Annoyed by Lack of Basic Customer Service

[jlautiger]

Is anyone else annoyed by the new practice of customer service by some "overwhelmed" businesses who sell firearms, ammo, or anything else firearms related?  So many sites now don't answer phone calls, don't answer email, ship when they get to it, reduce order quantity, and, generally, have forgotten of any resemblance of basic customer service.  And, I'm talking about after they have taken your order and, in some cases, after they've taken your money.

 

In some cases, I'm now scrambling to find alternative sources, at higher pricing, to fill the gaps in orders that were cancelled this week but placed weeks ago.  Uggh!!  Really??  It took this long?? Makes me wonder if they'd rather sell to others at today's pricing rather than fulfill my order at last month's pricing.

 

At least, there are some businesses that only take orders for what they have in stock, ship relatively quickly, and still know how to run a business.  We should start a "good guy" or "good gal" list for those businesses.

 

 

[Major Kong]

I've sent two emails in the last week to a well known guy that I want to hard chrome two of my handguns. I'd like to send him two pistols and several hundred dollars in the mail. He can't even bother to return an email.

[TNcitizen22]

Customer service in most every industry is lacking if you ask me.  Quality of workers I find to be generally poor.

[glock55]

Is anyone else annoyed by the new practice of customer service by some "overwhelmed" businesses who sell firearms, ammo, or anything else firearms related?  So many sites now don't answer phone calls, don't answer email, ship when they get to it, reduce order quantity, and, generally, have forgotten of any resemblance of basic customer service.  And, I'm talking about after they have taken your order and, in some cases, after they've taken your money.

 

In some cases, I'm now scrambling to find alternative sources, at higher pricing, to fill the gaps in orders that were cancelled this week but placed weeks ago.  Uggh!!  Really??  It took this long?? Makes me wonder if they'd rather sell to others at today's pricing rather than fulfill my order at last month's pricing.

 

At least, there are some businesses that only take orders for what they have in stock, ship relatively quickly, and still know how to run a business.  We should start a "good guy" or "good gal" list for those businesses.

 

NEWS FLASH; THIS JUST IN -- these are not normal times. Do you really think these business want to provide poor customer service? Perhaps the dip in their normal service levels may have something to do with all the panic buying going on now. Visit the websites of Glockmeister,JP Rifles,Midway ect. and they will explain how they are doing the best they can. Yes i want to order 15 mags for each of my 8 Glocks but that is just not possible now. I also understand its not the fault of Glock,Glockmeister or any other vendor i normally use. We can stand around and complain about the current state of affairs or try to be more understanding and present a unified front to those who seek our down fall.

 

Please dont take this as a personal attack,thats not my intent, but we can nip at each others heels like a pack of dogs,or we can focus our efforts on ways to over come the liberals who have created this situation.

[kieefer]

Is anyone else annoyed by the new practice of customer service by some "overwhelmed" businesses who sell firearms, ammo, or anything else firearms related?  So many sites now don't answer phone calls, don't answer email, ship when they get to it, reduce order quantity, and, generally, have forgotten of any resemblance of basic customer service.  And, I'm talking about after they have taken your order and, in some cases, after they've taken your money.

 

In some cases, I'm now scrambling to find alternative sources, at higher pricing, to fill the gaps in orders that were cancelled this week but placed weeks ago.  Uggh!!  Really??  It took this long?? Makes me wonder if they'd rather sell to others at today's pricing rather than fulfill my order at last month's pricing.

 

At least, there are some businesses that only take orders for what they have in stock, ship relatively quickly, and still know how to run a business.  We should start a "good guy" or "good gal" list for those businesses.

 

I imagine the "stress" of the current madness has a few on edge, cut them some slack. Might be a good idea to be sure the "good guys" are contributers to the site as well and keep the negative comments to yourself.

[Major Kong]

I imagine the "stress" of the current madness has a few on edge, cut them some slack. Might be a good idea to be sure the "good guys" are contributers to the site as well and keep the negative comments to yourself.

Customer service is a culture, it doesn't get good or bad just because you get busy. Midway, Brownells, etc are still providing the great CS they did before all this panic stupidity started. The ones with bad CS just had it amplified by the situation.

[runco]

I for one, I have never valued customer service for non-service related purchases.  I choose retailers for one reason, and one reason only, price not value.  I am 44, likely have spent over $1 million in my life on purchaes, not once when I look back, customer service meant anything to me.  Now customer service at a resturant, doctor's office, and other service providers, yea that means something, but not for buying stuff, especially buying a car.  Value on customer service is a joke!  Bottom line "to me" is the price I paid!

[daddyo]

Customer service in most every industry is lacking if you ask me.  Quality of workers I find to be generally poor.

 

This. If it weren't for bad customer service, many business would have no customer service at all.

[frankmako]

Customer service in most every industry is lacking if you ask me.  Quality of workers I find to be generally poor.

plus one.  been this way for years.  kids these days grow up without any up bringing and the know how of how to do a good job and/or work at a job.  in other words they are "worthless".  when they get a real job they carry their life style with them to the job,, worthless. 

[Guest 6.8 AR]

The ones who know how to run a business generally have good customer service. There were plenty when things were much slower,

who had lousy customer service. Same group now, with more added to the list. Quality usually remains quality and only deterioriates

towards the end of their business. Crap is always crap, however you slice it. We have always had crap in the gun trade that throw out

sales just enough to get people to do business with them temporarily. They are usually temporary businesses, also. No need to name

names, though. If you can't tell one from the other, you haven't done your homework.

 

As far as what Kong refers to, that could be a completely different story. Reputations usually stay consistent unless the guy got sick or

something else. Not normal.

[TGO David]

We live in interesting times as gun owners.  As glock55 said times are not normal.  Normally you could just walk into a local gun shop and find ammo, rifles, magazines, etc. and browse at a leisurely pace and buy something if the price seemed reasonable.  Presently you are lucky if you can even get into a store without standing in line, lucky if you can find a rifle that isn't brown and bolt operated, lucky if you aren't limited to buying just one or two boxes of ammo because the store is trying to combat hoarders who are flipping the ammo for 500% profit at gun shows, and lucky if the price of anything is what it used to be just eight weeks ago.

 

Times have changed.  The small single-proprietor business consisting of one guy who makes holsters, answers the phone, updates his own web site and ships things out when they're ready to go is completely overloaded right now.  And as consumers, we have decades of "I want it right now" experience that tends to make us petulant assholes who think that one guy ought to be kissing our butts for the chance to serve us.

 

I've got news for you:  That one guy is probably working more hours per week than the customer is right now.  In fact, if the customer has free time to try to visit his store, or call him on the phone, or email him at all during daylight hours, I can guarantee you that he's working more hours than the customer is.

 

Collectively as gun owners and consumers, we need to get off our high horses and stop being such complete dicks about this.  We can either suck it up and wait our turn in line and support the folks who are in business providing the things we want to buy, or we can keep acting like a bunch of spoiled four year-olds and push them out of business from sheer burnout.

 

It's our choice.

[enfield]

A couple of years ago, Precision Reloading took my order, and my money, for a shotshell reloading manual that they apparently hadn't finished writing yet.  I got it 7 months later.  They found out that I wasn't happy.

 

I haven't shopped there since, and won't again..

[jtluttrell]

Times have changed.  The small single-proprietor business consisting of one guy who makes holsters, answers the phone, updates his own web site and ships things out when they're ready to go is completely overloaded right now.  And as consumers, we have decades of "I want it right now" experience that tends to make us petulant assholes who think that one guy ought to be kissing our butts for the chance to serve us.

 

I've got news for you:  That one guy is probably working more hours per week than the customer is right now.  In fact, if the customer has free time to try to visit his store, or call him on the phone, or email him at all during daylight hours, I can guarantee you that he's working more hours than the customer is.

 

Collectively as gun owners and consumers, we need to get off our high horses and stop being such complete dicks about this.  We can either suck it up and wait our turn in line and support the folks who are in business providing the things we want to buy, or we can keep acting like a bunch of spoiled four year-olds and push them out of business from sheer burnout.

 

It's our choice.

 

 

Nailed it. This goes beyond the firearms industry. Having been that one guy for the better part of 2 years now, I can attest to the fact that some people has insanely unrealistic expectations. When you try to go the extra mile and be overly accommodating, people will take advantage of this and will not hesitate to run you into the ground. Now, I still strive for great customer service and accommodate everyone I can, but it doesn't take long to realize that a line must be drawn somewhere. It has certainly changed the way I deal with other businesses. You have to try and consider the people behind the business. 

[jlautiger]

In reading my original post, I was too general and the other posts have highlighted this fact.

 

I should have asked "where do you draw the line at being patient and trusting the business?".  In my case, I'm talking about orders placed before the madness for in-stock product, charged my credit card, show "complete", but nothing has shipped, and that now have reached the point of having to decide to dispute the credit card charge.  In one case, the business is still selling the product at a higher price and, in another case, the order value is so high that my trust meter is ringing in my ears.

 

Otherwise, I agree with the comments:

 - Times have changed

 - Good businesses continue to be good businesses

 - Businesses that weren't run the most efficiently are being exasperated now

 - Need to decide what is worth fighting for and what is not and support those who are fighting for the right things

 

So, I'm not being too negative in the above, I'll give a counter example to my above dilemma - there's one well known gentleman that sells stocks and misc. parts for older rifles.  Everyone knows, if you look around a little, that his response time can be very, very slow (even before the madness).  You can place an order, forget you placed an order, and, then, magically your order shows up and what you've ordered exceeds your expectations in either condition of the stock or parts or in the extras he's added in.  I don't worry too much about him and actually recommend him.  He has another distraction he supports that I wholeheartedly believe in and support and any delay from him is entirely forgiven.  That's Fred of Fred's M14 Stocks and his other distraction is Appleseed.

[Major Kong]

I stand by my statement. Businesses that had a good customer service culture before this crap have maintained it.

 

Not having an item to sell doesn't equal bad customer service. Having a crappy or condescending attitude does.

[TGO David]

I stand by my statement. Businesses that had a good customer service culture before this crap have maintained it.

 

Not having an item to sell doesn't equal bad customer service. Having a crappy or condescending attitude does.

 

Very true.  Unfortunately, though, good businesses with good customer service are getting dinged for not answering the phone or rationing gear or other such things by the people who have unrealistic expectations.

[Metalhead]

We get the not answering the phone thing alot lately. Unless I dedicate at a minimum two people to solely answer the phone there are going to be alot of calls going unanswered. That is also two people I'm pulling off the counter helping the folks that took the time to drive up and see us. We answer the phones when we can, and majority of the time either myself or my brother are standing there answering them back to back in between doing trades, buying, and talking with distribs to get the products that the calls are asking about. I mean, feel free to call, but dont get upset when the phones are already busy, or we cant get to them by the second ring.

Edited January 26, 2013 by Metalhead

[mav]

I agree with Major Kong's earlier statement. 

 

I would also add that there are people (customers) who are very demanding and are never happy.  When times were good and supply was plentiful, they would bitch about some vendor's price being $10.00 too high on a firearm, their ammo was $1.00 a box too much, or they only stock some accessory in only one color.  Now that things have become  less plentiful, they will bitch about things not being available.  As with everything, there are just some people that will never be pleased and will always find something to bitch about.

 

As a side note, there are currently several things I would like to buy, but either they are unavailable with no ETA on restock or the price is more than I am willing to pay.  Ya know whose fault it is that I don't have what I want?  The guy typing this post.  The only person that needs to be bitched as is me, and that is for not being prepared and assuming that there would be plenty of time, and that times would remain good.  Lesson learned.

[UncleJak]

From one of my old bosses: "the customer is always right, unless they are wrong".

[glock55]

As a side note, there are currently several things I would like to buy, but either they are unavailable with no ETA on restock or the price is more than I am willing to pay.  Ya know whose fault it is that I don't have what I want?  The guy typing this post.  The only person that needs to be bitched as is me, and that is for not being prepared and assuming that there would be plenty of time, and that times would remain good.  Lesson learned.

 

Brother your not the only one that has learned a lesson. when this is over i'll never get caught with my pants down again