I got horrible customer service from Budsgunshop.com in a recent transaction. I am one unhappy customer with Budsgunshop.com. Hickok45 interviewed Bud Wells in a youtube video recently and Bud sold it to two men about 5 or 6 years ago. I am done buying from Buds; here is my story.
I bought a new Savage 110 Elite Precision in 6.5 Creedmoor on 3/18/24 from Budsgunshop.com. The invoice I printed shows BudsGunShop.Com, 1105 Industry Road, Lexington, KY. I paid by check to get their cash discount since I was in no hurry. The UPS shipment arrived at my FFL on 3/28/24 and I got an email from the FFL, so I went there within an hour. He retrieved the box, started doing the transfer while I opened the box on a desk next to him. I observed:
- Box originated from Uncle Lee’s LLC.(the FFL pointed this out, otherwise I would not have noticed, and the FFL transfer paperwork was from same not Bud’s).
- Label end of box was deformed.
- Box original tape was already cut and box was held closed by three strips of clear tape.
- Gun was shipped with bolt in the gun. Normally the bolt is in a plastic bag inside a small inner box. The bolt bag and box were present.
- Top cardboard dented from the bolt.
- Hangtag was off gun but loose in the box.
- Magazine was not in its plastic bag, magazine was loose in the box.
- Plastic bag for magazine in the box; bag was dog eared and dirty.
- Muzzle brake end scratched.
- Two areas of scuff marks on the top of the barrel near the muzzle; looked like rack or magnetospeed use.
- Circular scratching on barrel near the barrel nut – consistent with possible use of a barrel wrench.
- Bolt exterior and face were heavily soiled black. Face had origins of a primer ring mark. Bolt when removed could not be handled without getting heavily soiled fingers.
- Magazine scratched front, back and side.
- Witness marks on various stock adjustment struts indicative of tightening and use with cheek riser elevated, LOP extended.
- Butt pad adjusted at a height other than neutral. Various particles of debris in the butt pad stock area
I refused the transfer because the gun had the above evidence of use; not the appearance of a new gun. My FFL agreed the rifle was used. This is the first time I have ever refused an FFL transfer. I took cell phone pictures of the gun while there.
I went home and was unable to find a phone number to call Budsgunshop.com anywhere in their paperwork or on their website. I then contacted Budsgunshop.com by email about this order and got no response. I wanted an exchange (send this one back and send me a new rifle) and their returns menu did not offer that option, and stated there would be a 15% fee for a return. Online I found a phone number to call Bud’s physical store so I called 859-368-0371. Their recorded menu stated their retail sales staff is unable to assist with online orders. So that was a dead end.
On 3/28/24 I looked up Uncle Lee’s LLC and called them at 270-641-0753. The young sounding woman who answered told me they are owned by Budsgunshop.com and she has trouble getting hold of Budsgunshop.com and could not offer me a phone number for Buds online department. She put Chrissy on the phone. I stated I refused the FFL transfer and want a new gun as this one is used. She stated this was a new gun on display since August and she boxed it herself to send to me. This came as a surprise to me because this new gun had been out of stock, I was on a notify me when back in stock status, and Budsgunshop.com had emailed me they were back in stock right before I bought it. I provided her with my list and pictures of the conditions previously noted and she repeatedly said it was a new gun and was unwilling and unable to make an exchange or refund. Uncle Lee’s LLC was an absolute dead end despite the invoice showing them having shipped the rifle to my FFl. I knew nothing about Uncle Lee’s LLC until exploring my options here and my FFL pointing out it came from Uncle Lee’s LLC.
At 4:20 PM on 3/28/24 I used Budsgunshop.com live chat, sent pics, and got no response. On 3/29/24 at 9:15AM I emailed Buds online again and asked what is going on. I got no response.
Considering my options, after waiting a couple of days, on 3/30/24 at 10:21AM I filed a complaint with the Lexington KY BBB. I also emailed a complaint to Savage, the manufacturer. I got no response from Savage until 4/11/24 at which point they said they would be happy to inspect and as necessary repair the firearm. I told them I could not do that because I did not take possession of it. So that was a dead end.
On 4/1/24 with my FFL’s permission I went again to the FFL and took pictures using a portable borescope and laptop inside the barrel of the gun Buds caused to be shipped by Uncle Lee’s LLC. It is my opinion, and my FFL agreed, the borescope revealed the bore had been used well beyond the typical factory test firings and then superficially cleaned some time ago. Instead of having the normal distributed slight darkening and powder residue, with some light distributed fouling from a few factory test shots, it had generally clean areas with spots of heavy carbon fouling and copper fouling. There were linear scratches that did not follow the rifling twist, which went across both lands and grooves, consistent with something being drawn or pulled through the bore that did not rotate at the rifling twist rate. Many spots of carbon on top of copper residue displayed corroded green copper along the edges of the copper, consistent with the deposits having sat there for some time after the cleaning. The chamber had a sliver of copper in it about extractor size and the end of the chamber had carbon deposits. There was no fire cracking at the end of the chamber or in the rifling indicating the round count was less than 1000. The crown had very small dings distributed along the originally sharp edge, likely from something being fed in at the muzzle end.
The BBB complaint did produce a result. The same morning 4/1/24 I took the borescope pictures, when I got home I recieved a call from a male at Buds, name unkown, wishing to remedy my BBB complaint (not to remedy my complaint with Uncle Lee’s LLC and Budsgunshop.com). This individual had seen my photographs sent to the BBB of the external box and gun. He reiterated this was a new gun, but stated the only condition issue he sees is the muzzle brake was scratched. Because of the muzzle scratches he offered me:
1. $25 gift card
2. Full refund
He did not offer any explanation whatsoever of the picture evidence of use I had gathered and went straight to saying it was a new gun repeatedly, just with a scratched muzzle. He would not comment on the other evidence. He avoided that issue. He was unwilling to replace the gun with a different new one because he said it will be the same as this one which is a new gun. His only concession was that the muzzle was scratched. So I opted for the full refund. He was unable and unwilling to give a time frame on when I would receive my check. He offered no paperwork immediately and stated I would get some paperwork with the refund only. So at that point I had no gun, no money, no paperwork for the refund and return, his verbal statement, and nothing in writing or on their website. Tracking on the UPS return from my FFL back to Buds shows it was delivered to BGS 1800 South Main St, Paris, KY 40361 on 4/4/24 at 10:19AM. Five days after delivery of the return, as of 4/9/24 at 8:30AM their website showing my order stated nothing about the return or refund. It showed only that it was delivered to my FFL on 3/28/24. There were no emails or phonecalls from Buds. I received a request from the BBB to close the complaint but did not want to do so until I had the full refund cleared in my bank.
Getting the refund turned into more headaches and waiting. Further communications and complaints through the BBB revealed that Buds had refunded a $25 deposit I had made initially by credit card that was holding the rifle while they waited for my check, and that the rest would come via a check in the mail. So I waited, and learned they had sent a check for $1772.75 on 4/16/24. On 5/2/24 through more BBB complaining I agreed with Buds to wait until 5/4/24 to see if the check shows up, and if not to inform them it had not, then they would put a stop payment on that check, wait 4 or 5 days to make sure it stopped, then send a new check. I did inform them that no check showed up as of 5/4/24. I received notice they were sending a new check. I did receive a check 5/7/24 from them in the amount $1772.75 and it cleared in my bank. I informed BBB that I got a check which cleared and they can close out the BBB complaint. The check I received stated “USED” at the top.
This transaction was a waste of my time, and appears to have been an attempt by Buds to dump a used demo gun. I did purchase a new gun of the same type through my FFL who sold it to me for $100 more than his cost including transfer fee. That whole transaction took a couple days and the gun I got is brand spanking new with the typical factory test firing evidence.
