Don't bother ordering from Sportsman's Guide

[BJoe]

Poor customer service is rampant these days. It is part of the society we the people have created. It will not change until we do and I don't see that happening anytime soon, if at all. As Pogo said we have met the enemy and it is us!

Actually the enemy is/was Sam Walton. He was the one that started the "CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS...ALWAYS...ALWAYS 100% RIGHT."
People no longer had to take responsibility for their own stupidity. Walton actually started an early form of the 'big brother will hold your hand through life lifestyle.'
No I don't shop there.

 

[BC38]

Actually the enemy is/was Sam Walton. He was the one that started the "CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS...ALWAYS...ALWAYS 100% RIGHT."
People no longer had to take responsibility for their own stupidity. Walton actually started an early form of the 'big brother will hold your hand through life lifestyle.'
No I don't shop there.

I'm confused. The idea that the customer is always right means the business expects their employees to do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer. In other words give great customer service.

So how does that mindset translate to lousy customer service? Seems like Sam Walton would be the hero, not the villain if that is the principle he and his company operated under.

Now if you are trying to say that he raised people's expectations for customer service to unreasonable levels, I guess I can follow your logic. But as far as absolving people of responsibility and fostering the idea of the nanny state taking care of them from cradle to grave, I think the blame for that falls squarely on the torte system and the lawyers who promulgate it - including the politicians who are almost all lawyers.

 

[shouldazagged]

"The customer is always right" goes back well before Sam Walton's time, I think. He made it a major plank in the Wal-Mart platform, but I don't think it originated with him.

In 1956 I had a temporary job in a prominent local department store (now long gone). While I worked there a woman came into the beauty salon in the store, raising hell. She had paid what was then a lot of money for a perm for her teenaged daughter. Two weeks later the girl was killed in a wreck. The woman wanted most of her money back because the child didn't get full use of the permanent.

They gave it to her.

 

[mc5aw]

I wrote em off when they were among the first to jump on the ammo shortage with their high prices---wrote off Cheaper Than Dirt too for the same reason--found what I need many other places and usually at better prices too.
olcop

Not true. SG's ammo prices were not artificially inflated like CTD ... SG's prices rose as every other legitimate vendor's did as supply dried up. Additionally, SG honored pre-panic prices long after the fact on back orders, when real time prices were significantly higher. When 7.62x39 was fetching $300+ per case, I was still receiving SG back orders at the original purchase price of $239. SG did not have to honor the lower price in the midst of the ammo buying frenzy, but it did. I have been buying bulk ammo from SG for over a decade, and have found the company's in-stock supplies and pricing to be among the best on the market.

 

[rwsmith]

Disagree.....

Actually the enemy is/was Sam Walton. He was the one that started the "CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS...ALWAYS...ALWAYS 100% RIGHT."
People no longer had to take responsibility for their own stupidity. Walton actually started an early form of the 'big brother will hold your hand through life lifestyle.'
No I don't shop there.

"The customer is always right" is a cornerstone of good business and that has been true long before Sam Walton started his business.

 

[Erich]

So, to follow up on my post from ten days ago, I just had a couple more good experiences with SG.

On the 18th, they ran a special where you'd get free shipping and a $20 gift card (delivered separately and it had to be used by the end of January) with any purchase. So I bought a couple boxes of Winchester #4 buckshot rounds I've been needing - cost me $8.36, total.

Well, I got the two boxes of buckshot rounds delivered last week - I stuck them in my stocking (whoo-hoo! shotgun shells!). And then my $20 gift card came in the mail yesterday.

So, this morning, SG was running another free shipping sale, so I cruised over before leaving for work and found a box of .45 +P Critical Duty ammo for $21.37, so it cost me $1.37, delivered.

So to sum up: that's two boxes of 12-ga #4 buck rounds and a box of Hornady Critical Duty .45 ACP +P delivered to the house for $9.73. Dang - that's less than one of those boxes of shotgun shells would have cost at the store. And I would have had to pay tax on that!

I've got to say - I'm not a member of their "club" or anything, but Sportsman's Guide has been doing right by me lately.

 

[s&wbest]

back order sportsmans guide ammo dump pouch

I have had a $13 dollar order for a molle attached pair of simple one pocket ammo dump pouches that were listed in stock and then put on backorder. I finally recieved a different pouch (single) but with the same catalog order number on the plastic bag. I called customer service and told them that they only sent me one pouch when description listed two. They credited my card and ordered another to be shipped to me to complete the order and then charge my card at this time. The pouch I received is so much better than the item I ordered that i am willing to keep responding to the emails requried to keep this on order. The customer service agent I talked to was great. I have in a past call to customer service got the worst gal I ever talked to and stopped my buyers club membership at the time as a result of that call. I am glad I gave them another chance and hope they are reviewing tapes of calls to weed out the bad agents that have given them the bad reputation. I will do business with them again and often.

 

[islamoradamark]

the customer is always right i buy something they charge my card i expect to get how easy is that and how can i be wrong

 

[Erich]

Got another (free shipping, with Buyer's Club pricing even tho I'm not a member) order from them yesterday. Just thought you'd like to see the hilarious packaging.

I ordered three percussion revolver cones from them. Less than half an ounce - less than 2ccs. Look what they sent me:

Oh, and it was $6.29 for the three delivered to my house in four days. Gotta love 'em!

 

[jaykellogg]

I am of the impression it is illegal to charge a credit card for merchandise on back order. When I ordered 10 P-mags earlier last year I was told I would be in for a long wait, but they never charged my card until the order shipped.

 

[loc n load]

Sportsman guide

I have been doing business with them since the mid 90's...and I have bought a TON of stuff from them, camping gear, mil surplus, shooting stuff, gun parts,optics, mags, ammo, clothing, you name it.....occasionally I recv'd something that was not what they had advertised/or I didn't like it for whatever reason and after a call or e mail they sent me a UPS return label and back it went.....prompt refund.....I certainly have had better experiences with them, than Bo TAc or CTD.....not saying they are perfect...nobody is.