Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  09/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I bought a westherby mk V rifle last year. Rifle enveloped accuracy and feeding issues. So sent the rifle back in for warranty work in June 2023. They told me 60 day lead time. Called at the end of august and the rifle hadn’t been touch for 6 weeks. Was told 2 more weeks of service. Called back today which was 2 weeks later and rifle is still unavailable. I had planned to use this rifle in an upcoming guided bull elk hunt that I paid a significant amount of money for but that won’t be happening now. Customer service still gives me the same sad excuses but have no idea when my rifle will be ready

  Business response

  09/13/2023

  The work on the customer's rifle has been completed as of 09/13/2023. After contacting the customer this morning to notify him of the work being completed and confirming his return shipping address, the rifle is scheduled to be shipped back today, 09/13/2023, to the customer's address, on a 2nd day shipping label to expedite the return to the customer. The rifle has been accuracy tested and verified to be within factory specifications for functionality and accuracy. Additionally, two boxes of the same ammunition that were used to test the rifle are being sent as a courtesy to the customer due to the delays, and to assist him in getting ready for his hunt and being ready for his season. This has been addressed and resolved to our company's knowledge. - Jacob Solberg, Customer Service Supervisor

  Customer response

  09/13/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  Dustin Elk

• Initial Complaint

  09/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a Vanguard rifle in march in Wyoming. While out on a trip visiting my brother. Upon firing the weapon multiple times spending hundreds of dollars in ammunition/trips to the range, it does not fire SUB-MOA. I sent it into Weatherby in early July, where their gunsmiths determined it to be defective after 2 months in September. They offered to replace the gun for new, awesome. Except this is now mid September, hunting is underway and they cannot get me a gun until late December. Unacceptable. They had a similar rifle in stock they would not send me unless I paid another 800 dollars. I do not feel it is my responsibility to pay another 800 dollars for a gun because they don't have parts. They offered to send me my money back for the gun so I could find one in time for hunting. Again, great, but I don't have the receipt from a tiny one man show gun shop in Wyoming. They refused to reimburse me without a recipe. Now 9/16/22 I have to wait 2 more weeks for Brenda Weatherby to get back into the office to talk to her. So now I don't have a gun for hunting season, and I don't have my money back for the gun. I want the full refund of 700 dollars I paid for the gun!

  Business response

  09/21/2022

  After investigating with the customer into the original purchase location, Weatherby was able to obtain the original proof of purchase showing the customer was the original purchaser and within our warranty, and facilitate a refund for his purchase, given that our other offered resolutions inside of our standard warranty procedures were unacceptable for him. This is issue is resolved to Weatherby's knowledge at this time. 

  Customer response

  10/01/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Although I will mention I had to pull teeth in order to reach the resolution. And only after a complaint to the BBB was my request even considered. Also note other complaints against weatherby also state a resolution was made within a day or two of the bbb complaint. Customer service is severely lacking in this company. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ******

• Initial Complaint

  02/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a Weatherby Element waterfowler 12-gauge shotgun on August 8, 2021 for $557.98. I utilized this gun throughout the waterfowl season in Northeast Ohio and used it as my primary shotgun for this activity. Being that this gun is marketed toward waterfowl hunters, they provide a long range steel choke and state that it can be used with any type of shot, including steel. On January 25, 2022 I took this gun out on a goose hunt and experienced a malfunction causing the choke of the gun to fail and tear apart. When I purchased this gun, the manufacture explicitly states that they warranty this firearm for 5 years against defective materials and workmanship. I reached out to Weatherby via email hoping to submit the gun for a warranty claim and the first representative told me that it was simply the choke and the gun should still be usable. I further explained that I did feel the gun was safe to use and asked for a new barrel. I was instructed that the gun needed sent back to the manufacture for inspection and that nothing could be done for me until then. I was contacted last week stating their gunsmith found “mud and debris” in my barrel causing the gun to malfunction. Because of an obstruction, they would not honor their warranty and wanted $445 for a replacement barrel. A gun marketed to waterfowl hunters should not fail the first time it is fired in snow and cold conditions. Judging from the experience that day and inspection following the malfunction, it is clear that the choke is at fault and could not withstand the needed pressure caused by shooting goose loads in cold weather. This resulted in defect to the barrel and the gun to be unusable. Their findings of mud and debris in the barrel is impossible secondary to the weather in Northeast Ohio at the time. We had multiple inches of snow with a high of 27 degrees that day. I am simply seeking a new barrel for my shotgun and the issue to be taken care of.

  Business response

  04/06/2022

  The customer returned a Shotgun to Weatherby, stating that the choke of the shotgun had been damaged while shooting steel waterfowl loads, and that the barrel may also have been damaged. 
  
  Upon investigation once the shotgun had been returned to Weatherby, it was found that the damage to the firearm was consistent with firing the shotgun with an obstructed bore/choke, and that there was irreparable damage to the choke and barrel of the shotgun. This was evident from the bulging observed on the damaged choke, which indicates that when the shotgun was fired, there was some sort of foreign object that was blocking the shot from leaving the barrel. This would have caused excessive pressure to build in the choke, thus rupturing the choke, causing the damage to both the choke and barrel. 
  
  Our warranty covers defective materials and workmanship, and any damages caused outside of warranty, are not covered under our warranty. To directly quote from our warranty, "... Weatherby, Inc. does not warrant against any type of defect to the firearm that Weatherby® did not cause, including but not limited to damage or defects arising out of ... Failure to provide proper care and maintenance, Accidents, abuse, or misuse, Barrel obstruction ...".
  
  The customer was argumentative to our gunsmith's findings and believed that the damage was due to a failure of the choke while shooting steel shot, regardless of the evidence indicating otherwise. Despite our findings and warranty, Weatherby opted to replace the shotgun as a one time accommodation for the customer. 
  
  In this case, we went far out of our normal procedures to help accommodate this customer's expectations and overall satisfaction. I cannot speak to whether this customer is still unhappy with this resolution, as we have not had contact since he received the replacement shotgun desired, and the situation has been resolved to Weatherby's knowledge. 
  --
  ***** S******
  Customer Service Supervisor

  Customer response

  04/06/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩