Calling gun Stores

[Scutter01]

Did you try TSG?

I don't know who she called.

 

[451_Detonics]

A large number of calls these days are people "price checking" to see if that online price is good or not, they have no intention of buying from the shops they call they just want pricing. It is a waste of the dealer's time and I can understand why some get a bit abrupt at times. When I had my shop open I charged a set amount per hour for my time when gunsmithing, why is my time any less valuable when on the phone answering questions?

 

[AngryRooster]

I don't think the OP was out of line at all. Yes we all know the shops are busy nowadays, however that is part of their job. I live in Randolph County about 3 miles from the Ohio line. My choices for gun shops with a decent selection are 40 minutes away at Ludco's (overpriced w/ bad attitude) or 2+ hours to Indy. I always call the shops and ask questions before I make that kind of trip. I do remember who treats me well on the phone and who doesn't. There are certain shops that have a habit of being rude on the phone and others that have mixed days. I always give shops the benefit of the doubt if I've had mixed results when asking questions before. Sometimes they are just busy or having a bad day. Call enough places enough times and you WILL see patterns develop. Be nice when you call and have some idea of what you are talking about, that will go a long way. If you call a dealer and he doesn't know a 1911 from a Sig then do you really want to deal with him anyway?

A couple of weeks ago I was looking for a pocket gun. I was hoping someone would have the new S&W 642 2.5" barrel so I could check it out. I called every shop I could find from Richmond, Indy, Muncie, Anderson & Kokomo. None of them had one yet. Most didn't know what they were. A few told me I need to learn about guns because they don't make one like that. I explained to all of them that I live several hours away and would need a price before I could drive in and either put down a deposit or pick it up. One shop said they could order it but wouldn't tell me how much it would cost until it came in. I was calling on a Monday. I finally called KS&E and explained things to them and gave them the SKU that Smith had on the web for the model I wanted. He said call back in an hour and he would have a price. I called back, liked the price and had him order it. I made sure that they understood I was 2+ hours away. He said he would order it without a deposit trusting me that I would really be in to pick it up. It came in that Thursday afternoon and I picked it up Friday. Guess what, they took the time to understand what I was after on the phone and realized my position with not having a good dealer close by. They also got my business again this week. I will be picking up a new Kahr P9 tomorrow afternoon as well. Anyone want to guess who will be getting the order for the Beretta Storm rifle in a month or so? It won't be the guys that didn't have time to answer my questions when I called.

 

[PremierArms]

From a store owner’s perspective, at Premier Arms we will receive dozens of calls a day from people checking prices or inventory. I totally understand this, time is tight and gas is not cheap. Many people just want to "see" what we have before making a trip in. My salesmen and I always try to take time answering all the questions, including exactly what we have in stock and the price. I routinely spend 20 or minutes with customers over the phone making sure all their questions are answered. After all this is how I always try to be, if not for my customers, I have no business. I have a dozen used 1911's in stock now by the way.

 

[Joe Williams]

From a store owner’s perspective, at Premier Arms we will receive dozens of calls a day from people checking prices or inventory. I totally understand this, time is tight and gas is not cheap. Many people just want to "see" what we have before making a trip in. My salesmen and I always try to take time answering all the questions, including exactly what we have in stock and the price. I routinely spend 20 or minutes with customers over the phone making sure all their questions are answered. After all this is how I always try to be, if not for my customers, I have no business. I have a dozen used 1911's in stock now by the way.

Let's see if I can save you from having to answer another phone call from me Ya'll got any Don Hume holsters in stock for a 4" S&W Model 64?

 

[Colt556]

I've also fielded the calls from OTHER dealers checking our prices. This was many years ago when caller idea was pretty new. It was pretty funny and we'd make up crazy prices, usually really low!