Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters beretta asleep at the wheel with tikka

a month or so back I sent a handwritten letter to beretta complaining about how poorly tikka is being run, I mentioned not offering the 204 to the US market, clips being so expensive and lack of support on the website, it contained my phone number and email, not a single comment back, this removes all doubt for me beretta sucks

Many companies are not responsive to letters. Too bad, they can learn from customer comments.

That's just silly. Vice-presidents always know better than those who buy the products.

I own a Ducati motorcycle that is also made in Italy. I'm sure if I had a comment or critisism it would be met with a stern look and no comment.

I once heard a management consultant refer to complaints or criticisms of a company as "Manna from the gods". His concept was that the complaints would tell management what they needed to know, and not necessarily what they wanted to hear.


Steve

They were also comatose when they decided to relabel POS Millett scope mounts as Beretta/Tikka parts.

Depends on whether the tone of the letter was honey or vinegar. If it started out something like "Dear idiots", then I wouldn't expect much in return.

I wrote to a maker of cargo racks for ATVs once:
"Dear sir,

I love your product, it is well made and sturdy, but it could use a few improvements in how it's mounted...".

The president of the company sent me a thank you letter and a new, improved rack worth over $100 free of charge.

Have written to Remington, Ruger and a couple of non-firearms companies and started out telling them how much I love their products, but..., and then went on to politely list my complaint. They all responded very nicely and I've gotten a couple of other freebies from taking that tone.

the tone of my letter was very nice I thought, I complimented them on how amazingly accurate the rifles are, how well the fit and finish is, my complaints are just a few issues with beretta USA. I told them they have a winner and should unleash it that is all. however no comment to a hand written letter, IMO that is a very poor management style and speaks volumes about what is happening

May I suggest a special cheese to go with your WHINE?

Good to know that they're not offering it to the US market, that just saved me some cheddar on the T3 sitting down at Shedhorn sports in Ennis, Mt....

Dober

Hi agree with you cumminscowboy, Beretta people even here in Europe, are a bit difficult to speak and work with. The finnish are more open but the money is in italian hands. You can't imagine the difficulties we have to get hands on some Tikka or Sako products (i speak as professional like gunsmith or "journalist")to sell or to test. A gunsmith friend of mine waited more than 7 months to have a Sako 9,3x66 (370Sako) delivered for his customer... As italian bike rider (Guzzi, Laverda, Benelli and Ducati) i agree with Orion03, in this market they are more open minded to customers ideas or problems and more responsive than in gun business....

LOL!!!

I politely asked, at last year's NRA Convention, if they'd consider bringing in more Tikkas and Sakos in .204, and the spokesman said they couldn't sell them. I suggested that they couldn't sell them if they didn't make more of them to sell.
We decided to leave it at that. They simply weren't very interested in the .204, and I'm no longer interested in their rifles. I "guess" that worked out well for both parties. (I moderate on .204ruger.com, so I'm a little prejudiced in favor of .204s).

Beretta will be glad to sell you a gun just don't expect service. I have first hand experience. After preparing to file a law suite(I live locally) & months of phone calls, issue was finally resolved.
Once my SCI chapter visited the plant & was very impressed with quality & steel in handguns. Sales offered to sell anyone of us at X% over cost. When an order was phoned in "new" sales manager referred us to their dealers & said they would be "glad to take care of us". About the same time one of their managers offered to install a longer butt pad on a Tikka I had been trying to order for over a year. I was told to bring the rifle to their Maryland Plant. After an hour 45 min. drive & waiting for several hours they were sorry the longer butt pad wasn't available. They appear to be a company in total disarray. I own 2 Sako's & 1 Tikka but Beretta is one company I don't need.

All I can say is that I've had very good experiences ordering Beretta shotguns. I had a recent bad experience trying to order a Sako Grey Wolf. After months of waiting, and varying explanations for the delay, I cancelled the order.

About four years ago I begged and pleaded with a large Beretta/Sako/Tikka dealer to special order a Sako or Tikka in 9.3x62. I kept at it for about 6 months or so, but he still refused. He said it would take years to get it in if it was to ever arrive. He gave the impression that if it wasn't a handgun or a shotgun the people at Beretta USA didn't give a flip.

I think that properly marketed and supported the Tikka T3 could easily take a bigger bite of the market. As it stands there will be enough sold for them to keep importing it but they are not willing to commit to it entirely. I think simply dropping the magazine cost to about $40 (and actually dealers having them to sell) would go a long ways. I dont think I will ever understand why certain calibers are imported to Canada but not the US. Im sure the heavy barreled versions in WSMs and belted magnums would whip the Senderos. Even offering the heavy barrel .243s and .260s would fill a lot of holes as an off the shelf rifle for the "tactical" matches that are becoming more popular.

I also wrote them a very nice letter and included photos after a T-3 in .270 survived one round of .308 at a range mishap, shooter left with nothing more than a puff of gas, rifle was left with only a cracked bolt shroud, never heard a word back.

Well actually I did hear back, after a 4 month wait I paid $41 for a plastic bolt shroud.

umm lets see there is a web forum devoted entirely to the 204 ruger, they must be popular, I don't think many other cartridges have a forum of their own, wonder why the useless 338 federal was offered by tikka I can't imagine them selling more 338 federals than 204's, since tikkas only come in long actions one can just down load the 338 winchester they already offer to 338 fed speeds, it offers NOTHING, however offering a 204 will do something different than other offerings.

beretta is asleep at the wheel, now I see some t3 lites in 204 being offered on gunbroker, no varmint models though, I have even offered to pay dealers $50 bucks over retail to try and get me a 204 varmint, noone at beretta seems to know whats going on.

mule deer you should call someone

The Scheels stores had some Varmint model 204's last year, perhaps they still do. You may wish to check it out?

Dober

A "no reply" from Beretta (about their very fine Tikka line) - would be a whole lot better than the - "there is nothing we can do about it" reply, I got from Remington when I wrote them about my Titanium Model 700 not being able to do better than 2 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards!

Dollar for dollar - there is nothing as good as a Tikka IMHO.