Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased an arsenal sam7r and I am very dissatisfied with the quality control and the quality of fitment on my rifle. I purchased it for $2,000 which is twice what similar rifles cost. The rifle I received has a large crooked gap between the rear sight and receiver which I have never had the problem on with my cheaper ones. Along with that the gas block and gas tube do not fully meet with the bottom not even making contact with the gas block at all. To top that off the rifle came with several deep scratches straight out the box. This is a sign of very poor assembly with little care taken. They would not replace the rifle for me. I do not recommend buying an arsenal rifle if these things bother you as when I looked online many have these problems but I was unlucky enough to receive a rifle with all of the above. Arsenal has a terrible warranty procedure considering how much you pay for the rifle, they told me they told me they could do nothing about the rear sight gap and that the gas tube was not a problem rather than just replacing the rifle for me. If it had one issue or the other I would not worry about it but to have these combined really bother a me. Will not ever buy another

  Business Response

  Date: 10/10/2024

  This customer originally emailed us on 9/8/2024 only about paint and said, Hey I am wondering if I could get some touch up paint for my sam7 I just bought, it has a few small scratches out of the box I guess from shipping.Thanks!
  
  We shipped him the touch up paint he requested for the few small scratches.He didnt seem too upset about the small scratches that he surmised were from shipping.
  
  The customer did not mention anything at all to our customer service department about the gas tube until almost 3 weeks later, on 9/27/2024. It is obvious that the gas tube wasnt a noticeable issue when he originally unpacked it and reached out to customer service requesting touch up paint on 9/8/2024.
  
  In his emails, the customer doesnt seem upset about the gas tube not meeting the seam on the gas block and is unsure whether this is normal or not.He said I saw others online meet the seam so thats where it kinda worried me a bit. Thanks!
  
  However, in his BBB review, he says, I went online and looked close and nearly every arsenal rifle pic has these problems mine had. . .
  
  From his emails, it is evident that this customer is clearly not very educated on loose tolerances with AK rifles as he professes to be in his BBB review. He wasnt sure whether the gas tube was normal or not, and he didnt seem upset about it at all. He also didnt complain about his rifles performance.
  
  We explained to the customer that the gas tube fitting was normal and functional. Arsenal in ******** has been manufacturing rifles on a global scale for over 146 years, for both civilian and military purposes. Theres a functional reason why the gas tube is fitted in this mannernot because of a lack of quality control.
  
  We gave this customer the option multiple times to send the rifle to us to be fully inspected under warranty. We explained to him that we would be happy to find a replacement gas tube that would fit his rifle better. The customer was adamant that he did not want to be without his rifle. He said he was going to find a solution from a third party, and we pointed out that if he went that route, it would void the warranty. We absolutely did not refuse to honor the warranty.
  
  The customer did not mention anything at all about the front sight being canted or most of the other matters about which he currently complains in his review. We were more than willing to help the customer, but he refuses to cooperate with our efforts by refusing to send his rifle to us so we can examine it, per the warranty.
  
  Arsenal remains ready and willing to examine this customers rifle and honor the warranty if he sends it to us, per the warranty. He wants us to send him a new rifle without sending us his current rifle to examine, while he retains and uses the current rifle. Not only is this unreasonable and completely inconsistent with the warranty, its unlawful.   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/16/2024

   
  Complaint: 22383658
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  A lot of that message is false, when I spoke to customer service about the gas tube inconsistency they told me that it could not be altered. They said if I send the rifle in they would try the exact same part number gas tube to see if it fits better and i said that would be pointless to go without my rifle for a month plus for gas tube that is made to the same specs. When we spoke about the gap between receiver they told me NOTHING could be done about it and I told them Id be leaving a honest review about arsenals quality control WHICH I DID and nothing in that message original was inaccurate, you are trying to twist my words to make me the bad guy. I promise you Im educated on ak style rifles and  PROMISE you that of the 10 ak rifles Ive owned this sam7 has the worst cosmetic and fit/finish issues. I would GLADLY send the rifle back AND retract this complaint if you agree to exchange the rifle because its common knowledge that when you send arsenal a rifle for warranty/repair it takes a notoriously long time which anyone that spends 2k on a rifle would not want to go without it for weeks/months for no reason just to have it sent back. I know what Im talking about and I know for a fact that yall record phone calls so go back and listen to all of my conversations with your customer service and see what you find. And in regards to the slight cant on the front sight I can live with that as long as it zeroes, thats why I didnt make a big deal in the first place about that but since the rifle had other fitment issues I made sure to note that as well in my review. I spent all this money on my first milled ak and was so excited just to be so disappointed after having the rifle and noticing these defects. I hope we can come to a resolution but I doubt that will happen given your customer service record.

  
  ****** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 10/23/2024

  As we told this customer in multiple conversations, we will honor the warranty and remedy whatever issues he has with his rifle. But he needs to send his rifle to us so we can do so, as specifically provided in the warranty.
  
  Its a registered firearm and there are legalities that need to be observed, in accordance with the warranty and federal law. We cant just send a replacement rifle without receiving the other firearm.
  
  If the customer sends his rifle to **, we will repair or replace it and will do our absolute best to have this done within 7 days after we receive it.
  
  We want to remedy any problems this customer has. If he sends us his rifle, we will happily do so.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/24/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I NEVER said I wanted you to send me a rifle without me sending mine in first that would be totally idiotic. I am going to send my rifle in and we will see which way this goes, I was already told by your gunsmith and customer service that the specific defects could not be corrected so the only option would be to exchange it if you are going to fix the problems. So in your last message you gave me your word it would be corrected one way or another so I dont want to be notified that you cant do anything about it once its in your possession. You have my email, write up your rma or whatever we need to do. And your last message was very ignorant to be speaking to someone who spent 2 THOUSAND of their hard earned dollars on your product and just wanted a decently assembled rifle worthy of a collection, which you say in every advertisement the sam7r is surely to be a sought after and collectible rifle in the future and thats all I wanted. I have never experienced a response like that after having problems with such and expensive product that was very unfriendly and not professional whatsoever. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Purchased rifle on January 4th 2022, observed excessive and abnormal wear under normal use, reached out to the company in early October 2022, was advised to submit RMA request for warranty service and did so on October 14th 2022. Since then *** received improbable excuse after excuse as to why they arent processing my request for warranty service each time I follow up. **************** Representative claims via email hes being kept in the dark about whats going on. Still no resolution or proposed resolution as of November 21st 2022.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/01/2022

  I called and spoke with the customer today. He purchased an ********************** ***-5 rifle and it has an issue which several customers have had with this model of rifle.

  Our customer service person had requested an RMA number so that the customer could return his rifle to ********************** in ********* for warranty repair. However, this rifle was manufactured by Arsenal in ******** and we didn't have the necessary parts at the time locally to make the repairs. Additionally, the employee that was responsible for issuing RMA numbers is no longer working here and RMA's got backed up and delayed. We are sending out an RMA to the customer by tomorrow and will repair or replace this customer's rifle with the same model.

  These are not good excuses, but this is what happened. I have provided my direct contact information to the customer so he can contact me directly regarding this matter. I will follow up on this until the customer has a great ***-5 rifle in excellent working condition. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/02/2022

   
  Complaint: 18445920
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

   

  I was assured via phone and email that an *** would go out to me today or tomorrow by a gentleman named ****. The *** did not go out to me by the promised deadline. I still dont have it. The stated issue of manufacturing in ******** also doesnt align with previous excuses provided by Arsenal (alleged lack of Wi-Fi at a trade show, etc). Which one is it really? They claim to not have enough employees to address customers defective rifles but continue to somehow produce and ship new rifles.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************

  Business Response

  Date: 12/20/2022

  The same day I learned about this customer's issue, I immediately requested that an RMA (return authorization) be issued to him so he could return his rifle to Arsenal Inc. for repair or replacement. I also immediately called and spoke to him about the problem and have continued to communicate with him many times, including today. An RMA was issued and sent to the customer within a day or so after I first talked to him and he returned his rifle to Arsenal Inc. about a week or so ago. As I explained to the customer, there is a known over-gassing issue with the SAM5 rifle which was manufactured in ********. Arsenal Inc. in *********, ** did not manufacture his rifle. We are the **** distributor of the rifle.

  I explained to the customer that we are waiting for parts and/or new rifles from the manufacturer in ******** to repair or replace his rifle. I understand his frustration. I would be upset too. 

  Previously, Arsenal in ******** didn't know how to immediately resolve this issue with the *** 5 rifle and the customer service employee that the customer spoke to in the past probably didn't want to take this customer's rifle back for repair or replacement when we had no parts or replacement rifles from the manufacturer. I'm not making any excuses for what happened in the past, but I am following this up every day until this customer's rifle gets repaired or replaced.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/23/2022

   
  Complaint: 18445920
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  To be absolutely clear on the **** I was repeatedly assured during the aforementioned phone call and follow-up email that I would receive it today or tomorrow on December 1st. However, I did not receive it until December 6th, and only after taking the initiative to reach out about it yet again on December 5th. 

  
  Now Im being told that theres a holdup on getting replacement parts/rifles from ********. Is that plausible? Sure. However one would have to pardon me for being skeptical of it considering the long list of excuses Ive received from Arsenal previously. In that context, it just reeks of yet another excuse. 
  

  Arsenal ******** does indeed manufacture these rifles. However its Arsenal in ********* who converts these rifles into their final form for the ** market and offers and handles the warranty. 
  

  Just as ** consumers dont call the factory in ***** when they have an issue with their iPhone, and dont call the factory in ***** when they have an issue with their ****** vehicle, the concept of Arsenal ********* trying to pass the buck to Arsenal ******** is a little absurd. 
  

  While I sincerely believe that the gentleman handling this BBB complaint at Arsenal ********* means well, I will continue to reject these responses I receive one of the following: 

  A properly-manufactured, properly-assembled, defect-free ***-5 rifle that I will throughly inspect, function test with a minimum of 500 rounds of ****mm ammunition, then thoroughly inspect again to ensure there are no problems. 
  

  Or

   

  A check for $2,063.94, which would be a refund of what I have invested in the rifle as well as reimbursement of the cost of shipping the rifle back to Arsenal in ********* from ************. 
  

  Sincerely,

  
  ****************

  Business Response

  Date: 01/31/2023

  Arsenal Inc. in ********* did not manufacture the parts that are causing problems with this customer's rifle. We definitely do honor the warranty and will be sending this customer a brand new rifle in good working order. I emailed the customer yesterday to let him know. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/10/2023

   
  Complaint: 18445920
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  As indicated in the attached screen shot from January 13th, I was told I was receiving a brand new rifle from ******** and it was implied that the delay was a result of waiting for said rifle to arrive. What I ended up receiving is a rifle with a 2021 date code. Considering that the 2021 year rifles are notorious for being the worst ones for the overgassing issue, this inspires no confidence, and Arsenal refuses to be transparent about what difference, if any, there might be with this rifle, and there are no observable differences. Of note, however, is that magazine fitment is much worse than the previous rifle I sent in. The few extra items as promised were not thrown in (obviously not a huge deal, but being lied to on that front is kind of annoying). 

  I was given $50 store credit at Arsenals sister company, K-Var, but it can only be used on Arsenal brand products, and considering that the cheapest Arsenal product at K-Var that might be of any use to me at K-Var is $52.99 before shipping, Id have to spend more of my own money in order to receive any kind of compensation for this months-long fiasco. Not impressed. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************

  Business Response

  Date: 03/02/2023

  The replacement rifle that was sent to this customer is brand new and has never been used. Not all rifles manufactured in 2021 had over-gassing problems and the customer does not say that there are any over-gassing problems with his new replacement rifle.

  Regarding the problem with the magazine (which he doesn't specify), if he can take a video of the problem with his phone and send it to us, I can find out how we can resolve it. He didn't say what type or brand of magazine he is using in the rifle.

  This is the third BBB complaint submitted by this customer and I have replied to each one of them. He has complained extensively on social media as well and argued with our employees on social media and elsewhere. I'm not sure if he can be satisfied. I understand that he was upset about the delay in getting a new rifle. I don't blame him at all. He is entitled to complain if he has legitimate problems. As mentioned previously, we are not the manufacturer of the rifle.  

  The customer was not "lied to" about receiving something for the delay. He's just not satisfied with what he received. I understand his logic and will see what we can do to hopefully make him less unhappy about this. A customer service rep will contact him about this by tomorrow.   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/16/2023

   
  Complaint: 18445920
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  It is now March 16th and no one from Arsenal has reached out regarding the continued issues with the replacement SAM5. It was stated that this would take place by tomorrow on March 2nd. I think Ive given them ample time to reach out and this did not occur. I was clearly told they would throw in a few things for my troubles and that turned into a convoluted voucher program that wouldnt even cover a single thing, which makes the throw in a few things statement untrue.
  

  I did not file 3 separate BBB complaints. Ive simply rejected 3 responses to the original complaint so far because a satisfactory resolution hasnt been provided. 

  As for complaints on social media, many people have shared their thoughts on social media about what has turned out to be poor experience owning a SAM5. Im far from the only one. This was discussion was eventually compounded by very slow and lackluster customer support. This is inevitable when people spend approximately $2,000 on a product and it turns out to be sub-standard and then they experience poor customer service when they seek a resolution. 
  

  I have owned Arsenal rifles in the past, and never had any issues with those rifles or with Arsenal as a company prior to this SAM5, so to say it wouldnt be possible to make me happy is pretty far from reality. Ive only ever wanted what Ive come to expect from Arsenal based on previous ownership experiences, and that is an outstanding quality rifle that functions perfectly. 

  On February 10th I did mention to Arsenal customer service that I was having fitment issues with Arsenal Circle 10 magazines in the replacement rifle as shown in the attached screen shot. I used the common abbreviation of ((10)) for them. This is the proper factory magazine for the rifle. 
  

  On February 13th, as shown in the attached screenshots, I did express concern and attached photos after firing the rifle of what appeared to be a similar overgassed wear pattern at the rear of the receiver. I also mentioned an alignment issue with the front sight. Arsenal **************** asked for an additional photo and inquired what type of ammunition I was using- to which I replied with the photo and that I was using proper factory-made ****mm ammunition. They never got back to me on that. 
  

  I have since accepted someones offer to buy the rifle just to get rid of the headache at a considerable financial loss and move on to something else. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2023

  The replacement rifle sent to the customer has a warranty, so he can send it back for repair if he wants to. But he says he is selling the rifle. We have replied to this customer's complaint and follow-up correspondence around 4 or 5 times and sent him a new replacement rifle. I'm sorry for the issues he had, but we consider this matter closed unless he wants to send the replacement rifle to us for warranty repair.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/04/2023

   
  Complaint: 18445920
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  I told Arsenal on February 13th, 2023 that there were issues with the replacement rifle. I gave them a full month to take the rifle back for warranty service, and they never did, and never addressed or responded to my concerns with the replacement rifle. I proceeded to sell the rifle at a significant loss on March 13th, 2023 after Arsenal made no effort to address the issues or honor their warranty. 

   

   

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************