Gun store policy? Am I wrong?

itstime · 07-12-2012, 18:26

Here goes. Look in a local ad and they have HK USP40 for $459.99. Police trade 3 mags and night sights.

The pic shows a gun with the safety lever on it. I call and ask if they had any set up for a lefty per chance. Guy says they have 6 and all were the same. Oh well.

I find time to drive a half hour there anyway. The one in the case is a compact and is LEM. Huh

I'm standing there and there is one salesperson and one customer looking at various guns.

I wait my turn and ask the guy if in fact all the guns on question were the same. (full size lever turned into compact LEM)

He goes back and comes back and says they have 12 and were all the same with one in hand that was 5 years newer production date.

I ask if I could look at all the date codes at least and pic from the newer ones thinking the sights were newer. He says why not.

Brings them out and we go through them. They all came in a cardboard box and all I was doing with the salesperson is open the box lift the gun up vertically and check the code.

I had to teach him the codes btw but we were just chatting it up. He didn't care noe the other customer. Good guys btw.

All of a sudden a guy comes out of the back loudly staing I can't check every single gun out and get fingerprints on them. Used police trades remember.

I told him I'm getting one and was just getting the one I want. He says his customers don't want finger prints on their guns.

Now the other customer stated he wasn't buying a gun today and fondled two higher dollar new guns.

No problem there.

I just said you lost a sale and walked out. I really wanted it due to price but that ticked me off.

The rest of the big store had maybe 3 other people in it.

Do you think I was asking or expecting too much? I did ask the salesperson before if it was ok and he said he didn't care. Other people have done it.

Rant over.

countrygun · 07-12-2012, 18:31

without knowing the layout of the store and other details, I could see a manager getting a tad nervous about a clerk hauling out a "box o' guns" for a customer. My LGS will let me fill the counter if the place isn't busy, but they know me real well.

carbuncle · 07-12-2012, 18:31

Stuff like that really gets under my skin, I'd have done the same thing. No big scene, but no sale and I wouldn't be visiting them again.

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Thumpernator · 07-12-2012, 18:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by itstime

All of a sudden a guy comes out of the back loudly staing I can't check every single gun out and get fingerprints on them. Used police trades remember.

WOW!! Used guns with no fingerprints in a box. Wonder who cleaned all those guns?

I like your style.

TxGlock9 · 07-12-2012, 18:41

There are a lot of gun shop owners/managers that are ****** bags out there that I've noticed. If I were you I would never go there again and move on with life.

tazbigdog · 07-12-2012, 18:57

Sounds like the guy was pissed. Who cares, if it was a great buy, buy it and don't go back. Good luck!

garya1961 · 07-12-2012, 19:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by tazbigdog

Sounds like the guy was pissed. Who cares, if it was a great buy, buy it and don't go back. Good luck!

this +1

fairtomidland · 07-12-2012, 19:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by TxGlock9

There are a lot of gun shop owners/managers that are ****** bags out there that I've noticed. If I were you I would never go there again and move on with life.

I have noticed the same, its hard to even get service when im def buying. I agree dont buy move on...

garya1961 · 07-12-2012, 19:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by TxGlock9

There are a lot of gun shop owners/managers that are ****** bags out there that I've noticed. If I were you I would never go there again and move on with life.

There is a guy at a local shop I go to that I thought was really stuck up, not friendly at all. I said something to a LEO friend of mine and he told me the guy was hard of hearing,lol. I wear hearing aids myself and since I discovered he couldn't hear we have become faily good friends.

The_Gun_Guru · 07-12-2012, 19:38

People suck.

It's America....CS is foreign to most businesses these days. Just be thankful that they spoke English. THAT is becoming foreign as well.

Good luck out there!

TGG

glock2740 · 07-12-2012, 19:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Gun_Guru

People suck.

It's America....CS is foreign to most businesses these days. Just be thankful that they spoke English. THAT is becoming foreign as well.

Good luck out there!

TGG

Good post.

TxGlock9 · 07-12-2012, 19:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Gun_Guru

People suck.

It's America....CS is foreign to most businesses these days. Just be thankful that they spoke English. THAT is becoming foreign as well.

Good luck out there!

TGG

Gotta agree with that!

WiskyT · 07-12-2012, 20:18

The guy was a dick. But, I wouldn't want all of those guns out like that either. It's a common way to steal things. People do it all the time in jewelry stores. It distracts the clerk and allows the thief to drop one in a backpack, pocket etc.

TxGlock9 · 07-12-2012, 20:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by WiskyT

The guy was a dick. But, I wouldn't want all of those guns out like that either. It's a common way to steal things. People do it all the time in jewelry stores. It distracts the clerk and allows the thief to drop one in a backpack, pocket etc.

Understood but these are pistols not tiny tiny pieces of jewelry that can be balled up in the palm of someone's hand. I don't know exactly know how the situation went down but if the clerk let him look at a HK one box at a time while the others were on the ground/desk behind him I don't see what the big deal is...

I own a store myself and understand you're perspective.

WiskyT · 07-12-2012, 20:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by TxGlock9

Understood but these are pistols not tiny tiny pieces of jewelry that can be balled up in the palm of someone's hand. I don't know exactly know how the situation went down but if the clerk let him look at a HK one box at a time while the others were on the ground/desk behind him I don't see what the big deal is...

I own a store myself and understand you're perspective.

It seems to me that the manager/owner that came from the back wasn't looking at it from a loss point of view, so the OP is right, the guy was a hump. You're also right that is it was done right, theft would be pretty tough to pull off. The manager could have come out, and kept an eye on things and made sure only one gun at a time was on the counter etc.

I'm just saying if I was the manager, I wouldn't want a box of guns spread out on a counter.

fnfalman · 07-12-2012, 22:56

I wouldn't have spent my hard earned money at that joint either, and I don't care how cheap the damn used guns are.

I've had a bunch of guns laid out in front of me for inspection before purchase. They were all brand stankin' new too.

rednoved · 07-12-2012, 23:15

I would have walked out too. I wouldn't spend a penny there every again. Unless the OP was eating some greasy nachos while handling the guns, I don't see the big deal. It would take all of five minutes to wipe the finger prints off of the guns. I think I could take five minutes out of my day to wipe them if it means I made a sale.

Mr. Blandings · 07-12-2012, 23:55

I worked in a few different FFL retailers and always provided the customer the pick of the litter with batches of trade-in guns.

While I, or the owner, sometimes had the "Gosh we spent a lot of time making that sale" thought - it was just considered part of doing business.

I have known some FFL retailers who are not so accommodating. Some of them run very successful business, and others not so much so.

panzer1 · 07-13-2012, 00:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by tazbigdog

Sounds like the guy was pissed. Who cares, if it was a great buy, buy it and don't go back. Good luck!

No way would I buy it. Why give this guy your money if he is going to be an a-hole! Sorry not me. I would pay more some where that I am not talked to like a dirt bag if that what I had to do.

panzer1 · 07-13-2012, 00:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by WiskyT

The guy was a dick. But, I wouldn't want all of those guns out like that either. It's a common way to steal things. People do it all the time in jewelry stores. It distracts the clerk and allows the thief to drop one in a backpack, pocket etc.

Well that's not the buyer's problem is his salesman. If he had a problem with it he should have pulled his salesman a side & said something to him NOT THE BUYER! IMO.

NEOH212 · 07-13-2012, 02:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Gun_Guru

People suck.

It's America....CS is foreign to most businesses these days. Just be thankful that they spoke English. THAT is becoming foreign as well.

Good luck out there!

TGG

I vote that this post gets nominated for the post of the year!

oldnoob · 07-13-2012, 09:33

NOT to defense the gun shop, for I have done CS for over 10 years in retail. And I think there was better way to deal in the situation like this. But most vendor that specialize in police trade in or C&R do charge extra for hand select. Add on the sale price from $10~20.

I do agree their salesman and manager needs some training on gun knowledge and CS skill.

Decguns · 07-13-2012, 10:03

In a gun shop or at a gun show, 99% of you guys handling guns don't buy anything. You get your greasy finger prints all over the guns, which have to be routinely wiped off by the staff because the acid in your sweaty palms causes surface rust in short order. In any given day, there's a dozen guys who want to sort through every gun in the back room looking for perfection or for certain factory codes and such.

Now, we often try to accomodate you fellows looking for the best out of 50 used Sigs or Mosin Nagants. There's always that guy, and you know who you are, looking for the perfect wood stock on our entire inventory of lever action or bolt action rifles. When you're done, I have to spend the next 30 minutes wiping your finger prints off and rewrapping them in the factory boxes. Hauling out a bunch of pistols for you to sort through is a recipe for us getting robbed... These are controlled items. There's a reason why we keep them locked under glass and chained in the racks. They have a tendancy to walk off if we don't.

If you don't like the customer service at a gun shop... get an FFL and start your own.

TxGlock9 · 07-13-2012, 10:50

glockaviator · 07-13-2012, 11:32

If you find the gun you want and can buy it, buy it. Sometimes you have to put up with rude salesmen. Would be better if they were all polite and understanding, but hey, the world's not perfect.

When I bought my Sako TRG 22 (high end), the salesmen told me he could tell I was an inexperienced shooter, he put the gun away and walked away. I had to go get him and tell him I wanted to buy the gun, would he please start the paperwork and sell it to me. Who gives a **** what he thinks. I got the product I wanted.