Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles MRC group buy #2, first impressions and disappointments!

Seems to be some major confusion about something relatively simple. A customer here ordered a gun based on specs shown about it. If the correct specs were shown, he clearly would have not ordered that gun. The dealer is in no way at fault, and has no real responsibility in a solution.

The company screwed up, plain and simple. They made a major change to a gun in their lineup, with no notification or updates. If you don't believe it, check their site now. All specs are currently deleted from the site.

The other cosmetic issues are minor, and the barrel shank is clearly shown on the pictures of the X2 on the site. The stock ejection port is not shown, because the pictures on the site are a long action gun, so it looks perfect on that one.

Now, the functional issues discussed on the other thread are another major issue altogether. I certainly hope that any reputable gun company would stand behind issues such as accuracy problems and feeding malfunctions, and not try to pass it off to the dealer.

I guess it is up to the company how they handle it, and based on that, it will have a bearing on their future success and customer satisfaction. It's not the early days of the Winchester and Browning anymore, where issues are only known by close friends and family members of the owner of the gun. One problem can now be posted online and read by thousands within minutes.

I'm starting to think I've run into a couple of posters on this thread at Dunkin Donuts getting morning coffee. That would be the ones that take 10minutes to pick out a dozen donuts.

Taylor,

I, for one, appreciate your apology. I think it shows some class and I respect you for it.

Also, I have learned some things from this thread so it has had some educational value. Best of luck with your project, and also with the pressures of life away from the 'fire.

Taylorce1 is as good a dude as you'll find on this forum or any other.

I'm sure MRC builds a hell of a gun but you need to be at least close on your specifications if you're going to sell them. Being 10% heavier than the advertised weight isn't a big deal for some but for others it would be a deal breaker.

Whittaker Guns and their staff are all TOP NOTCH! Their commitment to the customer is evident and I appreciate all they do.

I don't look at this as a black eye for anybody. MRC builds a great rifle and I'm sure they will continue to do so. Taylorce1 has a legitimate concern which I am sure is being addressed by MRC and Whittaker Guns has shown yet again why they will continue to get my business.

Group hug mother effers

I understand the concerns over the weight of the rifle for the simple understanding, it wasn't what was advertised.

If I was expecting a particular feature, or item, and it wasn't delivered, I'd question the problem, too. In this case, the feature is weight.

I also appreciate the emails for the simple fact it basically told the buyer to pound sand, originally, but then made options to "make it right". However, we're back to the issue at hand with the advertising being completely incorrect and misleading.

And how is chopping off barrels, switching out floor plates, etc. the buyer's responsibility, when the manufacturer didn't live up to their advertisements and responsibilities? It appears there are going to be changes made to the rifle to get it to their ORIGINAL advertisements/specs, which should have been done in the first place.

If my company did something like this, we'd have the FEDs all up in our business!

If a published weight is a representative estimate across a product line with dozens of different options, how is that false advertising? There's at least some common sense requirement on the part of the reader when reading specs even if minimal.

But regardless, a customer has a right to not be burdened with a defective product, even if it's only defective in his mind. The customer has a right to a refund, and the customer also has the right of refusal, prior to delivery, which could have been exercised as well.

In dealing with customers, issues will inevitably come up, and I might consider the best approach to be to just give the customer a refund and let both parties start over. If a customer doesn't want a product then he doesn't have to be stuck with it...period. That decision takes about 10 seconds.

What I wouldn't want to do to myself is to engage in hours upon hours of endless arguments with a customer over minute interpretations of specifications involving a matter of a couple of ounces, or whether the manufacturer could have, or should have gazed into their crystal ball and forseen how a particular customer might interpret a particular specification.

Then, to engage in performing countless hours of customization work that may not even satisfy the customer in the end, and doing this over thousands of products in a product line-up is an exercise in futility, are you kidding me?

If the customer believes in his mind that the product was not as advertised, it should be returned to dealer for a refund...end of story.

If a customer is unhappy, getting a refund enables them to start over. If they don't want to deal with a vendor they can go somewhere else, or hell...just buy a Tikka...then they can have all the joys of dealing with Beretta.

In my role as a business consultant, that's the way I recommend looking at things, but my, my...all this collective angst over such a nice rifle...

How folks choose to handle their affairs is no concern of mine, but it seems to me that the goal of customer service should be how to best serve the customer, and to lighten the customer's burden as quickly and easily as possible, and thus avoid all the hand-wringing, finger pointing and tearful drama.

Will that goal be accomplished here?

I wonder.

+1.

I had made up my mind that I wasn't going to post on this again but you obviously keep talking about things you don't understand.



To understand things you should go read the first page of the original group buy thread. It was asked if the rifles weight 6lbs 14oz and the reply from SAS was "That is the weight." Now did I expect the rifle to weigh exactly 6lbs 14oz? No, but I was expecting right at 7lbs on the top end while hoping that the listed weight was correct.

MRC offered ten different short action rifles (five lh and five rh) in five chamberings with a .473 bolt face and 22" barrel. All were listed at 6lbs 14oz except the 6.5 Creedmoor which had a list weight of 7lbs 2oz. Every other offering was with a 24" barrel, so I figured the 6.5 Creedmore was a typo.

MRC has now removed the specifications from their web page but I saved a few screen shots before the information was deleted.




The only way I would have refused delivery of this rifle was if I had actually known the weight before it shipped. I might of even refused it at my FFL transfer agent, if I hadn't done the paperwork before hand. I was in town the day it was supposed to be delivered, but it was delayed so I filled out the form 4473 and left town and returned two days later to pick up the rifle.



I don't know how many gun shops you've ever been been to, but most don't accept returns on firearms once the paperwork is done. At best if they deal in used firearms you can trade it in for a different rifle. This was my first real complaint about any firearm I've ever bought, but it was also the first one I've ever bought that I've never handled a similar example of before.



My interpretation of the specifications was this, I'd be receiving a rifle weighing close to 6lbs 14oz. What I got was a rifle weighing 7lbs 9oz which is almost a 10% increase in weight. Where would you draw the line on acceptable range of error from specifications?



Again how is product being out of manufacturer's specifications a retailer's problem? When something is out of specification even if I went back to the retailer, all they are going to do is send it back to the manufacture to be repaired and made to specifications. Like I said it's not common practice for a retailer to give a complete refund on a firearm.

I really appreciated the offer that SAS gave me on the refund. However if he refunded me my money then anyone else having issues with the rifle he'd have to refund theirs as well. Would you be willing as a facilitator of a group buy to refund the money on 25 rifles if we were all unhappy?



What I wanted and what I still want is a 1:8 twist .243 rifle that weighs close to the specified 6lbs 14oz.



Jeff can't do anything with the rifle until after SHOT show. So if anyone wants to buy it off of me before then feel free to shoot me an offer. I like everything about the rifle but the weight, so if weight isn't an issue for some they can offer to buy it.



I'll be happy if I can get the weight down close to original specifications. While I might have gotten off to a rocky start with MRC, I think in the end things will work out after SHOT show.



I didn't buy the rifle because it had a hinged trigger guard, I bought the rifle because it had the specialized twist. I have several rifles with a blind magazine and it's a non issue if I have a hinged floor plate or none at all. I actually prefer blind magazine rifles.



Obviously you are concerned with other's affairs or you wouldn't write several post multiple paragraphs long offering your opinion on how things should be handled. All without grasping the story from start to finish. Now hopefully we can let this dead horse be, and quit trying to tenderize it anymore.

Chad,

Send it back bud. I'm happy to take care of you. It won't last a week on the used shelf.

Give me a day or two. I'm on day three of the full blown flu. I didn't go in today, nor will I be there tomorrow -- unless an act of God occurs tonight! Please send me an email with your payment method and I'll get Eric on it.

No worries here!

Darrik,

That is really unbelievable CS on your part. No one could ask anymore from a retailer than what you are offering.

You should be resting and not stressing over this s!it. Get better soon.

I will be calling down on Friday to pick up my Tikka 260 from Eric if I can get through. Lol!

Darrik,

I'll call you in a few days. I'll trade it in, but I'm not taking a full refund on the rifle.

Chad

Take the full refund and put this mess behind you with many lessons learned

I gained a wealth of knowledge from this thread

You're taking issue with my comments that support your side in this, you being the customer, but I can see that by hitting the quick reply button, it looks like my commentary is aimed at you when it's not.

My comments were in response to some of the other opinions expressed here and toward the overall tone of the thread in general. I don't disagree with you on your points.

To clarify the last one, while I've offered opinions, I'm not involved in the transaction, so as to the choices others may make, those decisions are not my concern.

Anyway, bottom line is whether you decide to keep the rifle as is, adl it or send it back, since all 3 parties want a good outcome, I'm sure you guys will work it out.

Taylor,

Get rid of the rifle regardless if it a straight up sell, trade in, or refund as SAS has offered. It'll be nothing but heartburn in the future.

I think everyone is missing the silver lining....this thread clearly shows what the next MRC group buy should be - 458lott or 416 Rigby. It's got the weight.

Hahahahahahaha

Nah, has to be a 9.5 lb. 22 hornet on an oversized action with a #4 barrel contour (long shank of course)