I don't mind @$$hole dealers.....I deal with @$$holes everyday.  What I do mind is @$$hole dealers with high prices.  $550 for a glock 17?  Yikers.  I could buy that same glock at a sporting goods store in CO (when I lived there) for $450, and the guy behind the counter didn't treat me like I knew absloutly nothing bout guns.  

Quoted: I don't mind @$$hole dealers.....I deal with @$$holes everyday.  What I do mind is @$$hole dealers with high prices.  $550 for a glock 17?  Yikers.  I could buy that same glock at a sporting goods store in CO (when I lived there) for $450, and the guy behind the counter didn't treat me like I knew absloutly nothing bout guns.

Current FFL pricing on a Glock 17 is $440 + 2nd air shipping ($35) for a total dealer price of $475.

At $550 the dealer has made a profit of $75 or 20%.

Yep, what a huge ripoff.

Listed Glock retail is $575.00 (which nobody can get because you get shit for trying to made $75 on them).

Guys like you are why a lot of dealers are assholes.

Thats why you should just buy your guns from the 68 year old retiree from WAL-MART.

I must be pretty lucky.  My local gun shops are all pretty cool, even the pawn shops.  I can't say the same for all the show dealers I've dealt with, but most of them are ok too.

I've noticed that in general, the bigger on asshole the dealer is the higher his prices seem to be.  But I've seen this in all lines of business, not just guns.

Usually I assume it's because they figure you're being granted a rare privilege to be shit on by someone as wonderful as they are, thus you won't mind paying more.

Quoted: Yes. ATF has a required courses for FFLs. Syllabus includes: I - Fuck You And You're Fucking Shotgun News (Customer Relations 101) II - If You Don't Like My Prices Then Fuck You (A Study In Business Economics) III - Then Go Buy That Shit At Wal Mart And Fuck You (Introduction To Competive Business Practices) IV - I Can Give You $75.00 for that Winchester M1 Garand (Advanced Business Ethics) V - These CAI Guns Are Great (Introduction To Product Promotion) VI - Fuck You You Cheap Fucking Bastard (Identifying Your Customer Base)

Wow, I had no idea you guys are all taking the same courses. That clears up a lot!

I have had some pretty shitty experiences with this bunch. Rudeness, however, pervades our society these days. When I go to gunshows I really run into the assholes. I just walk away from them anymore and haven't spent more than $200 at gunshow over the past 10 year. Just a social occassion for me.
I go to a gunstore a ways from where I live now as I am in a pretty remote spot that just had its only gunstore shut down by ATF for selling stolen weapons and a host of other shit. I already knew he was an asshole and quit going there a long time ago.
The place I go to now hurts itself in that they can never seem to manage to order what I am looking for. But they do let me order and transfer thru them whenever I want so it works out fine for me(actually it works out better for me). It is costing them money though and believe it or not, I want them to make money. Nice people though.

Yeah, if I had one RANT with most gun shops it would be their unwillingness to order specific guns for you.  One dealer I deal with is a chain store and they won't order certain models because of "insurance purposes".  They also refuse to touch anything EVIL such as AK's or AR's.  I told them all they are accomplishing is a lot of lost business.

It does piss me off on a certain level that the owners of this chain seem to be trying to carry out their own personal "gun control" policy, but on the other hand they are private businessmen and it is their right, even if it's STUPID.

The only reason I patronize them at all is their gun store manager is an AR nut and he hates the policy too.  Their prices are a bit higher, but they stand behind their stuff, their selection is great, and the staff is very helpful.

I even had one dealer refuse to order stripped lowers for me because he didn't want to get nailed by the ATF for "manufacturing".  He was a gunsmith as well as an FFL, but he apparently didn't know the regs very well.  I have never bought anything from him.  He never seems to be able to order anything I want, and he is constantly trying to sell me something I don't want.

My other favorite dodge is dealers who refused to sell anything that they didn't buy from their distributors.  In the days of having to mail signed FFL's this made some sense just from a hassle standpoint, but now that they can fax their FFL to any distributor they wish to buy guns from that excuse rings a bit hollow to my ears.  Anyone can get a fax machine cheaply nowadays.

he he he... now I have a friend who has a kitchen business and he specializes in AR's!  He is a RRA dealer, but will order anything I want.  

In 1991, I went to Army/Navy store outside Reading Pa. to buy a Beretta with all that money I saved from my vacation in the sand. When the time came to fill out the paperwork, I handed over my D/L and military ID (ADAF). "This liscence is expired" I hear from the clerk. "I know, that's why I gave you my military ID, the D/L is good for 90 days after my discharge".  "I don't care about that, you don't have a valid D/L so you can't prove you're a Pa. resident."  My reply: "Yes I do have a valid D/L, I don't have to renew it until I seperate and I've got 2 years left on active duty. (actually it ended up being 6 years but that's another story) That is a valid ID in your hand per the state."   "Well I don't know about that but you need to prove to me that you're a Pa. resident or I can't sell you the pistol."

At this point things are going downhill really fast, and I'm trying to remember that being in the military means bad things will happen if I "touch" this guy the wrong way. Then I remember that my sisters drivers handbook that she's studying with to get her D/L is in my car. I go out and get that, and show the guy where in the book (printed by the DOT) it says my liscence is good.  "Sorry, that's not good enough for me, you still haven't proved where you have residence".

"RESIDENCE!! Is THAT all you need proof of?  I can take care of that!!"  I pull out my latest Leave and Earning Statement from the AF and show him where it says "PA" in the state of legal residence block.  Problem solved, right? NOPE, he looks at the other side which had my base PO box address and  proceeds to tell me, "If that's where you get your mail that's where you live end of story, I don't care what you show me otherwise."he
Never went back after picking up the weapon, and wasn't suprised or upset when they went under about a year later.

p.s.- this was the same place where I asked another counterperson "Did you ever have anybody actually ADMIT to being a fugitive?" (I'm sorry, I think that's funny every time I fill that thing out- what would you do, ask them how life on the road is these daus?)  The clerk took 2 steps back, held up both hands as if surrendering, and while looking over my shoulder so there was no eye contact said loudly "Sir I cannot assist you in any way or answer any questions while you fill out the form."  Some people have no sense of humor, especially considering there was nobody else closer than 50 feet and that was the cashier up front.  I was waiting for somebody to look in the window and think I was robbing the guy.    

Quoted: Current FFL pricing on a Glock 17 is $440 + 2nd air shipping ($35) for a total dealer price of $475. At $550 the dealer has made a profit of $75 or 20%. Yep, what a huge ripoff. Listed Glock retail is $575.00 (which nobody can get because you get shit for trying to made $75 on them). Guys like you are why a lot of dealers are assholes.

yep we sell um for $529  put um on sale occasionally for  $500 and guys bitch cuz they are on the internet for $469  I tell um they are welcome to transfer that gun in and they will pay $30 shipping and me $25 to transfer = $524
or my gun $500+tax =535
So you can get it today and look at what you are getting
or wait a week and hope the gun comes with everything and has not been fucked with to save $10
I don't give a  shit i make the same $25
yep us rich dealers are screwing everybody

Quoted: p.s.- this was the same place where I asked another counterperson "Did you ever have anybody actually ADMIT to being a fugitive?" (I'm sorry, I think that's funny every time I fill that thing out- what would you do, ask them how life on the road is these daus?)  The clerk took 2 steps back, held up both hands as if surrendering, and while looking over my shoulder so there was no eye contact said loudly "Sir I cannot assist you in any way or answer any questions while you fill out the form."  Some people have no sense of humor, especially considering there was nobody else closer than 50 feet and that was the cashier up front.  I was waiting for somebody to look in the window and think I was robbing the guy.

DO NOT joke about the 4473.  I've seen plenty of paranoid dealers afraid to lose their FFLs for whatever reason.  I've also been handed back a 4473 because I didn't write out "Drive" in my address.  Some of them are super-hardass about the ATF forms.

Quoted: Quoted: Current FFL pricing on a Glock 17 is $440 + 2nd air shipping ($35) for a total dealer price of $475. At $550 the dealer has made a profit of $75 or 20%. Yep, what a huge ripoff. Listed Glock retail is $575.00 (which nobody can get because you get shit for trying to made $75 on them). Guys like you are why a lot of dealers are assholes. yep we sell um for $529  put um on sale occasionally for  $500 and guys bitch cuz they are on the internet for $469  I tell um they are welcome to transfer that gun in and they will pay $30 shipping and me $25 to transfer = $524 or my gun $500+tax =535 So you can get it today and look at what you are getting or wait a week and hope the gun comes with everything and has not been fucked with to save $10 I don't give a  shit i make the same $25 yep us rich dealers are screwing everybody

Agreed on both accounts, I shop local on anything that I can find there as long as it is not too much higher than ordering online with someone else. You just have to know who to talk to, but I agree that in general customer service in the gun shop industry is definately lacking, I would get into it but I am lucky, my local shop is awesome and they are always willing to do whatever it takes to make me happy and earn my business........

Quoted: my local shop is awesome and they are always willing to do whatever it takes to make me happy and earn my business........

I try too and there is 5-6 of my customers on this board
that will back me up on that  , but I do agree that service seems to be lacking
nebraska must be lucky because almost every shop aropung here is good to great
but i have n=been in shops in KS OK MO AZ WY and IN  and  80%  were dicks and the stores were nasty