Really peeved at Lee Precision

[x101airborne]

Perhaps I am wearing my sensitivities out on my sleeve this morning, But I am peeved off at Lee Precision.

I recently purchased a Lee push Through Sizer supposed to be of .451 diamater. Well, it is sizing boolits to .4485. So I called Lee and the sarcastic tech on the other end of the phone scoffed at me when I asked for a shipping label to send the item back. I did not ask for an address label, I asked for a pre-paid shipping label to send the item back. Well, after some rather unappreciated comments and sonversational undertones from the tech, lets say we agree to disagree that they should pay the shipping for me to return thier *** pi$$ poor quality control parts.

If I am just being overly sensitive, it would not be the first time, but I really feel that it is not my responsibility to pay for these items to be returned. And I know that I could remedy this myself, but if I wanted to make the part myself, I would have made the whole dang thing myself. I have asked RCBS, Dillon precision, and Hornady for a pre-paid label and they were always happy to either re-emburse my shipping or send a label. Why does a large company like Lee "Precision" have such poor customer service and more so.... such poor quality control? So many stories of poor molds, defective handels, under or over sized sizers and other **** products I just dont think I am buying any more Lee products.

:takinWiz:
Lee

[woody1]

Lee prob'ly works on a smaller profit margin than Dillon and RCBS but I don't think I'd let it go where you are now. They've a Satisfaction Guaranteed warranty and I'd push it on up the line. Do it with e-mail and it won't cost ya a dime. Regards, Woody

[Colorado4wheel]

Whenever I ordered a Lee push through die I always ordered 3. Size I wanted and then two sizes up. Then returned the ones that didn't work. They never sized right for me. I order from Midway because they make returns easy.

[John Boy]

I have plenty of the Lee resizing dies and nearly everyone is 0.001 smaller than the stated size. So when I want a custom plug, I just order one that is 0.001 larger in diameter

[jonk]

I'm very surprised. They've always done good by me with satisfaction and warranty stuff.

[Ben]

It is a shame that we've come to a point in America where you order something, when it arrives, YOU have to work on it and modify it to make it work right.

I'm sorry to say that I'm seeing more and more of this as the day goes by. Is quality control so expensive for these companies that they can't afford it. Or is it a matter of work ethic and pride in their products that they make ?

Ben

[white eagle]

It seem as though the #'s f parts in the parts basket
at the end of the shift is what counts
never slow down for out of spec. parts
I was a q/c in a large local die cast plant
I once shut down an entire line for .0005 out of spec.
boy did I hear an ear full from the line foreman bout what its going to take
for that .0005 needless to say took them 12 hrs to adjust the dies and machine

[geargnasher]

Not making an excuse for Lee, but you can hone it to size boolits of your particular mould and alloy to any size you want in less time than that phone call would have taken, and for less sandpaper than the cost of a postage stamp. When you pay $15 for a tool that costs much more elsewhere, it's not worth getting the blood pressure up over .0025" when it's so easy to fix. I'm in the habit of buying two or three of the same size at a time so I CAN make slight changes as necessary to fit different guns. Your expectations may vary.

BTW, I've had much better luck with Lee dies being the right size than I have had with LYMAN dies.

Gear

[Recluse]

I haven't bought anything from Lee since the Obama scare wiped everyone's shelves out, so the Lee stuff I have is older and made before the rush to production took place.

That said, my sizing dies are spot on as are the molds (2-cavity) and there's only been one piece of Lee equipment that I couldn't live with and tossed in the trash.

But what I've been hearing for the past year or better is not encouraging at all. I was going through that with Lyman, and that was before the Obama scare and before people were buying everything they could for fear it would be outlawed.

As far as pre-paid shipping or being reimbursed for shipping costs? I've never had RCBS or Lyman or Hornady give me pre-paid shipping or reimburse me. Never. I've always shipped the broken part back to them on my dime.

I do have a suggestion that would eliminate 99% of all the sloppy QC that is happening with Lyman and Lee and (some) others:

Companies SHOULD offer pre-paid shipping and each manufactured part should be stamped with a number identifying the QC inspector who let the bad product/production run slip through and into the general distribution pile.

The shipping charges to return the product would be taken out of the QC inspector's paycheck.

[Wally]

I haven't bought anything from Lee since the Obama scare wiped everyone's shelves out, so the Lee stuff I have is older and made before the rush to production took place.

That said, my sizing dies are spot on as are the molds (2-cavity) and there's only been one piece of Lee equipment that I couldn't live with and tossed in the trash.

But what I've been hearing for the past year or better is not encouraging at all. I was going through that with Lyman, and that was before the Obama scare and before people were buying everything they could for fear it would be outlawed.

As far as pre-paid shipping or being reimbursed for shipping costs? I've never had RCBS or Lyman or Hornady give me pre-paid shipping or reimburse me. Never. I've always shipped the broken part back to them on my dime.

I do have a suggestion that would eliminate 99% of all the sloppy QC that is happening with Lyman and Lee and (some) others:

Companies SHOULD offer pre-paid shipping and each manufactured part should be stamped with a number identifying the QC inspector who let the bad product/production run slip through and into the general distribution pile.

The shipping charges to return the product would be taken out of the QC inspector's paycheck.

Good idea...however it seems they just "Spot Check" their production and the customer does the final QC. Imagine how many buyers don't bother to do anything...many abhor having to return anything. It is a PITA to do so and shipping is not cheap and you have to write a letter!

[leadhead]

Yea, That inspector at Lyman, Cathy T would have
to rob a bank to pay back all the mistakes she's
made.
Denny

[geargnasher]

Yea, That inspector at Lyman, Cathy T would have
to rob a bank to pay back all the mistakes she's
made.
Denny

BINGO! I did some checking, and Cathy T has checked every single mould I or my friends own that was made since 2001 (or 2, don't remember exactly), and it was Mary something before that for a few years. Cathy T must be blind in one eye and 20-200 in the other.

Gear

[462]

x101airborne,
I would send a very civil e-mail to Mr. Lee, explaining the facts, your disappointment with his product, what it will take to keep you as a satisfied Lee customer, and if Lee is unwilling to meet my expectations they will forever loose me as a customer.

A few years ago, I had a disappointing experience with Graf & Sons -- a trivial $5 dispute -- and they haven't, nor will they ever, see any more of my business.

Casting and reloading customers are an extremely small percentage of the buying public. But, if we stick to our quality control and customer service expectations, the industry will take heed. There was a recent thread about Lee introducing a new hand primer, due to our dissatisfaction with their XR model. If they don't hear from us, they will assume that we are happy.

By the way, Midway reimbursed my shipping cost to return two defective Lee moulds, but RCBS wanted me to return a broken item on my dime.

[Wally]

BINGO! I did some checking, and Cathy T has checked every single mould I or my friends own that was made since 2001 (or 2, don't remember exactly), and it was Mary something before that for a few years. Cathy T must be blind in one eye and 20-200 in the other.

Gear

Maybe the CEO's daughter?...sounds like a pre-depression bank examiner...

[woody1]

Just a question. Can't alloy differences account for a few thousanths due to different springback of the boolits? At least it wasn't too big. Regards, Woody

[edler7]

... Cathy T must be blind in one eye and 20-200 in the other.

Sometimes ADA workplace laws can go a little too far. I think her sister works QC for some of the optics companies.

[onondaga]

Too bad that happened to you. I wish i worked for Lee and I would apologize to you.

I called Lee tech with a similar beef but I paid the shipping. Since then I have learned to hone out sizers and it is very easy to get just what I want in size with my boolits and my alloy.

During the conversation with the Lee tech I was told that different alloys size differently in the Lee sizer dies and that the dies are designed to get the best results with the widest variety of alloys. I kinda buy that and understand that.

Waiting for a die that you expect to work perfectly for you so you can get started on a project is exciting but disappointments are certainly upsetting.

I hope you don't break it off with Lee.

I always plan on at least polishing the Lee sizers to a better shine inside so they will run smoother-- they are a very inexpensive sizing die and I can accept that I likely will need to work them a bit.

Gary

[Me not you]

The shipping charges to return the product would be taken out of the QC inspector's paycheck.

[/QUOTE]

Better to take them out of the production manager's pay as well. He would then no longer be fighting QC.

[Bwana]

"It is a shame that we've come to a point in America where you order something, when it arrives, YOU have to work on it and modify it to make it work right."

I can remember that this applied to almost every 1911 you might buy. Not so now. Things are a lot better now. That's one reason a disappointment stands out. I'll take todays products anyday.

[Wally]

Had a Lee .38 Cal 105 SWC DC bullet mold. I could see a sizeable gap through it with the blocks tightly closed. Cast bullets would "fin" on me so I returned it. The brand new replacement has a gap as well, albeit it is much smaller. What angers me is they sent some papers with it alluding to my not lubricating the mold properly and this caused a block mis-match. IOW they almost came out and told me it was "user's error"... Cost me $5.40 to ship it to them . I won't spend another $5.40 to send it back. Guess I'll have to lubricate it and hope for the best