Since this is forum for dealer review .... who's the worst?

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pyth124

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Worst gunshop/dealer in your opinion.
I have 2 in mind .... but ..... the award for the worst/rudest is .......
Sportsmans Trading in Amherst ....... the rudest person ive ever had the misfortune
of interacting w/ .....ever .....
(2nd place is hunters rendesvous(sp?)) on 119.......
hey ... some reviews are good ... some are bad .....just my opinion
good: 4seasons has always treated me well .......
 
I agree with the review on Sportman trading company in Amherst NH and Hunters Rendevous in Pepperell Ma, Only Hunters Rendevous has anything worth looking at but the attitudes of both owners are non professional to say the least. I don't understand how they stay in business i have heard comments from
abroad about these two establishments and they been nothing but negative. Sportsman Trading company
owner swivels in his chair either to lazy to get out or he is stuck. Hunters Rendevous owner will bombard
you with tasteless comments to try and trap you into a sale. Siskel and Eiberts thumbs down
 
I have to confess that I was desperate for some .38 Special on a Sunday and I went to... Wal-Mart.

Can I nominate them for worst just on the basis that Wal-Mart sucks for edging out the good old All American mom and pop stores, even if they are open on Sundays and have ammo when you're really, really, really desperate?

God I wish I could post this anonymously. I can't believe I admitted that. [oops]
 
How does Wal-Mart compare to dedicated gun shops for pricing on ammo? If it's comparable then I'd much rather give my business to a locally owned and operated gun shop. On the other hand, Wal-Mart put bread on my table for many years and I don't have a problem shopping there, as many others seem to do.
 
Marcus in the Darkus said:
How does Wal-Mart compare to dedicated gun shops for pricing on ammo? If it's comparable then I'd much rather give my business to a locally owned and operated gun shop. On the other hand, Wal-Mart put bread on my table for many years and I don't have a problem shopping there, as many others seem to do.
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They are cheap. I can buy a box of 100 .40 Winchester Target loads for $15.
 
Marcus in the Darkus said:
How does Wal-Mart compare to dedicated gun shops for pricing on ammo? .
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I bought .38 Special there. It was somewhere between $7-8 for 50 rounds of Winchester. Which is within a dollar of what I'd spend locally. Not too much savings unless I was buying huge amounts.
 
You should be happy with Wal-Mart. At least they SELL ammo out your way.
They don't sell ammo or gun around Boston ie The Quincy Store or Walpole Store.
Dan in Boston :(
 
Dan,

Walpole does sell ammo. Problem is that they have damn little in stock and you have to hunt for the guy that has the key and can sell it to you. No, I've never bought it there . . . if I buy ammo at Wal-Mart, I do so at the Hudson, NH store.
 
I feel I have to chime in here about Walmart. I shop there occasionally for some items (a vcr, plastic bins, whatever), but I will not give my money to them for anything firearms related.
Here is my reasoning: Yes, you might save a dollar or two per box of ammo (why aren't you handloading?), but you are doing so at the cost of a dedicated gun shop. Walmart really won't feel it if you don't buy gun stuff from them, but your local gun shop will. While you are buying stuff from Walmart, your local guy decides to close shop because he doesn't get enough business. Pretty soon, the only place to buy ammo is Walmart!
Look down the road a few years with increasing attacks on our Second Ammendment rights. Under increasing media & public attacks for selling "firearms and ammo that might kill innocent children", Walmart decides it's not worth the hassle to continue selling them (heck, it's just a tiny fraction of a percent of their gross). Guess what? Now you've got no place to go!
Convoluted reasoning, I admit, but I see Walmart giving up the firearms business in a heartbeat if some idiotic, large-scale "boycott" were to occur because of some kid getting shot.

This isn't a knock against Walmart. I think they provide good products at very low prices and allow me to keep more money in my pocket. However, when it comes to my Second Ammendment and my ability to exercise it, I have to draw the line.
 
I have to admit that I really HATE Walmart and I just don't understand how they are successful. The aisles are always too narrow, so you are always dodging other shoppers. The contents of the shelves are always a mess and it takes forever to find what you came for. And the merchandise is mostly ugly, cheap, chinese-made cr*p. It's worth an extra $10 to me to not have to spend 20 minutes hunting for what I came for.

Concerning the employees at Walmart, well, they don't pay them much. And they don't get what they don't pay for.
 
I have to admit that I really HATE Walmart and I just don't understand how they are successful. The aisles are always too narrow, so you are always dodging other shoppers. The contents of the shelves are always a mess and it takes forever to find what you came for. And the merchandise is mostly ugly, cheap, chinese-made cr*p. It's worth an extra $10 to me to not have to spend 20 minutes hunting for what I came for.

Concerning the employees at Walmart, well, they don't pay them much. And they don't get what they don't pay for.
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Ahhh...then you really must try the Wally World up here in Lynn, it's about one step away from being a dumpster. This store is the only one I've been in where the announcements over the PA are made in Spanish. [shock]

They use to sell rifles and ammo a few years ago, but now it's just a very small section on the rack with Hoppes cleaning kits.
 
There 's a little at-home shop in Biddeford, ME that is the obsolute worst I've ever been to - Norm's. Well, maybe not... I guess if you enjoy listening to endless BS, with the consistant bashing of other retailers while being in a breezeway of a house (yup, that's the shop, a breezeway) surounded by piles of crap with a selection of long guns locked to the rack and no handguns in the display case (have to ask specifically what in the safe) this may be the shop for you. Oh, I guess if paying OVER MSRP is your kind of thing than this may be just your place.
Claims to be the "largest HK dealer in NE"..Yeah right.
Here's the site : http://www.normsguns.com/ The handgun cases had at most 5 guns in them and the counter was no where's near that organzined. I walked in an immeadiately knew I'd made a mistake.
AVOID at all costs!
 
As much as I love doing business with Carl at Four Seasons there are some significant reasons why Wal-Mart can sometimes be a better option:

- Four Seasons is not open on Sunday/Monday. If you need something today (Sunday) you'd be hard pressed to find a gunshop that is open. [The ones that are open in MA on Sundays tend to be big fishing supply shops as well, so their focus is either split or heavily slanted towards fishermen.]
- Wal-Mart is 10 miles RT whereas Four Seasons is ~90 miles RT.
- If I buy case lots of ammo, I can usually do best at Four Seasons.
- If I buy 100 packs of WW .40/.45, the prices at Wal-Mart are usually better. But they don't give you any breaks on case lots . . . the price per box is the price even if you are buying a few cases at one time. [Folks that take courses at Front Sight in NV typically pre-order cases and cases of ammo from the local Wal-Mart in Pahrump and pick it up on landing in LV. No deals on the huge quantities (which you can't fly with).]
- Selection of different ammos, guns, supplies suck at Wal-Mart, but are abundant at Four Seasons.

Each type of store has its benefits, not necessarily to the exclusion of the other. [And you can usually substitute another good store in your geographic area for Four Seasons.]

The two clerks I've dealt with at Wal-Mart in Hudson, NH's Sporting Goods Dept. were "good old Southern Boys" who grew up with guns. They aren't going to be as knowledgeable as Carl's crew on specific guns, but they aren't ignorant dopes about guns/ammo either! [This will vary greatly from store to store.]
 
I forget the name (must be a Freudian thing), but one shop that shall never again see a penny of my money is in Lawrence. Boston North Sporting Goods, maybe? Anyway, I brought one of my waterfowling shotguns there for repair once, during hunting season, and it was 40 days before I had it back, and was charged far more than I thought. I didn't question it, however, and went on my way. Soon after, the same shotgun had another problem. I took it back for diagnosis/repair, and a couple weeks passed. I called to see what was wrong, how much it would cost, etc., and was told "yeah, it'd be like $150 to fix. Prolly better off just junking it . We can get rid of it for you if you like" Not so fast. I say forget the repair, I'll be by to pick it up tomorrow (actually my buddy did). I pick it up at his place and we take it apart and see that the problem is baby-simple. The wishbone shaped piece that the slide rides on --forgive the formal technincal terms [roll] in the older Winnie 12 bore pumpgun is fractured. Wwe were banging away at seaducks on a bitter cold Winter day when it happened. So I got to the Winchester/USRAC website and see that the part is all of 10 bucks. With my bare hands, not even lifting a single tool, I have the old broken piece out and the new one in. $150 or toss it in the rubbish a a favor to me, huh? I'll never go back.

Total time expended: 4.5 minutes
Total expenses: ~14 bucks
Saving getting ripped off by an unsavory outfit and learning something in the process: priceless.
 
lhonda said:
I forget the name (must be a Freudian thing), but one shop that shall never again see a penny of my money is in Lawrence. Boston North Sporting Goods, maybe? Anyway, I brought one of my waterfowling shotguns there for repair once, during hunting season, and it was 40 days before I had it back, and was charged far more than I thought. I didn't question it, however, and went on my way. Soon after, the same shotgun had another problem. I took it back for diagnosis/repair, and a couple weeks passed. I called to see what was wrong, how much it would cost, etc., and was told "yeah, it'd be like $150 to fix. Prolly better off just junking it . We can get rid of it for you if you like" Not so fast. I say forget the repair, I'll be by to pick it up tomorrow (actually my buddy did). I pick it up at his place and we take it apart and see that the problem is baby-simple. The wishbone shaped piece that the slide rides on --forgive the formal technincal terms [roll] in the older Winnie 12 bore pumpgun is fractured. Wwe were banging away at seaducks on a bitter cold Winter day when it happened. So I got to the Winchester/USRAC website and see that the part is all of 10 bucks. With my bare hands, not even lifting a single tool, I have the old broken piece out and the new one in. $150 or toss it in the rubbish a a favor to me, huh? I'll never go back.

Total time expended: 4.5 minutes
Total expenses: ~14 bucks
Saving getting ripped off by an unsavory outfit and learning something in the process: priceless.
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I think you mean Guns and Sport North? We've bought two guns from him - the prices were a bit higher than a couple other places, but we liked them and they were awesome guns. Don't have a clue as to what their like for repairs. I usually go to Bob's Tactical for any repairs I need.
 
Yes, that's the one. I went there because a friend recommended them. The owner (Robert I think his name is) was pleasant enough, but after that nonsense with the repairs I'll never, ever go back. There's nothing like someone trying to take advantage and make a buck off someone's ignorance (especially mine!) that'll turn me off faster.

Leighton
 
Sunday Shops..

Well, that's what I like about Northeast Trading, they are open on Sundays. Granted it's only until like 1 or 2, but they are open on Sundays. So it's easy for me to stop by on the way to the club on Sunday and pick up whatever I need.

As for a shop that I wonder about?? I would say Middleboro. They seem to have good prices on some things, more on the other. I bought some dies in there. They were a good price...for Dillon dies. They were antoher brand that you can get anywhere else for 25 bucks cheaper. Wouldn't take them back. So I'm using them. But I won't get more there. Some of the guys there were nice. One was talking to us like we weren't the gods of guns and that we should know that something should cost this much, and that if someone else was selling it cheaper then they were selling crap. Or something was wrong with it.
 
I'd have to say Gun Sport North in Lawrence is one of the worst. I went there to put a gun on consignment (get an idea) and ran out fast. I put my gun on consignment with a Mom and Pop store in Danvers named Magnum Sporting. Prices are much higher than Carl's at Four Seasons but they're good folks. I got a Model 60 2" (NIB) for $410. :D

For worst service, I'd say Galyans (now Dicks). I asked about a couple of guns, and although I was speaking, he looked to my father and answered. It's as if I wasn't in the room.... [shock] Considering how many guns I own, he missed out big on an opportunity to get a really good customer. Never bought there needless to say, but went back for something to clean my guns and the sales guy (now Dicks employee) was more attentive. Hopefully a step in the right direction.
 
Laura said:
For worst service, I'd say Galyans (now Dicks). I asked about a couple of guns, and although I was speaking, he looked to my father and answered. It's as if I wasn't in the room.... [shock] Considering how many guns I own, he missed out big on an opportunity to get a really good customer. Never bought there needless to say, but went back for something to clean my guns and the sales guy (now Dicks employee) was more attentive. Hopefully a step in the right direction.
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I had that happen to me once (not Galyans). It was a long time ago and my dad was with me. I asked a question and they answered my father. Dad smirked and told the guy, "You just lost the sale. It's for her, not me." The guy blinked and looked at me. I turned to my dad and said, "We're out of here." I also embarass the hell out of them if they talk to my "chest", not my face. THAT is downright irritating and I let them know it in no uncertain terms.
 
New experience in badness:

I was out of 9mm last Sunday in Woburn. If it hadn't been a Sunday I would have gone to Four Seasons, but instead I went to the new Sports Authority.

After the 10 minutes it took me to find somebody to get me ammo, then convincing the guy that I was certain that he didn't need to fill out paperwork for me to buy ammo, then being escorted by the manager to the register up front who didn't know the difference between a FID (which he said I needed) and my LTC (which is way better than a FID but he didn't get the difference) I will say that if I ever run out of ammo on a Sunday I'll just go home and cut my losses...
 
I don't know what the idiocy is in the retail superstores, but they have it in their heads that all anyone needs is an FID card in MA to buy ammo and they don't seem to have a clue what a LTC is!

Had this event happen in Dick's Sporting Goods in Attleboro and Wal-Mart in Walpole this past week.

The Sporting Goods manager (Craig) in the Walpole Wal-Mart is an arrogant bastard!! I need a case (1K) of .45ACP 230gr for the Gabe Suarez class this coming week and when I was up in the Hudson, NH store a month or so ago the clerk told me that if I talked to the department manager perhaps I could get a discount for case lots. So I asked in Walpole and he snarled with a NO and why should we? He claimed that they are the cheapest place you can buy ammo anywhere (and that nobody would ship any ammo into MA) so there was no need to discount prices for larger quantities. It wasn't the answer but it was the manner in which he answered me that showed his arrogance. I also told him that his assertion wasn't correct, that I knew of places where I could get it for the same price or perhaps less. He didn't like that one bit and tried throwing that in my face when I went back there to buy them out of .45. I need it now and don't have time to order stuff or make trips to gun shops distant from me right now.
 
LenS said:
I don't know what the idiocy is in the retail superstores, but they have it in their heads that all anyone needs is an FID card in MA to buy ammo and they don't seem to have a clue what a LTC is!

Had this event happen in Dick's Sporting Goods in Attleboro and Wal-Mart in Walpole this past week.

The Sporting Goods manager (Craig) in the Walpole Wal-Mart is an arrogant bastard!! I need a case (1K) of .45ACP 230gr for the Gabe Suarez class this coming week and when I was up in the Hudson, NH store a month or so ago the clerk told me that if I talked to the department manager perhaps I could get a discount for case lots. So I asked in Walpole and he snarled with a NO and why should we? He claimed that they are the cheapest place you can buy ammo anywhere (and that nobody would ship any ammo into MA) so there was no need to discount prices for larger quantities. It wasn't the answer but it was the manner in which he answered me that showed his arrogance. I also told him that his assertion wasn't correct, that I knew of places where I could get it for the same price or perhaps less. He didn't like that one bit and tried throwing that in my face when I went back there to buy them out of .45. I need it now and don't have time to order stuff or make trips to gun shops distant from me right now.
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Wanna make a bet he was an anti? [wink]
 
Shouldn't be working in Sporting Goods if you are an anti! Plenty of other departments in Wally World to work in . . . how about knitting? Oh, no . . . not with sharp, pointed objects? Do they have a Nerf-ball department? [twisted]
 
LenS said:
Shouldn't be working in Sporting Goods if you are an anti! Plenty of other departments in Wally World to work in . . . how about knitting? Oh, no . . . not with sharp, pointed objects? Do they have a Nerf-ball department? [twisted]
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He may not have had the choice, or he didn't realize he'd have to DEAL with a customer regarding ammo. [roll]
 
The Wally World in Tewksbury seems pretty good. For a while they didn't stock the 100rd WWB value pack, but all it took was me asking a couple of times and now they keep it in stock. They kids behind the counter know the difference. They always ask for my LTC whenever I want to buy handgun ammo, and when I buy rifle ammo they ask for either my FID or LTC for the sale.

Adam
 
I hate to name names, but a shop near me acts like they don't want anyone coming in. I feel like they'd rather keep the doors locked. They seemed to get mad at me because I made it obvious that a trigger lock wasn't going to do much good on a Garand. (I picked it up innocently enough and the whole group fell on the floor) They are so doggone grouchy that I can't imagine buying anything there.

Now Riley's, that was a good experience. They didn't know me from Adam yet they were friendly and helpful and I left some money there and will gladly do it again.
 
Reviews

MA Shops that I have frequently visited:

Gun Room Shrewsbury: ignorant on laws; no real deals on firearms and you have to listen to one of John's 1/2 hour long stories on how he fought Napoleon and almost won. Thumbs down.

Village Gun Shop: now closed; had the largest selection, but high prices. The owner is still advertising to buy used guns, but guns are sold at auctions and not the store in case you want to get rid of a gun and only get half of what it is worth.

Ware Gun Shop: great knife and gun selection with good prices. Thumbs up.

Four Seasons Woburn: incredible customer service, good selection and honest prices. My vote for the best in MA.

Law Enforcement Equipment in Waltham: decent selection, but is really good at finding C3 equipment. Thumbs up if you are into C3.

McEilelley's (spelling?) in Waltham: very small selection, but he tries and even attends most of the gun shows. I'd always swing by after visiting Law Enforcement Equip, but was always dismayed at the selection. Thumbs down.

We Are Guns: Norton - Richard operates out of his house; doesn't have a large in house selection, but can get almost anything and has good prices. It is actually pretty neat to see that much ammo stored in a house. Richard has an international clientele so he can often find rare items that aren't frequently available in the US. Thumbs up.

NH: I've only shopped at Sportsman's in Amherst since moving to NH, but he had Ok, prices (matched Internet) for a handful of guns that I bought recently, primarily since I couldn't buy them when I lived in MA. Alan was in his chair (as mentioned in other posts), but was friendly and gave me the scoop on NH laws. Thumbs up based on three purchases.

ME: Can't beat Kittery Trading Post for long gun selection and being a NH resident allows you to buy guns at their NH office site.
 
LenS

The Sporting Goods manager (Craig) in the Walpole Wal-Mart is an arrogant bastard!!---LenS
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I've shot with Craig for several years (he shoots a couple of times a week) and I've found him to be both a ardent shooter and a really nice guy.

Interestingly I heard the other side of this story before I read your account so I have an insite to both of your thoughts.

I think you both could have dealt with each other better.


Respectfully,

jdkelly
 
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