Benelli Customer Service Rant....

H20fwler

5 year old buck +
I purchased an H&K SBE around 27 years ago. Absolutely love the gun and have literally shot thousands of things with it over the years. Well this past season I started getting the "Benelli click" way too often, where the pin just doesn't strike hard enough to make the shell fire. I had replaced the stock spring about twenty years ago with a SureCycle system. I figured the old girl was just getting worn down and needed to be gone through by Benelli and have them check everything out and replace anything that needed it.

A few months ago after season I called them up and explained the issues I was having and that I would like to have it gone through and have any weak springs replaced along with anything else that may need fixed and that price was no object I love the gun. I just wanted to get it back to good reliable hunting condition. So I scheduled the work and sent it to them.

After a month or so the gun was returned by FedEx and my card was charged $85 for a new stock spring and return shipping cost and was am more than fine with that. When I opened the box the bolt was unassembled and the parts from it were all over loose in the box? I tried to reassemble the gun but the bolt head retaining pin would not go into the hole, there was a ding on the edge of the hole with a burr on it. So I called Customer Service and reported it, they were very surprised and told me they would take care of it and sent me a return shipping slip for FedEx.

Another month goes by and my gun comes back a second time. I immediately open box and again bolt is in pieces? I try to reassemble and the firing pin retaining pin is missing? So I call Customer service. I admit I was very agitated now, after I explained what I found to the guy I was talking to he pretty much told me there was no way the bolt left their shop either time unassembled. He actually was in and out of being argumentative with me and it went round and round for a while. Finally he said he would send me a replacement firing pin retaining pin and we ended the conversation even though that really wasn't my gripe. My gripe being that my gun appeared to be very mistreated and loose internal parts getting banged around during shipping on my prized gun.

The more I thought about my latest conversation the madder I got. So, I sent a very long detailed yet kind of scathing email to Benelli CS. I also called them back this afternoon and got the exact same guy I talked to yesterday. I opened by apologizing for being agitated at him the day before then went on to explain my position and theories on this situation. The guy got very snarky and condescending with me and accused me of conspiracy theories and that in no way did any damage happen in their shop and he talked to the guy that worked on my gun and the gunsmith remembered my SBE and said it was fine and the bolt was completely reassembled and he had test fired it and packed it to ship. I said I believed him but someone somewhere disassembled my bolt because that’s how it was when it got to me.
Then he says "So, some ANTIFA guy climbed our fence went off in some corner opened the box tore down the bolt stole your firing pin retaining pin and re-taped the box to ship?" that is almost verbatim what the guy said to me! I told him that was ridiculous then he asked if I had any enemies at FedEx in Ohio? I said the odds of someone at FedEx getting into two packages addressed to me were astronomical and he was not listening to me. Acted like I was just too stupid to reassemble my own gun and that there was nothing wrong with it the second time it was sent in. I said I had pics of damage and that I would email them to him and that I was surprised the gunsmiths didn’t mention any of it. I asked if he had ever seen anything like this situation before, he said in his ten years with them he had never had anything like this happen and his gunsmiths were beyond reproach. I did tell him that the return packaging box was way bigger than the gun box inside and the outer box did have a small hole in it, he acted like it was some "gotcha" moment. The guy kept going from polite to defensive highbrow insulting me and call was getting nowhere so we ended in a curt good bye.

I have to say that I felt like a total idiot after the call, this tool had made me feel like shit and that I would be the butt of all his company jokes now.
In looking the two boxes over the return shipping box is way bigger than the original form fitting box the gun was in and it looked like FedEx had played kick ball with it all the way to my house. There was no packing in the box to keep the smaller box from bouncing around inside it. It looks like the charging handle rubbed through in multiple places.

About two hours later I check my phone and have a voice mail. It was the CS guy telling me that he had been forwarded my email from the day before and had replied to it and would like to talk with me and see what pics I had and gave me the foreman of the repair departments # and extension. This message he was way more polite.

Here is the original ding in bolt head retaining pin hole burr is now gone.
Nglf0oI.jpg


The two boxes after the second return. The outer brown box is not the one I sent the gun back to them in either time. It looks like it is made to fit the new style hard cases the guns are now sold in.
I can see how a small retaining pin could have fallen out.

cy7UZZs.jpg

MlzwyyF.jpg



I emailed my CS buddy the pics tonight. Anyway that I look at it I still feel like shit over the way I was treated and am pretty much done with Benelli...life is to short plenty of other good brands out there if I get the itch to buy another gun. I know I can be a dick but thought that especially today I was pretty level headed and polite just wanting answers.

OK,......rant over.
 
Sorry for your anguish. I am going through exactly the same situation with a Lem grinder. Customer service sucks big time these days
 
I have a couple benelli’s and hunt with guys who have them. They aint what they used to be. My next shotgun will not be a benelli
 
Basically everything is someone else’s problem. (Society in general)Take it to a small town gun Smith and get it back in perfect condition two days later. Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Over the years I have bought six of them, SBE three Nova's a Vinci and the wife bought me an SBE3. Purchased two of the Nova's for my two boys when young, the third for my new son in law and the Vinci for my oldest son as a wedding gift. Not buying any more Benelli's.
 
Basically everything is someone else’s problem. (Society in general)Take it to a small town gun Smith and get it back in perfect condition two days later. Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I took my benelli montefeltro to my small town gunsmith and benelli would not send him the part. Required him to send the gun to them. Simple fix. Benelli kept it for six months. Had to supply a rivet to reattach a part.
 
Basically everything is someone else’s problem. (Society in general)Take it to a small town gun Smith and get it back in perfect condition two days later. Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I took my benelli montefeltro to my small town gunsmith and benelli would not send him the part. Required him to send the gun to them. Simple fix. Benelli kept it for six months. Had to supply a rivet to reattach a part.

Yuck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Time for an American made firearm


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
That’s a shame was a good company. I’ve got one that’s 25 years old and it’s a work horse. I did change the stock spring to stainless way back when.
 
the honest part here I think is, it really comes down to the person you get to talk to some times, its NOT always as simple as Blaming a whole company for a BAD worker,
as sadly, there are a LOT of bad workers out there that get away with this crap, due to the higher up's never get to hear problems like this !

IF I was you, I would ind some emails, or contacts for higher up and send them the story of how you were treated the treatment of your gun
and well, the FACT that you are letting the general public know on forums of your poor dealings with there company
and ask them if this is what they want from a returning costumer who was treated a s so!

you MIGHT get some satisfaction knowing you did all you could to make there customer service person , get some maybe UN wanted attention from there higher up's
MOST company's don't like knowing there getting bashed on forums wit real details
and Heck if I was you I'd be sharing the persons NAME you dealt with here
so ALL can know who he is! and if they ever call in, to ASK for someone else!

NOW< as for a possible future issue's and help
doesn't Benelli have a working relationship with authorized repair centers/smiths?
MOST OEM makers do, several of my friends that are smiths, are authorized to work on many brands and yet locally located!
I know its been a few yrs since I had my gun shop, so I don;t keep up on this anymore, but I would have to think they do
so maybe next time, just use one of them over sending back to them??
they used to also have there own forum
https://forums.benelliusa.com/

maybe join there and place a post about your experience and see if it rattles anyone with some insight to the individual you had such a poor experience with!, if nothing else will surely get some attention by fellow owners and possible alter some future purchases!

sadly, customer service, is a dying trait in many businesses that seem to think, a NEW SUCKER IS BORN EVERY SECOND< so why bother!

and sadly,m they might be right with how modern folks seem to waste money on things!
 
It is not just customer service. We have had two new benellis break parts in the past three years. One had to go back to benelli for some machining. Out of three guns while duck hunting, each morning at least one will fail to eject a shell. I am done with them.
 
It is not just customer service. We have had two new benellis break parts in the past three years. One had to go back to benelli for some machining. Out of three guns while duck hunting, each morning at least one will fail to eject a shell. I am done with them.

I’ll say it again, man that’s a shame. Mine has been dropped in the mud, dropped in salt water, dogs peed on it, stepped on it, laid on it, it’s completely rusted on the outside, the Chanel the bolt slides on is worn so much it’s almost sharp. I’ve honestly never treated something that cost so much as poorly. (But duck hunting salt marshes ain’t easily on anything). It still gets it done.

I hope they get things under control again, I honestly love my old benelli.
 
It is not just customer service. We have had two new benellis break parts in the past three years. One had to go back to benelli for some machining. Out of three guns while duck hunting, each morning at least one will fail to eject a shell. I am done with them.
well after selling a literally several thousand guns,(close to 20 thousands in the last 10 yrs of my shop) I will tell you this, I have seen every make and model brand, have BAD one's leave the factory from cheap one's to VERY very high end one's
so I will never say any company like Benelli is failing to make quality firearms.
BAD ones will always slip out the doors
just like the bashing of vehicles(truck, Chevy, Ford Dodge)
some get BAD one's and some have them last for yrs problem free!

things happen, quality control only catches and inspects about 1% of what goes out the door??
 
I would be very thorough with following up. You may be satisfied when all is said and done. Could be one bad apple instead of a systemic in the company. Probably worth finding out for sure before you make a decision about a company whose products you love.

That said, customer service gas gone downhill for probably the last 15 years or so in the US. I think it's related to the selfishness and entitlement of the Millennial culture. I was pretty surprised to find out tips are expected even if service is bad. And tips are expected EVERYWHERE now.
 
I’ll say it again, man that’s a shame. Mine has been dropped in the mud, dropped in salt water, dogs peed on it, stepped on it, laid on it, it’s completely rusted on the outside, the Chanel the bolt slides on is worn so much it’s almost sharp. I’ve honestly never treated something that cost so much as poorly. (But duck hunting salt marshes ain’t easily on anything). It still gets it done.

I hope they get things under control again, I honestly love my old benelli.

yes - my old benelli works more flawlessly than any of the new benelli’s. When it came back from benelli after repair their was a factory issued checksheet include. Last line on the checksheet said Condition: Poor. That gun has duct tape all over it holding it together.
 
It's like they didn't believe me at all about the bolt coming back to me in the box unassembled ..twice. I think the guy thought I was trying to scam him , of what I do not know. Getting the gun fixed correct is all I was ever after and I didn't care what it cost me.

I just wanted to get to the bottom of why it was sent back to me with fragile loose parts in box. The lack of packing on their part was definitely a mistake. The rough handling by FedEx could explain the bolt getting knocked loose and the ding&burr happening.

I admit I was a little wound up but treating me like crap and talking down to me is unacceptable and poor customer service.
 
I agree good customer care to me goes a LONG way with me wanting to buy the same product and to pass on and recommend it to others as well!
but I think its a dying bred like us that appreciate and put any value on it

as there are so many generations now that just don;t seem to care about it, all they want is the latest greatest marketing gadgets and don't value to save and KEEP things long!

no sentimental value on anything, and or it seems like they don;t care if it lasts long at all, as they plan toi buy new crap as soon as it comes out! and get rid of what they have for it!!

them good old days of when a company took PRIDE in the reputation for making LONG LASTING< high quality things and standing behind there product is almost a thing of the past!

Now a days it seems like, customer service folks , feel your BOTHERING them when you call and ask for help or service!(not understanding the POINT of customer s ervice is to HELP YOU)
' they just want to get paid to do NOTHING! and NOT have to deal with you!

what a shame and crappy direction the world is going in IMO!

I'm Sure glad I grew up when I did! to know the difference and have had some great dealings with company's in the past!
 
Top