Very disappointed with Lee Customer Service and Quality Control

[rototerrier]

Check out the bottom of this sprue plate. I just received a new 2 cavity 358-158 mold yesterday from amazon. Cleaned it up and starting casting with it only to see the base of one of the buttets wasn't cutting and forming properly. Also noticed it was scratching the mold blocks a little and after a bit of inspection I could tell it needed to be smoothed.

Put it on a stone to smooth it out and then realized there was pitting around one of the holes.

See photo.157358

That little pitting is just enough to cause the base of the bullet to not cut properly and to be a bit high.

Contacted lee as I always have and had to send them this photo. Here's there response:


For my knowledge, what what forced through the hole, to cause the metal to be displaced out the back side. I can see the factory sanding marks on it from the factory, so it happened
after it left our facility.

Lee Precision, Inc.
4275 Highway U
Hartford, WI 53027
phone: 262-673-3075 (tel:262-673-3075)

I have several double cav molds and just borrowed one and cast about 500 perfect boolits. But, it would appear Lee is going to give me trouble and I may just have to return the mold to amazon. Just a little disappointed with them. Their QC on these molds is horrible.

[rototerrier]

Well, after responding that I had stoned it and explaining that it arrived this way they quickly reversed course.


I am sending out a replacement part in today's mail.


Sincerely,
Raquel

Lee Precision, Inc.
4275 Highway U
Hartford, WI 53027


Still disappointing that there had to be any push and shove on such a simple issue. I dunno, maybe they've had a bunch of people modifying and damaging their sprue plates recently and I got caught up in it. Doesn't look to me like anything was jammed through it though. clearly looks like a manufacturing defect.

[RobS]

That is a very poor response just in general sense regards to professionalism. Send it back to Amazon as I'm sure they will pay return shipping where as Lee will not it's on your dime even if it is their mistake.

[RobS]

Well that is better the second go around.

[rototerrier]

Trust me, I would have already boxed it up if it wasn't producing perfect boolits.

[jmorris]

I have never had any trouble with Lee's customer service but I don't expect the best quality from them either.

Kind of like I don't expect a $2 pack of hotdogs to taste like a $20 steak.

[jmort]

Lee Customer Service has been excellent for me, and considering the price point of their products, it is crazy good service. I find it best to call them.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I agree with jmort--I've had only good experiences with Lee.

[rototerrier]

Me too, until now. Maybe it was just a slight misstep or just a bad apple in their cs department.

[Don Fischer]

Lesson here. If you get a new product and you think something might be wrong with it, do not try to fix it yourself before calling the manufacturer!

[Smoke4320]

Me too, until now. Maybe it was just a slight misstep or just a bad apple in their cs department.

or they just finished a bad moment and you got the carryover.. it happens (shouldn't but we are human and it does)

[bangerjim]

Every manufacturer produces lemons on occasion. QC does not catch 100% of problems some times. That is what cust svc is for. Just fix it and move on. They are sending you a new part for free, which is good.

I have many dozens of 2 and 6 cav Lee molds and have never had any problems with them right out of the boxes. If any slight scraping occurs, I address it with a ultra-fine file or a stone. I have had those same problems on NOE and MiHec brass (expensive) molds also.

Nothing to be upset with at Lee.

Fine-Tuning up ANYBODY"S mold is just part of what we do.

bangerjim

[dragon813gt]

I have never had any trouble with Lee's customer service but I don't expect the best quality from them either.

Kind of like I don't expect a $2 pack of hotdogs to taste like a $20 steak.

This is my experience as well. The few issues I've had were handled quickly either w/ a phone call or their internet based claims service. I like the internet one the best. Write a short synopsis the problem, attach a few pictures and they get back to you quickly. The responses I received were all the same, a new one is on the way free of charge.

[lobogunleather]

Started using Lee molds about 1971 and have been very satisfied with dozens over the years since. Never had a serious issue with Lee products and would not hesitate to order again anytime.

[btroj]

I recently worked on a Lee mould that had a similar rough edge on the holes in the sprue plate. T bothered me a little but didn't seem to be an issue in casting.

The mould was a 30 dollar mould and the buyer got 30 dollar quality. If a buyer wants top quality then expect to pay top quality money. Want Mercedes quality? Don't buy a Yugo.

That plate on a mould from Accurate, NOE, or MP would not be acceptable.

[mac1911]

I'm surprised the first Email was such a response.
Especially that you just bought it. LEE has a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee. Along with a 2 year and limited lifetime warranty.
I have received parts free with out hesitation. They even sent out some parts that where missing out of a NOS pro1000.

[cheese1566]

I bought my second (or maybe third) brand new Lee mold the other day after all my years casting. All my others have been second hand. I knew right away to disassemble, scrub with Dawn dish soap and deburr the cavities with a wood dowel. While at it, I automatically added the set screws to the spruce plate bolts and stoned the sprueplate. No lick of trouble and I figure all Lee molds need this attention. I figure that's how they make them for the cost they do. It was a new Lee 6 cavity 7mm soup can from mid south on sale for $30.

Now, I figure to do this anyways with Lee, but never ( and never had to....) with a Noe or
mihec mold. I pay premium for those and good out of the box with cleaning and heat cycles.

[Jal5]

Lee recently replaced a part from the Perfect Powder Measure for free and i got it used and have no idea how old it is. They never asked.

[dannyd]

For the price cleaning them is not that bad

[VintageRifle]

Thought they had an unconditional guarantee for 2 years.

[Casting_40S&W]

Straight from the horses mouth.

http://leeprecision.com/satisfaction-guaranteed.html

[LuckyDog]

Lesson here. If you get a new product and you think something might be wrong with it, do not try to fix it yourself before calling the manufacturer!

I agree with this. ^^^^^

But I too am a Mr. FixIt guy.

[Silverboolit]

On ANY new mold that I get, I pull the sprue plate and hone the bottom on my diamond file block. All my molds showed some problems and that takes care of it before the first pour. I don't mind the extra work and the results are more than worth the time spent.

[ShooterAZ]

It looks like I am one of the few who has had bad customer service from Lee. The problem was finally resolved, but not without some aggravation. This is one of the reasons I buy a lot of stuff from Midway. If you have problems with something, you can send it back with no questions asked. Lyman has worse customer service than Lee though in my opinion.

[rototerrier]

I agree. Hornady and rcbs also, IMO, have great cs.

[Tackleberry41]

No your not the only one who has gotten such an answer from Lee. Usually they do have really good service, dies. But molds they tend to say its operator error. Its not them constantly cutting corners to keep the same price when everything else is rising, it has to be you. You will find those who like Lee so tend to jump in to defend, and those who don't like Lee just don't say anything anymore.

Lee did seem to work decent for me for a while, but after buying other brands, they tend to be considerably more frustrating to use. Or you notice how frustrating they can be to use.

I will say it again, Lee needs to charge a little more so they can produce better molds. Drop the built in handles that take up so much space on the shelf and put that money into the materials and machining. I know they think they will lose some sales, but actually might boost them since those of us who quit buying them might again if they were better.

[Buckshot Bill]

Lesson here. If you get a new product and you think something might be wrong with it, do not try to fix it yourself before calling the manufacturer!

X2 and don't buy anything from amazon...............

[rototerrier]

Why? Amazon would have taken it back and paid the shipping. Would have cost me nothing.

But, I have to kindly disagree. All Lee molds need attention. Ive had to smooth every sprue plate and debur every cavity of all the Lee molds I own. 6 as of now. If I followed this advise I'd not have any. They'd all have to go back. Then the ones they send back would have to go back.

I'd certainly never do this with my mihec molds, nor would I ever expect to. Lee is Lee and that's just how it is. Gotta work on em to make em perfect. But I can't fix pitting and I didn't catch it until after I smoothed it. Casts great boolits though with a good sprue plate.

157676

[dragon813gt]

X2 and don't buy anything from amazon...............

Why? I buy a lot of reloading item from Amazon. I have not had any problems from them. But I've had plenty of problems w/ other items. Amazon is always quick and easy to deal w/. If you have a smartphone it's even easier because you start the claim on the app and then they call you immediately. It couldn't be be any easier.

[dikman]

Shooter, you're not the only one who has had **** service from Lee. I (still) have an out-of-round mold from Lee. I took photos of the castings, with a micrometer around various parts to prove my point. Eventually, they said if I send it back (at my expense - and this is for a manufacturing fault, so I didn't see why I should pay) they would send me a new one. I pointed out I was overseas and it would cost more to send it back than the mold is worth. Didn't matter, they weren't really interested in the fact that they had sold me a faulty bit of gear. I pointed out that another customer here in Australia had their faulty gear replaced at no cost, so why not me? No answer.

So I wrote a letter to Mr. Lee, never did get an answer.

Maybe you can guess what I think about Lee Customer Service..........

[freebullet]

I like lee molds. Not perfect but, they're always there when I've needed them. No one touches their price on molds that I'm aware.

The first mold I bought was a lee it has over 20k poured through it. Aside from a new sprue plate & set screws added it's dropping as it came.

[imashooter2]

The first rep misinterpreted the picture and thought the metal was raised, not recessed. Such a defect would be unlikely to have occurred from the factory. As soon as that misinterpretation was cleared up they sent a replacement part. I'm not seeing the issue.

[leadman]

I have had problems with Lee molds, but also from some of the custom mold makers. Getting problems resolved with Lee is much easier than the others.
If you do not get a good response from one of the techs just call Lee (262-673-3075) and ask to speak to Andy Lee.

[Joe504]

The first rep misinterpreted the picture and thought the metal was raised, not recessed. Such a defect would be unlikely to have occurred from the factory. As soon as that misinterpretation was cleared up they sent a replacement part. I'm not seeing the issue.

This is my thought also

[rototerrier]

Got the replacement and it's pitted as well. Not as badly and it should work but definitely not what you want to see. Oh well. This definitely goes into the "get what you pay for" category. Not worth worrying over any longer.

[LAKEMASTER]

Every manufacturer produces lemons on occasion. QC does not catch 100% of problems some times. That is what cust svc is for. Just fix it and move on. They are sending you a new part for free, which is good.

I have many dozens of 2 and 6 cav Lee molds and have never had any problems with them right out of the boxes. If any slight scraping occurs, I address it with a ultra-fine file or a stone. I have had those same problems on NOE and MiHec brass (expensive) molds also.

Nothing to be upset with at Lee.

Fine-Tuning up ANYBODY"S mold is just part of what we do.

bangerjim

Can you show us how you do this? I have a Lee mold and noe mold doing it. Bothers me a little

[mac266]

I have a few Lee moulds, and I've only had a problem once. I bought one through Midway, and when it arrived, I discovered the handles had been fastened to the mould blocks in a rather disturbing way. Someone had overtorqued the screw, and had put it in at a wonky angle. The screw was splitting out the side of the mould block.

I never touched it. I never removed the handles and I didn't do this myself. It came out of the box that way! What really chapped my hide was the inspection sticker, indicating someone had looked it over for quality, was stuck to the mould block right next to the split. Someone was asleep on the job!

I returned it to Midway and they replaced it, no questions asked. I left all the stickers on, including the one that wraps around the mould blocks, keeping them closed during shipping. So with that, I believe it's obvious I never mishandled it. Midway is good like that. They sent me a new one that worked fine.

But I also snapped some pictures of it and emailed them to Lee. The response I received was rather curt, implying that I had somehow damaged the mould myself, despite that wrap around sticker still being on. I really wish I had kept those pics, but I deleted them after I got my replacement mould.

[Tackleberry41]

I really doubt most companies do actual QC anymore. Theres no way some of the glaring problems that get boxed up and sent to the store were ever 'inspected'. Lee probably just has someone on the line putting those stickers on, their job is just put stickers on, don't hold up the line. Makes you wonder why they even bother. Of course in a logical world one would ask Lee, how exactly did I screw this mold up? Took it apart, without disturbing the factory stickers, messed up the screws for what reason? So I could return it for the exact same product? No it has to be something the user did, see we inspected it, guess we know why they bother with the stickers.