The next morning I called S&W and was treated very well on the phone. Not once was I asked, how this happened, what ammo was used or anything that might put the blame on me. I was simply told that this was not the first time he (the cs rep) had taken a call for the exact same issue and that a UPS label would be in the mail to me immediately to send the gun in for them to look at. S&W paid for shipping.
The label came, I boxed up the poor little thing and dropped it off at the main UPS facility.
I watched the tracking number to make sure it got there and then called to confirm SW did indeed have the gun. One week later, I get a call from the same cs rep that took my initial call and he informs me that the gun cannot be repaired and they would like to offer me a brand new 637 as a replacement. NO CHARGE
I replied that I would like one of the recently released 37's that doesn't have the lock instead since mine was pre-lock. Unfortunately, they didn't have any of those. He then tells me that I could pick another model if the 637 wasn't what I wanted as long as it was the same price and type of gun. I asked if I could have a 642 instead and he said DONE. This morning, less than 24 hours later, the UPS man hands me a NIB 642 with the test casing dated 7/24/06.
This was my very first experience with S&W customer service and even though I've been a fan of S&W wheelguns since I was a boy, I've got new respect for the company.
Who replaces a 20 year old paper weight under warranty? Aparently S&W does.
YMMV
