mdwest
AH ambassador
I make an effort to let people know when I have a really positive experience dealing with a business.. especially when its hunting/outdoors related, as I have unfortunately found that many outdoors companies have lost any focus on customer service or treating people right these days..
People are quick to leave hateful google reviews, yelp reviews, etc.. when they have negative experiences.. But seem to be reluctant to make the effort to leave positive reviews when someone goes above and beyond to help them out with something..
So.. I recently was in the market for a new stock for a Winchester Stainless Classic, 375 H&H (magnum action), New Haven gun (2 piece bottom metal)....
Winchester hasnt made it easy on people that want to restock their rifles.. the Pre-64 action isnt the same as the post 64 action.. New Haven guns are different (2 piece bottom metal) from current production guns.. post 64 PF guns are different from current production guns, etc..etc...
So I reached out to several stock makers.. specifically HS Precision, McMillan, Bell and Carlson, and a few more.. to ask for some assistance as most just ask if you have a pre-64 or not or if you have 1 piece or 2 piece bottom metal.. and then want you to order a stock... and I wanted to make absolutely certain that I got things right the first time and wasnt stuck with either a stock that wouldnt work, or stuck having to ship a stock back and go through the ordering process a second time, etc..etc..
The inquiry I sent to B&C was answered by Wade Dunn.. He went to great lengths to walk me through the process of buying the correct stock, and answered a string of different emails, questions, etc.. There really was no need for him to be that attentive (no one else ever is these days), but he made things crystal clear for me and made sure I was headed in the right direction..
Once I made the order, I got a call from Brandon following up with me to make sure I was happy with the process, content with the order, etc.. We talked a bit about "converting" the 2 piece bottom metal gun to work with a 1 piece bottom metal stock, what the process was, what the part I needed was, etc.. he mentioned that he happened to have a few of the parts (really just a plastic shim) sitting on the shelf, and that he'd throw one into the box for me at no additional charge (theyre between $6.99 and $15 depending on who you order them from).. He certainly didnt have to do that.. He then mentioned that he'd get the stock boxed up and shipped that same day... I thought it would be a week or two, that they would probably have to make the stock, etc.. He assured me that it was already on the shelf, that they have more than 6000 stocks ready to ship at any given time, and that I'd have it in my hands in a couple of days..
Sure enough, I got an email confirmation a couple of hours later with postal tracking, and the stock was on my door step 72 hours later, with the little plastic shim inside (at no cost)...
Anyway... I've always been a B&C fan.. for the price point I dont know anyone that makes a better stock.. Ive got them on a couple of different rifles, and have had them on several others in the past.. but Ive never really had a reason to directly interface with B&C before.. everything Ive ever ordered for previously has been pretty straight forward.. I just wanted to share that in a day where customer service, friendly, and customer focused behavior seems to be gone from American culture, Bell and Carlson are still incredibly strong.. They already had a pretty loyal customer before just because the quality of their products are high, and the price is super competitive compared to others.. but now they have an incredibly loyal customer that will go out of his way to let others know how great they are..
Thanks B&C!
People are quick to leave hateful google reviews, yelp reviews, etc.. when they have negative experiences.. But seem to be reluctant to make the effort to leave positive reviews when someone goes above and beyond to help them out with something..
So.. I recently was in the market for a new stock for a Winchester Stainless Classic, 375 H&H (magnum action), New Haven gun (2 piece bottom metal)....
Winchester hasnt made it easy on people that want to restock their rifles.. the Pre-64 action isnt the same as the post 64 action.. New Haven guns are different (2 piece bottom metal) from current production guns.. post 64 PF guns are different from current production guns, etc..etc...
So I reached out to several stock makers.. specifically HS Precision, McMillan, Bell and Carlson, and a few more.. to ask for some assistance as most just ask if you have a pre-64 or not or if you have 1 piece or 2 piece bottom metal.. and then want you to order a stock... and I wanted to make absolutely certain that I got things right the first time and wasnt stuck with either a stock that wouldnt work, or stuck having to ship a stock back and go through the ordering process a second time, etc..etc..
The inquiry I sent to B&C was answered by Wade Dunn.. He went to great lengths to walk me through the process of buying the correct stock, and answered a string of different emails, questions, etc.. There really was no need for him to be that attentive (no one else ever is these days), but he made things crystal clear for me and made sure I was headed in the right direction..
Once I made the order, I got a call from Brandon following up with me to make sure I was happy with the process, content with the order, etc.. We talked a bit about "converting" the 2 piece bottom metal gun to work with a 1 piece bottom metal stock, what the process was, what the part I needed was, etc.. he mentioned that he happened to have a few of the parts (really just a plastic shim) sitting on the shelf, and that he'd throw one into the box for me at no additional charge (theyre between $6.99 and $15 depending on who you order them from).. He certainly didnt have to do that.. He then mentioned that he'd get the stock boxed up and shipped that same day... I thought it would be a week or two, that they would probably have to make the stock, etc.. He assured me that it was already on the shelf, that they have more than 6000 stocks ready to ship at any given time, and that I'd have it in my hands in a couple of days..
Sure enough, I got an email confirmation a couple of hours later with postal tracking, and the stock was on my door step 72 hours later, with the little plastic shim inside (at no cost)...
Anyway... I've always been a B&C fan.. for the price point I dont know anyone that makes a better stock.. Ive got them on a couple of different rifles, and have had them on several others in the past.. but Ive never really had a reason to directly interface with B&C before.. everything Ive ever ordered for previously has been pretty straight forward.. I just wanted to share that in a day where customer service, friendly, and customer focused behavior seems to be gone from American culture, Bell and Carlson are still incredibly strong.. They already had a pretty loyal customer before just because the quality of their products are high, and the price is super competitive compared to others.. but now they have an incredibly loyal customer that will go out of his way to let others know how great they are..
Thanks B&C!
