Shocking Customer Service

osbornk · July 6, 2015, 09:03 PM

I bought a little Phoenix HP-22A semi-automatic pistol in 2012. At $149 MSRP, it was the cheapest new semi-automatic I could find and it has a lifetime warranty. I shot several thousand rounds through it. I looked at it closely Friday before last and saw a crack in the slide. The CS department wasn’t open until the following Monday. I called them around noon (they opened at 9:00AM PST). I was on hold for about 2 or 3 minutes before a nice lady answered and I told her the problem. She asked for the serial number and immediately told me to mail the slide to them in California with the serial number and my contact information. The packaging and postage totaled $4.33 and it arrived in California on Wednesday night. My new fully assembled slide arrived in the mail today with 3 extra slide springs. The gun shoots like it did when new.

I think a one week turnaround from California on such a cheap gun is simply amazing considering there was a July 4th. holiday included.

Will-j · July 6, 2015, 10:04 PM

Sometimes, it's the smaller companies who give the best customer service.

WILL.

mellow_c · July 7, 2015, 02:21 AM

That's great. I'm glad to hear about their CS. I've considered buying one of these little guys, but the over load of safety features has deterred me. Who knows, maybe I'll give it a go down the road considering the lifetime warranty. That is if .22lr ever goes back down to less that 10 cents a shot!!!!

Snyper · July 7, 2015, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Who knows, maybe I'll give it a go down the road considering the lifetime warranty.

I once bought a camper shell for my pickup truck based on the fact it had a lifetime warranty.

When it started leaking around the windows, the company no longer existed.

"Lifetime warranty" means very little.

lee n. field · July 7, 2015, 07:38 AM

Quote:

"Lifetime warranty" means very little.

Lifetime warranty means different things to different companies, as well. I once upon a time had a AT&T Paradyne phone modem with a "lifetime warranty". In this case it meant, "until the company decided to stop supporting it."

osbornk · July 7, 2015, 09:36 AM

Quote:

That's great. I'm glad to hear about their CS. I've considered buying one of these little guys, but the over load of safety features has deterred me. Who knows, maybe I'll give it a go down the road considering the lifetime warranty. That is if .22lr ever goes back down to less that 10 cents a shot!!!!

The overload of safety features can be addressed in a matter of minutes. The only aggravating safety is the magazine safety. I simply took off the left grip cover and bent a little strip a little bit and it was gone. I bent it back and reactivated when I thought I might have to send in the entire gun. Gotta go back and................................

dyl · July 7, 2015, 10:05 AM

I shot one of those, didn't know if it was older or newer. I thought they had been around quite a while but outlived Raven, Rohm etc.

It shot. Occasional misfeeds since not oiled. I had to try hard not to get slide bite. But it shot, and I was hitting a 24 inch torso at 25 Yards. (don't know where and the spread though).

Glad they have good customer service. Sounds like a fun time. Also makes me think it must be *very* inexpensive to make to afford to send out another. Makes me want to test out my NAA mini revolver again, can't shoot a barn past 3 yards with it.

osbornk · July 7, 2015, 09:35 PM

Quote:

I shot one of those, didn't know if it was older or newer. I thought they had been around quite a while but outlived Raven, Rohm etc.

It shot. Occasional misfeeds since not oiled. I had to try hard not to get slide bite. But it shot, and I was hitting a 24 inch torso at 25 Yards. (don't know where and the spread though).

Glad they have good customer service. Sounds like a fun time. Also makes me think it must be *very* inexpensive to make to afford to send out another. Makes me want to test out my NAA mini revolver again, can't shoot a barn past 3 yards with it.

It's surprisingly accurate for such a little gun. It almost never malfunctions as long as it is kept cleaned and oiled. With the 3" barrel, it is about the size of my TCP but twice as heavy. I am much more accurate with it than I am with the TCP. I have shoot it a lot for practice as it is more affordable to shoot. The only downside is that it doesn't have last shot hold open so I have to count the shots so I don't dry fire it. I bought a 5" barrel but the increase in accuracy was minor and it was a waste of money.

I probably will shoot the gun less now. After I found the crack but before I called CS, I bought a Ruger 22/45 Mark III Target. It's shockingly accurate and has a bolt rather than a slide. It's a rifle without a stock.

Carmady · July 8, 2015, 03:28 AM

A couple years ago I was looking into .22 autos and was impressed with all the positive comments on Phoenix Arms' CS.

IIRC, the slide crack issues were usually the result of using hotter than standard velocity ammo. That's specified in owner's manual, but they still fixed the guns.

FlySubCompact · July 8, 2015, 11:58 PM

The slide broke on my (well used, kind of abused) Phoenix target version. It was maybe 7 years old? Thing is, it was cracked, but still functioned perfectly. Only discovered the crack during one of it's rare cleanings.
Called Phoenix, described the problem. They replaced it.

I like the pistol. Eats most of what I feed it, is accurate and only needs a bath every so often.

Old_Dog · July 9, 2015, 12:09 AM

I would be shocked if my gun had a crack in the slide after a few thousand rounds and no amount of freebies would make me trust that gun again. It is sort of like those who praise the manufacturer for a quick turnaround for a repair on a new gun. All I see is a new gun that should not need repairs at all.

chris in va · July 9, 2015, 02:35 AM

Similar to the old HiPoint carbine I had. Kept breaking and they sent me a nearly new gun every time. I just got tired of it breaking.

745SW · July 9, 2015, 03:03 AM

Lifetime could mean the normally durable life of 3-5 years or the life of the company. Many wouldn't complain and will just toss/junk the product especially when it's inexpensive.

osbornk · July 9, 2015, 09:32 PM

Quote:

I would be shocked if my gun had a crack in the slide after a few thousand rounds and no amount of freebies would make me trust that gun again. It is sort of like those who praise the manufacturer for a quick turnaround for a repair on a new gun. All I see is a new gun that should not need repairs at all.

You don't buy a $150 gun for SD. You buy it to plink and practice with so trust is not an issue. I don't know how long I shot it before I noticed the crack. It has fit the role I bought it for perfectly and it will continue to do so.

Also, everyone expects a new gun to not need repairs but regardless of what gun you buy or how expensive it is, there is sometimes a need to have it repaired and quick is good.

Snyper · July 10, 2015, 01:41 AM

Quote:

You don't buy a $150 gun for SD. You buy it to plink and practice with so trust is not an issue.

I gave up on cheap guns about 40 years ago and have had no regrets since

vkeith · July 10, 2015, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dyl

I shot one of those, didn't know if it was older or newer. I thought they had been around quite a while but outlived Raven, Rohm etc.

Phoenix Arms literally rose from the ashes of the Raven Arms factory fire in 1991. The HP22 and HP25 are a much-improved redesign of the Raven Arms MP-25 with higher quality metal.

July 6, 2015, 09:03 PM	#1
osbornk Senior Member Join Date: August 11, 2012 Location: Mountains of Appalachia Posts: 1,598	Shocking Customer Service I bought a little Phoenix HP-22A semi-automatic pistol in 2012. At $149 MSRP, it was the cheapest new semi-automatic I could find and it has a lifetime warranty. I shot several thousand rounds through it. I looked at it closely Friday before last and saw a crack in the slide. The CS department wasn’t open until the following Monday. I called them around noon (they opened at 9:00AM PST). I was on hold for about 2 or 3 minutes before a nice lady answered and I told her the problem. She asked for the serial number and immediately told me to mail the slide to them in California with the serial number and my contact information. The packaging and postage totaled $4.33 and it arrived in California on Wednesday night. My new fully assembled slide arrived in the mail today with 3 extra slide springs. The gun shoots like it did when new. I think a one week turnaround from California on such a cheap gun is simply amazing considering there was a July 4th. holiday included.

July 6, 2015, 10:04 PM	#2
Will-j Senior Member Join Date: December 16, 2014 Location: SW Ga. Near Ft. Benning Posts: 251	Sometimes, it's the smaller companies who give the best customer service. WILL. __________________ Life's too short to worry about the small stuff....... IT'S ALL SMALL STUFF. D@MN, I really miss my meds. THE WINDS OF CHANGE ARE BLOWING FROM OUR OWN CAPITOL.

July 9, 2015, 12:09 AM	#11
Old_Dog Member Join Date: May 6, 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 62	I would be shocked if my gun had a crack in the slide after a few thousand rounds and no amount of freebies would make me trust that gun again. It is sort of like those who praise the manufacturer for a quick turnaround for a repair on a new gun. All I see is a new gun that should not need repairs at all. __________________ I prepare for the possible that is most likely rather than the unlikely just because it is possible.

July 7, 2015, 02:21 AM	#3
mellow_c Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,862	That's great. I'm glad to hear about their CS. I've considered buying one of these little guys, but the over load of safety features has deterred me. Who knows, maybe I'll give it a go down the road considering the lifetime warranty. That is if .22lr ever goes back down to less that 10 cents a shot!!!!

July 7, 2015, 10:05 AM	#7
dyl Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2009 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,310	I shot one of those, didn't know if it was older or newer. I thought they had been around quite a while but outlived Raven, Rohm etc. It shot. Occasional misfeeds since not oiled. I had to try hard not to get slide bite. But it shot, and I was hitting a 24 inch torso at 25 Yards. (don't know where and the spread though). Glad they have good customer service. Sounds like a fun time. Also makes me think it must be very inexpensive to make to afford to send out another. Makes me want to test out my NAA mini revolver again, can't shoot a barn past 3 yards with it.

July 8, 2015, 03:28 AM	#9
Carmady Senior Member Join Date: February 26, 2013 Location: on the lam Posts: 1,735	A couple years ago I was looking into .22 autos and was impressed with all the positive comments on Phoenix Arms' CS. IIRC, the slide crack issues were usually the result of using hotter than standard velocity ammo. That's specified in owner's manual, but they still fixed the guns.

July 8, 2015, 11:58 PM	#10
FlySubCompact Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2012 Posts: 306	The slide broke on my (well used, kind of abused) Phoenix target version. It was maybe 7 years old? Thing is, it was cracked, but still functioned perfectly. Only discovered the crack during one of it's rare cleanings. Called Phoenix, described the problem. They replaced it. I like the pistol. Eats most of what I feed it, is accurate and only needs a bath every so often.

July 9, 2015, 02:35 AM	#12
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	Similar to the old HiPoint carbine I had. Kept breaking and they sent me a nearly new gun every time. I just got tired of it breaking.

July 9, 2015, 03:03 AM	#13
745SW Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2011 Location: California Posts: 776	Lifetime could mean the normally durable life of 3-5 years or the life of the company. Many wouldn't complain and will just toss/junk the product especially when it's inexpensive.