Well, I talked to 3Rivers today about the problem. The first person I talked to suggested I run a tap through them and see if that fixed the problem. I told him that would probably work but I don't have a tap and don't really want to spend more money on these fittings since I've already got about $35 in them with shipping. He said I could send them back and they'd look at them to determine IF they were defective. IF?? I've tried them with 3 sets of thumbscrews with the same results. They're defective. Called them back and talked to another person. He said all I could do was send them back and they'd send me another pair. Fine, there's more expense and more time waiting for the correct set.
So let me get this straight.
You order a replacement part from an OEM.
You pay up front for both the product and shipping.
When they arrive, you find that they are different from the originals, and they won't work with your other OEM riser.
You call the company and they suggest
you modify them
yourself, in an attempt to make
their part work with
their riser.
You inform them that you don't have the tools to make
their OEM part work on
their riser, nor do you really want to buy the tools to make the
their OEM part work on
their riser, so they say you can send them back if you want, but they will determine
if they are defective or not.
Then you are told by some here that you should just cobble them up so they will work. And you're even told that the company in question has great customer service?
Really? Is this what we've come to expect? Is this what we consider good customer service, where you have to repair your own new parts in order to get them to work? When I order an OEM part, I fully expect it to be plug and play. If it isn't, I shouldn't be expected to fix it, nor should I have to pay another cent in order to make it work. I don't care if it's a $1 part or a $1000 bow.
"Great customer service" would have gone something like this.
"Gosh, I'm sorry you are having trouble with your bushings Mr. Brown, and thank you for bringing it to our attention. Let me check our supply and see if we're having an issue with all the bushings, or if your issue was just a one time deal. Either way, we will get a new set out to you right away, and before we send them, WE will run a tap through them and make sure they will fully accept the thumb screw."
"If you wouldn't mind Mr. Brown, wrap some masking tape around yours and stick them in an envelope, stick a stamp on it and send them back to us so we can inspect them. If we have a problem, we would like to nip it in the bud"
Behind the scenes, I would personally get a new set (
and an extra set for his trouble), run my own tap through them to
make sure they are correct, and get them out the same day. After that, I would either have an employee check all the others in stock, or I'd do it myself. If it is a problem with all the bushings, I would run the tap through enough sets to get me through, and I would notify the manufacturer that there is a problem and they need to get it corrected.
A company with
"great customer service" would never let a $5 part jeopardize a customer relationship that is potentially worth thousands. Handled correctly, you could cement that relationship forever. Handled poorly, and you could lose the relationship...forever.
It never ceases to amaze me what we have come to expect.