The Kahr/Auto-Ordnance warranty story - a warning

[rfurtkamp]

My semi-auto Thompson is perhaps one of the coolest guns I own. I've always wanted one. I finally broke down and got one a few months back, and then the troubles began.

I kept quiet, figuring I'd give Kahr a chance to fix their problem child. After about 500 rounds, it started to horribly malfunction. The extractor blew and the bolt had visible metal fatigue. I send it in -on my dime. Chalk another $40 to the purchase price for UPS.

It comes back three weeks later. They're replaced bolt and extractor. I test fire it. It lasts *15*, yes *15, rounds before the extractor snaps again.

I call. I wait. You see, Auto-ordnance doesn't let you talk to a person. You always talk to a machine and they call you back. Yes, eventually they do, but it always takes a couple days. Rep promises that if the couple extractors they send don't solve the problem they'll replace the entire gun.

Extractors come a week later. First one lasts 150 rounds. The second, five.

I call. It goes back again. I document everything, include broken parts, mention rep's promises.

It comes back from Auto-ordnance today. The same gun. They've replaced the bolt and springs and whatnot yet again. It's getting cosmetic wear from all the shipping and handling and wrenching.

The clincher? A snotty note about how to only use brass cased ammo. You know, after I've tried PMC, American Eagle, Remington, Federal, Winchester, Blazer brass and aluminum, and Wolf too for good measure, and it still is fubared.

I fired two magazines with no failures. Even still, I have no faith in this gun. I have $1200 into it in parts, accessories, and magazines and the gun itself at wholesale cost. I've thrown another $50-100 in ammo at their problem too.

If the company can't keep its word to a dealer, and you can't call and actually complain anywhere, well, that says it all.

Suffice it to say we no longer carry their products.

I sincerely hope it works on this attempt - if it doesn't, I'll get my $1200 in amusement out of it. I'm thinking it will make a handy target for my other working firearms.

One I sold a customer three serial #s away works flawlessly. I know others have gotten perfect customer service - but I've seen enough horror stories now that you either get Shinola or you get, well, that brown stuff that comes from your butt. It apparently applies to their customer service too.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Bud White]

Thats way to bad i need to get out and fire mine i guess..

Would you Pm me the Range of your Serial # so i can see if its close to mine ...


I hate bad customer service even after having bad service from smith i decided i would try there Wheelies but never again a auto or 1911 clone ..

So far i have had no need of there service on my Wheelies and think if i do will be a whole different stroy compared to there return problems with the 1911's at least i hope..

If i do have a problem i wont ever buy again from the Ala remington only 2 gun companys ive had probs with Smith and then Remington

[CLASS3NH]

Pssssssssssssssssst <whispering> People have mentioned the very same thing about AO and the Kahr line as well........
I had three.......yes......three Pistols <kahrs> go back to the factory............ALL came back with the same troubles as they went out with............not a good thing goin on here

[Bud White]

Thats Too bad i havent really heard much about the Kahr's Before this except one or 2 complaints here or there ..

Maybe there getting to big for there own good and cant keep the quailty up

[CLASS3NH]

Most of the troubles are FTF and FTE........problems with mags, slide stops,,,,,,,,, and broken firing pins...........two guns came back , not even repaired......

[Bud White]

Too bad for sure. I dont have to worry about buying one too small for me.

[P95Carry]

Sad to hear about - but good to know.

I would suggest even sending them an email with a link to this thread - if only to prove that shoddy work and treatment is easily spread over the internet.

Amazing tho that one three numbers away seems to be A1. Yours must have been put together on a Friday later afternoon!!

Sad tale Robert - very sad (and costly).

[Zundfolge]

I would suggest even sending them an email with a link to this thread

that won't work as you have to register and log in to even read threads here.

[P95Carry]

I thought viewing was Ok - but had forgotten then if that is case.

Funny tho we have 25 or so members showing and 72 ''guests'' right now!

[Bud White]

that won't work as you have to register and log in to even read threads here.

Yeah but they might be pretty intersted abotu whats being said ..

Espically when you put in the email that im telling everyone how crappy your service is

[CleaningAccident]

Im very glad to know all of this. Now I can stop staring at the Kahr in candy counter. I would have bought one too. Thanks for saving me the aggravation.

[rfurtkamp]

I don't expect them to change - if it works after a burn-in at the range tomorrow, great - but I won't ever trust it again. Therein lies the rub, as the gun is very popular to anyone I show it to who doesn't see it shoot. I could sell them by the case.

The truth is that if they're not going to keep their word, I don't really want them touching the gun again. It could come back worse than before.

[Euclidean]

Wow... I've always thought of Kahr/AO among those "You're paying for it but you're getting the best of its kind" manufacturers.

I'm sorry but if I sold anything that cost $1200 and it had so much as a funny rattle in it, I'd kiss the butt of anyone who had the slightest problem with it.

I used to do customer service for GM, and one thing they told us to consider was that if we pissed a customer off, it was probably going to cost us $600,000 in lost business. Even the lowliest little customer isn't so lowly or little when you add up how much they spend over the course of their life.

I hope someone learns a hard lesson here at the very least. Methinks I'll keep away from this product.

[mtnbkr]

I had a similar problem with my K9 this past summer. It developed a failure to feed problem that wasn't ammo related. They worked on the feed ramp, replaced the extractor, polished the extractor several times, worked on the slide, replaced the recoil spring twice, etc, etc. It took 4 trips back to the factory for them to finally replace the gun. We started this saga in May, I finished it up around January of this year. I spent $150 in ammo and range fees checking it each time it came back (Ranger T ain't cheap).

That replacement was what I was selling earlier this year.

Chris

[Zundfolge]

Yeah but they might be pretty intersted abotu whats being said ..

Espically when you put in the email that im telling everyone how crappy your service is

Well then send them here http://www.glocktalk.com/forumdispla...s=&forumid=111

tons of threads there both good and bad.