Good old traditional awful British gunshop adventure.
- Thread starter Pine Marten
- Start date
bobjs
Well-Known Member
I have to say i have 2 shops that i go to in general.(I also use reloading solutions for my reloading gear) but that one is not any of the ones im talking about here. hot coffee and a chat there makes the difference all the time i have been there. clean tidy and ordely to deal with even on the phone and i sent a email yesterday asking about some brass, had a reply on my pc first thing this morning. good service at all times.... will i go back, yes
Anyway
One is so disinterested in the rifle shooter/inc air rifles, that its just silly, he should close the rifle sales area down and just stick to selling his (rip off priced everything) to shotgun tooting discovery owning green wellie brigade pinky ringed toffs.(this shop will never have the pleasure of any money from me,( sadly i have a £30 gift voucher from their but im not sure what / of there is anything there thats only £30. ?? will i go back....just to use the gift voucher and thats it.
the other is a down to earth place, chat drink smoke outside if you want one, come back in a slag the shoot out of all the staff, have an argument about who makes the best rifles mods etc etc. then pay your money and drive home with a smile on your face after getting a few bob off the bits you wanted..service with a bit of interst in what you do and what you shoot, always plenty of people asking what the 20 cals like to shoot, and keen to tell you what they are up too as well.... will i go back...yes
I do think that some need a reality check and others who you do complain to think that they are above you and your out of order. happily these are the ones that will fall by the wayside and will be replaced by the Internet.
Internet shopping will in the end win : reasons.
no 1, no shop front to worry about.or extortionate high street rent,
no 2, very competitive prices.
no 3, no need to deal with the customer face to face (and some are best not too/would rather not do)
no 4, can by in bulk to hopefully pass the saving on to the shopper in the end/////we live in hope of this one.
no 5, mail order is the way forward as more and more people will shop at/from home rather than trapse around a boring old shop that has (in some cases) very poor service/down right disgraceful customer care,.
Anyway
One is so disinterested in the rifle shooter/inc air rifles, that its just silly, he should close the rifle sales area down and just stick to selling his (rip off priced everything) to shotgun tooting discovery owning green wellie brigade pinky ringed toffs.(this shop will never have the pleasure of any money from me,( sadly i have a £30 gift voucher from their but im not sure what / of there is anything there thats only £30. ?? will i go back....just to use the gift voucher and thats it.
the other is a down to earth place, chat drink smoke outside if you want one, come back in a slag the shoot out of all the staff, have an argument about who makes the best rifles mods etc etc. then pay your money and drive home with a smile on your face after getting a few bob off the bits you wanted..service with a bit of interst in what you do and what you shoot, always plenty of people asking what the 20 cals like to shoot, and keen to tell you what they are up too as well.... will i go back...yes
I do think that some need a reality check and others who you do complain to think that they are above you and your out of order. happily these are the ones that will fall by the wayside and will be replaced by the Internet.
Internet shopping will in the end win : reasons.
no 1, no shop front to worry about.or extortionate high street rent,
no 2, very competitive prices.
no 3, no need to deal with the customer face to face (and some are best not too/would rather not do)
no 4, can by in bulk to hopefully pass the saving on to the shopper in the end/////we live in hope of this one.
no 5, mail order is the way forward as more and more people will shop at/from home rather than trapse around a boring old shop that has (in some cases) very poor service/down right disgraceful customer care,.
Pine Marten
Well-Known Member
I quite like that shop! I buy my game cartridges there. I don't use many, so I reckon I may as well have the posh ones!
i went too a gunshop not too far from me as everyone raved about it, well was stood with about 1k of clothes and wellies, whilst i kept being told i was next then they would serve someone else. last straw as they were serving me, lady who ever walked in and they dropped everything to show her some £30 tie's.
so on that note i dropped the lot on the floor and just said **** ya and walked out.
went else where and got my gear.
stav
so on that note i dropped the lot on the floor and just said **** ya and walked out.
went else where and got my gear.
stav
moses
Well-Known Member
I have been in a similar pickle before, needed some ammo asap.
Luckily I ended up at J Roberts & son in Vauxhall and very nice it was too.
OK... it wasn't the cheapest ammo but, it's an interesting place with some beautiful guns and a good range of Double rifles to have a play with.
I have also used Ray Wards in Knightsbridge, I had a shotgun sent there from Devon.
When I went to collect it they put it onto my ticket and I asked what I owed them, the answer was........... nothing.
I bought a slab of shells in appreciation. They don't have masses of rifle ammo but, would get it in for you.
Just my experience of London gunshops, be aware that the Beretta Gallery can be a good place for a bargin rifle as they really don't sell many.
All the best
Moses
Luckily I ended up at J Roberts & son in Vauxhall and very nice it was too.
OK... it wasn't the cheapest ammo but, it's an interesting place with some beautiful guns and a good range of Double rifles to have a play with.
I have also used Ray Wards in Knightsbridge, I had a shotgun sent there from Devon.
When I went to collect it they put it onto my ticket and I asked what I owed them, the answer was........... nothing.
I bought a slab of shells in appreciation. They don't have masses of rifle ammo but, would get it in for you.
Just my experience of London gunshops, be aware that the Beretta Gallery can be a good place for a bargin rifle as they really don't sell many.
All the best
Moses
. + I would have made sure there was a good draught from the door!
Don’t go in there often but I bet they have some ‘interesting’ rifle ammo tucked away in their vaults with an equally eye-watering price tag and date stamp!
You might also wish to consider canceling your Steyr order and make them an offer on a very nice colour case hardened Mauser stalking rifle in .275 for circa £14K!
Decent calibre too!
Cheers
K
Pine Marten
Well-Known Member
I did call them about 7mm-08 ammunition and they offered to order some for me, but as I didn't know exactly what I needed, I declined the offer. As regards prices, their own brand shotgun cartridges aren't particularly expensive. The rifle you describe sounds lovely, but I think that £14k is perhaps quite a lot more than my budget. If I had a spare £14k to play with, I'd be off to the Yukon to hunt moose and caribou.
Boghossian
Well-Known Member
I did buy some .375 H&H ammo from them (WE) for a tenner as it was the last box going, so you do get the odd bargain...
Wiltsire Ron
Well-Known Member
Purple Wellies
That's staggering Pine Martin, you've got to try really hard to match it - although I do have a story about an Opel garage in Spain..... I've a 7mm08, originally chosen for exactly the same reasons; .308 is hard to get in and out of France, and not looked back - stick with a cracking calibre. I think I'll squeeze into my wife's purple wellies and bobble hat with a sheep on it, and head over to the Basil Faulty of the gun trade for the full experience - "I mentioned 7mm08 once, but think I got away with it"...
That's staggering Pine Martin, you've got to try really hard to match it - although I do have a story about an Opel garage in Spain..... I've a 7mm08, originally chosen for exactly the same reasons; .308 is hard to get in and out of France, and not looked back - stick with a cracking calibre. I think I'll squeeze into my wife's purple wellies and bobble hat with a sheep on it, and head over to the Basil Faulty of the gun trade for the full experience - "I mentioned 7mm08 once, but think I got away with it"...
Excellent - I was reading the OP and having visited most of the gunshops around London was thinking which one this could be. Seems my first guess was right! I visited there on a Saturday and the shop was clearly full of this blokes mates drinking tea at the counter. Having eventually asked if anyone was serving I was then honoured with the owner laughing at my proposed trade in against a new rifle. I asked what price he could do the new rifle for and having waited for another 10 minutes or so whilst he seemed to be discussing a price with his mates, I walked out. It's a shame because he seems to carry good stock levels but from my experience it seems these are for him and his mates.
Pine Marten
Well-Known Member
Yes, that sounds like the level of customer service I experienced!
johndeere
Well-Known Member
I think a good or bad experience rating for gun shops would be interesting something along evil bay lines.
No need to go into detail and get to personal like the stumpy little man with small person syndrome that operates in Lancashire That will never never ever get a look at any of my money again.
A simple Recommended- or never again would suffice
Could save us lot miles travailing about a pattern would soon emerge.
Give them a try or give them a wide birth .
No need to go into detail and get to personal like the stumpy little man with small person syndrome that operates in Lancashire That will never never ever get a look at any of my money again.
A simple Recommended- or never again would suffice
Could save us lot miles travailing about a pattern would soon emerge.
Give them a try or give them a wide birth .
charlieg43
Well-Known Member
Hideous story! After working in one of the local gunshops near me, I can frankly say that if I spoke to a customer like that, I would have been instantly fired. Trying to get a balance between good service and competitive prices I find to the best way to go about it. Some may charge a little more initially, but after a years free service, helpful advice and honesty I tend to want to go back! Sorry to hear about your story
Chris J
Well-Known Member
I recall visiting that establishment many years ago on the trail of a 9mm Beretta 92FS. I actually had 2 to look at and made the trip from the East Mids to London the day my FAC came through - with wife tow. We found a B&B to stay over night then went to May's of London, first thing. The pistol was like new in every detail. Had actually been used in a murder can you believe, but the price was spot on and the people were lovely. Not their usual sort of stock at all. Being the sort of chap I was and not having things like mobiles back then, I journeyed to Barnet to apologise for not buying theirs but thank them so much for holding it for me for the day to allow me to come down.
The response I got? "Oh don't worry, I sold it last week"
But then Joe did offer me, strangely, a cream cake for my trouble.
We jumped into the car and batted North to see Roger Francis at SY Shooting Supplies where I bought a Smith 686 in .357 and a 629 Classic in .44 mag. Ahh them were the days.
Gunshops eh? You should try either of our local ones if you really want to be disappointed and have your time utterly wasted.
Chris
The response I got? "Oh don't worry, I sold it last week"
But then Joe did offer me, strangely, a cream cake for my trouble.
We jumped into the car and batted North to see Roger Francis at SY Shooting Supplies where I bought a Smith 686 in .357 and a 629 Classic in .44 mag. Ahh them were the days.
Gunshops eh? You should try either of our local ones if you really want to be disappointed and have your time utterly wasted.
Chris
One thing i have no tollerance for is rude service from someone whos premises i am patronising to spend my hard earned.Especially a hobby or interest which gives me pleasure to spend money on.
The above post brought back some not so great memories of my local shop some years ago.The sort of olde worlde place with ancient counters that Harry Potter might buy a wand.However, the effect was totally spoilt by the know it all behind the counter and his regular`posse`sat in chairs drinking tea, nodding sagely to each other when the owner spoke.
As a customer, you were the cabaret act.Lots of winks at each other,belly laughs, and `fork handles`type banter for the benefit of each other.
As a consequence i never used him.A lot of others didnt either.It was easy then as i just had shotguns and bought my carts from farm suppliers.The bloke is now fortunately history and my local shop is a good place to go.
Pine Marten
Well-Known Member
I've just discovered that I do have a local gunshop after all: Boss & Co in Kew! I thought that was just their factory but it turns out that it's now also their showroom and sole address. I wonder if they'd handle the transfer of my new rifle from the SGC. It would be a lot simpler than going into Central London or to Bisley! Can't hurt to drop them an email...
nuttyspaniel
Well-Known Member
Better still go in and speak to them, you may be surprised and they could also have ammo for you, or get some in..
nutty
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