RANT: stores that won't give you a price over the phone

NWPhotoguy · Mar 12, 2014

Call a shop looking for a gun, nothing new, but they've got one in the used case. Says the condition is "good. VERY good".

"What's the price tag?" says I.
"Oh, I can't tell you that over the phone" says he.
"Well, I live over an hour away, I'm unlikely to make the drive without knowing how much you want for it" I reply.
"Sorry, no prices over the phone" the man repeats.

@#$%@#$%

Really? I get that back in the old ages, people thought that being secret about their prices was a clever move somehow. In the late 90's I got a dressing down from a Lowes manager for writing down some power tool prices because he thought I was scoping for a competitor.

But this is the internet age. We all know what Buds and the other mail order places charge. We all know what is on gunbroker. We all know what galleryofguns says.

God bless the free market system and you can run your business any silly way you want in the good old USA. But I'm sure not going to go out of my way to try and give you my money if you make it a PITA to do so.

Maybe I'm just turning into an old crank. Seems a bit early for that to be happening though. I would have given it another 20 years or so.

{RANT OVER}

USAF385 · Mar 12, 2014

I have no problem with it. They want you to come in their store. Otherwise they'll have to deal with countless calls from people comparing prices.

"Do you have a M&P Shield 9mm? Yeah? How much?

Ok, how about a Glock 26? Uh huh... how much?

Umm.... what about a Sig P938? You do? The price?

Oh, thanks. Goodbye."

I wouldn't want to deal with a dozen or more of those calls a day.

linde · Mar 12, 2014

NWPhotoguy said:
Call a shop looking for a gun, nothing new, but they've got one in the used case. Says the condition is "good. VERY good".

"What's the price tag?" says I.
"Oh, I can't tell you that over the phone" says he.
"Well, I live over an hour away, I'm unlikely to make the drive without knowing how much you want for it" I reply.
"Sorry, no prices over the phone" the man repeats.

USAF385 said:
I have no problem with it. They want you to come in their store. Otherwise they'll have to deal with countless calls from people comparing prices . . .

I agree with USAF385 . . . especially in the world of used guns. Unless I know the condition first hand, I'm not sure the tag price would be very helpful. Without seeing it I can't determine what its worth or how much I'm willing to pay. Besides, I fall in love much easier if I fondle it first.

The price of a used gun is something best negotiated face-to-face. Even then, some of us have better negotiating skills than others.

Russ

NWPhotoguy · Mar 12, 2014

Different strokes for different folks I suppose. It's probably good that not all of us have to work in the retail industry. And like I said, freedom in the free market is a good thing.

But I'm unlikely to make the effort to give the store my money because of it. You know how used prices are in gun shops. Sometimes they are fair sometimes they are 10% off new. I'm not spending the time or money to find out in this case.

I think we give gun shops a lot of slack in the customer service department. The boom has been so good to them that a lot of places don't feel like they have to make the effort that other industries do. And hell, look at the gun/ammo sale records over the past few years. Why would they? They sell most everything that comes in the door.

All I know is that I'm not driving an hour to find out something they could have told me over the phone. If I find myself in the area in the near future and I haven't found the gun elsewhere, I'll stop in and take a look. But that's not real likely. I'll either nor get down there or will have found it or they will have sold it. Either way, whatever I guess.

ImprovedModel56Fan · Mar 12, 2014

If and when you eventually buy the gun you were looking for, you might consider sending them a note telling them where you bought it and why. Probably you should also tell them what you paid for it. You might consider doing that for all future gun purchases not at their store. You might even help them out by furnishing them with a running total, in dollars, of sales that didn't take place in their store because they didn't care enough about your time and your gas to answer a simple reasonable question.

the ringo kid · Mar 12, 2014

I would have worded it differently. Something like: "Do you sell Rock Island Arsenal or like type .45s?
Store: "Yes we do."
How much do they start at?
Store: "$450."

I keep it short and simple and never been denied any info I want--no matter the Gun Shop I called.

NWPhotoguy · Mar 12, 2014

the ringo kid said:
I would have worded it differently. Something like: "Do you sell Rock Island Arsenal or like type .45s?
Store: "Yes we do."
How much do they start at?
Store: "$450."

I keep it short and simple and never been denied any info I want--no matter the Gun Shop I called.

I think that is legit. But it's a little harder to come up with wording in a situation where the subject is a specific used gun.

If I run into the situation again, perhaps I will give it a try though.

Cdog · Mar 12, 2014

I think there should be a dedicated "rant" forum.

blujax01 · Mar 12, 2014

Call our shop, tell us what you're interested in and if we have one in stock we'll gladly tell you our price.

New or used.

But we don't do over-the-phone appraisals.

Even if you send pictures.

And we don't price match.

"Yeah, but so-and-so has it for $19 less".

"Excellent price - Sounds like you should grab one before they're all gone. Oh, they don't have any in stock? How unfortunate."

therevjay · Mar 12, 2014

USAF385 said:
I have no problem with it. They want you to come in their store. Otherwise they'll have to deal with countless calls from people comparing prices.

"Do you have a M&P Shield 9mm? Yeah? How much?

Ok, how about a Glock 26? Uh huh... how much?

Umm.... what about a Sig P938? You do? The price?

Oh, thanks. Goodbye."

I wouldn't want to deal with a dozen or more of those calls a day.

They don't seem to mind at the stores I'm at. I'm standing at the counter with money in my hand waiting to pay for a item while they answer phone call after call from people wanting price quotes. And then the owner/employee/whatever wants to complain about the "internet sellers" undercutting them. Geez, I wonder why anyone would rather buy stuff over a computer?

Arik · Mar 12, 2014

USAF385 said:
I have no problem with it. They want you to come in their store. Otherwise they'll have to deal with countless calls from people comparing prices.

"Do you have a M&P Shield 9mm? Yeah? How much?

Ok, how about a Glock 26? Uh huh... how much?

Umm.... what about a Sig P938? You do? The price?

Oh, thanks. Goodbye."

I wouldn't want to deal with a dozen or more of those calls a day.

Then find a different line of work. What do you want to do? Just fill out the background check paperwork and swipe debit cards? That's the job. Some customers come in others call. Not all walk ins buy and not all callers are tire kickers. If I call asking for a say 4506 and you have it at a good price I'm coming in. It's the salesman job to reply to customers regardless of the media. At my place (not a gunshop) we even call you back if you leave a message or an email at 2am.

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mtgianni · Mar 12, 2014

That policy is going to be set by the owner not the phone answerer. If it is a Beakert and I am looking for one I make the drive. If it is a model 10 I look elsewhere.

blujax01 · Mar 12, 2014

mtgianni said:
That policy is going to be set by the owner not the phone answerer. ....

We prefer the term "Lackey".

NWPhotoguy · Mar 12, 2014

mtgianni said:
That policy is going to be set by the owner not the phone answerer. If it is a Beakert and I am looking for one I make the drive. If it is a model 10 I look elsewhere.

To be clear, the guy was nice about it. I'm not blaming him. I'm sure he was just doing what the boss told him.

MrJT · Mar 12, 2014

Arik said:
Then find a different line of work. What do you want to do? Just fill out the background check paperwork and swipe debit cards? That's the job. Some customers come in others call. Not all walk ins buy and not all callers are tire kickers. If I call asking for a say 4506 and you have it at a good price I'm coming in. It's the salesman job to reply to customers regardless of the media. At my place (not a gunshop) we even call you back if you leave a message or an email at 2am.

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A customer in the store takes priority over a comparison shopper on the phone... That's the salespersons job. Answering questions, showing guns, offering suggestions to the IN STORE customer. Not giving the price of guns over the phone to someone who may or may not even come into the store. All the while neglecting actual in store customers.

What should they do? Quote the price and hold it for someone who, again, may or may not come in? Unless you're a proven regular I can't see why any shop owner would take the chance to pull a gun from the case or put a "sold" tag on it for a call in who might not show because he called another store and found a better price.

Arik · Mar 12, 2014

I don't but my gun store has about 6 people working at one time and they have no problems answering the phone and talking to the walk in customer. Half the customers are "just browsing" the other half are examining a firearm. It's not hard to say "sir, yes we have them at $$$$" while you are fingering the gun and trying the trigger.

You're taking if way to far. No one said anything about taking guns of shelves or out of your hands. It's about telling people the prices. No one pull guns of shelves and scribbles SOLD. But they will answer your questions on the phone

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O2Guy · Mar 12, 2014

If I'm being waited on and the clerk stops helping me to help someone on the phone, I leave the store. I am the one that made the effort to actually come to the store.

NCTexan · Mar 12, 2014

Very easy solution: Don't get mad... just don't shop there.

There are lot's of places that I don't like and I don't darken their door (or internet site). It is much easier on both me and the store.

Arik · Mar 12, 2014

O2Guy said:
If I'm being waited on and the clerk stops helping me to help someone on the phone, I leave the store. I am the one that made the effort to actually come to the store.

Then why have phones? Just have employees call in on their cell phones and compensate them.

Have you ever called a sales oriented place? Car dealership, appliance stores. Next time you call somewhere chances are you are talking to a sales rep who is probably also helping someone else

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NWPhotoguy · Mar 12, 2014

Arik said:
You're taking if way to far. No one said anything about taking guns of shelves or out of your hands. It's about telling people the prices. No one pull guns of shelves and scribbles SOLD. But they will answer your questions on the phone

Indeed!

I get that we all have pet peeves about the retail gun shopping experience. But I wasn't ranting about wanting people to ignore other shoppers and answer the phone or asking anyone to hold a gun for me.

I just wanted to know the price of a gun without having to drive an hour+ to find out. That's all. To me, it's pretty basic customer service. Some of you agree, some don't.

It would appear that many of us are unsatisfied with the level of customer service we see in our local gun stores though. Which brings me back to what I said before on that topic.

RANT: stores that won't give you a price over the phone

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