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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
