Lyman Customer Service

[54bore]

Can anyone tell me anything good about Lyman's Customer Service? Thankfully i have never had to use it. I have heard NOTHING good about their CS, from friends that i fully trust, to reading TONS of bad on this, and other forums about them. I have avoided MANY of their products and went with other brands due to all the bad i have heard about them. Good customer service is a MAJOR selling point for me, when i hear of bad CS i try and avoid that Co.

[avogunner]

I've only had the need to call them once, and that was probably 15 years ago. No problems then though.

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[crappie-hunter]

I know I purchased two Lyman flintlock frizzen springs through RMC sports and both were improperly tempered and both broke. One broke while installing and the other broke the first time I opened the frizzen. RMC said Lyman did not want to replace them or issue a credit. So a friend an I just made our own. A dissatisfied customer is never good for business. I thought that Lyman was reputable but now I question.

[54bore]

I know I purchased two Lyman flintlock frizzen springs through RMC sports and both were improperly tempered and both broke. One broke while installing and the other broke the first time I opened the frizzen. RMC said Lyman did not want to replace them or issue a credit. So a friend an I just made our own. A dissatisfied customer is never good for business. I thought that Lyman was reputable but now I question.

This is right on par with everything i have heard and read

[54bore]

I was VERY hesitant about buying a Lyman Great Plains Hunter rifle, i had been wanting a fast twist .54 Cal for a long time, I searched HARD for a Green Mountain LRH drop in Barrel in .54 Cal with zero luck, so i ended up HESITANTLY going with the Lyman Great Plains Hunter.

I am a huge fan of steel mold blocks but i have passed up MANY of their molds due to all the bad I've heard, and read about them

[bedbugbilly]

I use a number of older Lyman AA dies and they work well so I don't have a problem with buying such things as "vintage" Lyman dies and also use their M dies which are great.

BUT - I purchased a Lyman product a year or so ago that I had issues with. I gave them a call and whoever I take with, either was having a bad day or just "didn't care". I explained what the issue was and basically it was "too bad". I made up my mind then to just avoid Lyman items unless it was a product that I couldn't get anywhere else (nobody else make it) or I could make something else work. To put it bluntly, I wasn't impressed with the CS.

That said . . . I bought a Lyman Great Plains Rifle from rfd that he had up for sale a year ago - for a production rifle, I think it is a decent rifle - but - I've had no issues with it so far nor any need for CS. If something breaks on it, I have repaired and built rifles so I don't think a "fix" will be an issue. I am going to replace the lock (flint) though as while it works, I'm not overly impressed with the geometry, etc.

[54bore]

I made up my mind then to just avoid Lyman items unless it was a product that I couldn't get anywhere else (nobody else make it) or I could make something else work. To put it bluntly, I wasn't impressed with the CS.

That said . . . I bought a Lyman Great Plains Rifle from rfd that he had up for sale a year ago - for a production rifle, I think it is a decent rifle


I buy RCBS, Redding, very few Lee products, etc. The only Lyman stuff i own is things I couldn't find elsewhere, or i got at garage/estate sales cheap enough i could throw it away with very little loss. I try my absolute best to avoid Lyman.

I figure if something goes south with my new Lyman GPH Rifle i will wrap it around a tree and move on, Have a custom barrel built for one of TC Hawken's or Renegades, Which in my opinion are FAR SUPERIOR anyway.

[mooman76]

Lyman seem to have their up periods and down. Seems like they have been down a long tie. Their moulds usually come out smaller diameter than they should. I would not hesitate on getting an old one though.

[charlie b]

My first Lyman was an inline. Cheap but it worked well.

I have my second Lyman, a GPH. Never had to call them so don't know what their customer service is like.

Never used anything else from them except their reloading manual (mine was printed back in the 60's).

[charlie b]

This reminded me of Xerox in the 70's. An engineer proposed many changes to make their product more reliable and all were refused. When he asked why the answer was, 'We are known for our extensive field service agents. If the products are reliable we won't need all those field agents and our reputation will suffer."

[koger]

I bought a Lyman 45 luber/sizer, used in a original box, 20 years ago. After very little use, the screw inside It that forces lube into the sizer broke. I called them, sent it in per there instructions, and it was returned to me, in 2 weeks, with only a charge for shipping, 12$, I think. I have a bunch of their molds, purchased over the last 22 +years, and 2 new .50 and .54 maxi plains hunter molds, with not one issue, period. They all make great bullets, and all shoot great. Just my experience.

[wcandres]

When a spring broke on my clay target trap, I received a replacement in just a couple of days after contacting Lyman. Best customer service I've seen anywhere.

[Mr Peabody]

I can't say anything against them in their treatment of me. I have had molds that didn't work properly, but I boxed them up with a letter saying what the problem was and got a good mold back. I use their M dies too. I bought one awhile back that was missing a piece, I called them and had the new piece in a few days.

[54bore]

Good to hear a few decent comments about them

[tradbear55]

I avoid Lyman products when I can. Only because the troubles I've had in the past with their customer service. Potentially the worst CS I have ever dealt with. So to answer the OP's question. "No."

[Standing Bear]

My only experience w the Lyman lack of service department involved a broken sprue plate screw for a double cavity mold. The Lyman web site only showed a "repair kit" so I got other screws etc I didn't need. Lo and behold the threads are smaller (metric?). Called Lyman Lack of customer service and was told by the bored, sullen and rude person that they had none of the old screws, there was no obligation to carry old stock and no I could not return the repair kit. She said I could take one of my others to a machine shop and have one made. Yea, right.

I always heard it costs 100x more to get a new customer than to retain an existing one. Now I get POed every time I have to remove a screw from one mold and install it in another mold.
TC

[54bore]

I avoid Lyman products when I can. Potentially the worst CS I have ever dealt with. So to answer the OP's question. "No."


My findings, it's RARE to read ANYTHING good about their customer service

[triggerhappy243]

maybe I should open up a machine shop and make parts for lyman products that lyman is too incompetent to make.

[rfd]

as with most businesses, what matters most is who's currently manning the customer service desk and answers your call for assistance.

for the very most part, any good business wants repeat customers, and that means treating customers fairly and quickly. this is perhaps the prime reason smart businesses record customer/rep phone calls for "quality of service" - it's more about how the rep handles yer call than you or yer reason for calling.

i had only one customer service call to lyman, about 4 years ago, for a missing part on a newly purchased #55 black powder measure. the service rep was courteous and i received that missing part in 4 days.

[DakotaElkSlayer]

Thanks for the thread!!!! I am a HUGE FAN of customer service and dying to get into muzzleloading. You can't get this kind of info from books so it is greatly appreciated.

Jim

[waarp8nt]

I used Lyman customer service many years ago for parts to get a 450 sized up and going. They were fine then.

I called them last week about a Mag 20 pot that rusted through (bought the pot used). They had no parts to offer since the Mag 20 was claimed to be obsolete, although is has been in production within the last 10 years. However, they did offer to sell me a new Mag 25 pot for $175 or 1/2 the cost of new. Told them I didn't expect to spend $175 as I figured I all I would need a $10 to $20 part. I did buy the Mag 20 used, so I cannot blame Lyman for its condition...but I did expect them to have parts for it at a reasonable cost.

[charlie b]

I think they offered you a really good deal.