Background: I have wanted another Enfield No.4 Rifle for some time. I’ve posted a WTB thread in the classified and after months I removed it. One day in someone’s thread about his milsurp, I mentioned I was still looking for a No. 4. Another member here sent me an email asking if I would be interested in one he had.

Of course, send me some pics! We emailed, and I purchased the rifle. I found a new gun store to facilitate the transfer as my LGS shuttered his doors in January. They communicated about licenses. I sent a check, he sent me tracking numbers for the rifle and the assorted others do-dads.

Wednesday, at 11:30 the rifle shows as delivered to the store. I wait a few hours and drive over to collect my rifle. The girl behind the counter says Joe(Joe works the gun counter) is upstairs working on a project and please leave your number, name and the rifle so he can call when he gets to it.

I get it. I worked for my best friend (he’s a dealer in NC)after my stroke and I know how long it takes to enter a gun into a “bound book” (even if it’s a computer). I’ve bought a few guns in my life and I know how long it takes to fill out a 4473 (no NCIS check required as I have a LTC). BUT, I also know Joe is probably the only one in the store who knows how the system works as the girl is just there to be eye candy and can’t bother to ask if someone else can help me.....

I leave, and figure Joe will call on Thursday, at some time. I eagerly await his call. And around noon, (I can’t stand it anymore) I call the store- it’s a brand new indoor range, they sell a few guns and ammo for the range and rent full auto and range time. It’s all very fancy. Same girl answers the phone, I explained I am calling about a gun I had delivered there and when can I come pick it up. She says “well, I’m sure it’s in the back but it will probably be Friday or Saturday before it gets into our system and we will call you.”

Livid, is not the word I’m feeling-but it’s close. First things first-they have my gun and I NEED them to get my gun, so I can’t just go in and start at FULL ASSHOLE. So I say, thank you, and disconnect. Second, I KNOW BATF requires a dealer to enter any firearm into their book that day- but, like I said-she probably doesn’t know how it works and is just eye candy, so she may just deferring the blame to something else, so she doesn’t have to admit she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

I’ve been seething all afternoon...

I want to write some seriously bad shit on a Yelp review, but I know I haven’t been fair to the owner, if I do. I’m thinking of going down there tomorrow when they open and ask for the owner....what say ye? And how or what should I say?

I’ve spent 12 years of my life working in and around firearm sales. I’ve processed thousands of transfers. 24 hours max is acceptable turnaround.

Transfers are easy money and for many FFL’s their bread and butter.

Anything more than 24 hours is unacceptable.

If I were the owner I’d want to know. I’d just express your disappointment and let them know that you think it’s unacceptable turn around time for a transfer. You know how it works. Gun guy speaking to Gun guy he should get the message. If not you live in Texas and just go to the gun store next door.

Definitely speak with the owner. Take a print showing the tracking. Be reasonable.

That would certainly screw things up if the seller gave a 3 or 4 day return window if you weren't happy with the firearm.

I agree with others that it is unacceptable.

quote:

Originally posted by GarandGuy:
Anything more than 24 hours is unacceptable...

Yup.

Funny, we're a very busy store, and we log them in when the customer arrives as he waits. It takes about 10 minutes, we have four terminals where it can be done.

I've seen this type of behavior from those who's main job isn't doing the FFL stuff...

it is frustrating in this world where you might be able to track something from beginning to end until it stalls with someone (IMO) that isn't or won't do their job...

I'd bet you won't be recommending them for any future FFL work...

Hope you get your rifle soon

Bill

I posted this before, but I had a dealer whom I had several successful transfers through that went out of business with no warning, I had 5 SIGs at their shop.

Two on consignment, three inbound that I suspected had already been received. Not having been called about those per usual, I visited the shop in person. Display cases empty, my consignment guns in the back. "Oh, we're redecorating"

They also "Cant figure out why we didn't call you on your inbound guns"

While I was there, the land lord showed up & collected rent payment that was late.

I reclaimed my consignment guns along with picking up the 3 inbound. Two days later, shop closed, door locked, all signs of their existence gone.

Have seen stories of folks losing their guns to a non-cooperative dealer in the past, local authorities told them its a civil matter.

I’d keep going up the chain, to the owner.

If it smells fishy, maybe a call to BATF would be in order. A surprise audit might change their behavior.

Stop using that dealer. He might not be a crook, or maybe he is. Regardless, he's incompetent at best. His hired help isn't getting the job done. Find another dealer that cares. In the future, don't use him for anything, and explain why he's lost a customer. Customers are a dime a dozen, until they're not.

I admit we don't know, or you don't know what the hold up really is. Maybe the person who does the paperwork has COVID, has had a heart attack and isn't even there. Maybe the girl is just an idiot (I'd bet on that). Maybe she doesn't even know and is just BSing you to make you go away.

The system relies on them being honest, but all gun shops or business people aren't. So the only thing you can do to keep your blood pressure in check is to stop using that gun shop. When you find you have a problem, you need to isolate the source of the trouble and eliminate (no, I'm not suggesting you shoot the bastard, but it may the the solution.)

Maybe the owner/Joe is sick or handling a personal emergency, and the counterperson was just given a line to tell people.

You can find out the owner's name pretty easily in NC - if it's a corporation/LLC the state registrar has publicly searchable records. Maybe TX has something similar?

Anyway, if it were me, I'd do some background research, then call the shop and ask for the owner by name, keeping the dial pegged at 'polite, asking for help' rather than 'justifiably ticked off', and see what transpired.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: joel9507,

I'd just go back in and when she gives you the line ask her to go get Joe.... it's been a week, and regardless of how busy he is, you've waited long enough, and only have a short time to inspect the shipment and accept it...

Don't leave and if she's not the only counter person, find someone else.... If she is just insist on speaking with Joe...

I've had a similar problem with a table top ffl. I transferred my P220 two tone with him (my 1st time using him) and it took him about 10 days to finally contact me to pick it up. I was stressed out but after talking with him face to face found he and his wife were very nice but very slow at doing transfers.

I stupidly fell for their nice act and decided to use him about a year later when I received my P220 nickel. The 2nd time was same as the 1st. He would text back but never tell me when I could come over. I finally had enough after about a week of that BS and sent him a text telling him I was on my way and would like to pick up my gun. He said 30 minutes. I left immediately and picked up my gun. He and his wife were very cordial to me and acted like nothing was wrong.

I was fuming when I picked the gun up and told myself I would never use him again and I haven't and won't ever again. I get that he has a job, kid, whatever but there is no excuse for ignoring me for a week.

So, Mike, what's the outcome of today's confrontation?

quote:

Originally posted by az4783054:
If it smells fishy, maybe a call to BATF would be in order. A surprise audit might change their behavior.

I'm not going to piss on your leg and tell you it's raining, nor will I say there aren't some lazy FFL dealers out there who drag ass getting guns logged in and informing the customer it is ready for pick up, but........

How about not fucking over the FFL without knowing what your dealing with first?

In 2017 when my son passed away, I left town in the middle of the night to take his mother to Nevada and bury him and wrap up affairs. I was gone for almost 30 days. My daughter did what she could for a couple hours two days a week to keep things moving, other than the week she came to the services. Two customers were unhappy they couldn't get their guns the day shown as delivered, they called the local ATF to complain about their guns. I was on good terms with my local compliance agent and they called me and I explained the situation, same as I did to the asshole customers who didn't;'t think a family emergency was enough reason to deny them "muh rights".

Fuck them, fuck this, and fuck that. Ask yourself if this fella might have a decent reason for the delay.

Not to mention, I hated guys that would show up ten minutes after their gun was delivered according to their tracking number and expect everything to get dropped in order for their precious to get to transferred to them.

So yesterday around one I began typing an email to Joe...about half way into it I stopped and discarded the email and said I just needed to wait.

Ten minutes later I get an email from Joe saying he has been very busy but please come by he will get the transfer done.

Seems like I didn’t disregard the email and sent it. It was polite and hadn’t gotten into the dealings with the woman at the counter etc...

When I got there Joe is on the phone, another guy asks if he can help. I said yeah I need a blank 4473 and I’ll start filling it out. This guy barely knew what I was asking for...

Once Joe got off the phone he helps me, gets the rifle, apologizes about the delay-by now the other guy has walked off and we are alone. I asked if he was the only one who knew the gun side of the business and surprisingly he says yeah. The other employees are there to people into the range and sell ammo, and that’s why no one could help me earlier. He explains that none of them have any mechanical skills either and he had been fixing one part of the range for two days as non of the others can do anything.

He was at his wits end about all the stuff he gets stacked on him when the others are wandering around not doing anything.

I thanked him for responding to the Email. He said had I not done that he’d have never known that the rifle had come in as he hadn’t put it into the book- then he says he knows the atf requires him to do it that day!

I told him to enjoy being the ring master at the shitshow. Thanks for the rifle and I left

Never got mad, didn’t speak to the owner, I know I’ll pay a higher transfer at another gun store in the future. I’ll never set foot in there again either. I feel bad for Joe but he needs to tell the owner what’s going on and how his fellow employees suck.

I have been pretty fortunate with my transactions over the years but for you to wait several days for a transfer is not right. Glad to see everything worked out.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigolicious:


Not to mention, I hated guys that would show up ten minutes after their gun was delivered according to their tracking number and expect everything to get dropped in order for their precious to get to transferred to them.

my brother and I run a small shop,

we have this issue every now and then,

when I am contacted first, I tell folks to be patient, it may take a day or 2 to catch up with the UPS or Fedup person,

and sure as the sun rises, I get texts/emials/calls from some dude who is following the tracking numbr by the minute,


when doing the paperwork I'l ask if they have ever been delayed,,

on no,, never, it always goes thru in an hour,,


so,, I say, you have been delayed,, and usually it is much more than an hour,,,

I once had to wait something like 20 minutes at my FFL because it had just come in UPS and they had to do the store paperwork before the transfer.

But there is no background check on me and so that makes the finish easy for them.