Local shop hose me

[MisterC]

I just hope you're not mad at me. I love my newly aquired 686. D'oh!

Seriously, I don't see where the shop did anything wrong. There is no way to know all the facts that transpired around this whole transaction.

 

[nedlate]

I would express my displeasure and ask for restitution. If he refuses, I then would vow to cut him a new one by besmirshing his business reputation via social media and word of mouth.

Restitution!! Are you serious?
Ed

 

[rwsmith]

I have been hunting for a 686 no lock for quite some time. My LGS sends an Email every Friday afternoon with new inventory etc. I emailed back within seconds asking if it was lock or no lock. He replied I was no lock. I replied within seconds if he would hold it until 11am Saturday. They open at 10. He did not reply. I got there at 10:15 this morning and somebody was doing paperwork on it. What the heck ? . Wasnt pleased. I spend a lot of money there on guns and accessories. Buyer was also taking the handgun test meaning he was a first time buyer. Oh well. Debating on whether to send him an angry email or not.

I would tell him to stop sending you emails.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Restitution!! Are you serious?
Ed

Yeah, amazing how quick some go to the internet to complain.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I would tell him to stop sending you emails.

It's mass email. He gave the store owner his email address and he can opt out any time. Email doesn't guarantee that you'll get the gun you want. It's simply a notification/marketing tool.

I'd just chalk it up to not being in the right place and the right time.

 

[Autococker07]

I work in an LGS one day a week- until the current lunacy ceases the only way to buy a gun is to show up with all the proper papers and money in hand- no lay-aways, no deposits...just purchases- and the stupid instant check now takes 2 weeks- got to love NJ (NOT)

Yup yup, This is how our store operates all the time, even before the rush.... we are happy to keep an eye out for you, or put you on a list for the latest and greatest when we get it, but quite frankly the holding/layaway/deposit/list stuff takes extra staff and effort that our little store cannot manage (while keeping prices as low as possible)....

I know it sucks, trust me, I work in one full time and I miss out on things too.... if someone holds something for me, is that fair? No, nor is it fair for me to hold something for our customers (even great ones like yourself, who buy lots and lots), just ask what you would feel like if you found that we were holding something you had the means and will to buy immediately for the guy that has purchased one or two more guns than you.... fair? no.... not in the least....

While it is certainly fair to mention to the ownership, I would make it a positive contact and really let them know how bad you would have liked to have that gun... do it well enough, and they may go out of their way to try and find one that meets your needs.... Go at it with an entitlement attitude and they may hope you take your business elsewhere....

I am really sorry you lost the revolver and hope you find an even better one at a even better price, but try not to get down on your LGS for selling guns.... they do have hundreds or thousands of customers to please, they cannot cater to individuals at the expense of others....

 

[nachogrande]

HOLD A GUN FOR ME

we don't know the full story. maybe he never got the msg, or maybe he has been burned before, I know I have. the phrase cash talks comes to mind. I will no longer drive 1/2 way to meet someone who could be hours late or pull a no show. I ask for a reasonable deposit that covers my gas and time, then put it towards the gun IF the sale happens, once burned, twice shy. we have all likely just missed on great deals, but that's the game we play. if you do know him well and him you and he did get the msg, then you have a legit beef and if you are local a ftf explaining to him you are a frequent buyer and he should have known you were good for it. maybe he got more $ from the newbie. on our side of the counter it's easy to remember a salesman's name for him to remember many customers names and stories is harder. in my field I had many Pt's, 100's and couldn't possibly keep it all straight and used index cards to get their name, family's name, pets name, hobbies, interests, birthdays, etc. a little phony and cheating but it made them feel better. my standard line when I meet them on the street and don't remember them from Adam is "I didn't recognize you without your bed".

 

[PMRet]

To me it's pretty simple, you don't have a deal until both parties agree on it. If he had replied to your email confirming that he would hold the gun until a certain time and then didn't do it, you have a gripe. Since he didn't, you don't. If it's something I want and I can't get there in person right away, I'm talking to the seller on the phone, not by email.

 

[JNewell]

I have been hunting for a 686 no lock for quite some time. My LGS sends an Email every Friday afternoon with new inventory etc. I emailed back within seconds asking if it was lock or no lock. He replied I was no lock. I replied within seconds if he would hold it until 11am Saturday. They open at 10. He did not reply. I got there at 10:15 this morning and somebody was doing paperwork on it. What the heck ? . Wasnt pleased. I spend a lot of money there on guns and accessories. Buyer was also taking the handgun test meaning he was a first time buyer. Oh well. Debating on whether to send him an angry email or not.

Emailing a busy merchant is a formula for disappointment. NEVER rely on an email - talk live voice or be prepared for problems.

 

[*chris*]

I would express my displeasure and ask for restitution. If he refuses, I then would vow to cut him a new one by besmirshing his business reputation via social media and word of mouth.

Seriously? Firearms are a MASSIVE sellers market right now. I bet even with a phone confirmation, which in today's society is more binding than an email, gun shops have a 50% success rate in closing a deal. If consumers don't show loyalty to stores, why do you think they would return the favor?

I bet if the OP called the shop and offered to put a deposit in the gun over the phone, he would be shooting it this weekend. I travel a bit for work and when my LGS gets in a rare gun I call, offer payment that they never accept, and ask for the clerks name. I have had them hold guns for almost a week a few times. Now they know me by name so I have no issues anymore.

In this market, to blame the store is weak. Remember that a bird in hand is worth more than two in the bush!

Chris

 

[Engineer1911]

At this time on GB, there are ~85 S&W 686 listed for bid. Probably 30 are no lock models. Go take a look and stop crying about the telephone call you didn't make. Your LGS is in business to sell merchandise, not become a "lay-away warehouse".

First come, first served. Money talks.

 

[gdnagle]

If you were a good customer there you should have called and talked to him personally and told him your intentions by voice and not email. Like others have stated sometimes shops get too busy to read every email. Times like now everything is selling if you wanted it that bad and you deal there a lot maybe you should have called and given a CC number to hold for you I'm sure if you deal with him a lot he would have held it or else he just had the attitude that it's a sellers market now and you will be back. I f it bothers you so bad find another shop to deal with or just live with it. I had a local shop give me bad service after buying several firearms and lots of ammo from them before what's going on now and I just moved on, buy firearms someplace else and ammo at Wally World when I find it now, will not deal there again. He's still in business selling what he has and doesn't even miss me, he's happy I'm happy.
And yes as someone else stated, very few people talk about how good a busness is big or small, only how bad they are.

 

[AveragEd]

My son and I were in our local gun shop yesterday. It's a one-man show that has been there for 46 years and now is only open from 6:00 to 8:00 evenings and 10:00 to noon on Saturdays but has a very nice inventory because the owner has spent those years building relationships with distributors all over the country.

The door opened and a man stuck his head in, didn't as much as walk inside or say "Hi" but asked, "Got any small pistol primers?" The owner looked at him and said he didn't. When the door closed without the guy as much as thanking him, I gestured toward the cases of CCI, Federal, Remington and Winchester small pistol and small pistol magnum primers stacked on the floor. The owner said he didn't need any new customers like that and if he sold him any primers, there would be less for customers like me. I have been going there since 1974 and appreciated that consideration.

A month ago, a shooter at a local club told me he needed Varget powder and every shop, including that one, told him they wouldn't receive any until August. A week or so later, I was loitering in the shop, shooting the bull with the owner and voiced my disappointment with the availability of Varget, as I had just discovered that my Remington Model 700VLS in 6mmREM shoots one-hole groups at 3,710fps with that powder and Berger's new 69-grain varmint bullet but I didn't have enough to load more than a few shells. The owner motioned with his head for me to follow him to a storage area where he dug around and handed me a jug of Varget. When I told him what the shooter at the club told me, he said, "I didn't lie to him - I don't expect to get any more until late summer."

Don't alienate yourself from that dealer. Some day, you might be considered a valued customer by him as I am by mine.

Ed

 

[slfree]

How do you figure? You don't get it do you? His email was purposely ignored because you don't ask someone to hold a gun for you!! Why should he? Do you call Walmart and ask them to hold something for you? I don't think so!!

Selfishness abounds here big time. If the OP was such a good customer then why has he never shared any good experiences with us about this gun shop?

The first thing you learn in business is there is no such thing as customer loyalty. And you make rules to protect your business which apply to everybody!

And this is why I have no loyalty to businesses. This is why I will shop and fondle their inventory and let it sit on the shelf. Then order from a place like Buds and use a tabletop FFL for the paperwork. Business often care not for their customers, and I have no doubt that they can feel it when in that store. Its a new retail world and you are NOT the only place I can get what I choose to spend MY money on.
I do not owe any local business anything. What's forgotten today
is that shop owners have to earn our dollars. When I encounter the "take it or leave it" attitude I usually leave it. If age has taught me anything its that I don't have to buy anything from you.
I have a passion for photography. Ask me about Cameta Camera in New York. I'm in Podunk Texas. My last 2 cameras came from them. Over 50k positive feedbacks on ebay, yet 24 hours will not pass before any question I ask is answered. They have for years treated me better than the locals in Houston, while saving me $300+ per body. They are my first stop. Seldom my only stop. I still visit the locals. Dropped $350 for a $100(retail) light meter I needed that evening to the locals. Don't you know I left a happy customer after that fleecing, and they were very nice. Do you think I would ever just go in there now, and buy something? Do you think I gush to my friends about how nice those people are? And they were nice. Just drop your pants customer, bend over, and we will get you on your way.

 

[AveragEd]

Some people just don't understand how much it costs to do business face-to-face and never will because they value price more than service. I was an auto dealership service manager for 38 years and used to laugh to myself at the customers who bought their new car or truck from a local dealer who sold just above invoice but because of that, couldn't afford to stock parts, employ skilled technicians or give loaner cars for the days it usually took for them to finish a repair. When their customers came crawling in my door pleading with me to help them, I always did but let them know that our customers' vehicles were our priority. Most never bought a second vehicle from that other dealer, who abandoned his low-cost marketing strategy after a few years of learning it was costing him customers.

We have a discount gun shop about 40 miles away that many area shooters patronize. I often ask them if saving, say, eight bucks on a $100 jug of powder is worth the vehicle fuel and wear and tear plus their travel time and point out that when they discover while loading shells one evening that they need something, the local gun shop is where they are going to go.

If we don't patronize the local shops for the things we want, they wont be around to help us with the things we need.

Ed

 

[KEN L]

Lesson learned. I, like several others here, believe you, the OP, screwed up on this one. Unless you had an e-mail confirmation they WOULD hold it, you have no real complaint. A phone call is always better, get the name of the person you are talking to. A personal visit to the the shop is always best, especially if you have that good of a relationship with them. I also believe from your past history with the store you have no intention of not doing business there anymore. I would have a face to face, non confrontational conversation with the owner/manager to determine what went wrong and figure out how to avoid same in the future. Sounds like an internal breakdown in communications to me. I know it's frustrating when you go back to a shop only to find out your prize has gone to someone else, but over the years I have learned there is a reason this happens. I wasn't meant to have it because something else better is coming along. And you know what? It always does! Chin up, you can't buy them all and there are plenty more out there to be had!

 

[jack the toad]

At this time on GB, there are ~85 S&W 686 listed for bid. Probably 30 are no lock models. Go take a look and stop crying about the telephone call you didn't make. Your LGS is in business to sell merchandise, not become a "lay-away warehouse".

First come, first served. Money talks.

+1. I agree.
To the OP, sorry to hear about your misfortune of missed opportunity to purchase a gun you obviously wanted, but who's to say that the purchaser didn't receive a similar email and happened to arrive before you?

 

[Doug M.]

If you didn't get a confirmation email in a time period you consider reasonable, then you should have called. I use email at work because it serves a lot of important purposes, but when seconds count, I have to use the phone instead or in addition. Our IT folks have a different view of acceptable system reliability than I do, and there are times that I cannot do what I need to - drives me buggy. (And email has been my primary method of communication for most of 3 decades, starting with the internal system of notes on a computer network at the U of Illinois - so I have no patience with not being able to get through.)

 

[mc5aw]

FACTS as presented:

Customer XYZ has a good relationship with LGS, doing repeat business on a regular basis.

Customer XYZ gets an inventory email from LGS, and identifies a revolver he would like to purchase.

Customer XYZ confirms via email the Non IL status of the revolver, and emails a request to LGS to hold revolver.

Customer XYZ receives no email confirmation about requested hold.

Customer XYZ visits LGS soon after and finds the revolver being sold to someone else.

Customer XYZ feels that LGS "hosed" him by not giving him preferential treatment.

Customer XYZ needs to relax, and not take it personally. A C-A-S-H buyer beat him to the revolver. It happens to all of us. Life goes on.

 

[Kanewpadle]

FACTS as presented:

Customer XYZ has a good relationship with LGS, doing repeat business on a regular basis.

Customer XYZ gets an inventory email from LGS, and identifies a revolver he would like to purchase.

Customer XYZ confirms via email the Non IL status of the revolver, and emails a request to LGS to hold revolver.

Customer XYZ receives no email confirmation about requested hold.

Customer XYZ visits LGS soon after and finds the revolver being sold to someone else.

Customer XYZ feels that LGS "hosed" him by not giving him preferential treatment.

Customer XYZ needs to relax, and not take it personally. A C-A-S-H buyer beat him to the revolver. It happens to all of us. Life goes on.

Yes, how many times has it happened? You walk in just as someone has purchased the very gun you've been looking for?

Or you simply don't have the money?

Happens to me all the time!!

I have established very good relationships with three LGS. Been shopping with them for years and have worked for them too.

I quite often get preferential treatment but I don't ask nor expect it. If I tell them I'm on my way, they will hold a gun for me. They will take it and put it somewhere out of sight.

Respect, patience, and true loyalty goes a long way. But if you complain, repeatedly ask for discounts, or are just a general pain in the butt, you get ignored or treated likewise.

I like it when a guy walks in to a LGS and say's "just bought this gun at the gun show". "how much is it worth?"

Or, "just bought this gun at XYZ gun shop", "got a holster for it?"

People don't know when to shut up. These are usually the guys that when they drive up to the LGS, the staff says "oh great He's back!" Then they talk about him after he's gone!!

Don't be one of those guys!