shop took my money for Glock 20 can't get gun after 5 months or return my money

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it's not unusual for shops to not offer refunds on special orders.
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True, but it is unusual for them to want full price up front. Most want 10%-25%. Wanting full price would have been a red flag for me to shop elsewhere.
 
I know of several shops locally who have done this. In one case, I think it's a way of them doing a no-interest loan with the customer's money.

In any case, contesting the charge with your credit card issuer is the easiest route. Unless you signed something in writing saying you agreed to wait this long, they don't have a leg to stand on.
 
lightjunkie... how about you tell us the name of the store. Perhaps there's somebody on the board who has some sway and can help you out.
 
unfortunately

I paid cash and have receipt, and I am in Az I would be happy if they just sold me the gun even at the inflated price but again when I saw other local shops I asked for money backand was willing to pay restocking fee for somethiing they never even received and they refused.I askedb for store credit and they still refused. Iam afraid if I put up name they out of maliciousness may never sell me. My Glock
 
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For $35, it would be worth it to me to have some judge declare, in open court before a court reporter, that he simply refuses to hear cases involving firearms. Unless he has the law on his side (very hard to believe), I'd have a good 'ol time with that!
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^ +1 take it to small claims court and get the court transcripts. then contact a lawyer.
 
Theohazard said:
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The next time I have a customer who asks to order an item that's not in stock at any distributer and gets annoyed when I won't; instead of politely explaining why I won't like I usually do, maybe I should just show him this thread.
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Good customer service should be a priority at any LGS, but sometimes you have to chose between two options, both of which may upset the customer: You can refuse to do a special order or you can do the special order and then have it take forever to come in. Either way, the customer's not going to be happy.
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Either have the decency to refund the money after 90 days like Bud's does or don't complain when your customers all go to Bud's - speaking, of course, about the LGS in the OP.
 
I sell redwing safety toe boots for a living, and we do a lot of special ordering.
Sometimes, certain models can be back ordered, due to production problems or supply issues.
We always keep the customer informed and let them choose whether or not they want to wait. We would never take their money and just forget about them.
And we would certainly give them back their money if they got tired of waiting.
I would never put up with what the OP describes.
At the least, I would be camping out in front of the store and warning off customers.
 
This is crazy......I find it hard to believe that this LGS can't find a Glock 10mm *somewhere* and take care of this guy. Heck, they could buy it at retail from Bud's and still make a profit for what they charged the OP.

No matter how you look at it, this is terrible customer service. OP, did you talk to the actual owner?

It always surprises me that any biz owner would risk negative 'word of mouth' publicity. These days, there are dozens of ways to complain about a bad customer experience online and I've not spent big $$$ at places because of bad reviews that I read about them. Their reputation is their job security....
 
Either have the decency to refund the money after 90 days like Bud's does or don't complain when your customers all go to Bud's
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This year has been an unprecedented one for the industry, and the supply chain pretty much broke. Sure, we'd seen a prelude in 2008, but it was a brushfire compared to this.

When it became clear that backlogs would stretch by months, it became clear that we couldn't provide customers with anything resembling an accurate or honest ETA. At the end of the day, it's a bad idea to make promises one can't reasonably expect to keep, so we suspended special orders for pretty much everything.

Some folks groused. "Why don't you just order it, bozo?" was a common question. The answer was, "it's already been ordered, just like everything else. However, I can't get something the manufacturers aren't sending out."

Would that guy really have been happier if I'd taken his money and made up an ETA I could never be sure of honoring? Doubtful, but that's what a lot of dealers did. This became a huge problem for cash flow.

Say Joe Bob's guns wasn't prepared. Joe Bob panics because he sold out of nearly all his inventory before Christmas. He's got no product coming in, so he's got none going out. There's no cash flow, and he's got rent, payroll, and other costs. So he takes deposits on special orders, hoping things will open up in February or so. It's like an interest-free loan.

But things don't open up in February. Manufacturers are trickling out product, but it's going to CTD, or Cabela's, or one of the other big-box stores. Sure, he's got a backorder in for 50 Wild Slappy Tactical rifles, but they're now six months behind. Come March, customers get ornery and demand refunds. Now, he's got a worse problem. Instead of zero cash flow, he's got negative cash flow. Now he's laying folks off, and he might lose the farm. He can't make ends meet, so he stalls or outright refuses refunds. Sooner or later, something has to break.

That happens when those 50 Wild Slappy Tactical rifles show up one Monday morning in May, and Joe Bob's got 30 days to pay for them. He paid $1500 each for them, but the panic's over, and they're selling at other shops for $1000.

It's Joe Bob's own fault. Like most shop owners, he's a gun guy, not a business guy. There's no shortage of that, and I've seen this exact situation with several dealers.
 
I've found the G20 locally, so, I know it is out there. Sounds real hinky to me. I work at a local retail store that is about out of money and I refuse to do special orders any more because of stuff like this. I'll have a customer want to pay in advance and I will not do it to avoid the embarrassment of having to tell them that the product hasn't been ordered.
 
I've

Had other shops tell me they weren't sure if or when they would get a G20 in, this shop. Assured me they could get it in 8 weeks or so never materialized , they other shops who said they weren't sure if or when tbey could get the G20 have git them and sold them tbey are long gone why can't they dealer who assured me tbey could get it in 8 weeks or so not produce it and never give me a straight answer?all I really want is my gun.
 
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It's Joe Bob's own fault. Like most shop owners, he's a gun guy, not a business guy. There's no shortage of that, and I've seen this exact situation with several dealers.
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Excellent explanation and something of this sort is probably what's going on, although there's always a chance that the dealer is just a jerk. The OP should get his Small Claims case started NOW so he has a chance of getting a judgement while he can still collect on it before the dealer declares bankruptcy.
 
If you're "in business", you're a business guy whether you like it or not. And taking a 100% customer deposit means you had better be prepared to refund it at any time prior to receiving the firearm from the distributor/manufacturer.
 
Sue them, thats a bunch of crap. I had to special order a G33 and it took a week to get it. No one keeps those in stock around here yet they were able to find one.
 
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