Poor repair from Remington

Lance · May 31, 2001, 07:07 PM

Hi guys, I hope you don't mind if I unload my sorrows on you.
I have a Remington 11-87 Skeet model, perfect in every way, my wife bought for me for our anniversary (15th) a couple yrs ago.
I never cared for the hard plastic butt pad it came with, and finally decided to send it to Remington for a new pad, like the 11-87 sporting clays model.
The reason I sent it to Remington, is I value it highly, and didn't want to chance a local gun smith to do a factory perfect job.
And thats what I figured I would get from the factory, a factory perfect job, just as perfect as my gun was the day I opened it.
Ok, I got it back Tuesday, it took 2 weeks, which I thought was quick turn around, all wrapped up in a new factory fresh box, YEE HAW!! ..... till I looked it over
Now here is where I would like a reality check.....
Am I being too petty? too picky?
Here is what I found:
My stock had a new pad installed, where the stock meets the pad, at the top, there was a .010" gap you could see light through, or stick a business card into.
The satin finish had been buffed or rubbed with a scuff pad/steel wool all down from the pistol grip to the pad, and was very dull, and scratched with fine scratches, although the pistol grip was still nice and shiney as new.
Where the wood meets the pad, the finish had been sanded/buffed through to the wood, along the edges about 1.5" on both sides up about 1/16" up onto the wood, the finish was gone.

I was sick.

I called Remington this morning, and appoligized for complaining, but told the guy what I had, and I was not happy, he suggested I might send it in, and have it refinished at an additional charge!!
I went on a rant!!!! I frikkin could not belive it!!!
So, a long 3 page letter later, its going bact in UPS in the morning, I ask that it be repaired, and returned to me as perfect as when it went in, OR credit me the $55.00 repair bill to a new stock. (which if I wanted, i would have bought in the first place!)
OR I told them if thats the best they could do, just tell me that, and that I should be happy with it, and I will accept that.
So, what do you think???
Thanks for any input, Lance, in Jackson, Mi.

Romulus · May 31, 2001, 10:09 PM

Dear God...this sounds more and more like Detroit in the 70s or Milwaukee in the 80s. I thought the 90s and ISO9000 and 9001 had brought us "total quality control..."

Lance, I have little trouble believing your story

Mike Baugh · June 1, 2001, 07:00 PM

I purchased a new 11-87 Premier about 2 years ago that jammed right out of the box on 6 shots in a row . I sent the gun , with only 6 rounds fired [Federal high brass] , back to Remington with a letter stating that I had went to great lengths picking this particular shotgun for the beautiful wood it had and please handle it with care . I received the shotgun about 6 weeks later with a 5" long gouge about 1/8" deep in the buttstock and another scratch on the forend . There was also a spot on the ridges on top of the receiver that looked like it had been hit with a hammer . I called them and explained the problem and they said to send the gun back and they would repair it . I returned the gun and it came back with a reddish brown colored buttstock and a dark walnut forend , not even remotely close in color match , and nothing done to the receiver . I called them again and after a long , CALM , discussion they replaced it with a new shotgun . I had a similar problem with an 870 I purchased , it had to be sent back because of the rifle sight base being way off center and about 10 days after sending it I received an E-Mail from a gun store in California asking what I wanted to be done with my shotgun . I E-Mailed him back and asked if he was talking about the 870 and he said yes , he was a Factory approved service center and Remington had sent the gun to him [most of their repairs were now farmed out], I asked him if he had read the enclosed letter and he said no , when I told him about the base he said he would have to send it back to New York to have a new barrel installed . So I sent the gun to New York and they sent it to California , they could not fix it so it was sent back to New York [are you dizzy yet?]. I finally got the shotgun back about 10 weeks after sending it in with a new barrel . Moral is , look the new gun over with a magnifying glass before buying it . Good luck , Mike...

Lance · June 6, 2001, 06:56 PM

If any Remington folks are reading this,
The repair # on this mess was #RE00027675
Lance

addecus · June 7, 2001, 12:05 AM

I own several Remington shotguns and a 700 adl rifle. The 11-87 shotgun mentioned in above post reminds me of my own, beautiful satin finished walnut, deep blued steel. (also own several graded Brownings and a fine Sako so I know what a nice gun should be). It's sad that a company that makes good guns will let sour repair work lower their repute. I hope that they will learn from this and that your probs with Remington are resolved.

Lance · June 7, 2001, 07:59 PM

Thanks Addecus, I think the thing that hurt most, is the faith I have lost in them.

I have always been a Remington NUT, starting with an 870 Wingmaster 25 yrs ago.
I started watching NASCAR 5 years ago, because I wanted to follow the #75 Remington car, and after three years of not seeing a checkered flag, I was real excited when they joined the Ernhardt team sponsorship, well, you know the rest of that sad story.
Remington hats, guns, (4), memoribilia, I was their #1 fan!!
And a better spokesman for their guns, you couldn't find one.
Hopefully I won't get the run around that Mike Baugh got,
but if I do, I have a couple Ruger hand guns I like real well, and a Mini-14, and I have been eyeballing those nice over and under shotguns they make, guess I could become a Ruger nut REAL easy

Noban · June 12, 2001, 05:41 PM

A few years ago I purchased a Remington PSS in .308. Upon close inspection in sunlight, the barrel and receiver finish appeared "splotchy", as if someone handled the metal before it was finished and left body oil residue behind.

I called Remington and they instructed me to send it in. Four weeks later I received the rifle back with a beautiful new finish. Flawless and free!

On the other hand, I took an old Model 11 20-gauge to a local smith for a bolt replacement. He scratched the hell out of the receiver, dinged the barrel, broke the butt plate, and had the nerve to charge me full price. He had nicely "packaged" the shotgun for me so I did not notice the damage until I got home, 50 miles away.

Noban

Lance · June 12, 2001, 08:20 PM

I posted my remarks above on their technical assistance e-mail service, and received an e-mail back, instructing me that they would send a pre-paid mailer..(I had sent the stock back a week ago via ups) and the said they would take care of it.
I am optimistic they will.
Lance, in Jackson, Mi.

Lance · July 1, 2001, 06:32 PM

Well, its now July 1, and I am still waiting to get my stock back, I am using my spare time to shop through catalogs from Benelli, and Beretta

Lance · July 25, 2001, 10:34 AM

I just called Remington today, 7/25/01, and it still is on someone's bench.
I did get assurance they will get to it, but I am not the only gun they have to repair, I will have to wait my turn.

Rokchukrslave · July 25, 2001, 01:09 PM

OMG, did you say "Remington" and "factory perfect" in the same sentence?:barf:

Dave McC · July 26, 2001, 06:28 AM

Lance, sorry to hear of this. There's 5 870s here and Remington will never see any of them again....

biganimal · July 30, 2001, 07:57 PM

As adealer I have sent many guns back to remington for warrenty work but ONLY for warrenty work !! they are so slip-shod on their work that any special stuff goes to a very competant smith locally. I love remington firearms but I know whenever I purchase one I am going to have to tweak it somewhat to get it where I want it because remington's quality control has gone by the way side.
and I personally think the 11-87 is the second biggest example of shoddy workmanship , the 870 EXPRESS being their worst
just my 2 cents worth

rr41mag · July 31, 2001, 06:32 PM

After reading all these horror stories It made me realize why I took up home gunsmithing.

Kobra · August 3, 2001, 12:32 PM

Two years ago I purchased a Rem 700 in 300 WM. Upon getting it home, a round would not chamber without slamming the bolt shut really hard. After 10 rds I realized something was wrong because both of my dad's 700s were glass smooth on bolt travel.

Anyway took it back to my dealer and he verified to himself that something was wrong and away to Remington it went on a Monday afternoon. By Friday afternoon I had message that it was back at my dealer waiting to be picked up. I was amazed. Then they gave me the wrong rifle and I didn't catch it till I got home (apparently several rifles were bad - bad QC). I couldn't find what was wrong or how they fixed it. I figure the chamber was reamed wrong in some way (based on the knowledge I have acquired from here over the last two years).

So their is a positive repair for Remington.................

700PSS Shooter · August 4, 2001, 09:01 AM

Was it repaired, or just a new rifle? Just curious.

Lance · August 8, 2001, 06:20 AM

Well, I got the stock back last week, and it is refinished, looks like new.
Only problem, the satin finish on my forarm is quite a bit glossier than the buttstock, since I didn't send the forarm in, they don't match, as far as the level of shine.
I know that its a satin finish, but the forarm is shinier.
I hope to use some rottenstone to buff the buttstock enough to match.
any suggestions here would be appriciated, its a synthetic finish.
Thanks, Lance

June 7, 2001, 12:05 AM	#5
addecus Member Join Date: January 23, 2001 Location: USA Posts: 87	remington I own several Remington shotguns and a 700 adl rifle. The 11-87 shotgun mentioned in above post reminds me of my own, beautiful satin finished walnut, deep blued steel. (also own several graded Brownings and a fine Sako so I know what a nice gun should be). It's sad that a company that makes good guns will let sour repair work lower their repute. I hope that they will learn from this and that your probs with Remington are resolved.

June 12, 2001, 08:20 PM	#8
Lance Member Join Date: November 2, 2000 Location: Jackson, Michigan Posts: 77	I posted my remarks above on their technical assistance e-mail service, and received an e-mail back, instructing me that they would send a pre-paid mailer..(I had sent the stock back a week ago via ups) and the said they would take care of it. I am optimistic they will. Lance, in Jackson, Mi. __________________ "Anyone who doesn't belive in the unalienable human rights granted to us by our Creator, and detailed in the U.S. Constitution by our Founding Fathers, ...must be a Communist!" L.C.Shively

July 1, 2001, 06:32 PM	#9
Lance Member Join Date: November 2, 2000 Location: Jackson, Michigan Posts: 77	Stii Waiting Well, its now July 1, and I am still waiting to get my stock back, I am using my spare time to shop through catalogs from Benelli, and Beretta __________________ "Anyone who doesn't belive in the unalienable human rights granted to us by our Creator, and detailed in the U.S. Constitution by our Founding Fathers, ...must be a Communist!" L.C.Shively

July 25, 2001, 10:34 AM	#10
Lance Member Join Date: November 2, 2000 Location: Jackson, Michigan Posts: 77	I just called Remington today, 7/25/01, and it still is on someone's bench. I did get assurance they will get to it, but I am not the only gun they have to repair, I will have to wait my turn. __________________ "Anyone who doesn't belive in the unalienable human rights granted to us by our Creator, and detailed in the U.S. Constitution by our Founding Fathers, ...must be a Communist!" L.C.Shively

July 30, 2001, 07:57 PM	#13
biganimal Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2001 Location: south carolina Posts: 435	As adealer I have sent many guns back to remington for warrenty work but ONLY for warrenty work !! they are so slip-shod on their work that any special stuff goes to a very competant smith locally. I love remington firearms but I know whenever I purchase one I am going to have to tweak it somewhat to get it where I want it because remington's quality control has gone by the way side. and I personally think the 11-87 is the second biggest example of shoddy workmanship , the 870 EXPRESS being their worst just my 2 cents worth __________________ Other than That, Mrs Lincoln, How was the play?

May 31, 2001, 07:07 PM	#1
Lance Member Join Date: November 2, 2000 Location: Jackson, Michigan Posts: 77	Hi guys, I hope you don't mind if I unload my sorrows on you. I have a Remington 11-87 Skeet model, perfect in every way, my wife bought for me for our anniversary (15th) a couple yrs ago. I never cared for the hard plastic butt pad it came with, and finally decided to send it to Remington for a new pad, like the 11-87 sporting clays model. The reason I sent it to Remington, is I value it highly, and didn't want to chance a local gun smith to do a factory perfect job. And thats what I figured I would get from the factory, a factory perfect job, just as perfect as my gun was the day I opened it. Ok, I got it back Tuesday, it took 2 weeks, which I thought was quick turn around, all wrapped up in a new factory fresh box, YEE HAW!! ..... till I looked it over Now here is where I would like a reality check..... Am I being too petty? too picky? Here is what I found: My stock had a new pad installed, where the stock meets the pad, at the top, there was a .010" gap you could see light through, or stick a business card into. The satin finish had been buffed or rubbed with a scuff pad/steel wool all down from the pistol grip to the pad, and was very dull, and scratched with fine scratches, although the pistol grip was still nice and shiney as new. Where the wood meets the pad, the finish had been sanded/buffed through to the wood, along the edges about 1.5" on both sides up about 1/16" up onto the wood, the finish was gone. I was sick. I called Remington this morning, and appoligized for complaining, but told the guy what I had, and I was not happy, he suggested I might send it in, and have it refinished at an additional charge!! I went on a rant!!!! I frikkin could not belive it!!! So, a long 3 page letter later, its going bact in UPS in the morning, I ask that it be repaired, and returned to me as perfect as when it went in, OR credit me the $55.00 repair bill to a new stock. (which if I wanted, i would have bought in the first place!) OR I told them if thats the best they could do, just tell me that, and that I should be happy with it, and I will accept that. So, what do you think??? Thanks for any input, Lance, in Jackson, Mi.

May 31, 2001, 10:09 PM	#2
Romulus Senior Member Join Date: January 18, 2001 Location: Kettle Moraine country Posts: 897	Dear God...this sounds more and more like Detroit in the 70s or Milwaukee in the 80s. I thought the 90s and ISO9000 and 9001 had brought us "total quality control..." Lance, I have little trouble believing your story

June 1, 2001, 07:00 PM	#3
Mike Baugh Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 1998 Location: Indiana Posts: 405	I purchased a new 11-87 Premier about 2 years ago that jammed right out of the box on 6 shots in a row . I sent the gun , with only 6 rounds fired [Federal high brass] , back to Remington with a letter stating that I had went to great lengths picking this particular shotgun for the beautiful wood it had and please handle it with care . I received the shotgun about 6 weeks later with a 5" long gouge about 1/8" deep in the buttstock and another scratch on the forend . There was also a spot on the ridges on top of the receiver that looked like it had been hit with a hammer . I called them and explained the problem and they said to send the gun back and they would repair it . I returned the gun and it came back with a reddish brown colored buttstock and a dark walnut forend , not even remotely close in color match , and nothing done to the receiver . I called them again and after a long , CALM , discussion they replaced it with a new shotgun . I had a similar problem with an 870 I purchased , it had to be sent back because of the rifle sight base being way off center and about 10 days after sending it I received an E-Mail from a gun store in California asking what I wanted to be done with my shotgun . I E-Mailed him back and asked if he was talking about the 870 and he said yes , he was a Factory approved service center and Remington had sent the gun to him [most of their repairs were now farmed out], I asked him if he had read the enclosed letter and he said no , when I told him about the base he said he would have to send it back to New York to have a new barrel installed . So I sent the gun to New York and they sent it to California , they could not fix it so it was sent back to New York [are you dizzy yet?]. I finally got the shotgun back about 10 weeks after sending it in with a new barrel . Moral is , look the new gun over with a magnifying glass before buying it . Good luck , Mike...

June 6, 2001, 06:56 PM	#4
Lance Member Join Date: November 2, 2000 Location: Jackson, Michigan Posts: 77	If any Remington folks are reading this, The repair # on this mess was #RE00027675 Lance

June 7, 2001, 07:59 PM	#6
Lance Member Join Date: November 2, 2000 Location: Jackson, Michigan Posts: 77	Thanks Addecus, I think the thing that hurt most, is the faith I have lost in them. I have always been a Remington NUT, starting with an 870 Wingmaster 25 yrs ago. I started watching NASCAR 5 years ago, because I wanted to follow the #75 Remington car, and after three years of not seeing a checkered flag, I was real excited when they joined the Ernhardt team sponsorship, well, you know the rest of that sad story. Remington hats, guns, (4), memoribilia, I was their #1 fan!! And a better spokesman for their guns, you couldn't find one. Hopefully I won't get the run around that Mike Baugh got, but if I do, I have a couple Ruger hand guns I like real well, and a Mini-14, and I have been eyeballing those nice over and under shotguns they make, guess I could become a Ruger nut REAL easy

June 12, 2001, 05:41 PM	#7
Noban Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 1999 Posts: 662	A few years ago I purchased a Remington PSS in .308. Upon close inspection in sunlight, the barrel and receiver finish appeared "splotchy", as if someone handled the metal before it was finished and left body oil residue behind. I called Remington and they instructed me to send it in. Four weeks later I received the rifle back with a beautiful new finish. Flawless and free! On the other hand, I took an old Model 11 20-gauge to a local smith for a bolt replacement. He scratched the hell out of the receiver, dinged the barrel, broke the butt plate, and had the nerve to charge me full price. He had nicely "packaged" the shotgun for me so I did not notice the damage until I got home, 50 miles away. Noban

July 25, 2001, 01:09 PM	#11
Rokchukrslave Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2000 Posts: 111	OMG, did you say "Remington" and "factory perfect" in the same sentence?:barf:

July 26, 2001, 06:28 AM	#12
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Lance, sorry to hear of this. There's 5 870s here and Remington will never see any of them again....

July 31, 2001, 06:32 PM	#14
rr41mag Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2000 Location: Biloxi, Miss. Posts: 180	After reading all these horror stories It made me realize why I took up home gunsmithing. __________________ A son is the best friend you'll ever have!

August 3, 2001, 12:32 PM	#15
Kobra Senior Member Join Date: January 17, 2001 Location: LA - KY (Cajun Hillbilly) Posts: 338	Two years ago I purchased a Rem 700 in 300 WM. Upon getting it home, a round would not chamber without slamming the bolt shut really hard. After 10 rds I realized something was wrong because both of my dad's 700s were glass smooth on bolt travel. Anyway took it back to my dealer and he verified to himself that something was wrong and away to Remington it went on a Monday afternoon. By Friday afternoon I had message that it was back at my dealer waiting to be picked up. I was amazed. Then they gave me the wrong rifle and I didn't catch it till I got home (apparently several rifles were bad - bad QC). I couldn't find what was wrong or how they fixed it. I figure the chamber was reamed wrong in some way (based on the knowledge I have acquired from here over the last two years). So their is a positive repair for Remington.................

August 4, 2001, 09:01 AM	#16
700PSS Shooter Senior Member Join Date: May 16, 2000 Location: Virginia (The Old Dominion) Posts: 367	Was it repaired, or just a new rifle? Just curious. __________________ "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

August 8, 2001, 06:20 AM	#17
Lance Member Join Date: November 2, 2000 Location: Jackson, Michigan Posts: 77	Its back Well, I got the stock back last week, and it is refinished, looks like new. Only problem, the satin finish on my forarm is quite a bit glossier than the buttstock, since I didn't send the forarm in, they don't match, as far as the level of shine. I know that its a satin finish, but the forarm is shinier. I hope to use some rottenstone to buff the buttstock enough to match. any suggestions here would be appriciated, its a synthetic finish. Thanks, Lance __________________ "Anyone who doesn't belive in the unalienable human rights granted to us by our Creator, and detailed in the U.S. Constitution by our Founding Fathers, ...must be a Communist!" L.C.Shively