Broken gun arrived

[Hawk78]

I paid for this 12 bore Pedersoli sxs on July 7th and it arrived yesterday broken across the wrist. Man, what a disappointment! It was a special order gun. Now, I have to mail it back to Italian Firearms Group for them to make a decision on who is at fault (them or Fed Ex) ?
Am I at the liberty of asking for a complete refund, or am I at their mercy? I guess I will have to wait another two months for them to make anopther stock and fix the issue. I'm just glad I decided to keep my TK2000 inline shotgun because our Dove season starts on the 1st. But, I was looking forward to being able to shoot twice.

 

[Notchy Bob]

You are certainly at liberty to ask, but you may well be at their mercy in the response you get. If they refund all of your money, you are out nothing. If they replace the stock, you get the gun you wanted, but you have to wait for it. If it were me, I would think hard about what I want, and present that to them.

One other option would be to take the gun which you now have in hand, and get it repaired. This will cost you XX more dollars, but you'll end up with a good gun. If you believe in Murphy's law, there is always the chance that if you return that special order shotgun to IFG, it might come back as a whole replacement, with different barrels. You could probably find a gunsmith on this forum who could repair your stock, and since members of this forum are sort of a community, or even a "brotherhood," he might even prioritize or expedite the repair so as to get you outfitted in time.

So you really have three options, as I see it. If it were me, I would probably raise some hell with both IFG and the shipper and try to get them to repair or replace the stock with the right barrels, and just wait it out. However, I'm not you.

I shipped a longrifle to TOW for consignment sale a couple of years ago. I did a good job of packing it, but not good enough. FedEx broke it clean through the wrist. The folks at TOW were very helpful, but the best we could do was collect the insurance, which was maybe half or 2/3 of the rifle's value. This sort of thing is incredibly frustrating.

Whatever happens, know that this is not your fault, and I sincerely wish you the best of luck and a happy outcome.

By all means, let us know how things turn out.

Notchy Bob

 

[MountainSmoke]

Man that really stinks. I hate to hear that. I was even looking forward to when you got it since you mentioned it a while back. Hope you can find a good solution and get it taken care of soon. I am glad you have a back up gun to use even if it is an unmentionable. Better to be able to hunt than have to sit at home regardless of what weapon you use. Best of luck.

 

[user 34300]

I'd ask for a refund of all costs. The vendor will want pictures, provide them. Tell them to send a return shipping label via email. Send it back ASAP. IF they refuse I would have the charges removed by the credit card company. Send it back anyway with tracking and delivery signature required.

You paid for a gun in good condition. They did not supply that. IT does not matter whose fault, it happened while under the control of the seller.

Paying for a new gun and then settling for a broken one, and repair it on your dime doesn't make sense.

It is good to understand that there are people in the shipping business who hate guns. Some deliberately destroy guns. A plywood box is a good idea. Make the box so it can be run over by a forklift or stomped by a gorilla, it probably will be. Do not put any labels that indicate the content.

 

[Notchy Bob]

Scota@4570 is right about taking pictures. When my rifle was broken by FedEx two years ago, photographs of the damage were required, even though they sent an agent to TOW to actually inspect it. In my case, I had taken some snapshots of the rifle before I shipped it, and they wanted those too, and all the paperwork to verify the rifle's value.

Hawk78 didn't have the option of taking photos before the gun was shipped, unless the manufacturer provided them to him, but for anybody shipping a gun, it's a good idea to take a few pictures of it before packing it up. In my case, it was just dumb luck that I had done so, but now I know.

I appreciate Scota@78's comments regarding having the gun fixed at your own expense. It's not an option I would take, either, but it is an option, and I felt it should be presented as such. For some people, a repair like that is eminently do-able, and may be preferable to the aggravation of dealing with two big corporations both hoping to dodge responsibility, not to mention the time spent in awaiting resolution. The bottom line is that this kind of situation just really bites, and it's worth looking at different options for dealing with it.

In any event, we can hope for a good outcome, but the process is and will be aggravating.

Good luck to you!

Notchy Bob

 

[Zonie]

I removed posts that delt with in-line guns in this thread.

For those who have forgotten, here's a couple of the Muzzleloading Forum's rules:

1: The focus of this site is "Traditional Muzzleloading"; The history of muzzleloading weapons and battles, up to and including the American Civil War. (From the inception of firearms through 1865)

7: We do not discuss modern (in-line) muzzleloading firearms.

For the members who have not read the forum's rules, follow this link

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/forum-rules.108881/

 

[Dale Lilly]

I just had a different experience. I sent USPS MO, priority mail, to pay for a ML pistol. After 7 days, I received an email telling me that my letter came today in a PO bag, torn in half with one half of it missing. The seller is sending it all back and he said I hope the PO does the honorable thing and replaces the check or returns your money. So now I wait for the torn in half check, go fight with USPS I assume, and probably just lose my money. I'm really glad it was relatively inexpensive. Polecat

 

[Mulebrain]

As my old supplier told me

"We don't break stuff, throw it in a box and ship it"

But that sucks! Freight damage

 

[Greg Blackburn]

I would think you can demand a refund and involve the state attorney general office if you are not compensated. Do all correspondence in writing (or email) or followup phone conversations with emails that type out what was stated. Be courteous but firm.

I had a Luftwaffe-marked solid Walnut K98 stock broken in half at the wrist back in 2005, fortunately the seller asked me if I wanted to insure it and I did. After that, all private stock and rifle sales involved me paying for insurance and for the seller to put it into a plastic hard case. I suspect the box got something heavy on part of it and the fools in shipping just levered out out, creasing the box and breaking the stock.

 

[Ames]

This is why I use my credit card for large purchases. If it happens to me I can have the card remove the charge. Then the shipper has to prove that you agreed to have it shipped at your own risk. If you did not agree to that in the fine print, they are responsible to get it there as it was listed. Undamaged. You keep the money, they have to pay shipping to get the box back.

 

[Ben Meyer]

I had to go thru this with my longrifle. The frizzen broke! Snapped in half. Of course, that frizzen hasn't been made for decades, so I had to get a whole new lock.

USPS did pay me after I filed a claim, but it took 2 months. In the meantime I got the broke frizzen fixed at a welding shop, so I got 2 functional locks. Came out on top.

I doubt you need to ship it back on your dime, unless Pedersoli demands it. And I'd be furious if they did! This will wind up a Fed Ex claim, and you'll have to be patient if you don't want to spend more money. Sorry

 

[appalichian hunter]

Per haps as mentioned contact the dealer explain the situation send pictures and ask could they ship just the stock then replace the stock. I think this may be a better solution instead of shipping the complete gun and risking further damage, definitely file a claim and politely raise some hell.

 

[FishDFly]

In this situation, does it make sense in buying a gun, to have the shipper pay the shipping cost versus the buyer pay the shipping cost?

That way the headache of a broken/damaged gun is the headache of the shipper not the buyer. Especially if the shipper did a poor job of packaging.

That is the way I buy.

 

[Hawk78]

You are certainly at liberty to ask, but you may well be at their mercy in the response you get. If they refund all of your money, you are out nothing. If they replace the stock, you get the gun you wanted, but you have to wait for it. If it were me, I would think hard about what I want, and present that to them.

One other option would be to take the gun which you now have in hand, and get it repaired. This will cost you XX more dollars, but you'll end up with a good gun. If you believe in Murphy's law, there is always the chance that if you return that special order shotgun to IFG, it might come back as a whole replacement, with different barrels. You could probably find a gunsmith on this forum who could repair your stock, and since members of this forum are sort of a community, or even a "brotherhood," he might even prioritize or expedite the repair so as to get you outfitted in time.

So you really have three options, as I see it. If it were me, I would probably raise some hell with both IFG and the shipper and try to get them to repair or replace the stock with the right barrels, and just wait it out. However, I'm not you.

I shipped a longrifle to TOW for consignment sale a couple of years ago. I did a good job of packing it, but not good enough. FedEx broke it clean through the wrist. The folks at TOW were very helpful, but the best we could do was collect the insurance, which was maybe half or 2/3 of the rifle's value. This sort of thing is incredibly frustrating.

Whatever happens, know that this is not your fault, and I sincerely wish you the best of luck and a happy outcome.

By all means, let us know how things turn out.

Notchy Bob

Thanks for your advice Notchy Bob! I am shipping it back today to IFG. I will email them with some firm language and tone informing them how critical it is for me to be outfitted with that particular barrel and to get it done quickly because my hunting season is upon me.

 

[Hawk78]

I removed posts that delt with in-line guns in this thread.

For those who have forgotten, here's a couple of the Muzzleloading Forum's rules:

1: The focus of this site is "Traditional Muzzleloading"; The history of muzzleloading weapons and battles, up to and including the American Civil War. (From the inception of firearms through 1865)

7: We do not discuss modern (in-line) muzzleloading firearms.

For the members who have not read the forum's rules, follow this link

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/forum-rules.108881/

I apologize for breaking the rules. I was thinking clearly and just wanted the guys to know that I did still have something to shotgun hunt with. I know its a "unmentionable" but at least it is a front stuffer.

 

[FishDFly]

Another thought.

When I buy, I request a three (3) day non-shooting inspection and have the seller agree to it. That way it is his if I contact him within the three (3) days and tell him I am not satisfied and will be returning it..

All I am out is the return shipping.

 

[Dale Lilly]

I just had a different experience. I sent USPS MO, priority mail, to pay for a ML pistol. After 7 days, I received an email telling me that my letter came today in a PO bag, torn in half with one half of it missing. The seller is sending it all back and he said I hope the PO does the honorable thing and replaces the check or returns your money. So now I wait for the torn in half check, go fight with USPS I assume, and probably just lose my money. I'm really glad it was relatively inexpensive. Polecat

Update" USPS replaced my Purchase Order fully without any hesitation. Score? Plus 1 for USPS. Polecat

 

[Tumbledown]

If the box is not unreasonably damaged, it's the shipper's fault for poor packing.

 

[Dale Lilly]

Update" USPS replaced my Purchase Order fully without any hesitation. Score? Plus 1 for USPS. Polecat

Wake up Polecat.... money order, not purchase order … duh