Customer Service

[Guest EasilyObsessed]

Has anyone else noticed that the firearms industry seems to be the only group with any concept of customer service these days?

Anytime I have had any problems with any of my guns or accessories, I have encountered nothing but people standing fully behind their products and exceptional customer service.

Point in case, one of my Blackdog 22 AR clips today cracked around the feed lips. I sent Blackdog an email around noon today not expecting any response for at least a couple days. Instead, I had an email back no more than 2 hours later asking for my address so they could send me out a new magazine.

I wish other businesses could follow the firearm industries example and learn to take care of customers. Seems that with other products it takes 10 phone calls, 15 emails, and threatening someone to get anything taken care of.

In conclusion, I love guns

/End Rant

[Guest c.a.s.]

I know what you mean...I had to send *looks over sentbox* just short of 20 emails, and make a call before they even told me my product was out of stock! It took about an hour talking to them on the phone to get them to change the order to a different color option so they could ship it out! That's why I hate dealing with customer service.

*edit* I ordered a watch. And it still took them another three weeks to ship it out. Needless to say I only order if I don't need what I'm ordering anytime soon, or I can't get it anywhere else.

[The Rabbi]

That's certainly the case with Smith, Ruger, and a few other manufacturers.

But let me tell you about Taurus and why I dont want to stock their product anymore.

Nine months ago I had a customer come in needing a thumbpiece and screw for his Taurus revolver. I called Taurus. Twenty minutes on the phone with them until they disconnected the call. Another 20 minutes. I place the order and am told they are out of stock. No, they dont know when they will have the item. No they dont know about how long it usually takes to get them in. But they'll send it when it comes.

Two months ago I had two customers come in with revolver problems, needing the spring and plunger that activate the cylinder stop. I call Taurus and order the parts, which they assure me they will send.

Six weeks goes by and one customer calls me. I advise him that Taurus is bad about sending parts, maybe he ought to just return his for service.

He calls them and they tell him, oh we don't send parts, even to FFLs. News to me.

So he sends the gun in. Meanwhile I call to check on my order. Yup, they were out of stock. But my thumbpiece is in and they will send it out right away. That was 3 weeks ago and I'm still waiting.

If this experience were unique I'd chalk it up to who knows what. But everyone I've talked to about this has had similar experiences.

[Guest Len]

I too have been universally satisfied with customer service in the firearms industry with the exception of retail dealers. Yes, it seems most manufacturers stand behind their products and often go "above and beyond" the call to keep their customers happy -as well they should since gun folks like to buy stuff and word of a bad product or experience will spread like wildfire.

But I have heard/seen too many stories of poor customer experiences on the retail end at local gun stores. Shabby stores, sales staff that ignore or mock customers, uninviting storefronts that practically scare away newbies. All bad stuff for our industry. If you have found great service, or poor service, I think its important to share your experiences with the rest of the community. Money talks, and dollars walking out the door can go a long way to improving customer service. (or towards the going out of business sale if things are not corrected!)

[Marswolf]

We all probably have horror stories about local gun stores. It takes a lot of work to build clientele and keep them. One bad experience will keep a potentially good customer away until the shop folds.

It takes a fair amount of money to open a good shop. You have to have what people want, not just what you like to carry. I keep hitting one local pretty inconvenient shop because they are the only folks who carry a fair number of H&Ks.

There is an old rule in selling that you can't sell from an empty cart. These days, you can order from "carts" all over the country online. If a dealer has something I want in stock, I'll buy from them at a higher price. If they can get it next day for me, I'll pay them a bit more than online for their trouble. But I pay the premium price to get to hold the weapon before I actually buy it.

You also have to be friendly with your customers and do what you say you will do. I ordered my USP 40 from a shop. Took him a gun in trade that he sold quickly. He kept holding the order until I finally had to get a bit nasty with him. Finally got the USP. I had bought a number of guns from him. How many do you think I bought from him after that? Not much in his shop now. I keep waiting for the word that he has closed.

We've gone through a lot of local gun shops in recent years. The ones that have gone out of business did so because of their business practices. They weren't friendly, or they didn't carry what I like, or they didn't get in news items, or they never got in something new for you to drop in and handle, or their prices were totally ridiculous for the same item everyone else was carrying at a lower price. Lots of reasons.

[The Rabbi]

You're largely right. Gun shop are operated mostly by middle-aged men with either military or LE experience and not a lot of retail savvy. They tend to see the Internet as a threat rather than a tool. In some ways, that makes it easier for the rest of us:)

OTOH, there is a constant frustration. Let's take Kimber. They make I dont know how many models. You can't stock all of them. So you pick the commander size in blue. Invariably the customer wants stainless. Or full-size or whatever. Ditto with every other brand. Meanwhile you have $5-800 tied up in the gun. If I actually sold a gun every time a customer told me "if that was X I'd buy it in a heartbeat" I'd be long retired by now.

It isn't the customer's fault. If he's laying down $600 then he has every right to get exactly what he wants. But it is a constant guessing what people will want. I hope I'm getting better at it as I go but this is why prices are higher than on the internet or selection is worse.

[Marswolf]

I'll tell you a little story that has nothing to do with guns.

I have a friend who is into computers. He and I helped start an Atari club locally before the PC even came out. Anyway, they opened a new software shop in a mall and he went to work there. About this time the Amiga came out. Nobody was selling the things - except him. If you went to ComputerLand, they had what they had. If you were a kid, they rushed you out of the store in a hurry.

But when kids came into my friend's store, he grabbed them and asked if they had seen the latest Amiga game. Pretty much pushed them into a chair in front of an Amiga and got the game up and running for them. The kids didn't have any money for a computer of course. But a funny thing happened...the kids he insisted play the games and made them feel welcome brought their parents in and he sold a pile of computers. He was tops in the country for Amiga sales in fact. Needless to say, the company made him a manager, then regional manager. He quit to start his own small ISP business that he sold for a nice profit to a major ISP and he worked for them as a consultant.

He knew computers, but more importantly he knew how to sell and make opportunities when other shops were mindlessly turning away secondary sales. How many kids would have dragged their parents into ComputerLand instead? How many kids dragged their friends into his store and those kids brought their parents?

Gun shops can do the same. Greet people as they come through the door. Ask if they've see the latest whatever and push it into their hand. Be enthusiastic. They may not have funds for a gun that day, but they might later. If they like the atmosphere, they'll say nice things about your shop and bring in their friends. Smiles and friendliness don't cost you anything.

[Guest Terry J]

My uncle owns a gun shop in Nebraska and I would usually have my dad buy whatever I wanted and the next time I was up there i would pick it up. Or I would call My uncle and he would order it for me and my dad would pick it up when he went there next. Usually once every week or two. I have never had to wait for anything from him and as far as i know neither has anyone else. I call him and tell him what i want and he orders it and usually next day depending on the time of day I called him or the day after it was there. I havent dealt with alot of people here but Guns and ammo seams decent and brighton arms Is decent on their prices but my experience hasnt been to favorable on trade ins. But I can understand people need to make money I just dont care to bend over while they do it.

[dariks]

For my birthday my wife got me a gift certificate to Guns and Leather. Before I went down there I checked our bank balance and saw that we had been charged twice for the amount of the gift certificate. I was pretty pissed about so I went down to the store with the attitude of "If they don't take care of this problem I will never buy from them again". The owner happened to be there that day and when I explained about the double charges he immediately went and looked through his records and receipts. And ya know what? It wasn't his fault. It was the @$#%# banks fault. But the way he handled the situation and the speed with which it was resolved greatly impressed me.

It's customer service like this that will keep me coming back.