Tech Support (general)

[Aslan]

First off...I am not talking abut AGD tech service...I have had little experience with their technical service at this point. I don't want to say which company it was (or else all I'd get are flames about that company), just that it isn't AGD.

I wasn't sure if this belonged in the tech forum or general paintball talk because it's a combination of both.

Now, I had a gun that was chopping. It was a blowback...I was thinking of selling it...it's an older model...probably 2000-02. I went to the technical support people at that company because I just couldn't get through a game with it.

Originally, they were cool. They took the gun in for free to look at it. After a couple weeks I got it back and the work that had been done: "The spring was too stiff, we put in a less stiff spring, seems to be working fine." Now, this is frustrating because I specifically switched springs because the gun was struggling to get to 275fps when the velocity adjuster was all the way in. The springs I used to upgrade were made by that company specifically for that gun.

So, I send an e-mail thanking them for their efforts but explaining that I was a little disappointed because "essentially" I was back to square one and I asked if there were any upgrades available for the marker, maybe a bolt or something, that would allow the stiffer spring and I asked if they had chronoed it to see if it was shooting 280fps.

The reply I got was that I "should be happy" they even looked at it because it was old and not under warranty and their advice was to "save up and buy a newer gun".

What? Is this normal? Has paintball gotten to the point where a marker >5 years old might as well be thrown in the garbage? Is it normal that a company sells aftermarket parts that when installed cause the gun to not work?

I guess my general question I thought I'd throw out there is, what are your experiences with customer service? Is this normal? Are some better than others? Is it normal when you ask about buying upgrades they tell you just to buy a new gun? I'm pretty disappointed right now. If this gun doesn't work...I can't in good conscience sell it...and it's no good to keep it...so should I just throw it in the trash tonight?

[Aslan]

One more question...

Also...I forgot to ask this question...

I am trying to decide how to reply to this guy. I don't want to seem ungrateful...I appreciate that they took my gun in and worked on it for free. But I don't really like how this guy just dismissed me because I don't have the current model LCD 2005 version of their top of the line marker and I REALLY want to fix this problem....

Thanks!

[Muzikman]

Yep, this is the path that paintball is going. if it's older than 6 months, it's not worth playing with.

Just come out and say what gun it is. You won't get flamed...actually you probably will, but only by those people that no matter what you do, say, act, etc, you will get flamed. Hell, I am sure someone is going to flame you just for the thread you posted. So don't be afraid of flaming, just realize that it's the internet.

As for your problem. If it is out of warranty and the compnay does not make any parts for it then your only options would be to live with the problem or buy a new gun.

As for his response to you, no, that is not good customer service is what you typed was exactly what he/she said.

[TMAXXKING1]

lost

i am lost here

is it a mag i was thinking mag
then i saw you post lcd is it an angel ..

you might want to include what type of marker it is ...


i was guessing it is an emag ..

if it is an emag send it to tunaman or blackvcg here on ao ..

[Lohman446]

i am lost here

is it a mag i was thinking mag
then i saw you post lcd is it an angel ..

you might want to include what type of marker it is ...


i was guessing it is an emag ..

if it is an emag send it to tunaman or blackvcg here on ao ..

He said it was blowback - thats not an e-mag. Think Spyder / Timmie / Piranha

[BigEvil]

Well.. you can let the, know that they screwed it up without being rude. Just tell them that you are still having trouble with it, and that you are willing to pay for the repairs.

It seems that whomever worked on the gun just figured that it was a freebee and wasnt very thorough.

Also, it never hurts to ask to speak to a supervisor.

[Lohman446]

Before I told them it was not working right (because you know it because they changed the spring) I would go make sure you actually do have an issue with the spring. Maybe its between the one that you originally had issues with and the replacement one and will function just right for you

[Chronobreak]

im assuming its a spyder/similar desighn unles you post otherwise

the gun old or new is worth playing with..however the gun in general is a abd desighn for just this fact

springs have to be just right and getting velocity match etc can be a real pain.

the tech guys are probly just sick of their own crappy guns coming back for repairs so he told you to buy a new one..


i think that is very poor cutomer support, and even worse saying to buy the new version or w/e which is probly the same exact thing with some minor upgrade


i feel bad as a ref when i cant get guns like this working for the life of me just because the gun has a bad desighn and plain sucks.

its hard to tell the kid" your gun sucks go spend some $ you probly dont have"

i have dealt with a few tech companies like wgp,agd
and they were fantastic and pretty much willing to do anything to help that they could.

i would stay away from this company and also give their name so others can do the same(but im thinking most of us have moved away from that begginer/bad company anyways )

[Muzikman]

I assume Spyder also. I am hoping it's not Tippmann as they have always had great customer service, but with them getting bought, who knows what it's like now.

[cdacda13]

Its a spyder. Most spyders have problems with the spring. And his title is tippmann slayer, so it ain't a tippy.

Kingman customer service never was good, so call back, and hope you get a nicer guy.

[mobsterboy]

ive found that a delrin/aftermarket bolt helps in blowbacks
thats just my thought for food, or food for thought. Dang, now I'm confused, better go back to stroking my Hyperframe

[Aslan]

Revealed

Sorry...I didn't mean for it to be a mystery. Here is the actual reply with comment:

"Considering your gun is no longer under warranty due to its age, you should be glad we were able to get it working at all."

Oh, my bad. I assumed that the company that manufactured it would be able to tell me how to fix an apparent flaw in the marker's design. Yeah, I should be "glad" that they took out the aftermarket spring they sold me and put in a stock one that I originally replaced because the marker was giving me problems.

"I wouldn't put much effort into the performance of that gun if I were you, rather start saving up for something newer."

Oh...I see. Perhaps I should buy the new version of the same gun...which has an electric frame. Pretty much the same gun...just cheaper looking, more plastic, and an electronic trigger. That will solve the problem...but in case it doesn't...what will you say then? Buy a "better" gun? Will your response be, "I wouldn't have bought this gun. If I were you, I'd start saving for something better." Idiot.

"The springs we installed were the same ones from the spring kit, just the right ones to get it working. You have to use the right combination or the gun won't work right."

I guess I missed that on the spring kit. I missed where it said, "Installing this upgrade will cause your marker not to work right." Great trick...why not just sell a box that when the customer opens it, there's just a piece of paper that says "sucker!"?

The company is 32 degrees, the marker is a Rebel LE. I posted a poll a couple months ago where I let people vote on which gun I should get rid of...the Rebel won hands down with over 50% of the vote. I was going to sell it, but realized it was having problems and I'm not like most ebay weasels that will just sell a broken gun and say "I don't know much about it so it's sold as is". I thought I could throw a new bolt in it, maybe that would keep it from chopping. I e-mailed 32 degrees to see if they had a bolt they'd recommend or if they had any other suggestions. After a few e-mails, the guy was really nice and said to send it in.

Like I said, I'm grateful that they looked at it. And Lohman is right, I need to test it to see if the velocity is good and it doesn't chop anymore. I won't respond to the guy until at the earliest after I test it. I'm just ticked off at the attitude.

As to the gun...I'm a gun whore...it's one of about 10 guns I own. I used it all of last year because my Spyder was giving me problems. I actually really took a liking to it. It wasn't as accurate or durable as the Spyder, but it had a great feel, was light, and gave me +2bps over the Spyder. Even though the poll I posted gave 4 choices of guns I should get rid of, it was really between the Rebel and Spyder...I've been trying to test them head to head but the Rebel jammed in every game I tried to use it in. That, plus the poll results, bumped it into the #4 gun spot and pretty much made up my mind to sell it. But like I said, I won't sell it if it's not working right, I'd hate to have some kid buy it and get disappointed...that's not right.

As to some other comments...I've used Kingman customer service, thought they did very well. Recently I dealt with Pro Team Products (they make some upgrades and accessories for VL products) and they were AMAZING! All I wanted to buy were a couple adaptors and was having a slight problem with the air hose nut stripping. Well, long story short...the guy practically begged me to send the gun in and gave me $150 worth of upgrades for like $80 installed plus they fixed the air hose nut and gave me the adaptors. I know I'll get flamed for owning a VL marker (Prodigy E-Grip), but it's my back-up to my mag and is a pretty sweet little gun. Maybe not competition level...maybe not good quality "over time"...but I used it a couple times now and it performed very well. The guys using shockers had an edge over me, but I did VERY well that day. And props to the guy at Pro Team...he went above and beyond to make me happy.