Gun Retailers Customer Service Levels Plummeting

[Nwcid]

Just putting all on notice, that when this panic subsides, you are going to be begging people like me to purchase from you.

I will just pick on this one comment.

They will not be begging anyone for the same reason there is such a problem right now. Why is there such a problem right now, well people in general are dumb. How many years/decades have most (I know there are new shooters every day) people had to buy these items? Before you say nobody knew this was coming that is bull. This has happened several time in just the last 20 years.

But this this time is "different".... Well every time was different. Every time was the end. Every time there has been a panic.

There are many of us that this, just like several of the "other" times have had little effect on what we do. Just like having a savings account in the bank you are ready for the lean times.

So why do we end up with these problems? Well people are QUICK to forget. They will forget all these "problems" with the dealers..............

 

[davemata]

Another problem is people like me. We come in with cash, we sit and smile, knowing we're going to clean you out little by little...

Then once you're out of stuff, I step in with stupid barters like...
"I'll barter this AR lower for a pig and custom processing."
"I'll barter this AR lower for a glock 20."
"I'll trade these 4 AR lowers for a bottle of Louis XIII."

Or a flat price:
"$750 for this AR lower with a spaghetti stain and a crack."

I kid...

 

[ch139]

I figure the folks working in these places are dealing with all kinds of upset folks trying to buy things that aren't in stock (and haven't been available for some time) and most customers are asking the stupidest questions in the world, all that can make for a very long day. So, when someone walks into a store with an air of entitlement to "customer service" when the folks behind the counter haven't had a break in hours and have been dealing as best they can with scores of other upset customers, or maybe they haven't had any quality sleep in weeks because they're not sure what the future holds for their business/livelihood/family. I don't know that its quite fair to expect the same level of customer service that you might have gotten six months ago. You're talking gun store here, not a Bently dealership, you're going to ask some stupid questions (taking up time) and then may (probably won't) buy anything. If you do buy something it's probably with a credit card and the store is only going to make a little bit of money ...and there's 20 people like this in there at the same time ...and somebody's feelings are hurt because its not as nice and happy a place as it used to be.

 

[xwing]

Everyplace is different. I've had very good customer service from gun stores and gun companies, and also bad... I don't think it's a widespread problem...

 

[Swedish K]

i expect the delays and just wait patiently. I feel for the gunshop owners right now, it must be very frustrating. Some places are just bad though, and even in good times. K-var for instance, I ordered a gun and couple mags from them on 12/20, it said in stock. I got nothing from them since, no email or call or anything. Tried calling and they have a front end message that tells you they are not answering the phone on purpose and to send them an email. I have emailed them every other day for the past 2 weeks and have not gotten a reply. No excuse for service that terrible.

K-var is only still in business because they have always been able to get stuff that others have difficulty finding. You are correct that their customer service is pathetic at best. Several years ago my old business partner was in dire need of a krink set they had in stock to complete a build for a customer. He didn't have the funds in hand for the parts and asked if I could order it for him - they had already charged my card for the parts set and then said they would not ship it as the card billing address was (at that time) in CA even though the parts were going to an FFL in Nevada. It took a week for them to accept and ship the parts from funds elsewhere and took them 6 weeks to refund the charges to my card that they refused to ship. In short the only reason to buy from K-var (for me at least) is if they have something I absolutely need and no one else has it.

 

[pry]

K-var is only still in business because they have always been able to get stuff that others have difficulty finding. You are correct that their customer service is pathetic at best. Several years ago my old business partner was in dire need of a krink set they had in stock to complete a build for a customer. He didn't have the funds in hand for the parts and asked if I could order it for him - they had already charged my card for the parts set and then said they would not ship it as the card billing address was (at that time) in CA even though the parts were going to an FFL in Nevada. It took a week for them to accept and ship the parts from funds elsewhere and took them 6 weeks to refund the charges to my card that they refused to ship. In short the only reason to buy from K-var (for me at least) is if they have something I absolutely need and no one else has it.

Update about K-var. After sending literally a dozen emails over the past 5 weeks, I finally got a reply from K-var. They say they will be honoring my order once they get the rifles in stock, no mention as to why the rifles said IN STOCK when I placed the order, but at least its something!

 

[mancat]

K-VAR is a business run by someone who only checks their messages when they're bored.

There was a rumor going around that the name "K-VAR", which is owned and operated by several Bulgarian immigrants (they are in the same building as Arsenal), is actually shorthand for some Bulgarian slang which is rather disparaging of Americans. Haven't ever seen this confirmed though.

 

[Bushman]

This was a problem before the current situation.

I agree. Bullseye hasn't seen a dime from me for years. I won't ever shop there again.

 

[mjbskwim]

Man I can't read all the whining anymore. And all the bickering. Like a 4th grade girls class room.

I'm guessing the first post had much to do about poor service nowadays.
Hmmm,1000 people a day and only 10 know what the F&&K they are talking about.
Half of the rest know enough to make themselves dangerous.Asking stupid questions and thinking they have the answer that they read on some place like this.
The rest haven't a clue as to which end to point at the intruder.

And y'all want the counter guys to be happy all the time.
How many times have I heard "any 223?"(or any other caliber) "any ARs?" (or so many other guns) "can I get on a waiting list?" ,and I don't even work at the store!

It will get worse after the prices go up and everybody wants that case of ammo for $50 like they used to. Or the SKS for 80 buck like they used to be.

The customers courtesy has dwindled as the stores' employees has.

 

[Ralgha]

Man I can't read all the whining anymore. And all the bickering. Like a 4th grade girls class room.

I'm guessing the first post had much to do about poor service nowadays.
Hmmm,1000 people a day and only 10 know what the F&&K they are talking about.
Half of the rest know enough to make themselves dangerous.Asking stupid questions and thinking they have the answer that they read on some place like this.
The rest haven't a clue as to which end to point at the intruder.

And y'all want the counter guys to be happy all the time.
How many times have I heard "any 223?"(or any other caliber) "any ARs?" (or so many other guns) "can I get on a waiting list?" ,and I don't even work at the store!

It will get worse after the prices go up and everybody wants that case of ammo for $50 like they used to. Or the SKS for 80 buck like they used to be.

The customers courtesy has dwindled as the stores' employees has.

That is no excuse for poor customer service. You think you get stupid questions at a gun shop? Try being a front-line employee for an airline. Now yeah, everyone has their horror stories of bad customer service from an airline, but overall the customers get treated with respect (until they start doing stupid things, not ASKING stupid questions, but DOING stupid actions). Not so at the average gun shop. The nature of a gun shop is that you're going to get a lot of basic questions, and yes, some stupid ones. If you can't handle that then you shouldn't be in the business.

Some basic rules:

• When a customer asks a question, stop shooting the breeze with your buddies and lend them some attention.
• If you advertise an email address, use it. If you don't want to use it, don't advertise it.
• Answer your phone. If you're too busy at the particular moment that it rings, fine, but make sure your voicemail isn't full, this means you have to listen and act on voicemails.
• Keep your word. When I tell you that HK needs a copy of your FFL to ship you a gun I purchased, don't tell me that they already have it and let it languish in purgatory until I come down to the store with HK on my phone and hand it to you to get it sorted out.

Those rules are basic tenants of customer service. If an airline can follow those rules (most of the time), so can a gun shop. Occasional slip-ups are going to happen, but many gun shops make a habit of missing the basics.

 

[jluck]

I feel for the gunshop owners right now, it must be very frustrating.

Really? I don't....I thought a retail business was there to sell products? The gun shops are selling stock like crazy. With a surplus of demand there will be added stress and BS. At the end of the day I will bet the shop (owners) will be smiling.As far as crappy service goes, Don't shop there (somebody else will buy what you didn't).Get over it, Buy what you want or don't just carry on.

 

[Unicorn]

Not answering the phone is not bad service. It's good service for the guy standing there who spent his time and gas to go in and doesn't want to, or deserve to, wait for the clerk to answer the phone. I hate standing at a register when the clerk answers the phone. Hello!!! I'm right here, money in hand waiting to pay!

 

[scottnbarbi]

I never did understand why phone calls come before actual customers. Let it go to voicemail and call back when there is a lull or after hours.

 

[Uberdillo]

What I'm getting tired of is either being eye-balled like I'm an idiot or having to hear an entire sob story about the panic buying when I'm looking for a compact pistol with less than 10 round capacity. I'm not stupid, I know things are bad, I know they're rare as hen's teeth normally, but I also know they're out there because people are buying them, and I'm definitely NOT going to find one by not asking.

 

[coctailer]

I now I'm doing a cruddy job right now. I feel bad, but I can't help it.....

 

[Blan Dam]

By working at a gun store you signed up for occasional stupid questions. I understand the influx of idiocy due to recent events, but I agree with most posters that it's your job to to be as informative as possible. With that said thank christ all I've needed was powder which I was able to find easy.

 

[oneharmonic]

I work in customer service for a living. Higher than normal customer volume is not an excuse for providing poor customer service, in my industry or any that I know of.

Here are a few tips for people who work in the firearms industry:

1) Your business phone line offers the ability to leave recorded messages. Take a few minutes at the beginning of each day to setup a message for that specific day: "We are currently out of stock on XXX at this time, please call back later". If you didn't get any ARs or .223 ammo, a simple recorded message will filter out a lot of callers and save you some time.

2) If customer volume is extremely high, setup a queue using numbers or a list (like the DMV). Help customers in an orderly fashion.

3) If you're not currently helping a customer, approach one that isn't being helped and ask them if they want help. Standing around talking to your co-workers isn't your job. This might sound like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised at how many times I've entered a LGS and I see 2-3 employees shooting the breeze while customers wander around aimlessly.

 

[Velzey]

Whats an AR platform?

:huh:

 

[Boedy]

Right after Sandy hook I went to several LGS and talked to them and each and every one of them said the same thing. We wont gouge our customers because we know that once things settle down they will be held accountable. Well that lasted about a week then little by little you saw the greed of easy money popping up here and there.

I saw PMAG's sore to $50 per, AR prices double overnight and I saw many a 1000 round cases of 5.56 pulled out of who knows where and put online for sale at triple the cost. They didn't bother to stock the shops shelves for the loyal customers who had been coming to them and keeping their doors open the years before things got nuts. People went back to that shop hoping to find a reasonable deal from the guys that were treating them right prior. What they got was grossly inflated prices on everything and a new found attitude.

Well those shops will have to live off the profits they made gouging and the repercussions of it. I now see the really crazy priced stuff listed as on consignment so the shop can say they are not the ones doing the gouging. Funny how that was not under "consignment" last week when I was in here..

 

[davemata]

Right after Sandy hook I went to several LGS and talked to them and each and every one of them said the same thing. We wont gouge our customers because we know that once things settle down they will be held accountable. Well that lasted about a week then little by little you saw the greed of easy money popping up here and there.

lulwut bro?

Do you realize that wholesale prices have shot up since Sandy Hook? Did you realize yet that a lot of the price increases are due to an increase in wholesale costs with a reduction in available stock? C'mon now.