[propa]

Cheated, lied to and scammed? Let me help!

I am seriously ticked about being scammed, cheated, and lied to by various manufacturers; PARA, USA is one of those. It seems to me if a manufacturer touts certain claims, the product should meet those claims. PARA touts a 14+1 round capacity for their P14-45 pistol which simply is not true based on the capacity of the magazines furnished.
I am not the first customer, I'm sure, who has been misled by unscrupulous mandacturers and I doubt I'll be the last...but...

BTW, I am satisfied with the handgun; just not the magazines ant the asvertising gimmick used by PARA's marketing.

Now lets see what response, if any, I receive.

Para USA, LLC
10620 Southern Loop Blvd
Pineville, NC 28134-7381

Dear Sir;

I recently purchased a Para Hi-Cap P14-45 Stainless,serial number K00xxxx, which was and is advertised as a 14+1 round capacityfirearm. My purchase was made based on the higher capacity 14 roundcapabilities.

Upon taking the handgun to for its first range session Idiscovered neither of the two magazines which were included with the handgunwere capable of being loaded to the advertised capacity of 14 rounds; onemagazine accepted 12 rounds only, the other magazine snuggly accepted 13 roundsbut failed to function properly with 13 rounds loaded.

Although I liked the feel and function of the P14-45, Iam not quite satisfied in that it did not meet my expectations; nor did it meetthe specifications as advertised.

I subsequently visited the Para USA web-site and orderedtwo 14 round magazines listed as F500231 Double Stack, .45ACP, 14-round MagazineASSB.

Order Number 1428xxx
Customer PO Number 10000xxxx
Shipment Number 1601

I eventually was able to take the new magazines to therange for another session but quickly became bewildered to discover the newmagazines would only accept 12 rounds each.

When I returned home I checked the invoice for themagazines to ensure I had ordered the correct item magazines and then went backto the Para website. Both the invoice and the website verified I had, in fact,ordered 14 round magazines.

I feel Para USA is guilty of flagrant false advertisingand consumer fraud by claiming the P14-45 to be a 14+1 capacity firearm andthen providing magazines that are only capable of receiving 12 rounds incapacity.

I have contemplated filing a complaint with the FederalTrade Commission, Federal Attorney General’s Office, and the Missouri State’sAttorney General concerning false advertising and consumer fraud. I decided,however, first to allow Para to make things correct by providing me with the 14round magazines that should have been included with the firearm and, surely,should have been sent with my order of magazines.

Respectfully,

Let me see if I can help a little bit - the 14 round mags are very difficult to load to capacity when they are new. The springs are pretty stiff so that they can push such a heavy column of brass and lead up to the barrel ramp and after a while they relax....but it takes technique if you load them by hand OR a quality mag loader to assist pushing the last two rounds down beneath the feed lips. They will go - I know - I've been shooting the 14-45 platforms for 10 plus years. I would suggest you load 12 rounds and allow the mags to sit for a week if you don't have a mag loader. For new mags I actually place the 14th round on top of the 13th round just in front of the feed lips and while applying pressure with my thumb I strike the base of the mag with the palm of my other hand - this seems to get the last bit of spring compression necessary to load the last round.....and it does get easier with time. Para has made considerable changes in the last 2 years and their customer service team is the best in the industry. I would suggest anyone that has had a problem in the past to give them a fesh look - head over to the 1911 forums and read about Travis Tomasie, keep an eye on their new web site coming after the NRA show and check out the new production hitting the shelves....hope everyone has a great day!
Best Regards,
Propa

 

[propa]

wow - thats odd....

...I can say anytime I've called the guys there they are super nice and helpful - and most every distributor I've spoken to has remarked how responsive the company has become to their needs. One of the guys even talked about touring their facility and how they shoot a full mag and a half mag of both HP and ball as part of the QC process on every pistol built - even on their competition pistols. I own several makes of pistols, plastic and otherwise, and my Paras have been the best of the lot. My Kimber shot the front sight off and the anodizing went away from my sweat almost immediately, my Springer had a grip safety failure almost out of the box, my Colt wouldn't feed anything but ball - but each one has been massaged/repaired to get them up to par....except the Paras - they ran out of the box. I hope you get some satisfaction from your unfortunate situation - it is obvious that you are a very demanding consumer and you need some help. Best of luck to you -

 

[propa]

In my posts I have stated that 'I like the pistol', so giving me your shooting history on your firearms isn't necessary as the actual firearm is not the issue.

Every other firearm I own whose manufacturer has touted a capacity or specific feature in their advertisements has met their claims; Para has not. If wanting what I pay for pursuant to the manufacturers' advertised claims, then I guess I meet your definition of a "demanding consumer"; otherwise your attacks at me mean nothing...I don't need help, I need results.

If you, sir, are happy spending your money for products that can't live up to the manufacturers claim that's good, I've worked too hard for mine.

I was being sincere in that I hope you get help with your situation - others have stated the mags hold 14 rounds as do mine - you claimed since you can't load them to capacity it is someone else's fault - a great conspiracy against the consumer that frankly doesn't seem to hold water. It is like returning a snow board because you can't back flip like Shaun White..... ability plays a role. Out of the tens of thousands of pistols sold over the last 27 years if it was a problem they would already have been sued. Defaming a manufacturer should be done cautiously - they have the same ability for litigation as you - I encourage you to ask your LGS, ask other owners at the range, seek help from people that know and understand the product....and if you choose to go with another product then do so - find what works for you and shoot the snot out of it!

 

[propa]

^^^LOL

Just gotta wait and see.

After several useless dealings with other manufacturer's (guns included) customer services I've come to the point that I simply don't expect much anymore but I will always give it the ol' hard-core consumer try...<grin>

Perhaps these folks haven't got it yet that it's the consumer who ultimately provides them jobs and pays their wages.

Oh, Neo, the fb is still on the table as an option...lol

.....thought I would check in and see how the mag issue was going - Glad to see you had contact with the company. If you didn't send them yet it may be helpful to send the ammo as well - sometimes a loads OAL can effect all sorts of things - can't wait to see the results.

 

[propa]

Sent the magzines back; they were received by Para on May 7th and were shipped out from Para on the 8th.
I received the magazines today.

Para stated they were able to load 2-magazines with 14-rounds but replaced two magazines. So, I loaded them up...they all accepted 14-rounds...but I needed to use the magazine loader they sent to me with the returned magazines.

I'm satisfied with the results and impressed with the quick evaluation and fast return...I'm truly grateful to Mr. Craig's intervention and for the loading device with which to force the 13th and 14th round into the magazines.

I think the sun will shine on Pineville, SC today.

Still no response from the CEO, however...that's a little disappointing to some degree.

Thanks to Chris!

So the mag they replaced was the one you modified? That's really excellent customer service - and to think that those mags actually held 14 rounds when you repeatedly said they wouldn't.....awesome...... I guess the point is this: there were no false claims or lies in their advertising - only someone that wanted to blame the manufacturer when the manufacturer wasn't at fault. That's a loss of credibility on your part - glad your problem is solved and I hope you can enjoy your pistol

 

[propa]

Andrew,

It appears he works for Para as he has alluded to things I have only discussed with Para management's Mr. Craig and were stated on my note to Mr. Craig that I included with the magazines.
Hmmm...I wonder if he is Mr. Craig...lol
I'm sure he is a 'shining star' for Para...<tongue in cheek>

Ummmm - wow. You really are "para"noid - a quick trip to the UD on Google would give you the meaning of propa...and the info all comes from your previous rants.... I was looking for info on the new ProCustom 1445 when I ran across your post ... I explained how to load Para mags (because they are difficult when new) and you railroaded me over with the claim they won't hold the advertised quantity.... and they obviously do. You called a company out (who's product I do shoot) and they proved you wrong - it seems you are a little disappointed that your adamant claims of lies and deceit aren't true.... and perhaps a little ticked that someone in the General Public did the same. I will buy another Para product in the future to shoot Iron Man class not only because I like their design but because of the way they handle customers such as you. Have a great time - share the sport and make some noise with your new pistol -