Blown off by TC Customer Service.....

[35 Whelen]

After purchasing a T/C Venture last fall and then using it all winter I was very happy with the rifle with one exception....... The bolt handle was designed by someone
To has never hunted in cold weather with gloves. It is WAY
To small, to short, and the angle is compleatly wrong to cycle the bolt without removing your gloves and using your thumb n index finger. In researching this via google it
Comes up on numerous sites as a common complaint over and over. In 2012 the gun was reviewed and the writer closed the review with a critical closing remark, the bolt design is flawed and should be redesigned for easier
Access and increased in lenght to allow more leverage for
Lifting the 3 lug bolt.
So I called TC about if this has ever been addressed? And if they knew of an aftermarket replacement of a tactical
Larger style?
The CS rep was named Michael and he abruptly informed me that HE felt the design was fine! And that HE had never ever heard of anyone else except ME complaining about the stubby little bolt not being adequate! He then went on to inform me that T/C realizes they cannot please
All of their customers, and then literally suggested maybe
I should just sell it ,and buy one I would be satisfied with!
He added they have sold millions ( that would be total BS)
Of Venture rifles and that I am probably the only person to ever complain about the bolts.
I then lost my temper and informed him that it is all over the internet that many folks have complained about it since the model was introduced. He said HE had never heard of it and then said. " If there is nothing else he could do for me " to have a good day. Click.
I would bet the farm his boss would chew his A*S into pieces if he knew how this goof was representing a once
Great company????
I would now rate T/Cs CS as about as poor as I have ever experenced. Beware.

 

[FOTIS]

waiting on my rifle TC rebate since 2015

 

[longrangehunter]

That's Total Crap for him to address your issues that way!

 

[35 Whelen]

Since S&W took them over I dont know whats up with them
Nowadays. I do know I would like to find out what this Mikes supervisors name is.......... And bring him up to speed on how this guy handles things for T/C in CS.....omg

 

[tim629]

i hope you do follow up with TC over the issue sounds like Mike needs a different job, maybe not a different company but a job he doesn't deal with the public

also now i'm wondering why aren't all customer service calls routed through a 3rd party recording option? a lot of companies will say "we are recording you for training or whatnot" but give me an option to record situations like this so I can take it to your boss and the bosses boss until someone admits "we screwed up, we can't change your rifle but we screwed up training that guy"

 

[35 Whelen]

Was messing around today with the bolt handle trying to figure out how to extend it to accept a standard tactical knob. We are now thinking about just writing a little program for the CNC and making up some new bolt handles that just end with the 5/16 x 24 threads so you can put whatever tactical end knob on you want! We are of course hoping to sell some. ???? Any Venture owners on here that would like to replace the puny handle that came on your gun??? Or if you know someone that has a Venture you might mention
We are going to build some as NO ONE has them for the Venture. Glade Armory, makes them for the Compass; and Thompson had them for the Icons.
Here is what ours will look like :with the knob

Problem solved! To heck with T/Cs Customer Service ,they can shove it.

 

[sask boy]

It is just a shame so many companies are forgetting about customer service these days :shock:.
It doesn't make sense to me cause a unhappy customer tell 3 times more people about there bad experience that what a happy customer does .

Blessings,
Dan

 

[35 Whelen]

Dan,
That kid in CS knew less than nothing about rifles or bolt handles and was reading answers off a list as calls come in
I would not be surprised if he does not own a firearm or has
Never even fired one. I really struck a nerve when I suggested T/C made quite a blunder with ALL their bolt designs and I considered it a major flaw in the guns, and it will and has come back to haunt them.........
He then informed me that T/C has made MILLIONS of Ventures
And I was the first complaint he had ever heard of.........OMG. I would seriously doubt T/C has produced half of that number for total production of ALL
their "Bolt Action rifles" ever made in their factory........ They just dont have the pull with the public; like Savage or Ruger does. They do however have a DAM good rifle with the exception of a very poorly designed bolt handle.
Stay tuned for future updates as I ordered some stainless yesterday and will have a classy much more functional handle available soon. You will be able to pull off the factory handle (did you realize it comes right off the bolt body???) and install our tactical one in less than 2 mins.
So if T/C wont fix it I guess we will !!!

 

[sask boy]

Earle, I would take before & after photos :wink: , then send them into Thompson .
If they do not address your problem, I would put it on every available Website :shock:.

Blessings,
Dan

 

[35 Whelen]

Here is what the Venture actually looks like; with a tactical style knurled handle. 500% nicer and much more practical set up than the almost " useless" handle length they come with from T/C.(Impossible to cycle in the winter months with gloves or mitts on.) The amount of force necessary to lift the bolt because of the extra leverage is about half of the original
set up. Really makes it much nicer gun. Check it out.
Here is how short and stubby "their" design engineer thinks a bolt handle should be.??????
Is a picture worth a thousand words?

 

[Cleveland48]

My sister owns a venture in .243. It is a very accurate rifle, but I also noticed it is hard to cycle with the stubby handle and 3 lug bolt. Sorry to hear the CS has gotten so bad. This seems to be common when a manufacture is taken over by a larger corporation. Glad you found a fix on your own, and that tactical handle looks great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jimbires]

very nice , looks great . you'll be able to get a hold of that knob easy enough .

 

[sask boy]

Earle it looks like you have a great solution to the problem . I wonder how hard would it be for S&W to remedy that problem?

Blessings,
Dan

 

[35 Whelen]

Not hard at all Dan, but first they would need to give a d*m! I am getting the impression they must feel they have a good working bolt already.
My opinion would be quite the contrary, The bolt has a huge diameter and is absolutely the heaviest over all weight I have ever owned. Will be doing a DEEP spiral flute on it to try to get some of the weight off it!!! :evil:
In its modified form it now is very satisfactorily to reload with gloves and I am much happier with the
Gun.

 

[35 Whelen]

Well, we never did build the handles as we were tooo busy all summer at the lodge, and with hunters! However I was going to get some stainless and write a program and mill some out but.............
News flash:
Glades Armory now has them in stock for the T/C Venture! And reasonable as well $50 and you can turn a pita
Whimsy little knob, into some thing practical, I just bought one from them for my Compass and my other Tikka
As we can't make them for anywhere near that price!
Just a heads up for T/C owners!