How long should I expect to wait.

[Mustad]

Heres the deal I put a S&W 1911 on order at one of the more reputable higher volume stores in MA, paid the whole amount up front. When I paid, I asked how long I should expect to wait and was just told that he couldn't tell me right now and that the order would go in a couple days later. Seeing it was a saturday I figured it would make sense that new orders would go in at the beginning of the new week.

So two weeks passes and I decide I will give them a call to make sure the order went in and maybe I could get an ETA. When I called all I got was yes they had ordered it and couldn't say for sure when it would come in, and that they would call when it did.

After 3+ weeks I had to pick up some ammo and a few other things so i decided I will just go out of my way to this store and maybe I can get a better answer face to face. When i get there I ask if it is in and the gentleman asks if i had gotten a phone call and I said no but I was hoping maybe it was in and they had not got around to calling me, He checked the new orders in and said that it was not in yet, he didn't know when it would be in and that they would call.

It is now 5+ weeks later and I still have heard nothing.


So My questions are...

1) Am I expecting too much that a fairly basic model from S&W (not Perform center or anything) should really not take this long?

2)Is it rude for me to call or stop by again and ask a little more assertively when it is coming in?

3) What amount of time do you think would be appropriate for this?

Sorry for the short novel but I think we all know how hard it is to wait for a firearm especially when you don't know how long it is going to take to receive it. I would at least like an answer (even it is on back order and we will get it as soon as possible), not to mention I have almost $1k sitting in someone else's bank account.

Please tell me to relax and this is normal if I am being a moron for asking these questions.

 

[TimMcG74]

Try contacting the factory if you don't get anywhere with the retailer. I had a similiar situation with a guitar I bought about 10 years ago, and again recently with a lefty bolt action Savage rifle. They were both special orders, so I had to pre-pay.

In the case of the guitar, after getting nowhere with the retailer, I called the factory (Guild), who explained the delay, greatly expedited my order and threw in some extra perks.

In the case of the rifle, I wound up in contact with the manufacturers rep, with whom I got nowhere. I wound up cancelling the order and getting my money back after three months (original quote was a few weeks) because the rep couldn't (or wouldn't) give me a straight answer on an ETA.

 

[drgrant]

The "I can't tell you right now" probably should have been a warning sign that it wasn't going to come in soon. Most of the dealers I use can make an educated guess as to when the order would be filled and they would get the gun.

Unless the dealer says to me "Yeah my distributor has it in stock and I can get it in under 2 weeks" (or similar) then I usually don't bother ordering it through them and start looking for it elsewhere. (eg, Gunbroker). You shouldn't have to wait that long for a production-type gun. A long wait might be understandable if it was something high brow, but anything run of the mill shouldn't take that long.. If the "channel is dry" of whatever that gun is, then I'll just wait awhile and go back to the original dealer to see what they can do.

Also curious why you tied your money up with the dealer, unless it was tax free day or something...?

-Mike

 

[Mustad]

Also curious why you tied your money up with the dealer, unless it was tax free day or something...?

You got it

 

[Mustad]

Thanks for the advise gentlemen, I am going to call tomorrow and see whats up. The correct course of action seems to be call up, if they cant offer me information I will contact S&W. If it is gonna be much more than a week or I cant get anymore info I am just gonna get a refund, and find a shop that can accommodate me.

I was just worried that I was being too anxious, and I would be bothersome looking for more information.

Reps to you both inbound


I am still open to suggestions if anyone else would like to weigh in!

 

[TheRoland]

Thanks for the advise gentlemen, I am going to call tomorrow and see whats up. The correct course of action seems to be call up, if they cant offer me information I will contact S&W. If it is gonna be much more than a week or I cant get anymore info I am just gonna get a refund, and find a shop that can accommodate me.

I was just worried that I was being too anxious, and I would be bothersome looking for more information.

Reps to you both inbound


I am still open to suggestions if anyone else would like to weigh in!

If they're really that reputable, it's probably legit. They should be able to tell you what they've done with your order, and exactly who is waiting on what.

Smith was moving their 1911 manufacturing, and it's possible they haven't spun up production on all the models.

 

[Mattitude]

Typically retailers deal with a number of distributors...not just 1 to get all of their firearms from. The bigger distributors (RSR being one) has many wharehouses around the country so it's rather unlikely that a production gun won't be in stock somewhere from any distributor. Some "red flags" about the retailer that you are dealing with is the laid back attitude of making a special order and the total lack of customer serivce concerning your order. Since you already paid in full they don't seem to be motivated to get a status update and I'm willing to bet that their policy is that special orders are non-refundable or you will get hit with a crazy restocking fee or something along those lines. 5 weeks is unacceptable and they should give you the courtesy of calling their distributor in front of you (during business hours) to find out what the delay is. I worked at a gun shop for 5 years so (hopefully) you can take what I said with a grain of salt.

 

[Underwhere]

Heres the deal I put a S&W 1911 on order at one of the more reputable higher volume stores in MA, paid the whole amount up front. When I paid, I asked how long I should expect to wait and was just told that he couldn't tell me right now and that the order would go in a couple days later. Seeing it was a saturday I figured it would make sense that new orders would go in at the beginning of the new week.

So two weeks passes and I decide I will give them a call to make sure the order went in and maybe I could get an ETA. When I called all I got was yes they had ordered it and couldn't say for sure when it would come in, and that they would call when it did.

After 3+ weeks I had to pick up some ammo and a few other things so i decided I will just go out of my way to this store and maybe I can get a better answer face to face. When i get there I ask if it is in and the gentleman asks if i had gotten a phone call and I said no but I was hoping maybe it was in and they had not got around to calling me, He checked the new orders in and said that it was not in yet, he didn't know when it would be in and that they would call.

It is now 5+ weeks later and I still have heard nothing.


So My questions are...

1) Am I expecting too much that a fairly basic model from S&W (not Perform center or anything) should really not take this long?

2)Is it rude for me to call or stop by again and ask a little more assertively when it is coming in?

3) What amount of time do you think would be appropriate for this?

Sorry for the short novel but I think we all know how hard it is to wait for a firearm especially when you don't know how long it is going to take to receive it. I would at least like an answer (even it is on back order and we will get it as soon as possible), not to mention I have almost $1k sitting in someone else's bank account.

Please tell me to relax and this is normal if I am being a moron for asking these questions.

Your dealer can't really control the manufacturing and distribution of guns. That's on S&W.
What I can tell you is that I once waited I think 8-9 months for a gun from S&W. There was no ETA. (It was a special circumstance)

On a side note, why are you buying new? Buy used at a significant discount and let someone else take the time and money to break it in.
My best 1911's are the ones that were used the most before I got them.

 

[Brian5582]

It does seem to be an excessive amount of time to wait if it were me I probably would have tried to get my money back and put it towards something else they have in stock or go elsewhere. That kind of stuff rubs me the wrong way. If I want something I check a few different shops before I order something that has an unknown wait time before it comes in. Sometimes the smaller out of the way shops are a better way to go for in demand firearms because they don't see as many people on a daily basis. I am also a somewhat impatient person.

 

[Mustad]

Smith was moving their 1911 manufacturing, and it's possible they haven't spun up production on all the models.

I did not know that... might have something to do with that. Something the dealer should have told me if that was the case and i would have been more understanding.

Typically retailers deal with a number of distributors...not just 1 to get all of their firearms from. The bigger distributors (RSR being one) has many wharehouses around the country so it's rather unlikely that a production gun won't be in stock somewhere from any distributor. Some "red flags" about the retailer that you are dealing with is the laid back attitude of making a special order and the total lack of customer serivce concerning your order. Since you already paid in full they don't seem to be motivated to get a status update and I'm willing to bet that their policy is that special orders are non-refundable or you will get hit with a crazy restocking fee or something along those lines. 5 weeks is unacceptable and they should give you the courtesy of calling their distributor in front of you (during business hours) to find out what the delay is. I worked at a gun shop for 5 years so (hopefully) you can take what I said with a grain of salt.

Thanks for the insiders prospective.

Like hell it wont be refundable if they cant tell me its in transit and will be here by 9/XX/10.

Your dealer can't really control the manufacturing and distribution of guns. That's on S&W.
What I can tell you is that I once waited I think 8-9 months for a gun from S&W. There was no ETA. (It was a special circumstance)

I wouldn't mind if I was told hey this is what is happening with S&W. Then I would have no problem calling S&W directly myself. I would rather not throw anyone under the bus if it was there fault. But if it is not their fault then they should pass the buck on.

On a side note, why are you buying new? Buy used at a significant discount and let someone else take the time and money to break it in.
My best 1911's are the ones that were used the most before I got them.

Fairly new configuration, not many available on the preowned market. I am also very new to firearms and I am not confident with my ability to check condition.

It does seem to be an excessive amount of time to wait if it were me I probably would have tried to get my money back and put it towards something else they have in stock or go elsewhere. That kind of stuff rubs me the wrong way. If I want something I check a few different shops before I order something that has an unknown wait time before it comes in. Sometimes the smaller out of the way shops are a better way to go for in demand firearms because they don't see as many people on a daily basis. I am also a somewhat impatient person.

I was trying to take advantage of the tax free weekend, It was a last minute decision, and I only had time to make it to one shop. I did get a hell of a price on it though.



Thank you all for your prospectives, most certainly helped me get a better grasp of the situation.

 

[TheRoland]

Fairly new configuration, not many available on the preowned market. I am also very new to firearms and I am not confident with my ability to check condition.

Government with a rail, by any chance? I spent 60+ days trying to find one a while back, and ended up building one instead.

 

[Mustad]

1911es

 

[TheRoland]

1911es

I see. Those are in stores around (one of the reputable high-volume stores in Metrowest still has one, I think) and Smith is all tooled up to build them in Maine (their new location). If there's a holdup, it's probably not Smith, unless they've had a design issue, or are back-logged heavily or something.

 

[fbirdquik6]

1911es

Ya those are hard to get. If it was a standard model I would blame the dealer, but with the 1911ES its the manufacturer that is the hold up.


If the order is with a truly reputable, just sit tight, you'll get it.

 

[Mustad]

I fully believe the dealer is reputable.

 

[Realtor MA]

They are in stock at the S&W store in Springfield for $1030

 

[TheRoland]

Ya those are hard to get.

Do you mean from distributors or Smith? They seem pretty easy to get in stores.