Gun Shop Loyalty

B

BlueEyeVisage

Inactive
A little background information. I am a young shooter (23) who has been shooting for quite some time, however, living in a no gun household I have yet to get a firearm to call my own. I've developed what I thought a solid business relationship with a small gun shop's owner and sole employee. Typically we talk about gun legislation, cowboy movies and whatever else comes to mind and he's even told me to come by often to do this. I recently did extremely good at my job as far as monetary gain, enough so that I finally have enough to get a firearm on the cheapside (going to school and supporting my mothers household) with my commission. I went by and talked to him and he brought up a gun he literally just got that was right up my alley. He however, did not have the gun on hand for me to inspect as he left it at home and given the next day was Easter and he's closed on Monday's he said come by on Tuesday to check it out. I told him I would check it but if it can shoot (safely) I will get it Friday and expressed sole interest right there. So I went in a couple hours after he opened today to check it out, as I was walking in I held the door for a leaving customer, when I asked about the gun he apparently had just sold it to the guy I opened the door for.

He showed me other guns he got used but as though nothing happened, but given I spent 2 whole days researching it and excited about my first handgun being this particular piece (it had a history to it and was more like a mass produced one of a kind, if that makes sense?) I now do not want to even give any of my business to him and am very disappointed and annoyed, as when we spoke he didn't mention putting down the money to put it on hold or that he was going to sell it to anyone before showing me it (I was very clear I wanted it) Is this an overreaction? I understand the concept of business being business but I feel business can and should be personal for this sort of thing. The guy who bought it stated he only wanted to fill up a new gun safe and with how many gun's he has he could of easily sold any other gun and he knows until school is over my budget for this is minimal.

Have any of you had similar experiences, or just an experience that made you 'break up' with your local go to gunshop? How far does your gunshop loyalty go and how did that shop get your loyalty? Am I just being a brat about it and should get over it or is it understandable to be this disappointed? What would you expect of a gun shop to do to make this sort of thing up to you or rectify the situation?


PS. I have not made any purchases with him in his defense, but I also haven't stated I was going to right then and there like I did.
 
I guess we can all understand your disappointment about getting your first gun, but maybe if you tell us what it was, it could be nothing to get upset about.

Also, you have to understand that he's in the business of selling guns, and if he had this one sitting in his case for sale, it's first come first served. Besides, there are plenty more where that one came from. If you really want that particular model and he can't get it for you, then get it from someone else that can. It works both ways.
 
That's what I expected, but I discussed the fact that I was paying on Friday and he said Ok and come check it out Tuesday to make sure. I assumed that meant he'd at least let me say yay or nay on Tuesday but I guess the old saying is true.

Assume

Ass of you and me. :P

It was a .38 Special Police Special 4 Inch Barrel. The main kicker is it may of been the side arm of an officer who arrested Martin Luther King. Not a rare gun, but the potential history was very fascinating to me.
 
"The main kicker is it may of been the side arm of an officer who arrested Martin Luther King. "

Meh...I wouldn't believe that for a second unless it came with some reputable provenance. Someone's blowing smoke to boost the price.

If you're sold on a .38 Police Special, by all means go get one somewhere else.
 
It would of made a fun project to find out however, but he was selling it for 180 which is on the low end. Even though the gun was bought he still had it there for me to be sad about, I gave it a look over and no cylinder shake, rifling is good, cylinders all line up, and the action is crisp. So 180 is a great price for the gun itself in it's condition, the blueing was almost all greyed down but there was practically no holster wear which may point to the history being not so true. More time goes past and the more I talk about it the less I care about the gun itself, but still hurt by the offense. :/
 
If the gun had the provenance to prove, or even hint that it could have been carried by the officer that arrested MLK, there's no way it would sell for $180. I don't think we'd be looking into the thousands though either, unless the provenance was rock solid.

I understand the hurt. I've never had something like this happen with a gun before, but it has happened with other things. Unfortunately, he has a business to run, and a guaranteed sale to someone with cash in hand is worth more than a "verbal sale" by someone who comes in and chats, but never buys anything. Lesson learned, if you want something, put some money down. I'm sure they would have held it if you'd put 1/3 down.

It's very likely they interpreted the "business relationship" differently. If money or goods weren't being exchanged, I'm guessing they didn't see it the same way you did, unfortunately. Keep looking, you'll find another love. :)
 
The LGS I go to is great and has the best prices in town . I believe both you and the gun store must earn each others respect . I bought many firearms there just last year so when I walk in I get help fast and they spend the time to walk me through stuff . They take care of me cus they know I will buy . I think if you had bought guns from this guy before he may have held it . I do not know your total relationship with this store but would he have had any reason to think you were not really all that serious about buying the gun ? How many times have you said you are planning on buying a gun but never bought one ?

The store I go to is a chain store thats only in CA called Turners Outdoorsman . Maybe only a third of the employees know me and if I have to I'll will wait to be helped by one of the guys I know .

If you feel he wronged you , respectfully let him know how you feel . You should know pretty quick if the connection you thought you had with this guy was real . I would not expect him to bend over back wards for you but if he's willing to do something to make it right there may still be something there but if he does nothing to help you out :( . If he says he's going to set you up with a good deal and does , I think you have to buy or all respect will be lost .
 
Yeah I think I may follow up with him, we'll see.

As far as promises, the only thing's I have mentioned to him is that I want the 15-22 and also a scope he carries, however I've provided no promise to buy and even told him buying a gun was on my back seat sadly due to family obligations. The purpose of my visit that he told me about that gun before today was I was informing him that I did well enough at work I was "treating" myself and told him my budget was in the 100's when he told me about this gun. He told me buying it on Friday was fine and to come by and inspect it on Tuesday without mentioning needing to put down a deposit (I would have put down one if it was implied given my lack of purchasing history)

When I finish school (less than year) I'll be a licensed Optician, my place of employment has already informed me of my pay being changed to 300% it's current wage plus many other benefits. He knows about that as well which is when I was planning on buying a gun originally, a sort of graduation splurge. :/

If it doesn't work out, I hope to have a LGS like you two for sure, I'm sure they will enjoy my business as I'm sure I will enjoy their commodities. :D
 
It may have seemed to the OP that the gun was promised, but from the dealer's point of view the OP was just somebody who expressed an interest in the gun. Just like the guy who bought it, only he was ready to buy first.

I'm sure it was disappointing, but the deal's not done until cash changes hands.
 
This would be a good lesson for you also that it's usually about the money. Your main loyalty should be to your own wallet regardless of how nice the gun shop owner is. If the gunshop is not a gunsmith but just a retail store loyalty is not usually necessary. I went to buy a Kimber from a gun shop but wanted different sights installed and he couldn't do it. Why would I pay a higher price for that firearm? No sale.
 
My LGS doubled their prices on ammo and raised gun prices by 20-25% arbitrarily.

I found someone else equally as nice who didn't gouge.
 
if you hadn't purchased anything from the LGS yet and if you didn't put down a deposit then i'm afraid the owner did nothing wrong. he's running a business and he can't sit on guns that could easily be sold to someone else that has cash in hand. I wouldn't begrudge him for it. just take it as a learning experience.
 
Life is a 2 way road.

-The guy is a salesman he sells guns and probably hears "I will buy next week" all the time but money talks.

-You are a customer you are buying a gun maybe someone has it cheaper, money talks.

or

-The guys hold the gun for you because he knows you want it and said you would be in for it. A man is his word.

-You see the gun somewhere else cheaper but you gave someone your word you would buy it from them and they have always looked out for you.
 
I'm going the other way.
Understanding that you had in conversation indicated that you probably wanted the gun and he had agreed to show it to you on Tuesday , I think the LGS owner should have at least told the guy he sold it to that you were coming io to look at it and that if you didn't want it, he had next dibs.
Just my opinion but I know that the manager of the gun shop I dealt with for years always did me this way. He left the shop a couple of years ago and the new manager is the kind of guy that will sell anything as fast as he can. Nothing wrong with doing business that way, just not with me.
If your're really P.O.'d about it, look around and find another store that treats you the way you like. It's your money, spend it where you feel best.
 
I live in a small town in NJ, a state where firearms dealers are few and far between. I'm lucky enough to have an FFL just about 5 minutes from home (the next closest is 40 minutes away and the guy is a jerk) called just sports. Being the small town that this is I've been going in there for years for everything from fishing supplies to co2 for my paintball guns as a kid. My father actually built the owners house and the whopping 3 employees there all know me by first name.

Being a small business in NJ their prices have always been somewhat high.. more then Dicks Sports obviously but also a little more then other local stores around. They know they're the only game in town and that's ok. I've always paid the little extra for the convience and friendly service.

Although I've bought a couple firearms from them directly most of my firearm business with them has been transfers. I'm very interested in mil-surp and C&R guns..that's what I love so that's what I buy. They don't generally stock those kinds of weapons and when they do they are literally sky high on the price.

The going rate for transfers there was for years, $40 for a used firearm plus $16 to the state (on top of the $20 to the state for the permit to purchase). On a new firearm it was $50 + $16. While that probably sounds high in comparison to the rest of the country here in NJ it was actually about average at least for used stuff.

Well A few months back I went in there and told them I was going to order another Tokarev (a $200 gun) and they said ok just like normal we'll call you when it gets here. So I wait and get a call when it comes in. I went to check it out and the gun was beautiful so I accepted it.. waited for my NICS check to come back (took about a week, no so "instant") I go to pick it up and pay my dues and then they lay it on me...

The raised the fee from $40 + $16 to $85 + $16.

I almost crapped. And remember this is on a $200 gun thats I've already bought and paid $20 shipping on. I was so angry that they didn't even have the decency all that time to tell me they had changed their rates ...they didn't post a sign or anything. So now I've got a gun worth $200 That I basically paid $320 for.

Anyway long story still very long... I no longer do business with them
 
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Well A few months back I went in there and told them I was going to order another Tokarev (a $200 gun) and they said ok just like normal we'll call you when it gets here. So I wait and get a call when it comes in. I went to check it out and the gun was beautiful so I accepted it.. waited for my NICS check to come back (took about a week, no so "instant") I go to pick it up and pay my dues and then they lay it on me...

The raised the fee from $40 + $16 to $85 + $16.

I almost crapped. And remember this is on a $200 gun thats I've already bought and paid $20 shipping on. I was so angry that they didn't even have the decency all that time to tell me they had changed their rates ...they didn't post a sign or anything. So now I've got a gun worth $200 That I basically paid $320 for.

Anyway long story still very long... I no longer do business with them
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in this instance the honus is on the business for not telling you about their increased rates. they should've said something to you when you told them you were buying another firearm. they also should've advertised their increased rates either on their website or on the front door of their establishment. making arbitrary price increases seems like bad business to me.
 
Money talks, BS walks. Old saying, but still true. It is customary among gun retailers that until they have your money in hand, whatever gun you were looking at, considering, gawking over, serious about, gonna take it, will be back in a jiffy, or definitely going to buy is FOR SALE. The gun retailer is in the business to get you to part with your $$$ for his wares. You are not doing the guy a favor by chatting it up with him, or expressing interest in something, or even buying something. It's just business.

The good news is that there is no (real) shortage of guns. I promise you, you will find one you like even better, will be more excited about it and will (hopefully) want to post some pictures of your new prize.
 
To break it down simply, BlueEye, yes, it sucks, but in this environment, if you want something, you move on it now, because it very likely is not going to be there 5 minutes from now.

Yes, you showed interest in the gun, but did you actually make a commitment to the gunshop owner?

And just for the record, showing interest does NOT equal a commitment.

The shop owner is in business to sell firearms when a paying customer comes through the door.

He supports himself and pays his bills when people part with their money for the products he has.

He doesn't support himself or pay his bills with your interest.
 
And just for the record, showing interest does NOT equal a commitment.
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Agreed. If I held a gun for everyone who showed interest, I'd have dozens of guns sitting in a cabinet gathering dust. No offense to the OP, but inventory is very difficult to get right now, and that makes cash flow a big problem for retailers. They can't afford to sit on stuff.

You have to accept that they need to keep what inventory they get moving. The alternative is to raise prices on existing inventory through the roof to make ends meet.
 
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