Gun Store Customer Service -How important to you?

[drgrant]

Don't get me started on tire places. If you don't want your rims destroyed or the lugs put on so tight you can't get them off its a real struggle to find someone.

One time my Jeep (which was kind of a beater) went to a tire place to have the valve stems replaced (off roading in sand wears them out and they leak). I got it back and was driving it around for a while and everything seemed fine. For some reason I needed to take the wheel off to work on something and I discovered that even my 1000ft/lb pneumatic impact gun wouldn't budge the nuts. It's a good thing I discovered it at home and not on the side of a highway in the middle of the night in a rain storm in another state.

I had to use a breaker bar with a jack handle slipped over it to get them to loosen up. Not only that, but I had to STAND on the handle with all of my considerable weight and BOUNCE UP AND DOWN to get them to crack. I honestly can not even imagine how they got them that tight. Whatever impact gun they were using, I wish I had one.

I have had great luck with Petes tire in Amherst and Maynard and Leseiur in Nashua. They actually ask you to come back in 25 miles or so, then they use a torque wrench if you have alloy wheels to make sure the lugs are at the correct spec. The few times I used TFT they never did anything like that.

-Mike

 

[rkwjunior]

I don't worry about customer service or the prices, I don't shop in this state for firearms. #1 the selection is a joke, #2 the prices are a joke at 95% of the shops Ive been into or that someone I know has been into. I'm sick of the BS'itery spoken at the counter about " you can't buy that, that's illegal... Blah blah blah, I feel like I'm at a car dealer ship.
I almost feel like the ffl dealers are not on my side as a gun owner in this state, they charge me more, for some unknown reason, they tell me I can't transfer something, for some ridiculous reason, some charge outrageous transfer fees, for some unknown reason, I'm done with it.
i shop online and always will, I find great deals, I don't have to walk into a store and listen to BS or see BS prices. I use one very local ffl who only tranfers, has no retail store, is a gunsmith, he knows all the local laws that are important to me, and he charges a fair transfer fee. That's all I need.

 

[Chet0729]

I have had great luck with Petes tire in Amherst and Maynard and Leseiur in Nashua. They actually ask you to come back in 25 miles or so, then they use a torque wrench if you have alloy wheels to make sure the lugs are at the correct spec. The few times I used TFT they never did anything like that.

-Mike

Petes is great, I use the one in Shrewsbury

 

[Len-2A Training]

I have had great luck with Petes tire in Amherst and Maynard and Leseiur in Nashua. They actually ask you to come back in 25 miles or so, then they use a torque wrench if you have alloy wheels to make sure the lugs are at the correct spec. The few times I used TFT they never did anything like that.

-Mike

Costco did that for me last time I bought tires. I was a bit surprised.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

BTW the gun room has been closed for a long time now so badmouthing it isn't going to hurt anyone. We all know it sucked, it was pretty much the barometer for horrible service. There were a few shops that were actually below the gun room, too.

-Mike

I would have to put Ted at Northeast Trading Company in that category. Not only does the service suck - but the man rats out online ammo vendors to the AG and cuts the supply into the state.... Theoretically so more folks will have to buy from him... That's about the worst. Not only does he eff you if you're a customer - he effs you even if you're not!

 

[mikerossi1976]

Customer service is #1 for me. I have visited many stores. I love Four Seasons Firearms in Woburn (www.fsguns.com) for their superior customer service which includes email list and frequent email updates. Price is only important when the store is obviously overpriced. I would put selection of products as second most important.

Agreed! Carl is a stand up guy, he's helped me out on a few separate occasions…Not to mention their ammo prices are hard to beat

 

[Stape]

Customer service is everything to me. Of course if the price is competitive, but I'll pay 30-50, more to do business with someone that wants my business and I feel treated well. One shop in south Texas, had a slab side Ruger MKII target I liked, it was 525.00, Academy right down the street had it for 460.00

was in Academy and waited in line only to listen to some kid try to tell me I should get X or Y for this reason or another. I had specifically asked for that particular pistol.

Went to the local mom and pop, asked for the same pistol in their case, informed them of Academys price and asked if they could compete with it. Clerk was a genuine guy, very polite and helpful, not the overbearing counter Ninja, and he said they couldn't compete with Academy's volume buying, but he'd try to help out with free range time, ammo or a holster.

That guy treated me like I was the only customer there, was just a cool dude, so I bought there.

inhave a local archery shop that is notoriously more expensive than the local bass pro or other places. Not way more expensive, but enough to have guys drive 20mi to bass pro, but every time I go there he greets me and knows my name, knows what I shoot, what I like, and I feel it's more like a service than a sale. plus, I don't get guys that will spend 20.00 in gas to save 10.00

 

[endus]

Agreed! Carl is a stand up guy, he's helped me out on a few separate occasions…Not to mention their ammo prices are hard to beat

Not sure why I didn't call them out by name in my initial post but, yea, this was the place I was talking about with great prices and customer service. Carl is a really good guy and he employs good people!

 

[drgrant]

I would have to put Ted at Northeast Trading Company in that category. Not only does the service suck - but the man rats out online ammo vendors to the AG and cuts the supply into the state.... Theoretically so more folks will have to buy from him... That's about the worst. Not only does he eff you if you're a customer - he effs you even if you're not!

Yeah he's pretty bad, although I have a funny ted story, though. Many years ago I sold a gun to someone on here, and despite my objections, he wanted to use NET to do a transfer as it was close to the buyer and setting up something else (at that time) would have been painful, annoying, so to grease the skids on the sale I agreed to this. When I showed up there they told us Ted had to be there to do a private transfer and that they couldn't do it. (he was out for some reason) The guys even offered to let us use their copy machine and an FA10 form. (this is back when they accepted any old form, even photocopied ones) So we got to use teds copy machine and gave him precisely $0.00, so even though I had to burn up an FTF I pretty much laughed all the way home at the thought of depriving him of $25 or whatever it was.

-Mike

 

[Misfitmike63]

i went to a local gun shop, got talked down to by one of the employees and never went back. about the same time, i visited another, smaller store. about the same ride, usually a lot slower, but i'll take a good interaction anyday over being shoved through the door like cattle

 

[Len-2A Training]

Yeah he's pretty bad, although I have a funny ted story, though. Many years ago I sold a gun to someone on here, and despite my objections, he wanted to use NET to do a transfer as it was close to the buyer and setting up something else (at that time) would have been painful, annoying, so to grease the skids on the sale I agreed to this. When I showed up there they told us Ted had to be there to do a private transfer and that they couldn't do it. (he was out for some reason) The guys even offered to let us use their copy machine and an FA10 form. (this is back when they accepted any old form, even photocopied ones) So we got to use teds copy machine and gave him precisely $0.00, so even though I had to burn up an FTF I pretty much laughed all the way home at the thought of depriving him of $25 or whatever it was.

-Mike

$26.25 (back then) . . . The RAT charges sales tax on the transfer. Happened to another NES'r who sold me a gun thru NET. That must have been Fred that did that for you, he was a good dude.

 

[AHM]

Don't get me started on tire places. If you don't want your rims destroyed or the lugs put on so tight you can't get them off its a real struggle to find someone.

One time my Jeep (which was kind of a beater) went to a tire place to have the valve stems replaced (off roading in sand wears them out and they leak). I got it back and was driving it around for a while and everything seemed fine. For some reason I needed to take the wheel off to work on something and I discovered that even my 1000ft/lb pneumatic impact gun wouldn't budge the nuts. It's a good thing I discovered it at home and not on the side of a highway in the middle of the night in a rain storm in another state.

^This.

My father discovered some shop had practically welded his wheels on. He was an aviation mechanic, so you can imagine how pleased he was about this.

I had to use a breaker bar with a jack handle slipped over it to get them to loosen up. Not only that, but I had to STAND on the handle with all of my considerable weight and BOUNCE UP AND DOWN to get them to crack. I honestly can not even imagine how they got them that tight.

Whatever impact gun they were using, I wish I had one.

So you could crank down the nuts on all the shop guys' rides out back? HEH.

---

I have had great luck with Petes tire in Amherst and Maynard and Leseiur in Nashua. They actually ask you to come back in 25 miles or so, then they use a torque wrench if you have alloy wheels to make sure the lugs are at the correct spec. The few times I used TFT they never did anything like that.

I was going to mention Maynard and Leseiur and their torque wrench, before I saw your post. They actually have a card with the various manufacturers' preferences. (E.g., Honda: 80 ft-lbs).

They have a new policy lately - they take your car on a drive around the block and then retorque the wheels. Hopefully some stupid insurance company rule and not a local horror story. Fine by me - no skin off my teeth.