Customer ReviewsforSDS Imports

Bought a tbp-12 and the gun malfunctions alot. The bolt tooth catches on the shells in the magazine causing a malfunction and tearing the shells open. When I tried to get the gun repaired under warranty by tokarev usa/sds imports I sent my shotgun in 3 different times and it still didn't get fixed. On the third time it was sent in I was told there was nothing wrong with it and that I had to pay $60 or I wouldn't get my shotgun back because it wasn't covered under warranty. When I asked to talk to someone higher I was told no. When I asked why I couldn't talk to anyone higher I was told that this is as far as my complaint would get. Each time I complained about the bolt tooth tearing the shells open my complaint was ignored. My dad has the same shotgun and has not had any problems up to this point. There is a youtuber by the name of gruntreviews who had a very similar problem but his shotgun got fixed and mine didn't. I have made a video to show the problems I am having with the junk they are selling. The only thing worse than their firearms is their customer service. I have attached the link to the video I made of my gun malfunctioning.

https://youtu.be/c9tQ6XbIoJE The customer sent the firearm into us on 3 occasions... Each time we tested the performance against the claim and found no problems with the firearm. We honored our warranty and paid shipping the first 2 times. No issues were found and i included a link above of 1 example of our company test firing his firearm with no issues. According to our warranty, we went above and beyond and paid shipping the first 2 occasions when we didn't have to. The third time we also followed the warranty and requested the return shipping as listed on our site. Below are the dates of service. Firearm in Firearm Out 6/6/23 6/9/2023 6/19/23 7/6/2023 7/18/23 7/26/2023 Customer Service stated to me that Adrian wanted to speak to the CEO, that was not necessary, and the decision was handled according to our Warranty and policies and went above and beyond.

In my original comment I tried to post a link to my video of the problems I am having after my gun had come back from SDS imports for a third time but it didn’t show up so here is the link: https://youtu.be/hRovuMDNvBY First off when I first emailed you about getting my gun fixed I told you that the bolt is tearing open the shells and I complained that my magazine was getting tore up for some reason. I also told you I thought the bolt was hitting the magazine and that it was jamming on the fourth shell in the magazine. Your team supposedly fixed the gun but all they did was deburr the barrel which had no effect on the bolt digging into the shells. Had the problem of the bolt tooth digging into the shells been addressed at this point I would not have sent the gun back in 2 more times. The second time I complained again about the same problem of shells being torn open and you said “We sorry that we were not able to fix the problem.” I agreed to send my shotgun in again to give you another chance to fix it as long as I wasn’t going to be charged. After getting my gun back a second time you ignored the problem of the bolt tooth digging into the shells yet again and decided to deburr the barrel again and deburr the locking block. The third time I contacted you again complaining about the bolt tooth digging into the shells causing malfunctions. I then sent your team proof and was told the ammo I was using was too soft of plastic so I tried harder plastic shells. When I sent you proof that harder plastic shells were still having a problem with the bolt tooth my email was ignored and I had to call the next day. I was then told my email fell through the cracks and was given the response that your team still believed there was a problem based upon the video I sent of the harder plastic shells not working either. At this Point I was told “We would like to have it sent in one last time and will provide you with video evidence of it working once repaired.”. I agreed to send the gun in one last time and was then told there was nothing wrong with the gun and that I would have to pay the $60 to get my gun back. I was still not sent video evidence of my gun firing up to this point and ended up receiving the video evidence from the gun shop owner that I bought the gun from who got involved with this complaint. When talking to one of your team I told them how my dad’s gun, which he bought at the exact same time as mine, didn’t have any problems with tearing shells but was told there was nothing wrong with my gun. At this point I also asked to talk to a manager or someone higher up in the company and was told no and that this is as far as it would get. I asked what ammo was used to test fire my gun and was told that I was not allowed that information. Kind of ridiculous that I can’t even know the only ammo that will fire in my gun at this point. Also your ammo that supposedly has a harder plastic which works in my gun was also damaged by the bolt tooth peeling the plastic back on the ammo. Do you not think that this plastic will end up inside of the gun which will lead to malfunctions? How can you even consider that normal? In my video you can see that my shotgun functions part of the time but not all the time. At the beginning of the video I show a clip where I am able to cycle through 2 mags without any jams but every shell is being torn when fired through my gun. I proceed to show numerous times in the video where my gun has malfunctions due to the bolt tooth hitting the shell in the magazine and stopping the gun from going into battery. I also show in the video how this has happened when cycling five different types of ammo in my gun and how the bolt tooth is digging into each shell and causing malfunctions. I then proceed to show a picture of the Wolf shell that SDS imports sent back to me after test firing my gun in the video they posted in their comment. This wolf shell has a mark like all the other shells that have been in my gun which show the bolt tooth is digging into all types of ammo. SDS imports was able to get this test fire video because the gun does sometimes make it through two mags in a row. When I try to shoot all 5 shells in a row without a malfunction there is about an 80% failure rate. It appears that no matter what ammo I use the bolt tooth is going to catch the shells in the magazine and is likely to malfunction. Even if you try to blame this on the shells I am using then why does my dad’s shotgun not show the same results of the bolt tooth digging into the shells. I compared spent shells from my dad’s gun to shells from my gun in a video and you can clearly see that my dad’s gun doesn’t dig into the shells like mine does. Also in the video I talk about how your team switched out my magazine without telling me and gave me another used magazine on the 3rd time my gun was sent back to SDS. Why was my magazine switched out on the 3rd trip to SDS? I wasn’t even notified that my magazine was going to be switched out. When I complained about my magazine being tore up by the bolt on the first service repair my magazine wasn’t switched out then. The bolt was making the edges of my magazine sharp but nothing was done about that either. Why is it that a youtuber by the name of Gruntreviews who makes a video of your shotgun failing on a 10rd magazine gets VIP service and his gun gets fixed on the first time when his problem is similar to mine but I can’t even get my gun fixed on a problem with the five round magazine that comes standard with the TBP-12. It appears that SDS imports will do just about anything to protect their image when it comes to people who can provide advertising for them. This also seems very important to me that if you watch grunt reviews two videos on the TBP-12 that he was able to use federal ammo in his gun with no problem which I was told was too soft of plastic by SDS. Grunt reviews also used Estate ammo and Fiocchi ammo is his gun which worked just fine without tooth marks in the shells but these same brands of shells don’t work in my gun. In my video you can see the damage that was caused to the Fiocchi shells and Estate shells(ECI) when I put them in my gun and cycle them. Gruntreviews got his whole upper receiver swapped by SDS on the first time he sent his gun in and I couldn’t even get my gun fixed in 3 different service repairs. In your comment you stated that you tested the performance against the claim each time but yet you took my firearm in 3 different times even though you were sure it was fixed the first time. Very suspicious of SDS to take my gun in for repairs 2 more times after you were sure it was fixed properly and test fired the first time. You say you honored your warranty but my gun still doesn’t function properly even when other people who have this same shotgun are not having the same problem with the same ammo I am using. Yet again you say no issues were found the first time but you proceeded to take my firearm in 3 times before telling me there was not an issue. You say you went above and beyond but couldn’t even fix my gun properly. If you fixed the gun the first time and test fired it you should have denied shipping it back for repair a second and third time. You said that you paid for shipping “the first 2 occasions when you didn’t have to” which I find weird that you would even take the gun back a second time if it was fixed and was going to cost SDS imports unnecessarily. The only reason you didn’t charge me for the second repair was because I asked if I would be charged to send it in a second time and got confirmation that I would not be charged for it. You say you followed the warranty but didn’t fix my gun even though it doesn’t work reliably. It states “Customer Service stated to me that Adrian wanted to speak to the CEO, that was not necessary” I do not recall asking to speak to the CEO but rather a manager or someone higher up in the company and was told no, that this is as far as it would get. When I complained about the video SDS created and put on youtube, because it has personal information in it, I was told that it was unavailable to the public for viewing and would be out of the public eye and yet here it is on a public site for everyone to see. Thank you for caring about customer privacy.

Bought a 9mm that did not function well...at all. Couldn't fire two in a row without jams. Tried different ammo and called to let them service the brand new gun. They proceeded to give me every reason they could to delay the process and were fixated on me having a drivers license before they would execute a warranty? I need to drive a car in order for them to help me with my purchase? The #-hole these guys became was entirely unprofessional as when I reached out, all I wanted was a quality check on a brand new, UNSAFE side arm. Refused to issue an RMA based on a drivers license. Not my ID, a "Diverse License"! Weak customer service. All I wanted was them to look at it, fix it, or trade to for something else in exchange.

We require a state issued ID for all RMA requests. If you do not have a driver's license you can send in any state issued ID that also shows your address for verification when we send the gun back to you. If you do not wish to provide any of this information then you are well within your rights to take it to an FFL and have them send it in on your behalf. We will provide service to your firearm as long as we have the proper paperwork in order. Please send a state issued ID (with your address) to our info email address and you will be taken care of. I have read through the email chain where my subordinate informed you that you were not running the proper ammo through your firearm. This ammo specification is on our FAQ page of our website I have copied and pasted below in quotations. We do attempt to diagnose these problems, before having the gun sent in. If our armorers do not have the same issues that the end-user is experiencing, then we will have to be reimbursed for shipping and handling as stated on the RMA.

"3. What ammo best feeds through my PX-9?



The PX-9 was designed as a service pistol and was optimized for functionlity with Nato Specification 124gr. FMJ Ammo."

We require a state issued ID for all RMA requests. If you do not have a driver's license you can send in any state issued ID that also shows your address for verification when we send the gun back to you.

***Since you read the email chain(s), (Nov 23-30 & Nov30-Dec2) your subordinate demands a DRIVERS License only, as you must have read several times. I was not offered a chance to provide my state ID card. Also note there are 2 email chains. Be sure to see the Nov30-Dec2 for the good info whereas he blames me for misusing the firearm. He cannot comprehend that the 115 ammo was not the issue. I used both.

If you do not wish to provide any of this information then you are well within your rights to take it to an FFL and have them send it in on your behalf.

***Again, it was not an option to provide ANYTHING else but a driver's license with your customer service agent, thus the escalation to this point. It was never an issue of me not wishing to provide ID. Which is why you have two different forms from me describing the issues with your product. (Refer to your emails that you extensively studied.)

We will provide service to your firearm as long as we have the proper paperwork in order. Please send a state issued ID (with your address) to our info email address and you will be taken care of.

I have read through the email chain where my subordinate informed you that you were not running the proper ammo through your firearm. This ammo specification is on our FAQ page of our website I have copied and pasted below in quotations.

***As stated in the email(s) and on a phone call when I finally figured out that SDS Imports is where Palmetto State Amory (PSA) gets these models of handguns. There is NO statement of particular ammo needed. None! You have the link to the only page that a customer sees online (again, refer to the email Nov 29. 2022) where I sent the link from PSA and asked your Subordinate to point out or highlight the special ammo that your 9mm needs to function at all. (And yes, I use target ammo, 115 and 124 Blazer) Your subordinate kept referring to your Import website of which there is NO association from PSA. It was only when I called PSA and the Representative informed me that your company is responsible for the warranty. It was at that moment that I learned that SDS was the importers, NOT PSA. It was impossible for me to see any special ammo requirements prior to my purchase and attempts to test the product.

We do attempt to diagnose these problems, before having the gun sent in. If our armorers do not have the same issues that the end-user is experiencing, then we will have to be reimbursed for shipping and handling as stated on the RMA.

***With the lack of respect and character shown so far from SDS Imports as a company both in the email chains (which I can upload) and on the phone call where your agent HUNG up on me because I pointed out inconsistences between him and the email/PSA web, and now you on a public form, BBB, trying to paint the customer as the problem, I can only guess the outcome of the test and forcing me to pay. So, I will gladly pay your shipping if it tests perfectly so I don't have a useless, dangerous, SDS Import side arm as my home defense. Respectfully, Custom FA

"3. What ammo best feeds through my PX-9? The PX-9 was designed as a service pistol and was optimized for functionlity with Nato Specification 124gr. FMJ Ammo."

I have offered you solutions in my response.

The truth to me and the customers would be a better response. A professional apology for your actions and your attempts to mislead all that are watching might be a proper, ethical response as well. You at SDS had the proper paperwork on day one... (again, refer to the email chain of events) If you are not in position to repair or validate the repair, then I can go to a local certified gunsmith and send you the report/bill. You have my contact information.

We did not receive any identification from you and still have not. We will not be reimbursing any work you have done outside of the warranty as you do not wish to follow the procedures. Send in a state issued ID to our info email address. If you are not willing to do that then take the firearm to an FFL and have them send it in on your behalf. If you do not wish to do either then this will be the last of our correspondence.

SDS Imports Imports guns and sells them to sporting goods stores. My shotgun was received unassembled with parts falling out of the box upon arrival. After assembling gun I found out I was one nut and bolt short. Sent many emails trying to get said parts. After Sportsman Outdoors referred me to SDS they said they didn't have said parts. SDS said they'd need this, that, and another which sportsman provided to them. After Sportsman provided required info they sais SDS would mail them the parts and in turn forward said parts to me. Not done as of 3 weeks.

As stated in the email we sent you this morning, we reached out to Sportmans outdoors on 4/12 with an RMA form to fill out. They just now sent it in to us and we will be shipping the parts to them shortly. We have no control over how long it takes a company to send the form back to us.

Sportsman provided SDS the required I formation. So their claim of them not having it already is bogus and false. They just don't are about people after they get their money. Sportsman was also uncooperative until they got a negative review. I have emails backing this claim up if you'd like.

They sent their FFL and purchase receipt. We then sent them the RMA form that is required and they did not send it back until this morning. No money was ever exchanged with us as it was not purchased from us directly, so the claim we are just after money is false. The parts have already been shipped to Sportsman's Outdoors since they sent the RMA form to us this morning.

Sent from SDS Imports. Opps now who do you believe?

No problem. Sportman's outdoors had no issues supplying the required information for the parts so we will be shipping it to them. They will let you know when they get it delivered.

 

Thanks so much,

Customer Service

[email protected]

865-604-6894