quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
My store does NOT charge transfer fees on warranty exchanges, but I am saying there is expense involved for the store. Many people don't want to consider the cost of what they demand. Last week.......

Why are you bringing something completely irrelevant to the issue of the OP? Everyone here knows there is expense blah blah blah. It got zero to do with the FFL fee that OP had to pay on the warranty exchange, which should have been ZERO. And sure, $20 is a small amount, it's about the principle of the thing, not the money.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
Hmmm. $20. I will qualify what I posted above with the fact that transfers go for about $50 around here.

I still wouldn't have been happy.

This. And I would have made sure the manager personally knew that.

quote:

I felt like this was a crappy way to treat a customer.

Ya think?

I'd never pay for a transfer when buying from a local dealer.
Now to pay a second time for a warranty replacement is beyond stupid.
Find another dealer in the future and don't look back.
If you can leave a bad review anywhere then do it to warn other gun-brothers.
Sorry for your loss.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
Receiving and transferring a firearm costs money. They gun must be received, entered into the system, logged into the book, a 4473 completed, maybe a background check, the rung out, then the sale logged. It takes about an hour of labor to complete. 20 bucks to offset those expenses may piss you off, but the shop did nothing to be penalized either.

It costs them nothing to receive. The time spent entering it into the system, which if they are any sort of a dealer is not computerized is a few minutes.

I firearm coming back to the original owner from a manufacturer doesn't require a NIC check or a 4473. My dealer has processed a few from Ruger within the last year.

Some states charge a fee for a NIC's check. Several transactions can be applied to one approval.

quote:

Originally posted by Graniteguy:
Contact Ruger and have them make it right.

Ruger has zero control over how a dealer does business. Ruger offers to send it back directly to the owner bypassing that. Sending it to a dealer is a courtesy that avoids having to sign for the shipment. As that dealer sold the firearm originally they should eat the fees as a customer service.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
My store does NOT charge transfer fees on warranty exchanges, but I am saying there is expense involved for the store. Many people don't want to consider the cost of what they demand.

As with any business providing FREE warranty work.

I demand a business too stand behind their products in which I bought at their store. THAT's why manufactures include warranties for their products.

Snipped all the rest of your non-relevent ranting.

As I've said earlier in the thread...I don't have an issue paying transfers for internet purchases. I get that a local shop needs to make money, and I support that. My normal local shop and I have a good relationship. These days my gun wants are pretty specific, and I usually go to him first to see if he can get it for me. If he can't, I order online and ship to his shop. I'm more than willing to pay the transfer fee in that scenario...in fact, there have been a couple of times that he's waived it for me, despite my trying to insist that I am willing to pay it. He's a great guy, and I honestly considered having Ruger ship the gun to his shop because it's closer to me, but I decided that wasn't right to do to him as I'd bought it at the other place.

At the end of the day, it's not the end of the world. I got a fair deal on the Smith, and I've been looking for a D/A .22 revolver in that form factor for years, so I'm happy to have found it (these days, you gotta jump on stuff when you see it). The way the shop handled the warranty was poor, in my opinion, and not the way I would have treated a customer. Their shop is a decent drive from my house, and I have no need to go back there. Unless the owner makes some herculean effort to make up for what happened yesterday, I probably won't. I'm not going to go on some kind of vindictive rampage against their shop, but I probably won't hesitate to share my opinion when asked, either.

This just makes me appreciate my local guy more, and next time I'll just buy it through him, even if it costs more. As far as life lessons go, $20 is a pretty cheap one.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
My store does NOT charge transfer fees on warranty exchanges, but I am saying there is expense involved for the store. Many people don't want to consider the cost of what they demand. Last week, for example, I had a man bring in a compound bow he bought at a garage sale for less than a hundred bucks. He was angry when I told him what it would cost if parts were available. I was leery of working on it because some brands of that era had a bad habit of "exploding" when the limbs are compressed to install a string. He cut his losses. People call wanting me to tell them "a fair price" to pay for, for example, a Garand rifle. I tell them I can't do that over the phone, and how various factors come into play. Many get irate.

Think about it. An individual wants to buy something from another individual and wants a third party retailer to tell him what to pay. When I suggested he and the seller come to the store and we would give a free retail and wholesale appraisal, he said the seller wouldn't do that. Uh, dude, doesn't that tell you something?


Anyway, I've said my piece. My personal opinions have nothing to do with my employer or his/her policies, they are simply my opinions.

As far as the 3 percent credit card charge, my store doesn't so that BUT the retailer bears the cost of the credit card service, and they do charge at least 3 percent. Additionally, card benefits like air miles and other goodies are born by the retailer, although the credit card companies lure customers with them. Nice work if you can get it, huh?

Ya know all stores have overhead associated with doing business.
If you are going to charge for every little thing itemized like a lawyer charging you for reading an email or getting a fax then you are going to alienate your customers.
You need to charge appropriately for your products you sell and services provided and make your customer feel good about doing business with you.
Some things are just part of doing business.
Not making them feel like you are doing them a favor by allowing them to be your customer.
Many things will cost but in good faith and good will for the company it may not be wise to do them.
Charging a fee for a 4473 on goods you sold them may not give that good will (I would never pay) but charging for a replacement is just insulting.
I can see a fee for guns not bought through the dealer.
And everyone wonders why B&M stores are dying - sometimes it is their own doing.
YMMV

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
My store does NOT charge transfer fees on warranty exchanges, but I am saying there is expense involved for the store. Many people don't want to consider the cost of what they demand. Last week.......

Why are you bringing something completely irrelevant to the issue of the OP? Everyone here knows there is expense blah blah blah. It got zero to do with the FFL fee that OP had to pay on the warranty exchange, which should have been ZERO. And sure, $20 is a small amount, it's about the principle of the thing, not the money.

BINGO plus 1

quote:

Originally posted by rscalzo:

quote:

Originally posted by Graniteguy:
Contact Ruger and have them make it right.

Ruger has zero control over how a dealer does business. Ruger offers to send it back directly to the owner bypassing that. Sending it to a dealer is a courtesy that avoids having to sign for the shipment. As that dealer sold the firearm originally they should eat the fees as a customer service.

You need to read the OP more carefully. Ruger is replacing the firearm. New serial number, cannot be shipped back to the customer. Must go to a FFL.

If I were you I would talk to the owner. Staff may not have understood. I own a small store outside of Topeka and if it was warranty work we would not have charged you. But with that said his staff may not have understood that. And if this was at my place please call me and talk to me.

quote:

And if this was at my place please call me and talk to me.

No worries...it was hundreds of miles from Kansas in northern Indiana. But I appreciate the offer...it sounds like your store is the sort of place that I'd enjoy visiting. I've emailed the owner of the shop in question. Still waiting on a response.

So a store sold you a defective product and wants to charge you to get you a functional product that they were supposed to provide you with to begin with?

It would be a problem for me.

TE]Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
So a store sold you a defective product and wants to charge you to get you a functional product that they were supposed to provide you with to begin with?

It would be a problem for me.[/QUOTE]

All warranty work is referred to the manufacturer. However, the way we operate is if a customer has a problem with the manufacturer we will step in and deal with the manufacturer. Most manufacturers handle it with no issues. However, we have 2 manufacturers that we tell you up front we will not help you if you have issues, because of the lack of customer service from them. We have had repeated issues with Anderson and Kimber and will no longer be the go between, but we are UPFRONT about it.

I have reported retailers before to Visa, MasterCard and American Express, for them adding a credit card surcharge. The card companies do not like that (it is expressly mentioned in contracts) and they can withdraw the store's ability to accept their card.

The guy should have tossed ya bone of some sort: box of ammo, a gift certificate, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by ridgerat:
I have reported retailers before to Visa, MasterCard and American Express, for them adding a credit card surcharge. The card companies do not like that (it is expressly mentioned in contracts) and they can withdraw the store's ability to accept their card.

The guy should have tossed ya bone of some sort: box of ammo, a gift certificate, etc.

Merchants have been able to add a surcharge since 2013 to cover their transaction fees. Only California (big surprise) prohibits this. If a merchant has a surcharge the only requirement is to notify the processor 30 days prior to the surcharge policy.

quote:

Originally posted by ridgerat:

I have reported retailers before to Visa, MasterCard and American Express, for them adding a credit card surcharge. The card companies do not like that (it is expressly mentioned in contracts) and they can withdraw the store's ability to accept their card.

I believe that this used to be the case, but no longer. I think it was changed several years ago, and is no longer prohibited in the merchant's agreement with the card issuer.

If you have had a day or three to cool off and still feel peeved about it, call the store and talk to the manager. Explain that you have had time to reflect on it and really don't think you were treated fairly, and see how he responds.

You never know what was happening in his life at the moment his counter guy asked him about the deal, and he could have simply replied off the cuff in a moment of frustration without giving it due consideration. If he has any sense at all he'll let that $20 go and keep a customer.

If he sticks to his guns, you know the character of the store, and have paid for a $20 lesson on not dealing with jackwagons. In that case I might consider a well written, factually based and non emotional review online that states your experience so that others will be forewarned who they're dealing with.

I'll say it again: Contact Ruger customer service. They reimbursed me for the FFL fee in a situation that sounds very much like yours.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by ridgerat:

I have reported retailers before to Visa, MasterCard and American Express, for them adding a credit card surcharge. The card companies do not like that (it is expressly mentioned in contracts) and they can withdraw the store's ability to accept their card.

I believe that this used to be the case, but no longer. I think it was changed several years ago, and is no longer prohibited in the merchant's agreement with the card issuer.

V-Tail, I didn't realize the rules changed. Here's a link to info on the mastercard website.


Effective January 27, 2013
> Vendor can charge a fee. Fee is based on what the vendor pays with an absolute cap. That cap is currently 4%

> Vendor cannot charge a fee on a Debt Mastercard or Mastercard prepaid cards

Link to Mastercard's rules