What happened to BKL?

Q

qallen

Guest
Does anyone know why you can't get in touch with BKL? I have tried telephoning several times. No answer and the voice mailbox is full. Tried e-mailing and never got a reply.
 
Typical

That is typical of BKL's customer service. They do not answer calls, they do not respond to emails, and they will ship your parts some time in the future (maybe).

That being said, you can buy them from "Innocent" on the steelchickens or rimfire central message boards. She and her son are distributors for BKL and are very easy to deal with.

Steve.
 
Yes, track her down. Her son got me a couple of BKL things I was looking for. Easy to deal with and quick.
 
I've dealt with them in the past 3 times, and never had a problem. They were very helpful and answered the phone each time I called. Excellent service in my mind. I haven't dealt with them lately, but I know for a fact they make outstanding products.

Brad
 
I ordered a set of rings last month. Took about three weeks and they showed up.They did not charge my credit card until they shipped.

If you order from Brownells be sure to check pricing.I needed some Burris rings and inserts recently and these are the prices I was quoted.

Burris Rings P/N 420531 Burris Inserts P/N 626019 = Total
Midsouth 28.83 + 9.55 = 38.38
Midway 32.99 + 12.49 = 45.48
Brownells 52.00 + 16.00 = 68.00
Prices did not include shipping.
You know the old saying "BUYER BEWARE"
 
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Bkl

BKL has some nice stuff but....they took my order, cashed my check and never delivered. That's not honest!

Innocent and Son are good people whom I know personally. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them.

dwl
 
BKL's customer support has just plain sucked UNLESS they happen to have what you want in stock - if its on backorder - good 'luck'!
Yes, Brownell's and Sinclair list their parts but generally they don't have them in stock because they can't get them out of BKL!!
This has generally been viewed by many as a very good product but the owners of BKL just don't seem to understand, much less care, about customer service - if they did they are totally oblivious to what's been stated here and in the rimfire forums!
In their case - success has bred contempt of the customer.:mad::mad:
 
If you would not deal with BKL directly because of their poor service, why would you buy their products from someone else? That's still supporting the company you supposedly do not want to support. Which means they'll just keep right on doing business the same way they have been. Which means they'll never improve, because business isn't suffering. You've already decided dealing with them directly isn't something you want to do. But buying their stuff from someone else is exactly the same thing, in the end. Puzzling.
 
There are a lot of products that you can't buy directly from the maker. If you want their product, going thru the middle man is just part of the deal.

If that gives you heartburn, you're going to have to buy something else.

I figured out a long time ago that ordering directly from them was a hit or miss proposition, but I like the product and the price.

Wanting to run them out of business seems kinda over the edge.
 
I've had a lot of dealings with Dave Bonnet @ BKL and have always come away pleased. He's an engineer and machinist. Not a PR or Sales type. His products are some of the best I've found for airguns and rimfire at really reasonable prices. If you can't get him on the phone (and ONLY him) write him a letter explaining your problem. If you've paid for goodies and not received them, he'll want to know and make it right. Think about it. He hasn't gone to all this trouble to design and build a superior product just to cheat 2 or 3 folks out of $50...
 
I wasn't saying they should be run out of business. I wasn't saying they're intentionally cheating anyone. But a poorly run business is a poorly run business. Mistakes can happen, we're only human. But continually reoccurring mistakes should at the very least be brought to light by those aware of them.

It seems to me that the vast majority of people in the world don't like to stir the pot, even if they don't mind sharing their poor experience with someone else. I've been shown several customer relations studies while in training for various jobs I've had over the years, and lots of them agree that most customers will never speak up for themselves when something's not right. And we were always told that any that do speak up for themselves should be treated like royalty until they've had their situation remedied. A happy customer is good to have. An unhappy customer that has their problem solved to their satisfaction is likely to become among your most loyal, who you'll be seeing again and again. Word of mouth is a powerful thing, which goes both ways. And an unhappy customer is a very big oppurtunity.

Many speak highly of BKL's products. There are also a number who have shared poor experiences with their customer service, or lack of contact with them at all. If you're acquainted with them and have been happy with your dealings with them, perhaps a quick letter to them on the subject of others who haven't been so lucky would help out in the long run. Maybe it'll make those who get recommendations from you have a better experience than some have had in the past. The product's likely to be as good as it ever was, but that's not the only thing that matters.
 
I don't like to be a "me to" kind of guy but I have been trying to get a refund for a defective part from them for a month already. No response to e mails and voice mail box is always full.

As much as I like their products, I will order nothing else from them or any of their dealers.
 
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