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Smith Enterprises

Maggot

Maggot

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood"
Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
    • Jul 27, 2007
    25,883
    29,164
    Virginia
    Went to them to order a scope mount for my M1A. First the guy tells how sick he is of his job and dealing with people, then he tells me its back ordered but they have a different that costs more, and has it in his hand and he can ship it the next day, so I went for that. Move forward 10 days I havent heard jack so I call and I get apparently the same rude sack of shit who tells me 'Shits happens" so I sent yours to somebody else and I was just too important to bother getting in touch, then hangs up on me. I call back and he says he's already canceled the order. I do believe in this case a letter to the owner is in order.

    wow, great customer service.
     
    • Wow
    • Haha
    Reactions: Jgault, Blue Sky Country, xxflyingturtlexx and 2 others
    Thanks for the heads-up; duly noted. Website and provenance look quite worthy but as they say, "The proof of the pudding's in the eating".
    Reminds me of interviewing prospective employees. Anyone can do one-off hygiene, crank out a hopped-up resume' and coordinate a presentable set of threads.
     
    plh said:
    Reminds me of interviewing prospective employees. Anyone can do one-off hygiene, crank out a hopped-up resume' and coordinate a presentable set of threads.
    Click to expand...
    You’d think so.

    Actual interview...
    ”What is the most exciting part about joining (our company)?”
    ”It shortens my commute.”
    ”... ... Ok then.”
     
    Last edited:
    I spent quite a bit there having a Crazy Horse built on an LRB plus all NIW vintage surplus parts. Get the rifle and it wont feed. They radiused the breech of the barrel wrong. Ron Smith (the owner) berated me on the phone trying to blame everything from ammo to my general ignorance. I send the rifle back in and he destroys my NIW TRW bolt by just using a grinder from the looks of it to make it fit the fucked up barrel. Im out hundreds more now as the bolt is destroyed plus shipping insurance a couple more times. Rifle still wont feed. He wont deal with it and continues to berate me with some just pure nasty stuff so far past the point of unprofessional it was shocking.

    Long story short- I sent it to a very famous other M14 smith along with a new bolt who was horrified by the rifles build, shoddy non-repair and attitude. He actually called Ron over it and they got into it too. I eventually got a working rifle thanks to the 2nd smith and buying another $300 bolt, but man- stay as far away from those bastards as you can. Im still pissed as hell 15 years later I spent a few grand with that bag of dicks.
     
    • Wow
    • Like
    Reactions: plong, Sean the Nailer, Maggot and 3 others
    Sorry to hear that. Just another mid tier company from yesteryear. Stellar customer service like that will eventually dry it up.
     
    Last edited:
    Amazon, original OEM from springfield, 176.00.

    Sucks though, ..amazon, ugh.
     
    I have not ordered anything from them in about 12 years. I had a bunch of M1A and SOCOM builds I put together for .gov. I dealt with Ron Smith a couple of times over the phone. He even sold me parts with "US PROPERTY" markings on them. I never had a lick of trouble. The guy was plumb nice. At the same time a friend showed me a complete pile of shit build they did. I think it was that Crazy Horse thing they were doing. I think I just lucked out.
     
    DuneBoer said:
    I have not ordered anything from them in about 12 years. I had a bunch of M1A and SOCOM builds I put together for .gov. I dealt with Ron Smith a couple of times over the phone. He even sold me parts with "US PROPERTY" markings on them. I never had a lick of trouble. The guy was plumb nice. At the same time a friend showed me a complete pile of shit build they did. I think it was that Crazy Horse thing they were doing. I think I just lucked out.
    Click to expand...
    Wait, you were holding Uncle Sugar’s credit card and received good service?

    Shocked, I tell ya...
     
    • Like
    • Haha
    Reactions: Blutroop and OldSalty2
    Maggot said:
    Went to them to order a scope mount for my M1A. First the guy tells how sick he is of his job and dealing with people, then he tells me its back ordered but they have a different that costs more, and has it in his hand and he can ship it the next day, so I went for that. Move forward 10 days I havent heard jack so I call and I get apparently the same rude sack of shit who tells me 'Shits happens" so I sent yours to somebody else and I was just too important to bother getting in touch, then hangs up on me. I call back and he says he's already canceled the order. I do believe in this case a letter to the owner is in order.

    wow, great customer service.
    Click to expand...
    LOL, you’re assuming you weren’t talking to the owner. Ron has quite a rep for his customer service!!
     
    • Haha
    Reactions: plong
    Mister Ridge said:
    Aren't they the ones that sued a customer for complaining?
    Click to expand...

    I recall them going after the old owner of the M14 Forum as well whenever someone posted an issue they had with an SEI build or CS- because berating that person in the thread just wasnt enough. Whole threads would end up getting deleted with just one post remaining with some lawyer written horsecrap trying to cover his ass. All sort of drama back then.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Stevo86 and powdahound76
    Crang said:
    I spent quite a bit there having a Crazy Horse built on an LRB plus all NIW vintage surplus parts. Get the rifle and it wont feed. They radiused the breech of the barrel wrong. Ron Smith (the owner) berated me on the phone trying to blame everything from ammo to my general ignorance. I send the rifle back in and he destroys my NIW TRW bolt by just using a grinder from the looks of it to make it fit the fucked up barrel. Im out hundreds more now as the bolt is destroyed plus shipping insurance a couple more times. Rifle still wont feed. He wont deal with it and continues to berate me with some just pure nasty stuff so far past the point of unprofessional it was shocking.

    Long story short- I sent it to a very famous other M14 smith along with a new bolt who was horrified by the rifles build, shoddy non-repair and attitude. He actually called Ron over it and they got into it too. I eventually got a working rifle thanks to the 2nd smith and buying another $300 bolt, but man- stay as far away from those bastards as you can. Im still pissed as hell 15 years later I spent a few grand with that bag of dicks.
    Click to expand...


    hold them accountable and take them to small claims court

    oh crap 15 yrs ago
     
    DuneBoer said:
    I have not ordered anything from them in about 12 years. I had a bunch of M1A and SOCOM builds I put together for .gov. I dealt with Ron Smith a couple of times over the phone. He even sold me parts with "US PROPERTY" markings on them. I never had a lick of trouble. The guy was plumb nice. At the same time a friend showed me a complete pile of shit build they did. I think it was that Crazy Horse thing they were doing. I think I just lucked out.
    Click to expand...

    Now that I reflect....He was probably being so nice because he was really, really ass raping Uncle Sam.
     
    I remember that stuff with all the lawsuits and threats when anyone spoke poorly of SEI.

    I have a friend who built an LRB just because of that crap.

    He is a judge and hates whiny little bitches.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: plong and Bender
    Like Enichols said.
    SADLAK,,,scope mounts ,,tools,, anything M1A1/M14
     
    SADLAK! I met the owners at Camp Perry. They WILL take care of you. They WILL make it right! Never messed with SEI as I always found their prices astronomical. A little full of themselves I reckon..? Good luck and good shooting!

    Doug
     
    • Like
    Reactions: plong
    Keel Haul said:
    The owner of the company was probably who that OP was on the phone with. That’s got Ron all over it. Shit happens should be the company motto.
    Click to expand...

    Update.

    After being told the order was cancled, 10 days later the mount shows up in my PO box. :rolleyes: Unfortunately I had already bought a Springfield Armory Gen 4 steel mount and had it installed by Travis, Marine armorer, and former armorer for Ashbury Precision Ordinance (the guys who built Frank's chassis). I called him and actually got Ron this time, who though gruff, understood and agreed to give me a refund. Fair enough, but they really need to work on customer service attitude.
     
    Maggot said:
    Update.

    After being told the order was cancled, 10 days later the mount shows up in my PO box. :rolleyes: Unfortunately I had already bought a Springfield Armory Gen 4 steel mount and had it installed by Travis, Marine armorer, and former armorer for Ashbury Precision Ordinance (the guys who built Frank's chassis). I called him and actually got Ron this time, who though gruff, understood and agreed to give me a refund. Fair enough, but they really need to work on customer service attitude.
    Click to expand...

    Updated update.

    Returned the mount to Smith waited two weeks and saw no credit on my credit card so I sent Ron a note. NO reply, so I called the CC company. They have finally (and for good I hope) removed the charge from my statement.

    Fuck, these guys are nothing but rouges.
     
    Man I can’t believe these guys are still in business. I was on m14forum years ago when all that crap went down. The saying was friends don’t let friends smith anything. It was hard at one point to even sell parts you had that came from them like their gas lock front sights without your sell thread becoming a bashing thread. Their service and customer service has been horrid for years; they must be making money elsewhere.
     
    KYAggie said:
    Man I can’t believe these guys are still in business. I was on m14forum years ago when all that crap went down. The saying was friends don’t let friends smith anything. It was hard at one point to even sell parts you had that came from them like their gas lock front sights without your sell thread becoming a bashing thread. Their service and customer service has been horrid for years; they must be making money elsewhere.
    Click to expand...

    I pput all my posts from here on the M14 website. Im sure Ron will see them.

    From what I gather he has a huge military contract and thus doesnt need to bother with us 'poors'.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: KYAggie
    Shooter at my local club sent his M1A to Smith Enterprises for a scope mount install.

    Told him he could do it himself but he was inclined to have Smith do it.

    They put on one of those high speed Coast Guard comps you absolutely need to shoot smaller than a 6 inch group with an M1A.

    The day he was setting up his new scope I happened to show up with my stock GI config M1A that I like bragging about in the Vintage section.

    He was shooting at 100 yards which was mistake one. Cant boresight it so start at 25 and get on paper.

    He fired 2-3 rounds with no hits on paper so i had to interrupt my shit to help.

    His rounds were hitting grass 30 yards before the target.

    I walked him to just below paper than his gun stopped.

    All the guts fell out of his bolt.

    SEI?

    I dont know. Nice LRB rifle in heavy match config. He boxed it all up and sent it back to SEI.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Maggot
    I will say this about the M1A, if you can’t work on it, put a scope mount on, put a bolt back together, etc, it’s not a gun I would recommend. It’s also not hard to work on and the only thing I would send one out for is a bedding job or rebarrel, but I would never send one to SEI for anything. There’s lots of information online about how to work on them as well as a few good books; they are not rocket science. Also, as far as scope mounts go, I’ve had good results with Bassett mounts.
     
    LOL.......... When a new guy is getting into the M14 Platform..... It's his lucky day if the very first "expert" he talks to is Ron Smith..... That will set the bar as low as possible for the ass hole scale in that particular industry..........

    When a new guy is getting into the M14 platform and the first person he talks to is Lou at LRB Arms.... That sets the bar high at the most knowledgeable and businesslike person in that industry......

    All the rest are somewhere in the middle.

    Hobo

    www.lrbarms.com

    LRB Arms M14 Specialist

    M14 Rifle Manufacturer specializing in custom built rifles. M14 / M1A parts and accessories. USA made, Genuine Hammer Forged receivers.
    www.lrbarms.com
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Maggot
    Yeah, you won’t find a bad thread about LRB. Bula is a also up there on the scale and JRA is not far behind. All good resources. I like the different variations in receivers that Bula makes and Jeff is very nice person. I got to talk with him for a while at the NRA show in Louisville years ago.

    Bula Defense Systems

    buladefense.com buladefense.com
     
    Last edited:
    smith enterprises is legendary for being miserable dickbags and giving really really shitty CS. It’s a shame. ron gots a great logo, and brand but he is driving it straight into the ground. SEI is a great example of a company that could/ should be.bought out and easily turned around. They leave a lot of money on the table. Ron is shot out and really doesn’t give a shit. Lol I’m actually jealous of the man. Plus I think his daughter was ridiculously hot. Lol.
     
    • Haha
    Reactions: Maggot
    Crang said:
    I spent quite a bit there having a Crazy Horse built on an LRB plus all NIW vintage surplus parts. Get the rifle and it wont feed. They radiused the breech of the barrel wrong. Ron Smith (the owner) berated me on the phone trying to blame everything from ammo to my general ignorance. I send the rifle back in and he destroys my NIW TRW bolt by just using a grinder from the looks of it to make it fit the fucked up barrel. Im out hundreds more now as the bolt is destroyed plus shipping insurance a couple more times. Rifle still wont feed. He wont deal with it and continues to berate me with some just pure nasty stuff so far past the point of unprofessional it was shocking.

    Long story short- I sent it to a very famous other M14 smith along with a new bolt who was horrified by the rifles build, shoddy non-repair and attitude. He actually called Ron over it and they got into it too. I eventually got a working rifle thanks to the 2nd smith and buying another $300 bolt, but man- stay as far away from those bastards as you can. Im still pissed as hell 15 years later I spent a few grand with that bag of dicks.
    Click to expand...
    Who was the second gun smith you sent this rifle to? I had SEI do some work in mine and I may send it to your guy to see what he thinks of SEI’s work
     
    Iambenwingate said:
    Who was the second gun smith you sent this rifle to? I had SEI do some work in mine and I may send it to your guy to see what he thinks of SEI’s work
    Click to expand...
    That thread is a year old so you may not get a good reply. I do not know who the other smith was but if I had to guess, I would guess either Ted Brown or Jon Wolfe who have built multiple M1a's for me and both have done stellar jobs
     
    johnnycat said:
    That thread is a year old so you may not get a good reply. I do not know who the other smith was but if I had to guess, I would guess either Ted Brown or Jon Wolfe who have built multiple M1a's for me and both have done stellar jobs
    Click to expand...
    How would I reach those two guys?
     
    johnnycat said:
    That thread is a year old so you may not get a good reply. I do not know who the other smith was but if I had to guess, I would guess either Ted Brown or Jon Wolfe who have built multiple M1a's for me and both have done stellar jobs
    Click to expand...
    Hobo Hilton said:
    What is the problem with the work SEI did ?
    Click to expand...
    As far as I can tell, the work SEI did looks good. I just want a second opinion.
     
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