[rimfirematt]

Well due to poplular demand..... I have details well documented in my other computer that is in storage. for right now im going off memory

I ordered a Fusion Kit last year. I elected to have alot of things done to it, like sights, ejector, frame and slide fitted ect. Essentially I just wanted a kit that would be very easy and fast to put together.

I got the kit, It was missing 2 parts plus ejector not installed. In fact one missing part was the ejector itself.

I remember that it took 2 seperate tries to get me the two parts. And all I got was a "sorry we didnt install the ejector"

I went to install the ejector myself, broke the drill in the frame. I Sent everything back to fusion with a note saying just put my gun together.

3-4 months later i get a email. Hi, your gun is done, please send Credit card info so we can get your gun out.

I think, cool, probably just wants shipping payment. Next day I get charged like 900 bucks! Remember I ordered a fast build kit. I call fusion up, he says oh boy we had to do all this work, and blah blah but its a beuty. I say I dont care, that is outrageous, I need to see an invoice.

I get an invoice. I was charged for sight instalation (was already done), was charged for ejector instalation (already paid for it the first time) Charged for a magazine (wich I never recieved) , re blast the surface and on and on.

Anyway Bob agreed to back off on the charges some.

Now I get the gun, front sight was way too short (gun shot 6 inches high at 15 yards) and its a jammaholic. I tried to factory loads plus my reloads wich worked in my Dan Wesson and my glock

So I call Bob up, He says his standard, "sure send her on in, well take care of it"

3 months later the by now standard email of send me your credit card info for payment arrives along with a note of if I want the front sight switched out I will have to pay for that.

SO I call Bob up, he agrees not to charge me for a sight swap, but he wants 35.00 for range fee to shoot my malfunctioning new fusion plus return shipping!

I say "isnt this covered under your warranty?" "oh, no we only garantee function with the kind of ammo we tune with, wich is usually Hornady or whatever"

Yeah, what a BS answer. Tell me that my dang near 1600 dollar gun will only work on one kind of ammo, and he cant even tell me what that is?

So yeah, This gun has been mixup after mixup, overcharge after overcharge, honestly not even that great of work. I can still see the mold lines in the slidestop release and thumbsafety even after getting charged to polish these parts. Now they wont even stand by the product. So much for that unconditional warranty they talk about on their website

I didnt really want to post this, but people need to hear this. MY only source of info was this forum when I was researching Fusion. I expected nothing but greatness from them. Now when someone else is researching Fusion, they will Know that fusion may hose them too.

This is All true and Correct. I have EMAILs detailing all of this.

 

[rimfirematt]

And Bob knows my dissapointments and problems. I have tried giving him every chance to shine. He just always has an excuse why its not his fault.
So this isnt the first time hes gonna hear all of this. He knows I have been a pretty unhappy camper for some time.

 

[El Pistolero]

I can't comment on most of that it will be up to them.

I will comment on what I know about. 1911's are in no way, shape or form drop in parts guns and his kits are in line with caspian that there are options to order some things done. It's typical to have to fit at least the ignition systen (hammer, sear etc.) at a minimum. Otherwise you are expecting them to completely build and assemble the gun then take it apart and sell it to you as a kit which is ridiculous. So you getting in over your head on a kit is not their fault. When you sent it back to them to fit it then would cost you more than buying a complete one in the first place because of the way it was done.

As far as it jamming I'm sure they will take care of it but as far as getting in over your head on a kit it's not their fault. A little research will show 1911's are not drop in part guns, pretty much none of the parts, and again if you expect every part fitted that is not a kit its a custom gun.

Oh, it IS normal for any manufacturer even custom guys to test on certain ammo types. Nobody that I know of tests end guarantees it on all ammo.

As long as the thread is civil I think complaints can be addressed. Its better than having unansered stuff all over the internet.

 

[Steel02001]

I love my Fusion.

 

[380Long]

I shot my Fusion Tact-5 today, just picked it up Friday from the dealer. Fit and finish were perfect, ambi-safety was tight but I know that will break in. Slide to frame fit was tight and that is just the way I like it! I thought I may have a problem due to the tightness of the gun so I was prepared for a malfunction or two while I was breaking it in today. Started out with 50qty 230GR jacketed round nose reloads, perfect not a malfunction and the accuracy was AWSOME! I thought to myself do I dare try to put these dirty, nasty 200GR led semi wad cutters through the Tact-5? Surley these will malfunction, NOPE! Accuracy again was super and not 1 malfunction with a 100 rounds of this garbage. So my reponse to this thread is you can get good and bad in anything you buy, I have purchased two 1911's from Bob and the work has been outstanding. Bob has been a joy to deal with and I trust him and the guys at Fusion!

 

[rimfirematt]

I did get over my head with the kit. But I paid to have the gun built. And quite handsomly at that. I got over that.

I got over all the little mixups.

But charging me a range fee and return shipping on a gun that I have put that much money into only to have it not function right is the last straw. Oh and I also forgot to mention that I did call Bob, Told him that I lost my job and to not go crazy on the gun. He didnt mention any charges. I figured there wouldnt be.

I understand you get good and bad, but when you purchase a gun at this level it should be fixed if it is bad at no charge to you. If I wanted to roll the dice on a gun I would have spent alot less money.

But this should serve as a warning that even when you go an expensive custom route you can still get a bad roll.

 

[rimfirematt]

I did send Bob a pretty bad email yesterday. I feel pretty about it. And I really hate bringing this up in public. But it seems that not in all cases its all roses with fusion.

 

[Steel02001]

If you feel bad for bringing it up in public then

1. Why did you?
2. Edit your posts/delete them.

Next, you sent Bob a partially built gun that you couldn't complete. There are going to be charges associated with that. Now had you just ordered a complete gun in the first place, those charges would have been wrapped into the original price. I understand there were some other mix-ups, mistakes happen.

 

[Billy Ng]

Look, I'm a fan of Fusion's/Bob's work as you can clearly see by my post history here. I had a similar type of experience once when I was 22 years old (not with Fusion Firearms obviously), and I learned real quick how to avoid these types of messes in the future.

How did you NOT call ahead of time to discuss with Bob EXACTLY what work you wanted done, discussed what would and wouldn't be covered under warranty, and gotten an up-front estimate before allowing the work to begin?

In my dealings with Fusion, everything I've discussed/added/removed from my build was confirmed in emails, prices were given to me over the phone, and I got an updated work-order (in .pdf format) to my inbox within the day.

Did you really put a note in a box that said, "Put it together." ??? This is service work. The "Service Work 101" manual says on page 1

• GET A DETAILED ESTIMATE

Recently I called Glock Inc in Smyrna to replace the now-dim (10 years old) night sights on my G23. Nice guy on the phone told me I had two options, Glock brand which costs $57 and is warrantied for 15 years, or Trijicon which is $79 (I believe) and is warrantied for 12 years. Told me to ship the slide and throw a note in the box.

I drew up a detailed letter explaining that I called on such and such a date, that I was requesting new Glock brand night sights installed on the included Glock 23 slide serial number XXXXXXX, that I was quoted a charge of $57 for this service, and to please call me on my cell phone to verify the work order details and to obtain my credit card information. The formal letter was a page long at a size-12 font .... and that was just to have $57 worth of service.

I'm not going to be a fan-boy and claim Bob/Fusion are gods .... it is a small company run by people and people make mistakes. But:

1. From what you've told us it sounds like you made some serious errors in the basics of paying for a service ... any service.
2. Numbers are working against you right now. I did a lot of research before I ordered my Fusion and finding someone with something negative to say about that company was difficult to say the least.

From what I can gather by the tone of your post - making things right by you is going to require a lot of time/money on Fusion's part and, as with any small company, you are going to find resistance, especially if they are of the opinion that making you right is a lost cause. I have a small photography business I run as a second job and I've learned that once the "I'm not happy" ice has been broken, it becomes increasingly harder to please the customer.

I truly feel bad for the fact that you are out money - that sucks. But if you're a glass-half-full kinda person, look at this as a crash course in economics. If you learn from this, you'll never again pay money for a service without first getting a detailed estimate and who knows, maybe this lesson saves you from a 50x more costly one in the future.

Good luck, I do hope you can work all this out such that both parties are satisfied.

 

[Billy Ng]

If you feel bad for bringing it up in public then

1. Why did you?
2. Edit your posts/delete them.

Next, you sent Bob a partially built gun that you couldn't complete. There are going to be charges associated with that. Now had you just ordered a complete gun in the first place, those charges would have been wrapped into the original price. I understand there were some other mix-ups, mistakes happen.

I don't necessarily agree with editing/removing his posts. These forums don't exist for the sole purpose of blowing sunshine up a company's arse. What I would advise the OP to do is lay out, in detail, the facts of this case as he knows them - ALL THE FACTS. This is a forum. A forum by definition is, "an assembly or meeting place for the discussion of questions of public interest". It serves the public no good to only allow the good reviews and throw out the bad. I did literally dozens of hours of research before deciding on my Tact-5 and it was the lack of negative feedback pertaining to Fusion products and services and led me purchase my custom firearms from them, I value customer service extremely high on my importance scale. If I were to find out later that Fusion's customer service might be poor or even spotty, but threads/posts as such have been edited removed because people don't want to hear it -- that would infuriate me.

Laying out the facts as he knows them would allow Bob/Dale to see things through the OPs eyes and their rebuttal would allow us, and future Fusion customers, to see both sides of the story. This is something I am all for.

I agree though. From the looks of it right now, it looks as though the OP expected his gun to get hand-fitted/built under warranty or close to it. That's slightly absurd since the entire reason one pays $2K and up for a hand-built 1911 is because you're paying a professional to do what you can't. The analogy is one of ordering a new clutch for your Civic at your local Honda dealership and then later, upon realizing you have no idea how to install it, asking the Honda dealership to install it for you at either no charge or a seriously discounted rate because, well, hey --- you bought it from them.

If we're missing something (and I'm sure we must be) -- please update us with the rest of the story - there has to be more to it (or at least further clarification).

 

[El Pistolero]

You bought a kit and got in over your head and sent it to be finished for you. It's up to you to pay shipping as its not warranty work, I don't know why you would expect free shipping. Also charging for test firing, for ammo, is normal on non warranty work. If you had just ordered the gun built there would not have been a charge. One thing to remember is it will normally always cost more doing it the way you did than getting it pre made. Don't get a kit unless you are going to finish it yourself, that's the only its cheaper.

If you have legitimate problems I'm sure bob will help you, complaining about the parts not dropping in, and having to pay shipping and a range fee to test fireit after having them do work is ridiculous. Have you looked at the difference in price on a kit and getting one completely built? You couldn't seriously expect them to do free for you what everyone else pays for?

I did get over my head with the kit. But I paid to have the gun built. And quite handsomly at that. I got over that.

I got over all the little mixups.

But charging me a range fee and return shipping on a gun that I have put that much money into only to have it not function right is the last straw. Oh and I also forgot to mention that I did call Bob, Told him that I lost my job and to not go crazy on the gun. He didnt mention any charges. I figured there wouldnt be.

I understand you get good and bad, but when you purchase a gun at this level it should be fixed if it is bad at no charge to you. If I wanted to roll the dice on a gun I would have spent alot less money.

But this should serve as a warning that even when you go an expensive custom route you can still get a bad roll.

 

[stuckInNy]

thanks for posting your story, it's always good to hear the good and bad experiences people have with a company.

 

[chrisjohn]

I'm picking up my first Fusion this afternoon, so I'll have something more concrete to report.

As for 1911's kits... As simple appearing and well engineered as John Browning's 1911 design is, it ain't just a matter of slapping parts together to get one running. Most nearly everybody has a HUGE misunderstanding of what is involved in getting a 1911 to run reliably. My old friend gunsmith friend used to say that everything on a .45 5 inch 1911 is relatively academic but there isn't a single part with the exception of a Wilson or CMC magazine that was "drop in."

I'm really sorry you got hammered with costs you didn't expect, I've certainly been in your shoes but there is certainly a lesson to be learned. In the world of firearms, rarely so rarely, is there something for nothing. First series Kimber's are an example. They could be had back in the day for under 600 USD and the purchaser got a hand fit 1911. Things at Kimber haven't been that way in a LONG time but I suppose they sold them as a loss leader for awhile.

1911's work great when set up correctly but are bears when not. Save a little longer, and spend a little more money and or find a great local gunsmith who can pull your but out of the fire.

 

[DaleF]

The OP was only charged the $35 range fee and return shipping. That's it, nothing more. This was a kit to start, not a entire build. The work done to this pistol should have exceeded $100 in fees.


We have stated our side and this should be put to rest.

Dale.

 

[El Pistolero]

OK, since both sides have been stated I will close it. If Bob wants to add to it he can. I think for the most part the op is upset because he wanted to save money, got in over his head and instead of blaming himself is blaming fusion. Buying a kit then having them put it together is no different than buying one already built check the prices on the pre built ones. Correction, it will cost more to do it that way as the kit costs more than the price of the parts in a build. You clearly state you expected them to put it together for you no charge:

3-4 months later i get a email. Hi, your gun is done, please send Credit card info so we can get your gun out. I think, cool, probably just wants shipping payment. Next day I get charged like 900 bucks! Remember I ordered a fast build kit. I call fusion up, he says oh boy we had to do all this work, and blah blah but its a beuty. I say I dont care, that is outrageous, I need to see an invoice.

That just plain amazes me that you think they would not charge you to put it together as if they are in business to lose money. It would be nice to get a complete build for the price of a kit, I want in on that.