cva - SLOoooowCRAPPY!- service let me down!
 

more like pissed me off. i sent in a barrel to have a bolster replaced and they butchered it a little. this was my fathers old muzzleloader so it means a little something to me . they leave the office for the day at 4pm so i have to stew for the weekend so i have to vent here... i looked this barrel over from top to bottom and oiled it up good before shipping it. im a fanatic about packing material so this wasnt damaged in shipping. they left 3 dimple marks in the barrel near where the bolster is on the barrel. also just inside the muzzle of the barrel about an 1/8 inside are shiny thread like claw marks. im thinking its how they clamped the barrel down for repair. there was also some wear through the blue near the bolster too. i have had good service from them before but for the 28.99$ i paid to have the bolster replaced i didnt expect the extra. extras.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

It sounds like they had to clamp the barrel somehow, and their tools left marks when they were trying to get the old bolster off. Some of the older bolsters were welded on there. I will guess they had a tuff time getting it fixed. It might be something I would address to BPI on Monday by telephone. As for the frustration it caused, Sorry to hear of the damage.Especially seeing the history of the original barrel.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

thats better service than what my local gun shop gave me. A drilled out welded in breech that ruined the rifle and a simple, uh the breech is a weld in so i cant fix it. Also had him install a new bolster on my step bros cva and he left it unblued! If they had a hard time getting yours off, then i'd be somewhat forgiving and understand that a few small scratches will happen with anything. How old is the rifle? If its been shot a lot and is aged a good # of years, im betting it did give them a struggle.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

liquidorange sorry to hear your disappointment. I would call customer service and ask for Mark. If there is anything they can do...he will do it. They are not a new company but they do have a new attitude. The dealings I have had with them have been excellent.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

maybe they should have a disclaimer about working on certain parts. i wonder what kind of jigs they are using. a padded vise and wood clamps would be a no brainer. i dont think the bolster was welded in but who knows. the dimples are deep and small almost plier like but i cant figure out why the barrel had these scrape marks inside the barrel and the worn blueing. on the invoice it says they cleaned it. maybe its standard practice but it was clean when i shipped it. not what im use to as far as service goes in comparison to thompson center. they would replace parts or hot blue the gun and it would look brand new for no charge. im not looking for a freebie but i didnt want the gun roughed up either.i went through a similar problem with magana port with a shot gun. if they would just say up front that barrel damage may occur at least you know what your getting into. if i was the gunsmith on that job i would be embarrassed. at least they could have touched up the blueing. im thinkinh they had to heat the barrel in that area to loose blueing like that.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

o.k. so the invoice said the barrel was cleaned although i shipped it clean i had to check. a little while ago i put an oil patch through it and the rust that came out of it was scary . it wasnt your usual. it covered the whole patch from top to bottom. the front brass sight blade has stains on it that it never had before. my guess its stored in a humid area. someone at that factory should buy a can of oil and wipe stuff down.also the front rod thimble was a but wiggly. guess they took it off and put it back on half arse. yes im a freek about loose parts and i know i checked every screw before shipping as well as a extra good cleaning and over oiling inside and out.also it looks like some white thread sealer goo (maybe from re seating the breech plug?) on the rear part of the barrel. luckily that came off but still stained the blue a little. [:@] i know some of these issues seem minor but all i wanted was the barrel back in the same condition it left.i dont mind character on a gun like dings and dents from hunting but this is un acceptable.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

Very sorry to hear that. I have heard the same from everyone I know who have delt with CVA. They are good at replacing small things but when it comes to actually working on your gun they are not very professonal about it. They have one real gunsmith and a bunch of want to bees working for him. So when you send in yur gun yu could get lucky and have someone good or some one who just started. sorry about what happened to you again.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

i know how much you guys like updates. called this morning and got a live person on the phone. after explaining my story i was told to hold on. after about 4 or 5 minutes i got THE- someone will call you back tomorrow ANSWER.[:-] i got out the wet sand paper and tried to work the bites out of the barrel. no good!. just too deep/ .[:@]

RE: cva service let me down!
 

no call from them today so i called them about 15 minutres before i knew they closed today. of course they have no record of my previous phone calls and had no idea they were supposed to get back. they told me i had to speak to dave the stupivisor. i left a message for dave on friday after closing. havent herd from dave either.im gonna get the barrel fixed. i called lee at black ice coatings and he said he would do his best to work out the mess. CVA IS NOTHING LIKE THOMPSON CENTER. LEUPOLD AND RUGER ALWAYS WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND WHEN DEALING WITH THEM. guess what they have in common. they know how to treat future customers!

RE: cva service let me down!
 

Dont be such a quitter. You called them 15 minutes before they closed. I know i want to get out of work as soon as that clock hits dead on. Give them a call a lot sooner and ask for Mark.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

Not meaning to slam anyone but when my T/C 1X scope went out on me, I called the company and was told all the people were busy and they would call me back. Well that was 5 days ago and still no call back from Thompson Center. So I took it on my self to simply mail the scope in registered, according to the instructions in the warranty. I see by tracking numbers they have received the scope, but I still have not receive a phone call...

RE: cva service let me down!
 

Dave
Did you get your scope back yet or are you still waiting.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

waiting for scope or word of anything actually...

RE: cva service let me down!
 

hope you don't have to wait to long.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

New trip to the big city I am going to check out a Burris and a Nikon 1X and see what kind of deal my friend will make me... Then when the T/C comes back, maybe throw that on a Renegade or a Hawkins.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

Fed Ex showed up today with a brand new scope. Thompson Center must have decided it was easier to replace then to repair. I want to get that mounted and the next rain get out and see if I can fog it up again...

RE: cva service let me down!
 

:eek:

RE: cva service let me down!
 

i purposely waited until the end of the day to give them time to call . you know benefit of the doubt? anyway they already said they didnt have any record of me calling [&:] surprise! so i called again today and got sent over to dave? got the generic message i have been getting since friday. " im out of the office blah blah blah" im just telling my tale so others can feel my pain:D. this was my dads gun and they damaged the barrel. i want an answer as soon as possible. your gonna tell me they cant get the gunsmith on the phone who worked on it? i have talked to the gunsmiths at thompson center several times. i never had to have thompson center call me back. they always told me to just send it in. they probably dont make there own optics so i could see a delay in service. cva customer service is no where near what i get from the other companies mentioned. just my own facts.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

Dave
It must have been good luck me asking just rubbed a little luck up north

RE: cva service let me down!
 

dave calls me back at lunch time and leaves a message. hurray! i call him back around 2pm and he is out of the office for the day again. where do i get this job? if i worked for a major firearms company i would be little more into my job than this. message #4 and friday will be a week.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

Just a thought........When I'm wanting someone to call me back really, really bad, I make sure I give them my home, office, and cell number. That's just me though.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

well nO DUGH!!!!- i cant be on call either. im actually not allowed to field phone calls during my work day so i check on stuff when i can. anyway dave calls me today again around 9.30 am and leaves a message i call right back during my break period and get "im out of the office again leave a message" so i take the advice of frontier and ask for mark at my lunch time. i actually wanted to follow procedure without stepping on toes. mark tells me the process of replacing a bolster and that none of them are soldered in but require heat to get them out. also there is some kind of jig that indeed goes into the muzzle of the barrel. he states none of this should have damaged the barrel. well on mine it did. he was very quick to offer a new barrel as i have some accuracy concerns with the scrape marks in the rifleing in the muzzle of the barrel. i told them i could send them a bottle of oil and blue paste if they needed it. i also asked why it was cleaned and not oiled and he told me that they could ask the gunsmith but it would be like beating a dead horse. they did damage my barrel and mark offered to give me a new one. i told them it was my fathers old gun and i wanted to hunt with it this year. i dont want a new barrel just the one i sent to them back in the same condition. it took a week to get through and i really didnt get any satisfaction. i really believe the service is no where near what im use to dealing with. there is no excuse and i gotta say i received poor service as well as extremely bad customer service. in all fairness i have gotten good service before so im done ranting cva today. thumbs down on this dealing[:'(]

RE: cva service let me down!
 

while the smith did damage the barrel, more than likely on accident, they did offer you a new barrel free of charge. And if you're having accuracy problems, why not take them up on the deal?

RE: cva service let me down!
 

I'm far from trying to be a smart a$$ but, We all understand you want the gun returned in the same condition you sent it in. It's understood it was your fathers and your very proud and protective of that. If they tried to repairtheir damageand it didn't meet your expectations your going to rant even more. I'd have taken them up on the new barrel.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

its not about a new barrel. did i say this use to be my fathers gun? i more or less wanted them to admit that while jigging up and heating the barrel they screwed it up. not just thrown back in a box and shipped back with no explaination. i dont know if the inside rifling marks from cva-s jig will affect its accuracy but when it gets back from re finishing and i shoot it i just might take them up on a new barrel.i will say again i have received generally good service from them in the past and i think they offer a good gun for the money but in this case they kinda blew it . i also want to say that dave at customer service had some issues for not getting back to me and after mark explained i understood. who ever mark is he seems to be the person to talk to. getting this gun fixed was personal to me so i just needed to vent a little. im actually suprised of all the negativity i got. makes me suspicious . i didnt want to turn this into a war of who has better service but for me it is very clear.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

If TC messed up the barrel and sent it back in the same condition, would you have still turned down their offer of a new barrel? I could understand if CVA didnt want to deal with the subject, but they did offer a new barrel for your problems, and if i were you, i easily would have taken the offer. Heck, they replaced a mid 1980s cva muzzleloader that a local gunsmith broke and they sent me a brand new staghorn as an replacement because they no longer made the cva blazer. I just dont see what you're trying to get from cva. By them offering you a new barrel, they knew you were unhappy and they wanted to make things right. So whats the deal? Take them up on the new barrel offer or just stick with what you have.

RE: cva service let me down!
 

frontier, im not gonna drag this on. this isint about a thompson vs. cva thing at all and believe me i wouldnt accept service like this from any company and would rant just the same. i just want to use the gun my father hunted with. i didnt want a fancy new barrel. i just didnt like the fact it took a week to get through to them and if it wasnt for you telling me who to ask for it may have carried on for another week. i dont know how you know mark but for any big problems that is the man to talk to. i thank you for that. done complaining. now back to shooting!

RE: cva service let me down!
 

Just saw a lot of good feedback about mark on greybeards. Mark actually wants people to start emailing him about new calibers for their cva elite, hes been wanting to know what odd calibers they could bring out that arnt out there now. He seems like a great guy from what ive read. I personally only had to deal with cva once and i got an replacement rifle which was awesome. Then i emailed Mark about my winchester x-150 and what loads/bullets i could shoot safely with the higher mag loads. After that, i havnt had to email or call them once. Let us know how the rifle shoots. What did they charge to put a new bolister on? local gunsmith charged my step bro $60!:D:D