Lee shipping prices are crazy!

[cam1936]

I sent Lee an email about two broken pieces and this is the response I got:

We have discontinued the auto prime and no longer stock replacement parts for it. IT has been replaced with the Auto Prime XR which sells for $24.98. If you send me your broken auto prime I can sell you a new Auto Prime XR for $12.49 plus $500 shipping and handling. Please include the broken primer lever and I will replace that at no charge. Put a quick note in your package explaining what happened and send it to my attention.

Thanks,


Peter
Customer Service
Lee Precision, Inc.
4275 Highway U
Hartford, WI

Haha I'm sure he meant $5 S&H.

I'm not too impressed with Lee though. I've emailed both RCBS and Hornady about broken parts and the response I got from them was "new one in the mail." Getting 50% of retail is better than a kick in the nuts, but is still a pretty ####ty deal considering the part never should have broken in the first place.

 

[stang]

I've emailed both RCBS and Hornady about broken parts and the response I got from them was "new one in the mail." Getting 50% of retail is better than a kick in the nuts, but is still a pretty s**tty deal considering the part never should have broken in the first place.

You get what you pay for. In reloading junk is spelled LEE.

 

[easyrider604]

I have always bought Lee products from Lee Factory Sales, which by the way is not related to the Lee factory (manufacturer).

Twice they (LFS) have replaced broken parts from bullet and slug molds that I ordered from them...for free and that includes shipping. And both times, they did not even ask for proof that I bought the molds from them.

Sure, Lee products break just like any other manufacturer's products. I have been using their bullet molds, Classic Cast Single, Classic Turret, Loadmaster and all required press accessories, with few issues, none of them deal-breakers. Most of my "issues" were user induced....like not reading instructions or watching instructional videos beforehand.

However, Lee have one press that can prove troublesome to some users, the Pro1000...but some patience, common sense and mechanical aptitude goes a long way to making the Pro1000 work. I had one and wasn't too happy with it.

BTW, I used Hornady Projector and Dillon 550Bs for many years before selling them and getting my Lee presses.

 

[graydog]

You get what you pay for. In reloading junk is spelled LEE.

I could not agree with you more.

Graydog

 

[zuke]

I called them and told them I was in Canada.
They asked me to email them a pic and I did.
My new part for my Loadmaster showed up about a week later at no cost to me.

 

[trebor2880]

Lee products have been good to me.

 

[burnaby]

Wow, is everyone discussing the same company. Great to garbage. Sure glad internet advice is worth every penny paid.

Still stuck on LEE loadmaster vs. Hornady LNL. Lee is ~ half price of Hornady (not including 500 bullets for $20 shipping which is worth 70bucks for 45 ACP). tough call.

 

[HKMark23]

Wow, is everyone discussing the same company. Great to garbage. Sure glad internet advice is worth every penny paid.

Still stuck on LEE loadmaster vs. Hornady LNL. Lee is ~ half price of Hornady (not including 500 bullets for $20 shipping which is worth 70bucks for 45 ACP). tough call.

Re the advice, you've already noticed !!

After a few years of reloading your bench will probably exhibit gear made by every manufacturer going. Except for certain models of blue press , they all accept one another's dies on their presses etc. and none of them have the market cornered on "the best of everything".

Of the 2 you're considering, go Hornady. You're gonna love the L&L system. It saves a lot of time, especially if you're into more than one caliber. Buy extra bushings (they're cheap) for all your dies. Hornady's quality, warranty, and service cannot be beat.

 

[mg34]

i never liked most of the lee products, i purchase lyman or rcbs and have very few problems.

 

[Freyr_255]

If you want a company to replace everything for free if it breaks you have to pay the extra to have that lifetime warranty(as in pay double what it's worth and have it replaced free for life). Lee equipment is like every other product on the market...you break it you fix or replace it at YOUR cost. Last I checked if I break my chainsaw I'm the one responsible for repairing or replacing it, not Husky...

The fact that Lee offers as good of warranty service as they do is amazing given the price of the products.

 

[HKMark23]

If you want a company to replace everything for free if it breaks you have to pay the extra to have that lifetime warranty(as in pay double what it's worth and have it replaced free for life). Lee equipment is like every other product on the market...you break it you fix or replace it at YOUR cost. Last I checked if I break my chainsaw I'm the one responsible for repairing or replacing it, not Husky...

The fact that Lee offers as good of warranty service as they do is amazing given the price of the products.

(as in pay double what it's worth and have it replaced free for life)

!!!!!!

Gotta cry foul on that comment Freyr. The majority of manufacturers have established a certain standard for high quality and utility and they all have warranties and service departments that back that up. Prices among the majority of brands do differ but frankly, aren't all that different from one another. Feature vs price differences being essentially very narrow.

"Lee" is the exception, not the rule. Lee targets the price conscious. Lee is not the standard by which value is established. Until very recently, Lee has stood alone catering to a market driven purely by price. Ergo citing lee as the standard and the other brands as "overpriced" is ####ed up!

You buy Lee based on budget constraints, not because its better value. As I've stated above, all brands have their relative advantages, its up to the individual buyer which are more important to him.

 

[easyrider604]

"Lee" is the exception, not the rule. Lee targets the price conscious. Lee is not the standard by which value is established. Until very recently, Lee has stood alone catering to a market driven purely by price. Ergo citing lee as the standard and the other brands as "overpriced" is f**ked up!

You buy Lee based on budget constraints, not because its better value. As I've stated above, all brands have their relative advantages, its up to the individual buyer which are more important to him.

Yes I have a budget, like the average person. Lee works for me because their products are appropriately priced and they work well for me.

I had more expensive gear (and as mentioned previously have owned and used Hornady and Dillon 550Bs) and they also worked well for me.

Lee equipment better fits my budget and they work...so which brand is a better value?

I have the Classic Cast Single (Can$120.00 plus GST/PST at Reliable two yrs ago) for sizing bullets (overkill, I know). I have the Classic Turret (US$165.00 plus shipping, includes one 4-die pistol set, Safety Prime and Pro-AutoDisk Powder Measure) for 9mm, 40, 45 and getting dies for my 30-06, all of which I don't shoot much of compared to my .38/357, for which the Loadmaster is set-up for.

Yes the Classic Cast single is the value standard for single stage presses. Yes the Classic Turret is the value standard for Turrets.

The Loadmaster is the standard for value priced progressives (mine was US$217.00 plus shipping three years ago) with one qualification, it is for those who have a little more patience and/or mechanical ability and/or aptitude than the average user. It requires more effort to set-up and maintain compared to the competition, for sure.

Users who do not possess the above mentioned attributes need not try the Loadmaster, IMHO. This conclusion is based on the number of complaints with the Loadmaster...which has led me to that obvious conclusion.

 

[Freyr_255]

!!!!!!

Gotta cry foul on that comment Freyr. The majority of manufacturers have established a certain standard for high quality and utility and they all have warranties and service departments that back that up. Prices among the majority of brands do differ but frankly, aren't all that different from one another. Feature vs price differences being essentially very narrow.

"Lee" is the exception, not the rule. Lee targets the price conscious. Lee is not the standard by which value is established. Until very recently, Lee has stood alone catering to a market driven purely by price. Ergo citing lee as the standard and the other brands as "overpriced" is f**ked up!

You buy Lee based on budget constraints, not because its better value. As I've stated above, all brands have their relative advantages, its up to the individual buyer which are more important to him.

Lee is the exception because they don't have a lifetime warranty. All other brands effectively do. You inevitably pay for this service and that is the point I was making since the direction this thread was/is complaining that customer service and warranty is better with other brands. Maybe saying double was a bit of an exaggeration but if you compare a Lee classic cast to any other brand...how much difference is there other than warranty and a bit of style?

 

[HKMark23]

Price is no more synonymous with value than debate is with simply missing the point.

 

[Oramac21]

I own 2 Lee Pro 1000's in 9mm and 45 ACP. Yes they can be problematic (primer feed) but if you pay attention and understand how they work, they will load many rounds. I have loaded 1000's of rounds on these presses and am generally happy with the results. If its a race to see how many rounds in an hour.... just buy factory loads.

 

[cam1936]

Double tap

 

[cam1936]

If you want a company to replace everything for free if it breaks you have to pay the extra to have that lifetime warranty(as in pay double what it's worth and have it replaced free for life). Lee equipment is like every other product on the market...you break it you fix or replace it at YOUR cost. Last I checked if I break my chainsaw I'm the one responsible for repairing or replacing it, not Husky...

The fact that Lee offers as good of warranty service as they do is amazing given the price of the products.

if i break it cause I screwed up then sure its my buy. If it breaks because its made with chinese pot metal I expect a new product as per there warranty.

 

[zuke]

if i break it cause I screwed up then sure its my buy. If it breaks because its made with chinese pot metal I expect a new product as per there warranty.

ALL LEE stuff is made in the USA.
Other brand's? Not so much.
Check the sticker's on most electronic scale's.

 

[Freyr_255]

Price is no more synonymous with value than debate is with simply missing the point.

From the OP.

I'm not too impressed with Lee though. I've emailed both RCBS and Hornady about broken parts and the response I got from them was "new one in the mail." Getting 50% of retail is better than a kick in the nuts, but is still a pretty s**tty deal considering the part never should have broken in the first place.

Comparing customer service from the budget manufacturer with high end manufacturers is the point of this debate. My point was if you expect lifetime warranty you PAY for it with the initial purchase and they factor free replacement parts into the price should something break. Even the high end stuff can and does break on occasion which is why they have the warranty and a higher price that the actual product is worth to account for replacing parts. It's impossible to argue that this factor does not exist in the price of the product.

Since there is half a dozen high end manufacturers and only one budget one, obviously this is the exception to the rule as there is nothing to compare againt but high end ones.

 

[Freyr_255]

if i break it cause I screwed up then sure its my buy. If it breaks because its made with chinese pot metal I expect a new product as per there warranty.

Well if it's in their warranty then let them know it's something that should be covered free of charge.

What I'm thinking is that the offer of half price for a new one is with the assumption this is something no longer covered under the manufacturer's warranty due to being a discontinued product or it's been long enough the factory warranty expired.