Sportsmans Trading Company Amherst NH

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Bought a marlin lever gun off this guy last month. When I called he told me he had six in stock, drove 20 miles and found not a one in the store. He told me they were in the warehouse and if I wanted to order one I would have to pay full price on deposit to get one. I wanted the 336C which is the higher grade gun cosmetically. Had to put almost $500 on my card to get the order in. Was told it would be there by Tuesday. When I called on Wed., no gun... Had to wait till Saturday to get it. I went up there Saturday morning but the guy at the shop kept me waiting for almost 2 hours before waiting on me. Had to sell 3 .45 pistols to three idiots who didn't even know how to load them. So I waited.

Got my gun and went screaming into the day....

This shop claims to be the Marlin Distributor for the NE area but all his stuff was in some warehouse in MA. Nothing to see or try. The owner was one of the most obnoxious people I have run across in recent memory. I felt like I was buying a used car or something, he didnt stop talking the whole time and half the crap that came out of his mouth was just plain wrong.

Although I bought a Marlin 336C from this clown and I am pleased with it, I will never do business with that outfit again.
 
Sorry you had that bad experience. I've been to the shop a couple of times - not at all impressed.

Have you stopped in at State Line Guns in Mason, NH? Nice little shop, with a bit of everything you need. Highly recommended, and pretty close to Pepperell.
 
I'll second R&R. I've bought 3 guns in the past year from them and usually they take a few bucks off without me even asking. If they don't take a discount on the gun they will often take it on whatever else I'm buying at the time. They have become my goto gun shop. I like State Line too.
 
My thought would be that if you had to put a "deposit" down on the entire cost of the rifle, then this guy is on credit hold with his distributors and they won't ship anything that he doesn't pay for up front.

Gary
 
The guy is a total jerk and that's his scheme. There is this fantasy warehouse where thousands and thousands of whatever you want are kept as long as you give him a huge deposit.

I'd bet his "fantasy warehouse" is Davidson's Gallery of Guns. A lot of shops have an account with them and you can shop online, leave a deposit, and the gun then gets delivered to your shop.

I've ordered through them and had the guns sent to my local guy. He called me, I showed up and passed the backgroound check, paid the balance and left. It's a good system but it sounds like the owner STC was acting like he had the stuff in his own warehouse.

Anyway, if you do want to order online, check out www.chesterarmsllc.com.

His prices are pretty good on guns ordered through Davidson's. He doesn't have a ton of stuff in stock like Riley's but he's a good dude.
 
I will never step foot in that shop again. I stopped in a few years back on the way home from Riley's when the T/C Omega had just come out and I was looking for one in stainless with the black laminated stock (I had been unable to locate one at that point). Anyways, the guy said that he could get one within a week but that he required a full deposit - same story, it was in "his warehouse". I was excited that I would be able to get it for that hunting season and went ahead with the order. Not only did I not get it in time for that hunting season, more than three months went by before I did receive it (other gun shops had started getting them in well before then). I actually thought that I was never going to see it (or my money again) but I kept calling a couple of times a week until I did. He was very unpleasant to deal with - I do not know how he stays in business if he treats many other customers that way.

+1 on R & R - I have always had a good experience there.
 
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Bought a marlin lever gun off this guy last month. When I called he told me he had six in stock, drove 20 miles and found not a one in the store. He told me they were in the warehouse and if I wanted to order one I would have to pay full price on deposit to get one. I wanted the 336C which is the higher grade gun cosmetically. Had to put almost $500 on my card to get the order in. Was told it would be there by Tuesday. When I called on Wed., no gun... Had to wait till Saturday to get it. I went up there Saturday morning but the guy at the shop kept me waiting for almost 2 hours before waiting on me. Had to sell 3 .45 pistols to three idiots who didn't even know how to load them. So I waited.

Got my gun and went screaming into the day....

This shop claims to be the Marlin Distributor for the NE area but all his stuff was in some warehouse in MA. Nothing to see or try. The owner was one of the most obnoxious people I have run across in recent memory. I felt like I was buying a used car or something, he didnt stop talking the whole time and half the crap that came out of his mouth was just plain wrong.

Although I bought a Marlin 336C from this clown and I am pleased with it, I will never do business with that outfit again.


I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience at Sportsmans.
 
I will never step foot in that shop again. I stopped in a few years back on the way home from Riley's when the T/C Omega had just come out and I was looking for one in stainless with the black laminated stock (I had been unable to locate one at that point). Anyways, the guy said that he could get one within a week but that he required a full deposit - same story, it was in "his warehouse". I was excited that I would be able to get it for that hunting season and went ahead with the order. Not only did I not get it in time for that hunting season, more than three months went by before I did receive it (other gun shops had started getting them in well before then). I actually thought that I was never going to see it (or my money again) but I kept calling a couple of times a week until I did. He was very unpleasant to deal with - I do not know how he stays in business if he treats many other customers that way.

+1 on R & R - I have always had a good experience there.

He does get his guns from a warehouse. He requires payment up front for two reasons:
1. He doesn't float any money. He pays the invoices as they come in. That is how he can give best price.
2. This is firearms. If he orders a gun without getting a payment in full, once it is in his shop he owns it. If a customer does not come in to get the gun returning it cost him shipping back & forth and a 15% restocking fee. And that has happened in the past.
 
Respectfully, ALL dealers get their guns from a warehouse - usually a distributor's.

When a retailer claims to have a gun in ITS warehouse and, in fact, has no warehouse, it is a fraudulent representation.

If the dealer actually has a warehouse, but the gun is not actually in its warehouse, but only a [distant] distributor's warehouse, that is also a fraudulent representation.

In each case, the retailer is deliberately claiming to have a gun he does not actually possess to induce the customer to enter into a purchase because the buyer relied upon the wilfully false representation of prompt delivery.

Put simply, if the store does NOT have the gun in question in its bound book, it does not have the gun. Period.

As you've dropped in "out of the blue," so to speak, to defend this store, I presume you have some interest in it or the owner. You might want to direct his attention to this post.
 
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I'd bet his "fantasy warehouse" is Davidson's Gallery of Guns. A lot of shops have an account with them and you can shop online, leave a deposit, and the gun then gets delivered to your shop.

I've ordered through them and had the guns sent to my local guy. He called me, I showed up and passed the backgroound check, paid the balance and left. It's a good system but it sounds like the owner STC was acting like he had the stuff in his own warehouse.

Anyway, if you do want to order online, check out www.chesterarmsllc.com.

His prices are pretty good on guns ordered through Davidson's. He doesn't have a ton of stuff in stock like Riley's but he's a good dude.

Concerning the "fantacy warehouse". That is not the case at all!!! I get upset when I read coments like this. He very seldom orders through Davidson. He does not like to do business with them. They are noted for sending the wrong gun, or not sending the gun at all. There IS a warehouse that he orders through and it is not Davidson's Gallery of Guns. I have worked at Sportsmans Trading Co. for 17 years. Al can be a real jerk. I'll tell him that to his face. He can be loud, obnoxious, and sometimes down right rude. But he will also work to do the best he can to satisfy his customer. I have seen him work for two, three days to find a certain gun for a customer. He has been in business for 25 years, and has many faithful customers. We have people come in and knock other gun shops, but Al does not knock them back. I can say that there are times the customers are not all that pleasant to do business with either.. If you have an issue with him then take it up with him.
 
My thought would be that if you had to put a "deposit" down on the entire cost of the rifle, then this guy is on credit hold with his distributors and they won't ship anything that he doesn't pay for up front.

Gary

Not true. All has open accounts with all his distributors.
 
Concerning the "fantacy warehouse". That is not the case at all!!! I get upset when I read coments like this. He very seldom orders through Davidson. He does not like to do business with them. They are noted for sending the wrong gun, or not sending the gun at all. There IS a warehouse that he orders through and it is not Davidson's Gallery of Guns. I have worked at Sportsmans Trading Co. for 17 years. Al can be a real jerk. I'll tell him that to his face. He can be loud, obnoxious, and sometimes down right rude. But he will also work to do the best he can to satisfy his customer. I have seen him work for two, three days to find a certain gun for a customer. He has been in business for 25 years, and has many faithful customers. We have people come in and knock other gun shops, but Al does not knock them back. I can say that there are times the customers are not all that pleasant to do business with either.. If you have an issue with him then take it up with him.

Well, if it's not Davidson's, it's a different distributor so my point stands.

As Scrivener pointed out above, he either has a warehouse with the guns in it, or he doesn't. Either way, why not simply tell the truth? Just say "no, I don't have it in stock but I can order if for you with a deposit." Most customers would appreciate the honesty and would rather not waste their time and gas money driving over to see a gun that is not on hand.
 
Not true. All has open accounts with all his distributors.

Sure. Which is why he needs cash up front. I have a very close friend who was a dealer for years. I'll check with him to see if guns can or can not be returned to distributors.

You can say Al is a great and reputable guy all you want. No one who has dealt with him as a customer seems to think so.

Gary
 
In my case, Al told me that the T/C Omega was in "his warehouse" and that he could have it in his store in less than a week - he even made a phone call while I was there "to make sure that the one listed on his inventory was still in stock". I certainly do not mind putting down a full deposit if the dealer follows through with his promise but a couple of months versus "less than a week" is unacceptable. The fact of the matter was that his distributor (whoever that was/is) did not even have them in stock at the time.
 
Sure. Which is why he needs cash up front. I have a very close friend who was a dealer for years. I'll check with him to see if guns can or can not be returned to distributors.

You can say Al is a great and reputable guy all you want. No one who has dealt with him as a customer seems to think so.

Gary

Sure guns can be returned to the distributor, and depending on what distributor it is can sometimes be a royal pain. They have to send a call tag or issue an RA number. Some will have them picked up, but with others and depending on what type of gun it is it either has to be taken to UPS or the post office. And some distributors require 15% restocking fee. There is also the shipping cost too.. All because some guy didn't get permission from his wife to buy a gun. And, handling guns is a lot different than buying a pair of sneakers.
Maybe people you are friends with don't deal with him, but he's not still in business by not having customers. He may be a jerk but when it comes to gun laws he is a straight arrow..
 
Sure guns can be returned to the distributor, and depending on what distributor it is can sometimes be a royal pain. They have to send a call tag or issue an RA number. Some will have them picked up, but with others and depending on what type of gun it is it either has to be taken to UPS or the post office. And some distributors require 15% restocking fee. There is also the shipping cost too.. All because some guy didn't get permission from his wife to buy a gun. And, handling guns is a lot different than buying a pair of sneakers.
Maybe people you are friends with don't deal with him, but he's not still in business by not having customers. He may be a jerk but when it comes to gun laws he is a straight arrow..

Oh, and as far as him expecting money up front, I have two final things to say:
Guys, please get permission from your wife before you come in to "buy a gun". And if you are coming in to actually buy a gun...expect to pay for it up front. That said, there should be no misunderstanding from either side.
 
Oh, and as far as him expecting money up front, I have two final things to say:
Guys, please get permission from your wife before you come in to "buy a gun". And if you are coming in to actually buy a gun...expect to pay for it up front. That said, there should be no misunderstanding from either side.

You're not helping him with your attitude either. Maybe people should just go to stores that have items in stock and maybe even accept lay aways.

Gary
 
You're not helping him with your attitude either. Maybe people should just go to stores that have items in stock and maybe even accept lay aways.

Gary

I have an attitude?? Oh, it's okay it to have all kinds of nasty things said against the guy but you don't want someone on here saying anything that actually defends him? I guess if you were on the other side of the counter you might see things differently.
 
Judy said:
Guys, please get permission from your wife before you come in to "buy a gun".

This pretty much sums up the attitude. I am willing to take a guess at the bumper stickers in that gun shop parking lot.

Obama 08

Judy don't get upset when people post what happened in here. There are a ton of other gun shops listed in this forum with rave reviews. If this thread is bad you guys might want to look in to a mirror to identify the problem.
 
This pretty much sums up the attitude. I am willing to take a guess at the bumper stickers in that gun shop parking lot.

Obama 08

Judy don't get upset when people post what happened in here. There are a ton of other gun shops listed in this forum with rave reviews. If this thread is bad you guys might want to look in to a mirror to identify the problem.

Well said, Derek.

Gary
 
I had the same problem with a bushmaster. Paid upfront and no delivery, no return phone call until I disputed the charge with my credit card. Then he couldn't call me fast enough.

Stay away. There are too many good shops out there to put up with this guy.
 
This pretty much sums up the attitude. I am willing to take a guess at the bumper stickers in that gun shop parking lot.

Obama 08

Judy don't get upset when people post what happened in here. There are a ton of other gun shops listed in this forum with rave reviews. If this thread is bad you guys might want to look in to a mirror to identify the problem.

Did any of you go talk to the owner at Sportsman's about how his behavior upset you?
 
Did any of you go talk to the owner at Sportsman's about how his behavior upset you?

I did and, in my opinion, he just did not seem to care. There are other shops that offer just as competitive prices (or more) with better service. Why should we, as customers, have to convince a dealer to treat people better?
 
He does get his guns from a warehouse. He requires payment up front for two reasons:
1. He doesn't float any money. He pays the invoices as they come in. That is how he can give best price.
2. This is firearms. If he orders a gun without getting a payment in full, once it is in his shop he owns it. If a customer does not come in to get the gun returning it cost him shipping back & forth and a 15% restocking fee. And that has happened in the past.

Concerning reason number 2, that is baloney, How can he go wrong if he requires a 25% deposit for a gun he honestly does not have in stock. If the depositor does not return then yes Al owns the gun but he also made 25% for doing nothing. You trying to tell me he isnt going to come out ahead on the deal? Cant he sell that gun to another person? I purchased a marlin 336, seems to me that someone would be looking to buy that thing in short order.

The purpose of my original post was to inform the membership of a bad experience I had in that store. You said yourself he was downright obnoxious and that is true. I didnt like the way I was baited in and then treated. In any case, I will never set foot in Al's place again! Sorry if the truth hurts.
 
This pretty much sums up the attitude. I am willing to take a guess at the bumper stickers in that gun shop parking lot.

Obama 08

Judy don't get upset when people post what happened in here. There are a ton of other gun shops listed in this forum with rave reviews. If this thread is bad you guys might want to look in to a mirror to identify the problem.

Everyone has a right to their opinion. but, it is so easy to post a bad experience on a computer when you are sitting in your comfort zone, your home. It doesn't seem to be so easy to say the same things face to face..
 
Another bad experience!!

I ordered a SW model 52 from him years ago. Put the deposit on a credit card. He was suppose to get an unfired in the original box gun. 3 weeks later no gun. 5 weeks later it will be here soon, but not unfired. 6 weeks later it was coming in a display box not original as stated. I called the credit card company and sent a letter of dispute. He called angry and said he was keeping my deposit for breaking the deal, that he had himself changed from the original purchase that I had in writing. The credit card company sided with me in the beginning, but it was taken over by another company who later backed down and gave him the deposit.
I would have gladdly taken the time to go to court to fight him, because it was obvious that he was a con man, but my wife was diagnosed with leikemia a short time after the deal began. My family needed my undivided attention, and so he got away with screwing someone else!
This man is a fast talker and reminds me of a used car saleman with no conscience!
 
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