Forster Customer Service

[Buffalobob]

I thought I would write up a note on a positive experience with Forster. About six or eight months ago I bought a Forster case trimmer after decades of using RCBS trim dies. The trimmer worked great and was easy to use and adjust for different cases. Then about a month ago I decided that I would need to be trimming some modified 338Lapua Magnum cases, so I looked up which shell holder collet was needed and sure enough I needed a collet that I did not have. There was a little footnote on the #4 collet that said "Original trimmer must have the collet housing opened up to .610 inches to accommodate the #4 case trimmer collet"

Well I emailed Forster customer service and they said if I was not a machinist I could just return the housing and they would do it for free. I was somewhat amazed being as it was my mistake in not buying the bigger and more expensive trimmer in the first place. So I took an order form and filled it out to buy for #4 collet and put a note on it to open up the housing and to mail both of he back to me in the same box. I shipped the collet and order form and my check of to them last week. Having worked for thirty years in the gov't I was greatly worried that the customer service department and the sales department could not get coordinated and get me my stuff back.

A box came today from Forster and in it was a #4 collet and a nicely machined housing (perhaps mine or perhaps they have several sitting on a shelf waiting on dummies like me). I was greatly pleased with the quick, accurate and "free" service- particularly when it was my mistake in buying a trimmer that was too small for what I eventually needed.

 

[davewilson]

BBob,this would be the basic difference between private industries and the gov. one has to make a profit and get something done.

 

[ErikD]

I've had good experiance with Forster too. I bought a set of dies made by them last year here in Norway that had the threads machined not quite right on the sizer die. This made it "sticky" when moving the locking ring up and down. I sent an e-mail to them and got a reply a day later where they said they'd send me a new set, and that I could send my faulty set in to them when I recieved the new one! Most places would demand that you send in yours first, and then they might send you a new one after checking it, and if they agree that the fault is worth it.

As I had mentioned to them that I needed to use these dies for a hunt I was going on shorty, they were kind enough to send it within a few days with DHL! And I didn't have to pay a cent!

So I give a big thumbs up to Forster for their professional service. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Erik

 

[kraky2]

I didn't have such a good experience years ago. I had a quite a few sets of forester dies and recomended them to my friends. Then a buddy of mine and I got identical 30-378 sakos. He bought rcbs dies and I bought forester. (I tried to sell him on the foresters but couldn't get the job done!) I could hardly resize my brass it took so much effort with the foresters. I thought maybe I had a sloppy chamber or something and my buddy barrowed me his set of rcbs. They sized like butter. I sent casings, and my dies back to forester for them to look over and explained the difference between the sizing of the rcbs/forester die sets.
They sent them back saying I should get a more powerful press or use imperial sizing wax instead of rcbs lube. Well....I turned around and bought a set of rcbs dies. I still use the forester seater but the rcbs size die sits in the forester box. AND....that was the last set of Forester I ever bought or recomended. I still think they made a good product but I felt they let me down badly and could have made me happy without too much cost to them. Had they fixed me up I would have probably bought another 10 sets of dies since then and recomended them heavily in the forums and to my friends.

 

[Buffalobob]

This is AWESOME CUSTOMER SERVICE.

 

[ss7mm]

But did they answer the phone during business hours???

 

[Gary Kaney]

I live about 30 miles from Lanark ( Forster). When you call during business hours and ask for Bob he is there. Lanark is a small town of about 1200, and Forster is a home town business.