to placate you.

Broadside · 11-09-2006, 02:37 PM

I'm kinda suprised by your experience. I think you gave up to quickly a NO from the first person on the phone doesn't mean NO not ever would you get a hat or shirt. It just means NO they can't do anything for you and can't approve it. Next time ask to speak with the Customer Service Manager. They will fix you up, I would call SA back. They will make it right for you a shirt or hat isn't much money for them and goes a long way with customer relations.

jmel · 11-09-2006, 03:03 PM

It's what they call "bait and switch"....bait you with freebies, then switch you by playing dumb... seems to work well these days on all the people who aren't familiar with the old tactics of sales.

Broadside · 11-09-2006, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmel

It's what they call "bait and switch"....bait you with freebies, then switch you by playing dumb... seems to work well these days on all the people who aren't familiar with the old tactics of sales.

In this case it didn't sound like the situation you described. It sounds more like the discounted item they offered with the purchase of the firearm is not in stock. He ordered a spare magazine and flashlight holder. He recieved the magazine. It's the flashlight holder that has not shown up since he ordered it back in March or April. It would be speculation as to why SA does not have them when they sent the offer out with the firearm. It wasn't a freebie but for waiting since March or April maybe he should get one like a t-shirt or ball cap.

Jon Smykal · 11-13-2006, 08:23 AM

The above posters are absolutely correct. In my position, I manage CSRs for a bank. While they can do some things, they are restricted.

Ask them to speak with their supervisor. When people get bumped up to me, I try to help them in any way possible, because I follow the 80/20 rule (80% of sales come from 20% of customers). The more I can do to keep your business, the better I've done my job; and many people in management realize this.

At this point, I would write a letter saying you waiting over six months, had not recieved it, and they wanted you to wait until 1Q07, which is ridiculous! Be polite, but state your case.

You will probably get something back in the mail. I always call people who write letters to talk to them on the phone and let them know what I'm sending them (usually a 10$ or 20$ gift card).

Good luck! Don't give up with customer service!

hacker15 · 11-13-2006, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Smykal

The above posters are absolutely correct. In my position, I manage CSRs for a bank. While they can do some things, they are restricted.

Ask them to speak with their supervisor. When people get bumped up to me, I try to help them in any way possible, because I follow the 80/20 rule (80% of sales come from 20% of customers). The more I can do to keep your business, the better I've done my job; and many people in management realize this.

At this point, I would write a letter saying you waiting over six months, had not recieved it, and they wanted you to wait until 1Q07, which is ridiculous! Be polite, but state your case.

You will probably get something back in the mail. I always call people who write letters to talk to them on the phone and let them know what I'm sending them (usually a 10$ or 20$ gift card).

Good luck! Don't give up with customer service!

+1 on this. SA has been outstanding on every issue I've raised with them. "'Course, I'm ususally going through Lexy in the LEO Support group, but the other folks I've talked with and worked with have been super. Got one case where the pistol went back and I was expecting it to be returned in a week. Checked back when it didn't arrive and talked to someone else (other than Lexy) who told me she couldn't chack on it because they usually don't turn pistols that fast. Told her it was a duty pistol and I needed it back ASAP. She didn't react to that the way I expected. Asked to speak to her supervisior who did an immediate check for me and gave me an update (pistol was going to the range that day and would be returned within 2 days if everything checked out). He also explained that I had gotten a new CS who was still learning the ropes.

I have no complaints about SA CS - they've been great. Now, if the pistol would only hold up (been back twice for problems.....).

**beardman2** · 11-13-2006, 08:59 AM

hell Wolf happily gave me a hat when they swapped some ammo for me.

45nut · 11-14-2006, 01:23 PM

Thanks for the support folks,
I sent them an email today with a url to this thread and added a couple lines bout finding a near exact copy over at midway. for less $ too.

11-09-2006, 02:03 PM	#1
45nut XDTalk Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Orygun Posts: 60	Springfield Customer Service Experience Well,,I bought my XD45acp back in the spring..like march or april and at that time I called SA and ordered a spare magazine and a flashlight holder that was advertised in the literature inside the pistol case. I got my spare mag pronto,,,,waited,,,and waited,,,and waited but no FL holder,,,so in june I finally called and got told,,,"oh sorry,our vendor has had production issues with them and we expect them in the fall" Ok,,,I really wanted a genuine XD gear part so I decided to wait,,well,,,its not early fall anymore so I just called back,,,now its "sometime in the first quarter of next year" Well,,jeeze louise,with the thousands of options available now did I want to wait? Not really,,,so I said,,"well,,since I have been so patient so far ,how about a hat for my time ?" "NO,,its not our fault and we dont do that" "oh,,,who authorized the catalog and printed them and put them with the pistols with the flashlight holder as an available item ?" silence......... "ok,,whatever,,cancel my order I will go elsewhere for my needs" click. Well,,, really,"customer service" there. I would think a little token would not have been out of line for waiting six + months. It's free advertisement for crying out loud. Oh well,,with all the options now I will just look at spending a buck or two elsewhere. Kinda disappointed with them though.

11-09-2006, 02:25 PM	#2
wmrawls XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Rock Hill SC Posts: 1,223	Customer service in any company is a weak point in this day and age. Having worked as a CS manager and currently having that department working side by side with mine (I'm the director of logistics for my company) I would encourage you in the future to bump the call up the line and ask for the supervisor or manager. In most cases you will get at least somone more attentive. MOST, not all, CSRs are tightly controled over what they can and cannot say to a customer. If the CSR was in the US you have a better chance to get satisfaction. If the call is routed to India or Pakistan you can hang it up. And dont hesitate to write a letter of complaint, you might be surprised at your response. I am big believer of letter writting, sometimes an e-mail works but hand written letters seem to get much more attention and I have gotten lots of gift cards and free meals by polietly complaining and in your case your in the right and the company should step up and try to placate you. __________________ Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. Last edited by wmrawls; 11-13-2006 at 08:57 AM.

11-09-2006, 02:37 PM	#3
Broadside XDTalk 2K Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,935	I'm kinda suprised by your experience. I think you gave up to quickly a NO from the first person on the phone doesn't mean NO not ever would you get a hat or shirt. It just means NO they can't do anything for you and can't approve it. Next time ask to speak with the Customer Service Manager. They will fix you up, I would call SA back. They will make it right for you a shirt or hat isn't much money for them and goes a long way with customer relations. __________________ XD - 9 Subcompact XD - 357 Service w/ SA Custom Carry Pro Pkg SA - Mil Spec 1911 A1

11-13-2006, 08:59 AM	#8
beardman2 XDTalk 4K Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4,955	hell Wolf happily gave me a hat when they swapped some ammo for me. __________________ - He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself. ~Thomas Paine I will not be involved with the dreams of angry men. Founding Documents Freedom isn't free: http://www.anysoldier.com

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11-09-2006, 03:03 PM	#4
jmel XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 165	It's what they call "bait and switch"....bait you with freebies, then switch you by playing dumb... seems to work well these days on all the people who aren't familiar with the old tactics of sales.

11-13-2006, 08:23 AM	#6
Jon Smykal XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 156	The above posters are absolutely correct. In my position, I manage CSRs for a bank. While they can do some things, they are restricted. Ask them to speak with their supervisor. When people get bumped up to me, I try to help them in any way possible, because I follow the 80/20 rule (80% of sales come from 20% of customers). The more I can do to keep your business, the better I've done my job; and many people in management realize this. At this point, I would write a letter saying you waiting over six months, had not recieved it, and they wanted you to wait until 1Q07, which is ridiculous! Be polite, but state your case. You will probably get something back in the mail. I always call people who write letters to talk to them on the phone and let them know what I'm sending them (usually a 10$ or 20$ gift card). Good luck! Don't give up with customer service!

11-14-2006, 01:23 PM	#9
45nut XDTalk Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Orygun Posts: 60	Thanks for the support folks, I sent them an email today with a url to this thread and added a couple lines bout finding a near exact copy over at midway. for less $ too.