Colt's Manufacturing Company

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:Hello,Thanks for getting back with me. Although I don't expect anything more from Colt , since who ever handles their repair work does not do an adequate job, I do have some issues with the work done. Let me put this into context for you; As you already know I initially ordered the gun which had to be ordered through a local store front which is a part of Colt's " dealer network". The gun came in and had defects on it which are provable and with out a doubt the fault of Colt, this is why they agreed to fix it, to honor their own lifetime warranty.  However, because of my own previous experience, and others have told me of the same experience, I told them I did not want the gun refinished, particularly what it is they do is simply sand the thing down by hand ruining the machined edges, lettering and on all the little pieces and screws, it is not the factory finish, it instead looks like a cheap refinish, unbelievable. This destroys value because most people do not want a gun with this finish, you would have to sell it for considerabley less, a real rip off. After you guys contacted them I spoke with them and they agreed to replace the part of the gun with the defect( a couple of deep and bad scratches that would not come out and what looks like a punch mark(with a pointed steel tool like a steel scribe, or an awl, or akin to a chisel with a point instead), its like someone took a steel punch and a hammer and struck it to give it like about a 1/16 inch deep ding or mark on it, on a very noticeable part of the gun and not something to be overlooked. So they told me they would not give me a refinished piece and what do you think they sent me, they refinished the old part and is what their work order says which they sent along with it. Lied to me.  What do you think the work is like? At least they didn't sand paper it down, and I don't how they filled in the punch mark, However, they painted the part where the defect is(with original paint) but taped off the sights in such a sloppy way so as anyone could tell that it had been taped off and painted, a bad paint job, its like if you were using a can of spray paint and taped off what you are painting in such a way that you could easily tell where it had been taped off. Difference is, is that we are talking about a $875.00 gun. If I wanted to sell it now I don't think that anyone would by it for the money I paid for it because anyone would think they could get a perfect one for that price, so its a real rippoff. I would at least like to see if I could leave a negative rating for them.    Thank you [redacted] 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Dear Mr [redacted];We apologize for the delay in repairing and returning your firearm.  We have repaired the ejection port and adjusted to minimize brass deformation. We have tested your firearm and returned it via Fed Ex on March 11th. If for any reason you have any further questions or we...

can be any assistance, please let us know.Very respectfully,[redacted]Customer Service Supervisor

Dear [redacted]
I have tried phoning you and left a message for you on March
10th. We do not have replacement slides available until the end of
this month, and we decided to expedite this for you. We had one of the Custom
Shop gunsmiths work on this for you. He repaired the ejection port, where you had indicated the problem to be. The
complete firearm was then blasted and polished to retain the roll marks. As
this is a Brushed Stainless model, there is no paint on this model. We had this inspected every step along the way to verify all your concerns were addressed. Every
firearm is test fired before sending out to ascertain complete functionality
for our customers. If you are still not satisfied with the repair, please contact our Customer Service and we will provide you with a prepaid return label to have this returned to us. We will either repair or refund your purchase price. Please be sure to include a copy of your original purchase receipt.
[redacted]

Dear [redacted];We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you. We are in fact replacing the slide and examining the complete firearm. This is in process of complete evaluation and testing. We expect to have this sent back to you next week. Very respectfully,[redacted]

[redacted]The current production [redacted] are being manufactured under license by [redacted] As these were not manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing in West Hartford, CT,and we do not have the components here, we recommend contacting [redacted]t directly for any repairs or...

assistance. Their address is: [redacted]. Their contact phone number is [redacted]. They can also be reached via email: [redacted]They will be able to assist you with any issues you are having with your pistol.

Dear [redacted]We have provided you via email on March 18th, a prepaid [redacted] return label to have your pistol returned. According to [redacted], this has not yet been sent. Once we receive the pistol, we will be resolving this issue.Thank you,[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:Hello,I read the response from Colt. I am writing to let you know that this person, G[redacted], who responded is lying in her response. Specifically they did not blast the gun, I do know, and second it is painted on the edges( top, bottom and all edges in between with the sides, or the flats of the gun they call it, in brushed stainless). The particular paint they use is called cerakote and it is paint with a ceramic additive and it is oven cured at around a couple hundred degrees, many paints these days are of this type!! I think you can see that by them saying that they  blasted the whole gun and that there is no paint on any part of the gun, the kind of way that they like to bully their customers around. However since they mentioned a refund in the response I think I would like to try that before confronting them with all these lies. But also since they lied so much I also wonder if they'd really give me my money back or if there is anyway to guarantee that I could cover myself on that?Thanks   
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Review: I purchased a Colt LE 901-16 rifle for $2,095.00. After my purchase was in and I waited over a year for the rifle Colt changed the specs on the rifle to include an adapter kit for an additional $400.00. This brought the price to over $2500. I called Colt and spoke to [redacted] and she indicated that this was a policy change to this rifle and even though customers had ordered it w/o the kit this is what they now have to buy b/c they are now shipping all rifles with this kit, no exceptions. Bottom line is I purchased one thing, they included an upgrade I neither want or need and now they expect customers to eat this cost whether they want to or not. This is not right. Especially after I waited over a year for this rifle, now they decide to change the circumstances under which customers purchase the rifle and they think this is ok to do?Desired Settlement: Refund of the extra $400.00 I spent on something I do not need now want.

Business

Response:

We at Colts Mfg. Co do apologize for any inconvenience Mr. [redacted] has suffered. Our LE901-16S rifle, from it's inception, was designed to be a modular rifle. When we released the rifle the 5.56 NATO adapter kit was unavailable but the intent was to add the kit as soon as they came to market. The suggested MSRP price of the rifle when Mr. [redacted] ordered it was $2128. When the kit started shipping with the rifle in mid 2013 the MSRP price increased to $2423.00. This increase was $295 and was the price of the adapter kit itself. We sell the same kit on our web store for $295. We would be happy to take the kit back and as long as it is in "like new" condition we'd be willing to reimburse Mr. [redacted] the $295 cost of the kit. We understand he paid a $400 differental but we cannot control what retailers decide to do with price above and beyond MSRP. We feel this is a fair and resonable resolution to Mr. [redacted]'s concern. If he would like to return the kit please send it to Colts Mfg. Co attn: [redacted] He may also call our Customer Solutions Center at ###-###-#### if he has any furthur questions.

Review: I contacted Colt on Repair Order [redacted] on November 14 2014 and asked that the order be cancelled. I asked that my model [redacted] be returned along with a refund of $1488 less approximately $30 in overnight shipping charges. On November 20 2014 Colt's customer service agent [redacted] confirmed that Colt was willing to do this and that it would take "a week or more" to process. On November 24 2014 I was asked to speak with Colt's Product Line Manager [redacted] who attempted to change my mind about the return. I told him that I was going on vacation and would give him my answer when I returned. On December 9 2014 @ 11am I Ieft him a voice mail stating that I would still prefer the return/refund. No response. [redacted] responded to my inquiry on December 12 2014 stating "Not a problem sir. I actually got your refund started yesterday afternoon."

As of today February 12 2015 I have not received any updates at all, [redacted] no longer responds to my emails requesting escalation. I still do not have the pistol or refund. I prefer that they be shipped together.

Colt appears to be avoiding having to actually make this refund - no doubt due to their financial issues.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund of $1488 less approximately $30 in overnight shipping charges and my pistol returned in one shipment. I feel that if they ship the pistol without the check I will no longer be able to get a refund of any kind.

Consumer

Response:

Good Morning: Shortly after I opened this complaint I received an email from Colt customer service with an overnight tracking number. They refunded my $1488 and returned my pistol. This has been resolved and the complaint can be closed. thank you [redacted]

Review: Colt has advertised for 2 years the [redacted]" rifle to be capable of accepting [redacted] caliber upper. This part has not been supplied for purchase.

I purchased this rifle after Colt advertised the firearm would be able to swap a [redacted] upper for a [redacted]upper with the use of a [redacted]. This part has been promised for over 2 years now. The part is still not available to purchase by consumers who purchased the rifle prior to 1 April, 2013.Desired Settlement: Provide the promised part within 2 weeks.

Business

Response:

We at Colts Mfg. Co. apologize that Mr. [redacted] and all our other customers have had to wait so long for an [redacted] conversion kit. We have had some unexpected delays in our process of coming to market with this add on feature to our rifle. The good news is that we have the [redacted] kits ready to ship this week and I will 1. personally hold a kit for Mr. [redacted] and 2. if he would please call me, ([redacted] Customer Solutions Supervisor) at [redacted] ext. [redacted] I will speak with him and help him through this transaction. When Mr. [redacted] calls please have him know that when a staff member answers the phone, he should ask for me by name and let them know I'm expecting his call. If I'm at my desk my staff will transfer him to me at that time. Otherwise my lead, [redacted], will be instructed how to proceed helping Mr. [redacted]. We at Colt would like to thank Mr. [redacted] for being a good customer and for his patience through this extended delay.

Review: I sent my handgun in for repair on approximately Sept 15, 2015. I received a "Product Service Repair Order" dated Sept 24, 2015 telling me to remit $105 to cover parts & labor and shipping. I called the number on the order and gave them my credit card number over the telephone (as suggested on the order) to cover these repairs. I have called numerous times to check on the progress and have been given numerous excuses and times the gun would be shipped. Last week I was told the gun was in final process, would be "going to the range" and be shipped this week. The letter that came with the repair order states that they "primarily ship back via Fed Ex express 2nd day overnight". As of today, I have not received the gun. I called Colt today and was told they don't know the status of my gun but would check on it and call me back. I called again at 4:00 and was told the person I talked to this morning had gone home. I asked to talk to a manager and was told he was at a gun show and would be back on Monday.Desired Settlement: I would like to receive my repaired gun immediately.

Business

Response:

Dear Mr. [redacted];

I sincerely apologize for the delay in making the necessary

repairs to your Colt Mustang. As your pistol was manufactured in 1987, we have

been thoroughly examining and repairing the worn components. We make every

effort to have non-service agreement repairs, such as yours, completed within

90 days, however due to the holidays and age/wear of the Mustang, this is

taking more time with our gunsmiths than was originally intended. As a goodwill

effort, we will not be charging for the overage in time and effort involved.

We take pride in the quality of all our firearms and our repairs.

We will not sent a firearm until it meets all our high quality standards. This

certainly includes repairs, as these are very carefully evaluated and

thoroughly tested prior to sending back to our loyal customers.

We have completed the repairs to your Mustang and this was

sent to you today, via Fed Ex. The tracking number is: [redacted]080

We at Colt Manufacturing are continually striving to provide

the very best products and service in the industry. Our “Built One at a Time,

Proven Every Round” is taken very seriously.Very respectfully;Karen G[redacted]Customer Care Supervisor

Consumer

Response:

The original "Product Service Repair Order" I received from Colt dated 9/24/15 after they received my gun for repair, stated "Repair for function, adjust to factory specs, test for function" Price $75 + $30 shipping. I never had any other correspondence, written, email or phone call from Colt. I called numerous times to inquire about the progress. Customer Service personnel usually responded that they would check on it but I never received return calls. Two weeks ago I was told it was ready to go to the range to be fired and would be shipped the following week. When I didn't receive it, I called again and was told it was still being worked. At no time was there any mention of extensive wear, further work or parts and additional costs being necessary.

Review: Item sent in for repair/replacement arrived April, paid for replacement in May, still no indication of delivery.

I sent in a lower receiver for repair or replacement, it arrives April 1, it was not looked until May. Upon that assessment I was informed that repair was not possible and that the damage was not covered by warranty. I accepted this without complaint and paid the requested amount the same day (05/16/13) and the amount has cleared my account. It is now July 23 and I have no indication whatsoever of when the replacement part will be shipped.

I have NO COMPLAINT WHATSOEVER regarding the employees in their service or repair departments. The employees have been friendly and have done everything they are able to do to assist me but their service is so severely hampered by antiquated processes and procedures that they cannot actually accomplish service in a reasonable manner. This is not the fault of the employees and my complaint is not intended to mar their dedication or performance.

There are horror stories all over the place about Colt and warranty service, they are not lies and few are even likely to be embellishments. Colt should be embarrassed by their ability to service their civilian customer base and frankly with the service they provide should reconsider their hand in the civilian market entirely.

I have, in the time Colt has had my lower, sent a shotgun to [redacted] for repair and received it back in perfect condition, I have ordered and built 2 lower receivers from another party to use on the remaining part of my Colt rifle. I have had a friend send his lower receiver in to [redacted] for repairs and he had it back within a week of receipt. These companies are Colts direct competition in the civilian market. I have had such a sour time dealing and waiting for Colt that I will never purchase another product from them again. This not a reflection of the quality of their products off the shelf or of their employees, it is a reflection of their companies policy and methodology in handling the civilian market, their products are fine but woe betide those that do have an issue.

Their lifetime guarantee is apparently actually a warning of time required to resolve a simple issue rather than indicate standing behind their product.Desired Settlement: Send me my lower, that is all I ever wanted and it is a very simple request.

Business

Response:

Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2013/07/30) */

Contact Name and Title: [redacted] Supervisor

Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX [redacted]

Contact Email: [redacted]

We at Colts Mfg Co. apologize for the delay on this matter. Unfortunately we may not have been clear but our rifle production works on a rotating schedule, i.e. not all models are made all the time. We purchase those rifles from Colt Defense and cannot buy just a lower reciever by itself. We must buy a complete rifle and take the part we need off of it. We just returned back to work after a shutdown of our factory for inventory and now have the appropriate rifle available for the customer. As a good will gesture, we would like to send the customer a complete new rifle with matching box such that all serial numbers match. This adds collector and resell value. That rifle will ship from our location today as a replacement order. I do understand the issues, and complaints that Mr. [redacted] has expressed. I hope this show of good will, will help restore Mr. [redacted]'s confidence in the Colt brand and our heritage. We are continually striving to improve our quality and inspection process. We thank you for your feedback. We truly appreciate and care about our customers and their experience with our products and services. Mr. [redacted], if you would like to discuss this any furthur I've included my phone and extension. Again I thank you for your patronage and your patience. I hope this satisifies your concerns and complaint.

Review: After purchasing a Colt 45 Defender (over $1000), and shooting it twice, it developed an issue with the slide and trigger withine 2 weeks. I sent it back in June 2013. They received in 6/27/13. They failed to check it in until 7/9/2013, and now they are telling me not to expect it back until 8/22/13 or later. They have had MY gun in their possesion longer than I owned the gun! When I talked to them today (8/9, when I expected it back, according to their very own 30-day turn-around...and the paperwork I have indicating 7/9 as the start date), it turns out they STILL failed to check it in until 7/22. So now the expected return date in 8/22. Their represenative was matter-of-fact and acted as if he couldn't care less....I felt like their stance is that they have the consumer over a barrel. Demand currently far exceeds the Supply, so they are in the driver's seat and acting accordingly. They are a shady business who obviously cares more about making the sale. Once they have your money, you are left in the cold and they will move at their pace, regardless of how unhappy a customer is. I will spend my weekends at my local gun shops and I will spread the word that Colt just wants your sale....but they don't care about repairs. I would not recommend Colt to anyone, even my enemies.

Product_Or_Service: Colt 45 Defender

Desired Settlement: At this point I want nothing to do with COLT. They are NOT to be trusted as a true consumer-friendly business. I want my money back, and I won't even charge them for the .45 ammo I've already bought.

Business

Response:

Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2013/08/12) */

We at Colts Mfg. Co are sorry that Mr. [redacted] is unhappy with our products and services. Although we do pride ourselves on our outstanding quality, no item or service is always 100% flawless. We explained to Mr. [redacted] that due to an unfortunate closure of our factory for 3 weeks we were behind on our repair estimates. It is true the firearm was logged into our system on 7/2/13. ATF requirements require us to log in weapons expedisously so there is always tracability. Our factory did not open until Monday 7/22 and his firearm was evaluated that very day. The 30 day "estimated" repair time starts from the day the firearm is evaluated. Therefore what Mr. [redacted] says is also true. Contrary to what Mr. [redacted] says, stating that we and I don't care, after speaking with Mr. [redacted] I went over to the factory and expedited his repair. His weapon has been repaired, I then walked it to the rangemaster to test for function and accuracy, and should be shipping out today 2 day air. We cannot offer Mr. [redacted] a refund, one: because his weapon is complete and 100% functional and two: we sell to a network of distributors, those distributors sell to dealers and then those dealers sell to retailers. He is welcome to bring it back to his local gunshop and see if they will offer him a refund. We are truly sorry that his experience with Colt was not up to his expecations.

Review: I spoke with [redacted] on 8/26/13 and followed it with an email asking if Colt would help me with medallion replacement in the grip panel on my 1911 Government that had fallen out. [redacted] responded via email on 8/28/13 with the names of 2 companies that may have the replacement medallions. I emailed [redacted] back later that day and informed him both companies refused to sell them individually. [redacted] responded via email on 8/30/13 and said "After speaking with the Customer Shop and Product Service Manager, the best we can recommend is sending in the grip panel and we can install the medallion for you." I sent both grip panels to colt on 9/6/13 with a letter asking them if they could tighten the medallion in the other panel while they were working on the replacement panel because it is loose. On 10/23/13 I received 1 of the panels back so I contacted [redacted] at Colt and sent him an email asking him why they only sent 1 panel back to me, [redacted] didn't get back to me so I called him on 11/5/13 and he said he sent the issue to 2 managers and would get back to me on 11/6/13. [redacted] never contacted me so I called again on 11/11/13 and spoke with his direct supervisor [redacted] told me he was never informed of the issue by [redacted] or [redacted] and he would take care of it as soon as [redacted] gets back from training on Wed Nov 13/2013 and would personally contact me right away. [redacted] never contacted me so I left a phone message for him on 12/12/13 at 10:42am for him to please contact me and it is now 12/26/13 and Colt has never contacted me. My whole family have been loyal Colt customers for the last 100 years and I personally have been extremely loyal to Colt even my email address is [redacted] my [redacted] name has Colt in it and my collection speaks for itself. To be honest, I have to wonder if my loyalties have been with the wrong manufacturer.Desired Settlement: I would like my Grip panel returned to me or replacedif Colt lost or broke it.

Business

Response:

We at Colts Mfg Co. apologize to Mr. [redacted] for the misplacement of his grip panel. We at Colt will find and return it to him or replace the panel with new. Please stand by for an update when the panel ships in the coming days.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am waiting for Colt to deliver, If they return or replace my grip panel I will be satisfied. Colt has told me over and over they would do something and did not follow through so I have little to no faith that they will make good on there commitment and therefore I am waiting for action.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

We have looked and cannot find the grip panel. We are ordering a new set of grip panels today as we don't stock them. As soon as they come in we will send them out to the customer. We apologize, again, or any inconvenience.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

Review: I have a problem, I've called 5 times, spoke to 4 different people, they've all promised to call me to resolve the problem, I've never been called.

I've had a Python at Colt for finishing for over a year now, and I have no idea when I might get it back. I've called 5 times, and I've been lied to 4 times. First time, spoke with a man named [redacted]. He listened intently to my issue and committed to personally looking for my firearm and giving me a call to update the status. He never called back. I called again a month later and spoke with [redacted], he too listened to my concerns, foremost of which is my displeasure at being told I would get a call and not being called back. He apologized and promised he'd get to the bottom of it and call me back...never got the call. I called back 2 weeks later, now I'm really mad about being lied to...I told [redacted] how unhappy I was...she apologized profusely, told me what good people [redacted] and [redacted] were, and promised to get the answers I wanted and call me back...I didn't get a call. Same thing again, this time, [redacted], same promise, same result. Desired Settlement: I want to know what happened to my firearm and why it hasn't been repaired as quoted; in approximately 6-months. It's been 14-months and I still have no idea at all what is going on or why they won't call me back. I suspect my firearm has been lost, stolen, or damaged and it isn't replaceable; so they don't know what to do.

Business

Response:

Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2013/04/22) */

Contact Name and Title: [redacted]

Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX X[redacted]

Contact Email: [redacted]

Hello, My name is [redacted]. I am the new Colt Customer Solutions Center Supervisor. [redacted] is no longer with the company. Mr. [redacted] shipped us his firarm on 5/8/12. We evaluated the firearm and were unable to repair and refinish it due to no parts being available on this old model. We shipped it back to him explaining if he can find the parts we can do the refinish and repairs. He send us back the firearm which we receipted in on 7/20/12. The firearm was inspected and evaluated. Mr [redacted] sent in payment of $420 on 8/15/12. Our typical lead time on this repair and refinish process is typically 6-9 month. I am unclear if my personnel conveyed this to Mr. [redacted] at the time he sent his payment in. The concern Mr. [redacted] has with my associates not getting back to him is absolutely unnacceptable. I apologize to Mr. [redacted] and will field a phone call directly to him to apologize on behalf of Colts Mfg. Co. I will be taking measures to retrain my personnel so this does not happen again. A "promise" should always be kept when it's made. The silver lining in all this is I checked on his firearm and the repairs, refinish and adjust to factory specs has been completed. The gun is in our test range now and being tested for function and accuracy. It will ship back to Mr. [redacted] this week.

Review: This is the second time with the same issue. First time around I had sent in a firearm for a warranty issue on a brand new, but fired, gun.They refinished the part of the gun as part of their repair which is not the same as their assembly line finish, it is done instead by sanding down the gun and smoothening down the stamped lettering on the gun leaving the customer with a gun that is defnatley discernible form the original finish and consequently worth much less in value than the original finish, junk work. So I sold that gun and decided to just purchase a new one. This new gun had a couple factory defects in it and scratches. SO I sent this gun to them and also told them they did not have permission to refinish any part on the gun but only to replace the parts with the same new parts in factory condition. However they sent me a notice saying they were or are going to refinish the entire gun. A flat out insult!! I sent an email upon receiving this notice in the mail, today, saying that I expcictly wrote in a letter to them, which was sent along with the gun to them, that they do not have my permission to refinish the gun. In my email I clearly said that If they cannot replace the parts I want the gun back in the same condition that I sent it to them.Desired Settlement: I have NEVER seen this poor of service in my entire life. Not just once but twice. Were talking about 800.00 dollar firearms here. And then to insult me with the notice they sent me. Unbelievable its time for this company get out of business!!

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted];