Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Dillon seems to have taken a nose dive in customer service

For the total sum of $135 you'd have either a completely rebuilt machine or a brand new one back to you in about two weeks. What does a new 550 cost these days?

I'd rate that as superlative customer service.

^^^^^

Well I called them instead of using e-mail.

Got some flack but when I told them point by point that I'd done all they recommend in the past and the primer system was simply not working they relented and sent me a new one.

Odd thing is that I fought with them for quite some time to tell them I needed a new one and they should sell it to me. Once the man relented and agreed I could have a new one, he would not let me pay for it. I even argued that he should let me pay for a new one because the old one gave me a long life of service and I simply wore it out, ---but no. ---- No charge.

I never did a round count, but I am set up for 17 different calibers and in 45ACP, 9MM, 223, and 308 (the other 13 calibers not counted) I loaded enough ammo to fill 47 five gallon food buckets. I kept track of the buckets I loaded only in those 4 calibers but it's done 47 buckets in the last 18 years of just those 4 calibers so I don't feel the tool owes me anything. I think it should be my responsibility to replace it.
NOPE

He would not budge.

It's odd that they would try so hard to not allow me to buy one and not do a thing for me unless I spent a lot of money shipping the whole press back to them so they could screw on a new one (about 45 seconds to replace) , and then at the end they would give it to me for free. Free---- even over my objections.

Does that seem a bit odd to anyone else but me?


I am not complaining now, but I am bewildered a bit.

It seems odd you filled up buckets quite honestly.

Who does that?

That's also my suggestion. Talking to a live person has always gotten me much further.

And now that I saw this part, it's strange for sure. OTOH I suspect if you sent it in, they may well tweak and tune the whole press. I suppose or not. If you have worn out the primer part and as much as you load there may be other issues I'd hope they are thinking that may need some help.

None of this makes any sense.

Dillon has always had great customer service. Seems like some odd correspondence there.

Good luck with your machine.

A year and you’re still having problems? I would question you too. Regardless of the issues and your ability to solve them, it sounds like you can’t. Send it in.

I have 2 650’s and have sent them in for tune ups. They came back with no charge and worked like new. I would rate Dillon at the top of the scale for quality and customer service…

As others have said, just replacing the primer assembly is being penny wise but dollar dumb. It is impossible for a machine that's been used so much to have only one part worn out and out of tolerance. The techs there know that, and that's why they took the line that you should send the machine in.

Take them up on the offer.

Not really.


It's indicative of a company who honors their warranty,
but has had problems with owners fixing their own equipment.

Also clean fingernail customer service people who are taught their job (the manual)
not dirty hand guys with common sense.


Mike Dillon passing was almost certainly not going to result in an improvement in
quality of product or service.

I see this differently, obviously. I see a company bending over backwards to do the right thing, not just take the easy route and send the customer something that might not cure all his problems.

They are more than willing to examine, refurbish, or replace the entire machine. And they are well-trained enough to not tell the customer he is a doofus. Not that our OP is a doofus, but the rep at the Dillon end can't know that. What the rep can know is that here's a customer who has loaded thousands upon thousands of rounds on a machine - enough to completely wear out at least one major assembly on it. And based on their "no questions asked" policy, they won't and can't speculate on what else might be wrong with it.

I knew Mike Dillon. I even interviewed for a job with him (I turned it down) and I'm positive he would have been in complete agreement with how his rep handled this.

I can’t understand why the OP didn’t just send it in. They are offering to rebuild the machine that he’s managed to wear out by using the hell out of it.

This is like BMW offering to rebuild or replace your 1986 sedan with 375,000 miles if you just drive it over to the dealership and you are complaining about the gas money.

OP goin’ on IGNORE !!🤓

I've always had good customer service from Dillon. A couple of weeks ago they sent me a free Failsafe Return Rod for my XL750 because I was having some issues with the one I had.

Pretty much nailed it.

OP obviously knows his machine inside and out to have used it that much. The customer service person has data on hundreds, maybe thousands of heavy-use machines and a broader base of understanding what can and does happen with that much use. While the customer service person may not "know more than you", they have access to mountains more data than any single user.

Not to me. You’ve already been difficult with them when they offered to repair your machine. Last thing they want is to sell you a part and have that not fix the issue, so you can turn around and come back to the fire and complain about how they ripped you off and didn’t honor their warranty.

Well perhaps some of you are right, but at no point was I told in e-mail or on the phone they were going to trade me a new 550C for my old 550B. They would only say they wanted to "service" it. What that meant when Mr Dillon was living was always said out front and in plane language. Now it seemed very cryptic and non-comitial.

So I started getting red-flags when the e-mail correspondence went back and forth. I have a friend who owned a 550 about 12 years before I got mine I have a few other friends who have 550s and one had a 650 along with 2 that have Square Deals and all have been treated the way we always hear about from Dillon. Meaning the best service you could ever ask for.

Their policy was "Problem? No problem, Here's new parts.

I have replaced the steel shim under the primer unit one time before, and they just sent me a new one. I have worn out the pick-up tips on the primer tubes and also they just sent me new ones. I have worn out 3 of the small square nylon bushings on the powder measure bars. Again "Here's some new ones"

But when the lower parts of the priming unit simply got worn out (through no fault of Dillon at all, which is way I asked to buy them and in no way required any warrantee on those parts ) they wanted the whole press back and as you can see, they were quite insistent on my shipping it back but with no one-on-one explanations and no discussion. Just a set of "commands". Far from the kind of interaction I've know about when Mr Dillon was still living.
So that shot up red flags to me.

I may be wrong. I admit it's possible. But when a company seems to get very far from it's legendary reputation for service, and give an outward impression they are not even willing to have a civil conversation........I see that as a warning. Again, maybe I am wrong.

But I have new parts now and I am happy with the working of the press again.

As far as those that seem to think I was unreasonable I'd suggest you go back and try reading the correspondence and SEE with your own eyes I never got upset at a lack of honoring the warrantee. I was upset they would not acknowledge my problem was not (and is not) with any part of the press or powder system, and only with the bottom parts of the primer system.... so I see NO reason to require me to send them the whole thing at a cost of between $85 and $135 for what they have always said (in writing) was free.

And again I point out I didn't require them to send me ANYTING for free and wanted to pay for it.

I just didn't want to pay $135 for a few small parts and to have them "look over" my press.

Had they said out-front "hey with a press that's loaded that much ammo we'd like to have it back so we can look it over and if you'll agree to sent it to use we'll trade you a new press straight over", I'd have likley agreed.
But that was not said. It was not written. It was not even hinted at.

So I was left to make decisions only based on what was written and the manor it was written Again it's cut and pasted with NO editing at all so all can read every word.
If you folks read it and think there was something I missed I am happy to hear it.

I am only commenting on my understanding and my interactions with them.