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Posted: 5/2/2013 8:26:08 AM EDT
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Silenced America just posted something on their Facebook page about a trip to DC they are wrapping up. One tidbit that stood out to me was:
Take Aways: increased congressional inquiries got funding to the NFA. We need to continue to harp on or Representatives. Keep calling. Keep writing letters. Stop calling on your forms all of the time. It's causing longer waits. Data entry people answer the phones and it keeps them from doing their jobs, per Sr. ATF officials. More to follow. |
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That might explain why Silenced America hasn't answered their phones, returned my messages, nor answered my emails for the past 3 weeks. Another company has since earned my business.   I bought two cans from SA. I eventually figured out that texts were the most efficient method of contact.
I went elsewhere for my third. |
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Sorry I don't buy the " everytime you call there is a delay" game . They have more than 2 people inputting info . The people picking up the Phone are clerks . That's their job That's true, I have never seen the phone clerks' names on any approved form. By law, they cannot sign a form. The customer service reps who answer the phones are independent subcontractors, not ATF employees, and have zero authority to do anything other than answer the phones and to look up application status on a read-only system monitor. |
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Here's an idea, ATF. just setup a damn notification system. I get emails with a status update...I stop calling. Sorry, when someone has $200 of my money wrapped up for 6-8 months, I want to intermittently know what's going on. Call me crazy  But you don't really find out what is happening. All they say is "pending since [date]" |
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By law, they cannot sign a form. The customer service reps who answer the phones are independent subcontractors, not ATF employees, and have zero authority to do anything other than answer the phones and to look up application status on a read-only system monitor. So those people don't do data entry for the examiners, that seemed to be what Scott was saying, not that they were approving forms? |
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Yeah, I don't get the guys who call every week or month. You can pretty much follow the tracker threads and have good feel for when it will be approved. There really isn't a point to call in constantly but I will admit, I will call at once before my transfer is complete. After my check has been cashed, I will wait a few months and call in to check on the Pending date. From the Pending date I can get an estimate on when it will be approved. All the dates vary, from the time received to check cashed and check cashed to Pending, but I think Pending to Approved has been pretty consistent around the board. After that I will wait for a call to my dealer. I've had some dealings with CIII FFL's that have not called weeks after a form has been approved and arrived at their shop. Their explanation, "oh we tried to call you once". Also, I've had a form shredded bc my dealer forgot the check with the Form 4. Asked him to follow up 4 months after I gave him everything and he said they just take a while. Later, I find out the check was sitting with my suppressor and I had to re do the paperwork. So I call the ATF, not to see if they are in line, but to keep shady dealers in line. Oh, also had one dealer let my Form3 sit, for 3 months!!! That's three months I could have had it in processing on a Form 4. These dealers need to learn how to use a computer and a calendar to keep track of their forms. |
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By law, they cannot sign a form. The customer service reps who answer the phones are independent subcontractors, not ATF employees, and have zero authority to do anything other than answer the phones and to look up application status on a read-only system monitor. So those people don't do data entry for the examiners, that seemed to be what Scott was saying, not that they were approving forms? The people who answer the phones are customer service contractors. They are not government employees, nor do they undergo the security checks that NFA Branch staffers must. The NFA Registry is a federal tax database; the courts have ruled that each entry has the legal status and confidentiality of a federal tax return. To my knowledge, the contractors do not do data entry. bigcbass, as an attorney, how would you view a government entity allowing data-entry access to a tax database, to an unvetted outside contractor? |
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By law, they cannot sign a form. The customer service reps who answer the phones are independent subcontractors, not ATF employees, and have zero authority to do anything other than answer the phones and to look up application status on a read-only system monitor. So those people don't do data entry for the examiners, that seemed to be what Scott was saying, not that they were approving forms? The people who answer the phones are customer service contractors. They are not government employees, nor do they undergo the security checks that NFA Branch staffers must. The NFA Registry is a federal tax database; the courts have ruled that each entry has the legal status and confidentiality of a federal tax return. To my knowledge, the contractors do not do data entry. bigcbass, as an attorney, how would you view a government entity allowing data-entry access to a tax database, to an unvetted outside contractor? This is good to know, since we keep hearing the BS from some people on here saying "do not call, it slows down the process". Now we know it doesn't. Thanks for the clarification Tony. |
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bigcbass, as an attorney, how would you view a government entity allowing data-entry access to a tax database, to an unvetted outside contractor? Obviously they do allow them access to confidential information. They can at least see serial numbers, make and model, transferor and transferee info. Technically that info is confidential tax information. So by your logic they shouldn't even have access to that. After my dad retired, he worked for the government doing census work one year. He did one half day of training and then went out and collected confidential info....so I don't think the bar is that high for who can and can't handle that kind of info. I am not saying they do or do not do data entry, I have no idea. |
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