PSA RE:The Gun Room in Shrewsbury

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I debated whether to put this in the Gun Shops section,but this is more of a WTF type of post.The author of this email is a friend of mine and it just goes to show you how much of an a-hole the owner is of this store.

I have my own horror story regarding O'Leary and the threats he made to me...LOL Please do not patronize this douchebag.

All:
I went over to the Gun Room (John O'leary and crew) today to pick up my pistol prize from the friends of the NRA. I wasn't surprised to find that all the winners at the Friends of the NRA Dinner, would have to pay $25 to these class act a**h***s to get their guns from John and his butthole buddies. You'd think a dealer, would do this for the NRA for free as has been the practice in the past. (I will probably have to do it for our dinner next year if the guy doing it now balks).

While there, I looked over the inventory and prices. For those of you that insist on paying a retail price (instead of buying it from me at dealer cost), I say this--stay away from this guy. Go to my friend Carl Ingraro who owns Four Seasons up in Woburn and pay 10 percent less than at O'leary's place. Another guy who will give you a good deal is my friend Ted Oven who owns Northeast Trading in N. Attleboro, also 10 percent cheaper than O'leary. You spend $4.00 on gasoline to save $50. Do the math as this is an intelligence test.

I did'nt give a bleep about the $25 tab to me as they consider me to be a competitor. But to the average NRA member on the street supporting these activities, I think it's kind of an insult to hit them with an unexpected charge. Next year when I go back to the Uxbridge Dinner--I will make it a point to have it announced, or I'll ask for the mike--and make sure everyone knows they're going to pay for the transfer and that the Gun Room is not to be applauded for their erstwhile support of the Friends of the NRA Program because they're doing nothing to support it (while charging the winners a fee?).

If John is there and objects--two old guys can fall out into the parking lot--and settle the score up close and personal. While I warm up in my corner with Rick as my second, you will all have time to get another drink from the bar then step outside for the most spectacular nose and ear biting, eye gouging fight you've ever seen. Keep the cell phones ready because an ambulance will be needed for one or both of us. I love and know choke holds--so, be prepared to pry some fingers apart.

I have many gun dealer friends in the State that even though we're in the same business--they know that we're not a threat to each other because of our specialty or locale--and I send customers to many of them. Having said that, I would'nt send anyone I considered to be a friend to the Gun Room--unless I wanted that friendship terminated immediately.

It just seems to take the edge off the excitement of those who win these prizes to be jacked up at the end.

So, ladies and gentlemen, that's my advertisement for the Gun Room dated November 6, 2006.

Anyone receiving this message has my permission to forward it to the rest of the world as far as I'm concerned.
C l a r e n c e
 
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I have to concur with that sentiment. I often wonder how he stays in business with the prices he charges. Then again, the last time I was there I saw a guy pay over $250 for a romanian ak-47 75 rnd drum mag. I didn't have the heart to tell the guy he was getting screwed.
 
No Surprise

I am not remotely surprised. John is very set in his ways. I paid my $25 for transfer of the slug gun I "won" at the event in Uxbridge.

When I purchased my AR there this summer (Armalite was backordered by six months or more and TGR had the model I wanted in stock) I offered to pay cash if John would split the American Express fee with me (ie reduce the price by 1.5%). He said "no discounts", so I paid with AMEX. He probably has a 5 or 6 % fee to them. His loss.

To put in a good word for someone, I just made a purchase from Wayne at Wayne's Weaponry in Leominster. He went quite a bit out of his way to make sure I had the scope rings I needed the very next day. I could not believe the quality and speed of service from Wayne. Based on that experience, I would highly recommend him to anyone.

Maybe we can find another FFL for the next FNRA dinner.
 
Update

The Blackstone valley FRNA has sent checks for $25 to all gun winners with an apology. The Gun Room agreed to transfer the guns at no cost to the winner and conveniently forgot about the arrangement when the winners showed up there.

The FNRA made good on the $25 transfer fees to the winners and have learned something about the Gun Room's ethics in the process.
 
PSA re: TGR in Shrewsbury

Many years ago I did quite a bit of business with TGR. Their prices seemed reasonable then as did their customer service. Perhaps John has not aged well?
 
And, I've been in there a few times. And I've found them to be quite helpful and friendly. I was in there with someone that knew him very well. But his Cowboy selection is very good, and the prices he was quoting us weren't outrageous. Granted I don't just go there as it's WAY out of my way. But when we've been in the area for a shoot out at Harvard, we've stopped in on the way back home for a look see.

So, I just can't bad mouth someone that I haven't had a problem with to this point. But I do know that with so many people that do, I won't recommend them either.
 
Gun Room

I find that their prices are better when they have a local competitor to worry about. Otherwise they present as having a take it or leave it attitude.
 
Gun Room and customer service

When the AG first introduced its regs for handgun sales in MA, There were several pieces that I was interested in purchasing that were CAS oriented items. On my first visit I was willing to put money down on the items and hold them for sale so the shop could sort through the regs. I had frequented the shop often at the time, and had purchased a fair amount of products from them over the years. The best they could offer me at the time was come back in or call, which I did with trips every two weeks, and occasional calls. I live outside of the area so a trip to the shop meant a good amount of time to travel, or long-distance calls. Sometime prior to one of my trips all the handguns I had been interested in had been sold. Working with the customer in this case would have built a better rapport with someone they had done business with for awhile and lead to a better experieince for me. I can understand the discomfort dealers were experiencing at the time in trying to deal with regulations that were unclear. It would have been nice if I could have put them on lay away or gotten a call from the shop instead of wasting hours of my time and mileage calling and travelling to see what was going on.

I have often recently found John and the sales staff to be sources of poor or misinformation. Around the same time as the above experience I brought in an unfired handgun for possible consignment, but took it home when I was told the price was too high. during my next visit I saw a similar handgun, same caliber, not as many features, and appearing fired, for the exact same price I had considered. When I have gone in to ask about possible up and coming handguns like the Ruger P345, I was initially told that ruger had no plans to market the gun in MA, but within 3 months I was seeing it in other shops. I would like to think that service in a gun store would include knowledgeable advice and accommodating customers to some degree.
 
I went to this "gun shop" and was ACTUALLY CUSSED OUT for asking questions about reloading practices for a certain type of powder. Said to me verbatim after asking for clarification on a type of powder and it's tolerance for mistakes WRT over/undercharging by a very small margin:

"If you want to go and F*** up and load the ammo incorrectly, go ahead and blow your F****** hand off and then come back here and tell me all about it!"

This was YELLED at me.

This shop is beyond reproach. Avoid at all costs. John is persona non grata of the highest order.l
 
I went to this "gun shop" and was ACTUALLY CUSSED OUT

You Too?

I bought a soft case for my AR there when the place opened in the morning one day,it was called a TacPoint or something,some Chinese crap.The way the velcro holders were positioned,it held my rifle at an akward cant.My $900 scope was basically protruding up against the zipper,needless to say I didn't like it.

So I went back to the shop THAT SAME DAY to return it.I looked around at all the overpriced ammo and other stuff and didn't find anything I liked,so I asked for my money back.

The decrepid old enema bag said "Store credit only".So I looked on my reciept and looked for signs in the store stating this,couldn't find a thing.So I told this waste of intestines that there is nothing in the store I wanted,and there is nothing on my reciept or sign stating the return policy on things other than guns and ammo.When I asked where the policy was stated,the waste of bones actually pointed at his brain bucket and said "It's all up here". WTF????

He called me an a**h***(only my friends are allowed to do that) and people like me was the reason for all the stores problems.Needless to say, I have never been talked to like that other than my close friends,and it took every ounce of self restraint I had not to reach over the counter and slowly strangle this waste of a human being until his beady little eyes started to bulge from its sockets.

There were about 3 people in the store,looked like non-local hunters,and about 4 employees.The customers looked dumbfounded,and the employees were shocked,one of them has apologized for O'Leary through a mutual friend.

My advice to O'Leary is to watch what he says to people,you never know what kind of day they might have had,or be having.His attitude will end up getting him hurt real bad one day.
 
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As with gun rights, the key to maneuvering the system is knowing your rights and being prepared to assert them. You are in a bit stronger position with a store since you are free to take your business to another shopkeeper once you are done asserting your rights.


From http://www.ago.state.ma.us/sp.cfm?pageid=1174


Mass. Gen. Law Chapter 93A
940 Code of Mass. Regs. 3.13

A seller can have any type of return policy it wants ... "all sales final," "merchandise credit only," "full cash refunds within 30 days," etc.

A seller's refund, return, or cancellation policy must be disclosed to the buyer clearly and conspicuously before the transaction is completed. Usually, this is done by means of a sign at the point of purchase. Printing the store's return policy only on a cash register sales slip does not comply.

You may return goods within a reasonable period of time if no return policy was disclosed.


A seller cannot misrepresent its refund, return, or cancellation policy, or fail to honor any promises about it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, it gets really interesting if you buy a gun that is defective out of the box and the seller claims "No return, you deal with the manufacturer only" . It would appear that MGL gives you the right to return a clearly defective gun for a refund, even though most dealers will claim this is not the case:

From that same page:

Defective Goods
Mass. Gen. Law Chapter 106
Sections 2-314, 2-316A
When you buy a product from a merchant, by state law it comes with an automatic warranty which says that the product will function normally, for its intended purpose, for a reasonable period of time. This is an implied warranty of merchantability.

If the product is defective at purchase, or becomes defective during the period of the implied warranty, both the seller and the manufacturer are responsible for making it right.

Under Massachusetts law, a merchant cannot sell a product "as is." A store's regular return policy does not apply in the case of defective goods.
 
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Rob is right, my Wife bought 3 or 4 pair of shoes from a local merchant. First time wearing them, straps broke on two of the shoes (same style, different colors). Went back to merchant and he pointed to sign, no returns. I wrote a nice letter about the Defective Goods law, he replied "pound sand".

We then notified the credit card company and they reversed the charges. Since he refused to take the shoes back, he was out the shoes AND the money. That's the law. It's also why to ALWAYS pay with plastic!! If you paid by cash/check, you'd have to sue him and only "maybe" would you ever see any of your money.
 
gun room: shrewsbury ma security camera

careful what you say in there; besides recording movement, that camera is also
recording conversation. the staff speaks in a subdued manner. i can see recording images to stop theft but your talk constitutes an intrusive invasion of privacy. the owner has been busted by atf for ma. compliance issues; who knows where these recordings will end up. he will not get any more of my buisness.
 
Recording voice in MA by any means is ILLEGAL (felony) without knowledge/consent of ALL PARTIES!!

If this is true, he's looking to get busted and put away for a long time!
 
I was just looking up the case while Len made his post:

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=ma&vol=sjcslip/8429&invol=1

Docket No.: 8429
Parties: COMMONWEALTH vs. MICHAEL J. HYDE.
County: Plymouth.
Dates: April 2, 2001. - July 13, 2001.
Present: (Sitting in Northampton): Marshall, C.J., Greaney, Spina, Cowin, Sosman, & Cordy, JJ.
Summary: Eavesdropping. Electronic Surveillance. Constitutional Law, Privacy. Words, "Interception," "Oral communication."
 
Surreptious recording of conversations is illegal in MA without consent of both parties (law enforcement with a warrent excluded).

(Edit: LenS beat me to it.)

After reading the other thread, I'm amazed this guy is still in business or that someone hasn't administered him an attitude adjusment. [wink]
 
Surreptious recording of conversations is illegal in MA without consent of both parties (law enforcement with a warrent excluded).

After reading the other thread, I'm amazed this guy is still in business or that someone hasn't administered him an attitude adjusment. [wink]

+1
 
LenS is absolutley correct.

You can put cameras anywhere you want accept in an area that a person has an expectation of privacy, like a restroom, dressing room and such.

You cannot however record voice anywhere unless the party is FULLY aware of it and consent is given.
 
gunroom nut case

[rofl] o'leary, if you have been subjected to his fantasies, is a deluded crackpot. i have heard many of a tale of his distinguished military career amoung many other conquering world hero exploits. they all root in what was running on t.v. the night before. the truth is that he is diabetic and was never in the military; a bonafided baron von munchausen.
the place is populated by a group of old hang-arounds with proclaimed war records. if they were so proud of thier service why are they listening to o'learys disgrace:lonley old men with no place to go.
 
I prefer hanging out with Richie Callaghan in his shop in Marlboro - he's got seats for the customers to sit and shoot the bull there. I've never felt welcome enough at Gun Room to hang out.

About the ONLY things he's got going for him is that it's a gun shop and... um... I'm thinking here.

OK, the only thing he's got going for him is that it's a gun shop.
 
To put in a good word for someone, I just made a purchase from Wayne at Wayne's Weaponry in Leominster. He went quite a bit out of his way to make sure I had the scope rings I needed the very next day. I could not believe the quality and speed of service from Wayne. Based on that experience, I would highly recommend him to anyone.

+1 on Wayne's, but he's in West Boylston, not Leominster. Just in case anyone wants to pay him a visit.
 
careful what you say in there; besides recording movement, that camera is also
recording conversation. the staff speaks in a subdued manner. i can see recording images to stop theft but your talk constitutes an intrusive invasion of privacy. the owner has been busted by atf for ma. compliance issues; who knows where these recordings will end up. he will not get any more of my buisness.

How could the ATF bust him for MA compliance issues, since they wouldn't
care? (the dumb MA compliance stuff is not under the purview/scope
of federal law, thus ATF would have no power to enforce any of
those regs.). It is possible they "ratted him out" to the AG's office
though. The ATF has a nasty streak with that stuff in a lot of
regions... with the end goal of reducing the number of type 01s as much
as possible, by any means possible, to include using the local constabulary to
do the deed for them. (this all started around the time of the Clinton admin, maybe
earlier). It's also simply possible that he gave a ration of shit
to an ATF agent, and given his attitude it's not unlikely. (for as much
disdain as I have for their existence, I still believe that there are probably
a lot of people that work for ATF that deserve to be treated with at least
a modicum of respect... eg, at least do the golden rule... )

I do know for a fact though that he was one of the targets of the AG's
goon squad, though, on at least 2 separate occasions. So he's
probably taken the "consent decree enema" from reilly... maybe that's
why he's such an a**h***. [rofl]

-Mike
 
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