Question: Can I ship a firearm to you myself, directly ? Or do I have to use an FFL ? Answer : You can ship directly to us yourself. You do NOT have to use an FFL to ship a firearm to us. Here is a guideline to shipping a firearm to us.
Question: How do I place an order?
Answer : You may call (586 232 3422), e-mail or mail us. You can download and fill in our PDF file copy of our ORDER FORM and include that with your order.
Question: What is the turn around time and do you offer rush services?
Answer: Turn around times vary depending on work load at the time and how much work you are having done. More detailed custom jobs require more time. We quote all jobs 8-12+ weeks regardless of service. Most simple jobs are alot faster, but we still quote 8-12+ weeks for everything. Please note that these are estimates, we do our best to stick with our estimates. But things beyond our control sometimes are inevitable and uncontrollable. We do offer rush services for law enforcement and military at specific rates for specific rush turn around times , if our schedule at that time permits us. We do not guarantee turn around times , if you need a specific date, please email us with your needs and we will discuss if this is possible.
Question: Do you take reservations ?
Answer: At this time we do NOT take reservations. As each gun is individually processed, some jobs take longer than others. In the past, situations occurred when customers did not send their guns in during their allotted time slot. We have found it works better to process orders on a first come / first serve basis.
Question: What payment options do I have?
Answer: We accept Visa , Mastercard , Money orders, Personal / Business Checks or cash. **
Question : What warranty policy do you offer?
Answer : Please contact us directly via phone or e-mail with any warranty concerns (NOT through forums or private messages). We warranty our work from defect of workmanship in cases of doing service work. Parts that we sell and offer that are manufactured by us are warrantied to be free from defect from original form (untouched / unmodified). We stand behind our work 100%. All warranty work must be returned to Customized Creationz physically for us to inspect. Modification to original work or parts will void warranty if done outside of Customized Creationz facility (if you have another source "fix" or "modify" your gun with our parts or service work). Parts that we install that are manufactured by another source, for instance night sights, are warrantied by the manufacturer and can be dealt with directly. All warranty work must be returned with original invoice. All warranty on labor/services are in store credit for services rendered ( we will repair the warrantied item to the same exact service that was paid for originally ). We do not offer cash refunds. In cases of refinishing ( such as Cerakote/Gunkote ) we do not warranty against holster wear, normal wear and tear, lack of maintenance, damage from accidental abuse or chemical damages. We warranty against workmanship defect, which workmanship defect would be noticeable instantly and not 2 years of use later. That would be considered wear and tear or abuse. I have to say this because I have had people in the past that 2 years after the gun was refinished, it was used, maintained improperly and they wanted to warranty the finish because it was showing wear. This is not covered under the warranty. We also do not warranty color changes after the item is finished. ( IE you choose a color and decide you didn't like black and want silver.) Please choose your colors and ask for sample pictures.
Question: I sent my order in and changed my mind on a service and want to add or subtract something.
Answer: It is our policy to have a new order form sent to us (via e-mail) to avoid any confusion of lost e-mails, misunderstandings over the phone. A new order form eliminates all problems and is a hard copy traveler / router card that follows the gun through its entire process from beginning to end. And therefore a new order form is a necessity for proper and speedy processing. If a new order form is not submitted we are not responsible for any changes that not submitted with a new order form. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Question: How do I reach a live person on the phone?
Answer: Monday thru Friday 10 am -5pm eastern we have a real honest to goodness live person answering the phone. Obviously we do not have a switchboard of operators, so you might get the voice mail possibly if we are processing another customer. But please leave a name, number and brief description and someone will return your call asap. You can reach us at 586.232.3422.
Question: How do I check on the status of my order?
Answer: You are always welcome to call us during business hours 10 am - 5 pm M- F Eastern time for a status report. Or you can email guns@customizedcreationz.com. We try to respond to all emails within 24 hours, or first thing on Monday if sent over the weekend.
Question : Do you have a real professional store front or do you work out of mom's basement?
Answer : Yes we do have a honest to goodness professional store front that you can visit to drop off or pick up work. Or you can come to have lunch with us! We are not Backyard Billy and welcome our customers to our store. We just ask that you make a appointment (say you are coming out Tuesday around noon, so we know to look for you) so we can give you the attention needed without being rushed.
Question : What is Cerakote / GunKote and how good is it?
Answer : Cerakote/Gunkote are state of the art coatings and are manufactured professionally by a real company in a real laboratory by skilled/trained engineers. This is not Backyard Billy's home brew, or a renamed product someone else makes. Cerakote is produced by NIC, a multi-million dollar company that has millions of dollars in research and development programs setup to keep Cerakote in the forefront of firearms coatings. You can check www.nicindustries.com for more information. KG Gunkote is manufactured by KG Industries www.kgindustries.com. Cerakote/Gunkote is a coating and like all coatings, if you can damage bare metal you can damage the coating finish itself. Cerakote/KG Gunkote are the most durable self lubricating coating on the market. They are also millitary spec rated and used by companies such as Sig Sauer, Springfield, Kimber, Nighthawk Customs, Smith and Wesson , several branches of the military and more. Though these are the best coatings in the industry it is not impervious to holster wear or dropping, scratching, lack of maintenance, damage from chemicals. Just as bare metal is not impervious to these problems. We do not warranty for such problems only against workmanship defects.
Question: How do you strip the finishes off?
Answer: We first start by inspecting and disassembly the firearm. After inspection and disassembly the parts are degreased, cleaned and inspected again. Next they are media stripped according to what process they are going to be given for finishing ( plating or coating ). After the media strip they are cleaned in another cleaner to remove any and all final oils or left over residue from stripping. Then they are out gassed in the oven at 250-300 degrees for 30 minutes +/- to remove any oils that may be trapped inside the metals. If there are any oils that come to the surface they go through the cleaning process again, until they are stripped clean of all the left over soaked in oils or grease. After this process we then coat the parts or plate the parts according to the desired finish requested. They are cured in the oven if needed at the required temperature. Next they are inspected and oiled accordingly, reassembled and test functioned.
Question: Do you remove all the coatings or platings prior to refinishing?
Answer: Depending on what type of finishing your having done, we normally remove all coatings. Aluminum objects that have been type III hard coat anodized, we leave on as they give an extra "armor plate" effect for the aluminum. Sig Sauer aluminum frame handguns are left anodized as it helps the coating adhere and gives the aluminum a stronger structural base. Flash light bodies that are aluminum and Type III coated are also left with the anodizing intact. Incases such as this we media finish the surface in such a way that the anodizing stays and is just "scuffed" up enough to give the coating a proper adhesive surface. Previously plated objects that are going to be coated may or may not be stripped of the plating. It depends on the deterioration of the plating. If the plating is to be removed, there is an extra charge to do so.
Question: Does the coating or plating cover scratches, gouges or lettering from engraving or factory roll marks?
Answer: No the coating does not cover scratches, gouges or the engraving / factory roll marks. The coatings and plating are as thin as .0001 of an inch to as thick as .001 of an inch, depending on what process of finishing is being applied. If you have a scratch, gouge or mark you want removed, you MUST make note on the order form the location, and what it is you want done. We do NOT automatically remove gouges, scratches or damaged areas without quoting you a price to do so. If you have factory engravings or roll marks that are faded, thin or barely visible, then you might lose them. But in 90% of most cases they are not covered and are visible after the process.
Question: My gun is badly damaged/rusted can you fix it before coating?
Answer: In most cases, yes, we can fix it. Depending on how bad the damage is, we usually can give an estimate quote on the project. But until we actually physically have it in our possession, we can't 100% guarantee any fix or quoted price. We also can't guarantee that any rusted, pitted or damaged guns prior to us trying to fix them, can be fixed. In some rare instances the guns may be beyond safe repair and until we start to work on them, might not be able to tell until they are disassembled/stripped. We are also not held liable/responsible for anything repair to badly damaged/rusted guns that are plated and stripped. The materials beneath the platings may be badly corroded and the active stripping chemicals may pull the plating or get under the plating and damage the underlying surfaces.
Question: Do you cover return shipping and insurance.
Answer: No we do not cover return shipping and insurance. It is the customers responsibility to wisely choose the insurance coverage they feel necessary to replace or fix the item if it is damaged. The order form has areas to choose insurance and return shipping costs. If the order form does not have insurance coverage filled out, we will assume that you do NOT want insurance coverage. So please make note that whether you insure your package or not, we are not liable or responsible for the package once it leaves our hands and the designated carrier has it. All claims must be made by the customer. We will help out with what ever necessary to further the claim if need be.
*All pictures and videos are property of Todd McKechnie and Customized Creationz and can not be used without written permission. Todd McKechnie's Customized Creationz is a fully Licensed FFL Dealer / Gunsmith and holds Factory Armorer Certifications for several companies. Turn around times vary with work load, please email for turnaround quotes. We do not guarantee turn around times, as they are estimates to the best of our knowledge at that particular time. If you need a specific date please email or call Customized Creationz for a more accurate turn around time frame and if we can accommodate your needs. We are open by appointment only 10am to 5 pm eastern. We have no public walk in hours with out appointment. Warranty work must be returned to Customized Creationz with original invoice, for inspection. Outside work will void Customized Creationz warranty. All warranty work is against defect of workmanship only or from parts we produce that are deemed defective ( untouched / unmodified ). Modification to original work or parts will void warranty. No refunds on any service work, no refunds on parts , we will exchange parts for the same or upgraded part per our discretion. Todd McKechnie's Customized Creationz @ 2003
