A Review of Mech-Tech Business Ethics for shipping

[jg rider]

Well first let me write about the good things
We owned two older Mech Tech carbine conversion units .
MechTech - Home

Mine is a .45 1911 unit. I've used this in 3 gun and Steel Challenge match without ever any problems, using major power loads for 3 gun and really light bullseye shooters loads for Steel Challenge.

The wife's was a Glock 17 CCU.
After she started to have problems with stove pipes and me going on the Mech-Tech forum to ask why. It was suggested by the moderator / engineer / designer of the unit to send it in for a look at.

I paid for shipping with insurance and signature required to them. When the unit was ready they called for my credit card # for return shipping. I assumed they took out shipping with insurance & signature required as I had done.

After awhile the stove pipes started again. So again I shipped the unit back to them, paying again for shipping with insurance and a signature.
After some time I called to ask when my unit would be ready. I was told it was shipped and delivered to my front door by Fed-X. I told them that it wasn't there. I complained that I wasn't notified by anyone that the unit was being shipped.
I called Fed-X to see if they delivered to the wrong address. The answer was no, the driver knew my house. It was delivered on a day we were away.
When I asked why they left it, I was told that Mech-Tech hadn't required a signature upon delivery. And also Mech-Tech didn't take out any insurance which covers lose in transit. But this wasn't my problem, it was delivered to the house, so Fed-X's responsibility ends there.
I called Mech-Tech back to see what they were going to do for me, since they didn't notify me before shipping with a tracking number. I requested they replace my unit. They told me no. They told me that they always ship without insurance or a signature required unless the customer is willing to pay for it. I explained I never was given that choice. I was told it was delivered, and since Fed-X wasn't going to reimburse them, neither would they reimburse me.

So if you intend to buy one of their units or are sending one in for repair make sure for shipping to you, you request insurance, a signature required, and to have the carrier (Fed-X) send you a tracking number. None of which I and I'm reading others ever got.
And get it in writing from them.

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[Don H]

Sorry to hear about that. Have you thought about making an insurance claim on your home-owners insurance? Or, if you are an NRA member, make a claim with the free insurance you get from them?

 

[jg rider]

Sorry to hear about that. Have you thought about making an insurance claim on your home-owners insurance? Or, if you are an NRA member, make a claim with the free insurance you get from them?

Hi, that's what they said for me to do about my home owners insurance, but my deductible would be out te same as a new unit.
As far as going o the NRA, I don't feel right about that.
But thanks for the ideas, John

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

If you file a complaint with your credit card, they will take it from mechtech

 

[jg rider]

If you file a complaint with your credit card, they will take it from mechtech

Hi,
I didn't pay for anything. It's an older unit bought years ago. It was sent in for repair

 

[jg rider]

Sorry to hear about that. Have you thought about making an insurance claim on your home-owners insurance? Or, if you are an NRA member, make a claim with the free insurance you get from them?

I called the NRA . They require me to file a claim with my insurance company which I'm not willing to do. I don't ant them to know what I have. Then I found out NRA insurance only covers firearms and their attached accessories. The Mech-Tech unit was only an accessory with no fire arm, so it's not covered

 

[CHLChris]

Personally, I would never file a homeowner's claim unless the claim was MAJOR. As in over 5-10K. It isn't worth the risk that you will be non-renewed and charged double with a different company because of the record of being someone who made a claim.

I keep going back to Mech-Tech as a cool little accessory. And then I reject the idea once again. If I want a pistol caliber carbine, I'd rather buy a ground-up design like the CX4 Storm, a 9mm AR-15, or even the KT Sub2K. But alas, I have no desire for a PCC. 5.56mm AR-15 for me!!

 

[misterarman]

Well first let me write about the good things
We owned two older Mech Tech carbine conversion units .
MechTech - Home

Mine is a .45 1911 unit. I've used this in 3 gun and Steel Challenge match without ever any problems, using major power loads for 3 gun and really light bullseye shooters loads for Steel Challenge.

The wife's was a Glock 17 CCU.
After she started to have problems with stove pipes and me going on the Mech-Tech forum to ask why. It was suggested by the moderator / engineer / designer of the unit to send it in for a look at.

I paid for shipping with insurance and signature required to them. When the unit was ready they called for my credit card # for return shipping. I assumed they took out shipping with insurance & signature required as I had done.

After awhile the stove pipes started again. So again I shipped the unit back to them, paying again for shipping with insurance and a signature.
After some time I called to ask when my unit would be ready. I was told it was shipped and delivered to my front door by Fed-X. I told them that it wasn't there. I complained that I wasn't notified by anyone that the unit was being shipped.
I called Fed-X to see if they delivered to the wrong address. The answer was no, the driver knew my house. It was delivered on a day we were away.
When I asked why they left it, I was told that Mech-Tech hadn't required a signature upon delivery. And also Mech-Tech didn't take out any insurance which covers lose in transit. But this wasn't my problem, it was delivered to the house, so Fed-X's responsibility ends there.
I called Mech-Tech back to see what they were going to do for me, since they didn't notify me before shipping with a tracking number. I requested they replace my unit. They told me no. They told me that they always ship without insurance or a signature required unless the customer is willing to pay for it. I explained I never was given that choice. I was told it was delivered, and since Fed-X wasn't going to reimburse them, neither would they reimburse me.

So if you intend to buy one of their units or are sending one in for repair make sure for shipping to you, you request insurance, a signature required, and to have the carrier (Fed-X) send you a tracking number. None of which I and I'm reading others ever got.
And get it in writing from them.

Sorry to respond to an old thread but just want to educate somebody who is thinking about one of these what they might be in for.
Your mech tech story is duja vu for me with mine for the g17 CCU. Only I wasn't lucky enough to have it disappear. Under warranty mine went back twice on my dime and finally a third time on theirs when I finally ended up with basically a rebuilt gun. Still had to send me more parts after it fell apart again.
The jamming got better with about a gallon of Rem Oil to the point I thought I needed a chain saw auto lube on it.
Tried to get a refund on it but Russ didn't like the way our 10th conversation started so he wouldn't do it. He was supposed to call me back Tuesday and I had to call him Thursday and I told him i didn't like the way the conversation started either because I had to make the call he should have.
Dumped it last month at a huge loss with full history disclosure and it was one of the happiest days of my life.
Somebody says mech tech to me and I'll run the other way, Great idea that just comes up short in the finished product. Absolutely a zero [0] for customer service.

 

[waglockfan]

Wow. Why a company would ship something that costly without insurance and a required signature is beyond reason.

However, this would be a good excuse to use to get into a 9mm AR platform that will take Glock mags. Rock some 33 rounders

 

[jg rider]

Wow!
I didn't realize that this thread was still going on. There was an up date to my G17 CCU lose. I filed a complaint with the BBB and with the attorney general for their state to no avail. Russ replied to them by twisting my words around. Yes I sent my unit back to them 3 times at their insistence, because they wouldn't sent me replacement parts because they were worried about liability issues. All the time on my dime.
My wife shot that unit in local steel challenge matches but after a while the pivot pin holding the extractor in place would break.
The extractor is held in by a short, thin vertical pivot pin. I think what was happening was the nose of the extractor was hitting the barrel. Bad design. Or it could have been because when clearing a round the pin isn't strong enough when pulling back the bolt.
When I talked on the phone with the inventor of the CCU who no longer owns the company but is a consultant admitted that the pivot pin was the weak link in the design. But Russ claimed my problem was caused by me using hot loads. Not so ! I was using a 124 gr. cast bullet in front of 3.3 gr. of...... It was the lightest load in a Lyman cast bullet manual for steel matches.

 

[misterarman]

My extractor broke so fast I don't know if it was ever right.
They make a big deal about breaking them down all the way and it's not.
Russ also took exception when I told him how good he was at smoothing over upset customers and how every time I got off the phone with him it seemed like everything was going to be okay. But it never was and was never going to be.
He would then tell me how they had thousands of them with no problems.
He really didn't like it when I told him I don't care about any one but mine. The messed up one.
I was going to do the AG thing but after I dumped it l felt such a sigh of relief it didn't seem worth it. I got screwed and I will tell any one that wants to listen
I now can go back to enjoying shooting with my guns that run the right way.
The only way or the highway.

 

[etrain16]

My extractor broke so fast I don't know if it was ever right.
They make a big deal about breaking them down all the way and it's not.
Russ also took exception when I told him how good he was at smoothing over upset customers and how every time I got off the phone with him it seemed like everything was going to be okay. But it never was and was never going to be.
He would then tell me how they had thousands of them with no problems.
He really didn't like it when I told him I don't care about any one but mine. The messed up one.
I was going to do the AG thing but after I dumped it l felt such a sigh of relief it didn't seem worth it. I got screwed and I will tell any one that wants to listen
I now can go back to enjoying shooting with my guns that run the right way.
The only way or the highway.

Sadly, there are many companies that take this approach to customer service. To some extent, no matter what our jobs, we're all in some form of customer service. Our company looks at it as both external and internal (employees) customers and they expect the same level of service for both.

I've been in the construction industry since 1993. I've had extensive experience in customer service, including resolution of issues with customers. Prior to that, 2 1/2 years at McD's and 5 years at Fred Meyer, and I've learned some things along the way.

First thing is that most customers who have a complaint can be handled fairly easily. Sometimes a simple phone call (or email today) can do a lot to smooth over a concern. Remedying issues without arguing will almost always make your day go much smoother. It usually costs you little to resolve these issues other than some time and maybe a little money. If you can't resolve it, get it up the command chain - a call from a Manager, Vice-President or President gives the customer the view that their problem was taken seriously.

Now, for that small percentage of folks that have really serious problems, I've watched companies decide to plant their foot in the mud and say "I'm not moving" because they believe that 99% of the time, they get it right. If it were me, and I were MechTech, I would have done this - If they couldn't resolve the problem by the 2nd time, then you're getting a new unit, shipping for free. Likely you would have been pleased and they would have earned a customer that would likely share that story with others. Now, they've created an enemy. We were always told at FM that a positive customer will share their story with 1-3 people. A customer with a negative experience - 10+. Bad customer service will always cost you more than standing your ground. In the construction industry, I've watched our company spend a lot of money to make a customer happy. And it pays off. Word gets around. Choose to be an a$$, and word really gets around. Companies that don't get that, are likely not long for this world. Swallow your damn pride, spend a little money, and make a good situation out of a bad - even if you think the customer is in the wrong, just fix the problem and move on.

I just sent a Glock back to the factory recently. I bought it used and hadn't noticed it was an ambi-safety model. Some of my mags wouldn't work with it. I found out that Glock will swap these lowers out - at no charge. They also asked me to send the whole gun and the mags and they would see if they would warrant swapping out too. It's shipping back to me right now, so I'll see if they replaced just the lower or other parts. Either way, they're paying shipping, and the charge to swap even just the lower - 0$ to me, save for the shipping to Glock. THAT is not just good customer service, but above and beyond, great customer service. And I'm happy to share that story.

I'm sorry to hear that you had such trouble with them. Seems at the bare cost of a new CCU shipped to you (probably under $300 total on their end based on their actual costs), they could have made a very happy customer. They chose the wrong path.

As Bob Farrell, the founder of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlors and a master of customer service famously used to say about customer service "Give 'em the Pickle!!!"

 

[Idaho44]

WOW! Glad I stumbled on this thread. For years I have thought about the MechTech for my Glock. Tried one about 10 years ago and didn't like the hassle of getting it on and off the Glock frame. But, I was recently thinking it would make a good option for a 'truck gun'. Today, it is definitely a no-go. I have had more than a few customer services experiences and the negative ones do stand out, down to the 'conversation' . Needless to say those companies (or individuals) are on my 'no contact' list. I have done customer service and yes some folks are difficult to deal with. BUT, as was pointed out to me many years ago, the greatest power in the world is to get an angry or unhappy customer to smile and be content with the solution. It is the ethical thing to do!

 

[misterarman]

Glad I could save at least one person from experiencing the frustration I went through with them.
Still want a 9MM carbine and really liked the no paperwork aspect of this unit.
Not sure which way I will try next.