My Taurus customer service journey

[TCinVA]

So last night after reading my article on replacing J frame springs, my dad wants me to look at the Taurus 85 he bought sometime in the early 1980's to see if there's anything that can be done about what appears to be a broken firing pin spring. The firing pin was moving loosely in it's slot and would actually stop the cylinder from being opened under the right circumstances when the gun was loaded. Apart from that, the cylinder was not opening properly either...catching on something.

So I take a look. Those things, it turned out, were the least of his problems:

2635

That little pin there is the pin that the hammer actually sits on in the gun. A rather important piece, and it's snapped off and actually fell out of the gun when I took off the grips.

Important things to note about this gun:

It's seen less than 500 rounds in its lifetime. This was not a gun that was heavily used or daily carried. It's spent most of its life in a sock drawer or a safe. I carried it once or twice many, many moons ago when I managed an auto parts store in a rough neighborhood.

Now any manufacturer can put out a defective product. Some put out more than others because overall they do a much crappier job of making guns. When I did the Hi-Point test, for instance, and ended up with a gun that couldn't get through a bloody magazine without a stoppage, people touted the customer support of the company. When I tell people to skip a brand like Taurus and buy a S&W I'm often told about Taurus' super awesome iron-clad lifetime warranty.

Well, now we're going to put that to the test. I'm going to use this thread to document how Taurus handles this issue so we can all see what "lifetime warranty!" looks like from a company widely known for having terrible customer support.

[TCinVA]

Another observation about this revolver:

I am not a materials engineer. I have the sort of materials engineering expertise required to look at a bridge that has collapsed and say "I don't think that's supposed to happen."

...but the amount of deformed metal on this revolver is disconcerting, especially seeing how little use it has seen.

[Tamara]

If you're talking about the toolmarks, that's just what revolvers look like with their clothes off. ;)

[joshs]

I had the same thing happen to a 442 at a similar round count, so that failure certainly isn't unique to Taurus.

[TCinVA]

No, but I expect the customer support to be uniquely Taurus.

[joshs]

Ohh, yeah, that part's almost certainly going to suck a lot more for you than it did for me. Smith had my 442 back to me in less than a month, which was pretty impressive since they ended up scraping the frame and sending me a totally new gun with the same SN.

[Tamara]

No, but I expect the customer support to be uniquely Taurus.

To give a benchmark...

An older guy brought a vintage flat-latch Bodyguard Airweight (http://cosmolineandrust.blogspot.com/2007/11/sunday-smith-23-model-38-1982.html) in for a trigger job at CCA when I was working there. He'd bought it new, and it may have been a pre-'57 gun. If it wasn't unfired, it was the next thing to it.

The gunsmith did his work and then went out on the range to make sure it would bust caps reliably by touching off a cylinder of ammo. Now, being as this was a very early alloy frame Smith, he used unjacketed ammo. I can't remember if it was 148gr WC or 158gr SWC, but after shooting one cylinder through the gun, he came back to the shop whereupon it was discovered that the frame had cracked clean through where the barrel shank screws in.

This was not terribly uncommon with the earliest Airweights, but it was still a sad-making occurrence, and we contacted the customer and let him know we were getting in touch with Smith to see what they'd do. They sent us a call tag for the ~50-year-old gun, no questions asked, and shipped us a brand new Model 638 stainless Bodyguard Airweight for him, and he was tickled.

Your turn, Taurus.

[Chuck Haggard]

^This^ sort of thing has also been my experience with S&W CS when dealing with heavily used and abused 20+ year old issued 9mm duty pistols.


A couple of decades ago I had cause to try Taurus' CS and found they were pleasant to deal with and just as good as S&W CS. That has changed since then, and not for the better.

I've had three bad Taurus wheelguns in a row. The last was completely jacked up from the factory and it was obvious there was zero inspection before it left. They wanted me to pay for shipping to send the gun in to fix their problem. That gun came back in worse shape than when I sent it off, and they again wanted me to pay for shipping to send it in the second time.

Nope, no more Tauruses for me.

[TCinVA]

They do want him to pay to ship the gun to them...by air. So we're going to be tallying up the costs for this lifetime warranty service.

[TCinVA]

If you're talking about the toolmarks, that's just what revolvers look like with their clothes off. ;)

I was thinking more about the various bits of deformation visible on the outside of the gun...especially in the area where the cylinder locks in.

[jetfire]

Another observation about this revolver:

I am not a materials engineer. I have the sort of materials engineering expertise required to look at a bridge that has collapsed and say "I don't think that's supposed to happen."

...but the amount of deformed metal on this revolver is disconcerting, especially seeing how little use it has seen.

It's not deformed, it's just different and special.

[Tamara]

I was thinking more about the various bits of deformation visible on the outside of the gun...especially in the area where the cylinder locks in.

Did you get pics? (I'm morbidly curious... :o )

[TCinVA]

Sadly, no.

[TCinVA]

So an update.

Apparently my dad's issue was sent directly to the head of customer service and repair at Taurus. They sent him a shipping label to send his revolver in, and they're sending him a new revolver free and clear.

I'm surprised, frankly.

[5pins]

Someone at Taurus saw this thread.;)

[jetfire]

So an update.

Apparently my dad's issue was sent directly to the head of customer service and repair at Taurus. They sent him a shipping label to send his revolver in, and they're sending him a new revolver free and clear.

I'm surprised, frankly.

Taurus does a decent job of tracking themselves in social media, it's not beyond possibility that they either saw this thread.

[MichaelD]

Taurus does a decent job of tracking themselves in social media, it's not beyond possibility that they either saw this thread.

Either saw this thread, or...?

[TCinVA]

Or they found out I have a certain set of skills.

[NickA]

Or they found out I have a certain set of skills.
It's the hair.

[Force Majeure]

Or they found out I have a certain set of skills.

http://nelsonwpyles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/napoleon-dynamite.jpeg

[Mitchell, Esq.]

To give a benchmark...

An older guy brought a vintage flat-latch Bodyguard Airweight (http://cosmolineandrust.blogspot.com/2007/11/sunday-smith-23-model-38-1982.html) in for a trigger job at CCA when I was working there. He'd bought it new, and it may have been a pre-'57 gun. If it wasn't unfired, it was the next thing to it.

The gunsmith did his work and then went out on the range to make sure it would bust caps reliably by touching off a cylinder of ammo. Now, being as this was a very early alloy frame Smith, he used unjacketed ammo. I can't remember if it was 148gr WC or 158gr SWC, but after shooting one cylinder through the gun, he came back to the shop whereupon it was discovered that the frame had cracked clean through where the barrel shank screws in.

This was not terribly uncommon with the earliest Airweights, but it was still a sad-making occurrence, and we contacted the customer and let him know we were getting in touch with Smith to see what they'd do. They sent us a call tag for the ~50-year-old gun, no questions asked, and shipped us a brand new Model 638 stainless Bodyguard Airweight for him, and he was tickled.

Your turn, Taurus.

When I needed service for my Circa 1986 M-49, I was told that was told it was a time period the warranty didn't cover...

The service for my shield was good... but...

[5pins]

When I needed service for my Circa 1986 M-49, I was told that was told it was a time period the warranty didn't cover...

The service for my shield was good... but...

1986 was the Bangor Punta era when Smith was turning out a bunch of crap.

[Eli]

My one experience as a Taurus owner was a J-Frame sized .17Mach2. It had an 8 round capacity, but would only "chamber" 6 rounds. Two of the chambers just weren't the same size as the other six. One was too small to accept the round and the other was (visible to the naked eye) bigger than the others and a bit oblong. Figured it'd just be easier to stick with Smith and Ruger after that.

[GardoneVT]

1986 was the Bangor Punta era when Smith was turning out a bunch of crap.

As a former owner of a 1980s vintage 539 semiauto, the point can be argued that even those guns surpass Taurus in terms of build quality.

I once made a dreadful mistake in college recently. I went downtown, passed the bar, and visited a gun store which was selling a PT1911. Like a freshman drinking too much 'punch',I field stripped the piece after seeking the dealers acceptance. What I found inside was so horrid I could submit it to the United Nations as proof of human rights violations.

The firing pin safety parts look like they came out of a Bic pen, and the barrel has obvious tool marks and enough sharp edges to warrant an advisory label.It may work, but when it ceases to do so its best to just chuck it in a river .Taurus may have perfected the first 1911 which is worth less then the brass casings it ejects.

[SJC3081]

FYI I bent the crane on my 586 with obscene 158 grain Blue Dot hand loads and S&W repaired the gun free and the turn around was seven days. That is what I call good service.

[TCinVA]

My dad picked up his replacement revolver today. I met him at the gun store. I picked up the revolver, ensured it was clear, and pulled the trigger.

The action seized up with the hammer 3/4 of the way back.

And this was supposedly a gun that was checked over before being sent out.

[Totem Polar]

This thread is chock full of popcorn moments. I can't wait for the next episode.

[Alpha Sierra]

My dad picked up his replacement revolver today. I met him at the gun store. I picked up the revolver, ensured it was clear, and pulled the trigger.

The action seized up with the hammer 3/4 of the way back.

And this was supposedly a gun that was checked over before being sent out.At this point, wouldn't it be better to lay that gun on a bandsaw, cut it in half, and buy a real revolver?

[Tamara]

At this point, wouldn't it be better to lay that gun on a bandsaw, cut it in half, and buy a real revolver?

Yeah, it's time to jack the front sight up and slide a new gun under it. Preferably one that doesn't say "Taurus" on it.

[GardoneVT]

At this point, wouldn't it be better to lay that gun on a bandsaw, cut it in half, and buy a real revolver?

Let us not be so wasteful. Deactivate the thing and give it to the kids for a toy. If they break it further, its still got a lifetime warranty!

[Chuck Haggard]

We use the confiscated other brand wheelguns we get in, in .38 or .357mag, as bad guy Sim guns. They seem to hold up OK to the recoil of a Sim round, and when we break them they get chopped and we grab another one.

[jetfire]

Tim, you should really write a post about this for Gun Nuts, cement the blog's reputation as Ultimate Taurus Haters.

[NickA]

Yeah, it's time to jack the front sight up and slide a new gun under it. Preferably one that doesn't say "Taurus" on it.
Why can't I come up with stuff like that ☺

I'd suggest creating a habitat for algae by chucking that POS into the nearest body of water.

[Chuck Haggard]

Tim, you should really write a post about this for Gun Nuts, cement the blog's reputation as Ultimate Taurus Haters.

I've got about a dozen bad Taurus stories now if that helps any.

[jetfire]

I've got about a dozen bad Taurus stories now if that helps any.

Want to write a post? I occasionally pay.

[Chuck Haggard]

I'll send you something.