Browning Buyers Beware

Mark-II

Mark-II

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This seems to be no secret with the old hands, but I figure I'd pass this along to the unanointed.

Simply - don't expect any warranty service if you buy a new Browning shotgun.


fall of 2015 - my dad and I get back into the clay game. He buys a brand new Citori Crossover Sport - a gun that to him is pretty damned expensive at just north of 2 grand, and it's the least expensive new Citori in the lineup at that time. But he was set on a Citori, so he bought one.

He gets a few rounds shot with it before the end of season.

Next spring the first or second time out he's shooting it and the stock splits tang-to-tang on one side. This is a gun with a few hundred rounds through it. The wood was obviously either stressed from a poor fit, or had a flaw in it. It certainly wasn't loose prior.

Guys at the club say that it's going to be gone for AT LEAST a year if he sends it back for repair.

He sends it back to where he bought it (Bashaw), since they are also one of the 2 warranty handlers for Browning.

Here we are, almost a year later, and there is absolutely NO news as to when a replacement stock might arrive.

Last news I have is dad talked to Bashaw and they are sending the gun south of the border in hopes of lighting a fire under someone's butt. He's told that Browning's warranty centre can't even get parts from the factory.

The old man figures he'll be in the grave before the gun comes back, if it ever does.

I've written the company, and gotten the usual BS that my letter will be passed along to someone more important.




Buyer beware - Browning warranty support Does Not Exist.


You're on your own.
 
Sorry it happened to him. We also have zero warranty for tavor or cz. Let along some of the other us brands..msbg and etc
 
Cheers

Isn't so warm and fuzzy to know that Canada is an important enough market to set up distribution channels with, but not enough to worry about maintaining a reputation with...
 
Although warranty is a #### show at best, matching stocks and fitting them is a tough job. Especially is the parts are coming from Japan.

Also, wood is often over looked when it comes to long term storage. Proper oiling and waxing is required to prevent damage to the stocks. Nice warm wet air vs dry Prairie air.
 
Before our gov't introduced all these idiotic laws on shipping gun parts Browning was no problem getting stuff from. But in my opinion if they are going to sell here they should have a stocked warranty centre here. And talking to Browning Canada in QC is like talking to a brick wall. Rudest bunch of azzhats I have ever spoken with next to the phone ordering dept at LeBaron.
 
the spank said:
Before our gov't introduced all these idiotic laws on shipping gun parts Browning was no problem getting stuff from. But in my opinion if they are going to sell here they should have a stocked warranty centre here. And talking to Browning Canada in QC is like talking to a brick wall. Rudest bunch of azzhats I have ever spoken with next to the phone ordering dept at LeBaron.
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Brownings poor service preceded laws against shipping gun parts by 20+ years. I have seen a few exceptions, but it is generally pretty bad. The odd part is the people selling the guns never mention it.
 
lil_juiced_coupe said:
Although warranty is a #### show at best, matching stocks and fitting them is a tough job. Especially is the parts are coming from Japan.

Also, wood is often over looked when it comes to long term storage. Proper oiling and waxing is required to prevent damage to the stocks. Nice warm wet air vs dry Prairie air.
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What good is wax or oil on a stock with that thick polyurethane finish that Browning uses on many of it's firearms?
 
Buddy of mine had to send back 223 blr. It wouldn't group 5 shots the size of a pie plate at 50yds. Had 4 or 5 guys try it, switched scopes 3 times and tried every ammo he could get his hands on with no improvement. He took back to gun store he bought it from and they sent it to Quebec. 10 months later and no word. He ended up putting up such a stink the store where he purchased it from refunded his money. He's been a browning man for years and says he'll never buy another after that.
 
This is what worries me about buying new guns in Canada - if the item breaks under warranty the retailer won't allow returns and the manufacturers won't service and a gunsmith will take forever. Good racket isnt it?
 
Poor service like this is ridiculous. If a business wants to sell in Canada they should be prepared to provide proper after sale service. I have no idea if it is possible, but maybe a small claims court action would get their attention??? Taking more than a month for service is unacceptable.
 
VictoryXC said:
Poor service like this is ridiculous. If a business wants to sell in Canada they should be prepared to provide proper after sale service. I have no idea if it is possible, but maybe a small claims court action would get their attention??? Taking more than a month for service is unacceptable.
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I completely agree. It shouldn't take 1/10 of the time it does. My buddy with the blr knows the owner of the store he purchased it from very well since they were kids. It was over a year before browning contacted store owner and was told it needed a new barrel. There's no reason it should have taken over a year to figure out the barrel needed to be replaced.
 
Mark-II said:
Last news I have is dad talked to Bashaw and they are sending the gun south of the border in hopes of lighting a fire under someone's butt. He's told that Browning's warranty centre can't even get parts from the factory.
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Unless there is something else wrong with the gun there is no reason to send it back to the U.S. for what should be a simple stock replacement. Very odd.

The fact is in Canada the warranty from most gun companies isn't worth the paper it's written on . I've experienced or heard about similar situations from most of the big names.

For anything other than a radical failure the options are to have it fixed yourself or be prepared to do without your gun for a very long time. Always have a back-up gun.
 
Take a tip from someone who went almost a year waiting for a barrel...get the email addresses and the phone numbers of the corporate directors and communicate your concerns, in a polite way, but keep the pressure up. Go onto the different forms to get the contact info. I put a comment on the S&W form in the States, and in 10 minutes I had all the email addresses and phone numbers sent to me.
The best place to start is the VP of International sales, and the VP of warranty services.
 
kamlooky said:
Sometimes it hard not to love them old guns that have been tried and true with the "new" worn awf'im.
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Good point! I've never had an issue with a used gun I purchased. I've also purchased my fair share of new guns and only encountered one problem with a Ruger 10/22. I took the gun back to Sail, the retailer I purchased from, and they took the gun back and sent me home with a new replacement. I also know of someone who had an issue with a Beretta A400 purchased at Bass Pro and the gun was returned with no issues. Bass Pro has a 10 day non firing return policy. I think if a manufacturer cant develop a good warranty service infrastructure here in Canada, they should at least empower the retailers selling their products to provide adequate services to make things right for the end user
 
Savage has no hassles on warranty, I have had 2 issues that were dealt with within 2 weeks and that far exceeded my expectation in how far they went to make it right, I own a pile of their rifles and they are still the best around, as to my BLR, I am too afraid of what would happen to it to take it out so it is still brand new in the box locked up in my gun cabinet.
 
I don't want to hijack the thread but I am wondering now about other major gun manufacturers who are selling in Canada and their after sales service?

For example, what about Remington and warranty repairs? Good or bad? Anybody any experience?
 
I have dealt with The Gravel Agency a couple of times, Remington Warranty Center in Canada and they have been great. Couple of week turnaround on a rifle send in for warranty. Another time they gave me a replacement box of 300wm 180psp after I call them about a few bad shell crimps in a box of psp's I had bought.

Have dealt with Winchester warranty dealer in Canada, Graywood Industries???? and they we good. Had to deal with Winchester US once for warranty, they were awful.
 
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