What a nightmare.
Ordered the Classic Cast back in November, a week before Thanksgiving. Got it in and it "ground" when the ram operated. No problem, everyone said, just pour some transmission fluid on the ram and operate 500 times.
Got worse.
Then the linkage started binding when you'd put any sort of pressure on it--in particular when doing full-length resizing with necked rifle cases.
At the same time, I'd ordered a two-cavity mold with a boolit design I really liked and the mold came in as misaligned as possible and with a pin missing.
I fired off a complaint to Lee via their website. Called Midway to start a return process--I've never returned anything to Midway, so had no idea how to proceed. Thanks to the dismal election outcome, Midway was swamped.
Get a reply from Lee to send them the press and that they'd make sure I got something "worthy of the family name."
Sent the press out. Get a phone call a week or so later from a family member. Was told nothing wrong with the press. Nothing.
I pointed out that my hangar neighbor has one that is silky smooth and doesn't sound like a GI's zipper going up and down after a night at the NCO club drinking beer and shooting pool. Was told that was normal (the zipping sound from the press, not the GI thing). BUT was told that I'd assembled the press wrong and that the linkage was "jammed in."
I pointed out that the press came to me assembled and all I had to do was install the handle. . . so how the hell was the linkage being jammed in MY fault? No answer, just a repeating of the previous statement.
Fine, I said, just send the damned thing back.
Hesitation. Then the family member asked about my dissatisfaction with the quality control of so much of their recent stuff. I explained about the mold, the Classic Turret in which Lee themselves had to admit had a misaligned shell-plate holder that caused shells to not line up when operating, as well as their instructions on how to disassemble the press and "realign" the pillars, etc etc. Told the family member I never had to do that with an RCBS press, and what's more, had never had to do that with any of my OLDER Lee equipment.
I then reiterated to "send me the press back."
Was told again that the zipping sound was normal and that it was part of the carbide ring connected to the six-speed automatic transmission hooked up to the Macauley three-bladed propeller via the Mercruiser outdrive, blah blah blah.
I asked why it was that I could build an airplane, overhaul a boat engine, build an addition to a house and even change the oil on my Nissan Z-car but somehow I couldn't insert a handle in a flagship cast iron press and tighten one bolt? Send it back, I said.
"Hang on", the guy says, "let me let you talk to my dad."
No, I tell him, I'm TIRED of talking so just send me press back.
And yet, he argues MORE! Finally I get it through that I'm done talking and just either send me my press back or chunk it in the trash--either way, I'm more than fed up.
And does the press get sent back? HELL NO! I get an e-mail from Lee with an official number on it. I figure that was the shipping info. I'm busier than I've ever been in the past year and don't open it, figuring that I'll get the press in a week or so then I can decide what to do. I was figuring on selling it on Ebay as a classic vintage one-of-a-kind press and raking in several thousand dollars.
A week goes by and no delivery from UPS. What the hell? Then I get a sinking feeling about the e-mail, go back and open it and it's the same guy saying, "What do you want me to do?"
In no uncertain or mistakable terms, I make it crystal clear to send the press back.
Yesterday it arrives and with a note that the ram had been polished down, new linkage.
Guess what? Works exactly how it was supposed to before leaving the factory.
I dealt with Richard Lee back when he was known as Dick Lee. He even gave me a Lee ballcap to wear during my IPSC shooting just to razz the guys who loaded on Dillons.I called another time about a question on adjusting something on my Pro1000 and was put on hold, and he (Richard Lee) answered the phone. We chatted and he told me in about ten seconds what to do and I've never had that problem again in over 20 years.
I talked with John about ten years ago on something--replacement parts, I think. They were in the mail that day and I congratulated John on the tremendous innovations they were doing. He sounded super-enthused about some ideas they were playing around with and was a joy to speak and deal with.
I know Mike Dillon is pretty much retired--has his kids taken over the biz? If so, I better get busy and start ordering blue stuff before the grandkids take it over.
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Originally Posted by 1hole
