Budsgunshop... another company who gives no fucks about their customers

[redneckbmxer24]

Before I start sounding like a whiner (especially after my midway thread) I would like to say that just like midway I have been doing business with buds gunshop for years and they have always been great to me. I spend thousands of dollars a year with them and have 3 glocks shipping out that I paid for on friday. I like their prices, the fact they do layaways and don't charge, and just overall how they treated their customers (until now).

The problem has stemmed from the "team buds" crap. When they started it I got an email offering a free year membership (just like everybody who had ordered from buds prior) but I didn't agree with the whole pay a royalty bullshit so I didn't sign up. I never needed anything that was team buds until late summer when they had a glock gen 4 27 in OD green which I had never seen before and I had OD gen 4 40's in the other three sizes and wanted it. It was used for $450 shipped but team buds so I said no brainer, paid for the membership and ordered it. A few days goes by and a supervisor calls apologizing saying they sold it in the store before I bought it online and hadn't yet taken it off the website. I was a bit disappointed as I really wanted it but I understood and said ok. There were no others in stock even new so without even asking the representative said I'm going to refund you in full for the gun and membership, let you keep the membership for a year, and give you a $25 gift certificate to use on your next purchase. I would have rather had the gun but I was happy with that and the way they handled it.

Fast forward to last week and today. Last week I was wanting to purchase a Winchester Featherweight 264 win mag and they had it in stock as of tuesday for anybody to purchase. I hesitated and went back wednesday to order it and all of a sudden its "team buds only". I say WTF and figure I'll wait it out. This morning its still "team buds" so I call and get a nice lady in customer service who I explain everything to and says there's nothing she can do but will have a supervisor call me. The supervisor called me about 30 minutes later which was very prompt and right from the beginning I could tell she gave no fucks. I explained several times that I don't agree with the team buds thing but I understand it if thats the way they want to run their business and that I'm not paying a royalty tax for an oddball rifle thats been in stock and is in stock other places for the same price. She goes back and forth with "its the system, we can't do anything". More like won't do anything. I explain again I shouldn't have to pay a royalty and that a business should earn their business not a customer should have to earn the right to buy from the company. Once again she does not care if I take my business somewhere else and actually says this. This goes on for 30 minutes and several times I ask why can't they over ride the system and explain that I'm surely not the first person thats had this issue. She doesn't care and isn't even willing to do a damn thing except apologize or offer me a sweet $30 team membership to have the honor of buying from them.

I told her fine, and asked to be refunded for the layaway and deposit I put on an AK47 a little over a week ago. She said ok and we will go our separate ways and they are closing my account.

Then I get a call from a guy there shortly later to whom I explain whats going on and more beating my head against a wall ensues. Another 15 minutes of a pointless call. I ask him why he called if its the same thing. He says "to come to a resolution", I asked what resolution, you have offered none except for me paying an additional $30 to have the privilege of buying from them to which he says "that is the resolution". I told him thats not going to happen and he asked what I would like to do and I said once again "all I want to do is buy a product from you". Then he goes on a rant about sams club and costco to which I answered I don't shop there and he tries to say its no different even after I said I've been a customer long before "team buds". I explained the impression I got is that buds doesn't care about my business and he said nobody said that or would ever say that. Well no shit but at the end of the day thats what happened whether they come forward and say it or not. He kept threatening to close my account which again gave the same impression.

So at the end of all this they told me they're closing my account, refunding my ACH for the AK47 on layaway, and refunding my ACH's for the three glocks in the shipping department. Whatever, with business practices like this I don't want to deal with them anyway.

 

[pizzamanny]

I have noticed more of this membership stuff at stores lately. Even a thrift shop down the street has it. Some business guru must be motivationaly speaking it.

 

[MarinePMI]

Funny, that membership crap is starting to die out here locally (supermarkets specifically). Some genius finally figured out the cost of running/managing the system was more than the increased revenues brought in by folks who thought they "were getting a better deal". No shit. Offer a product with a good price and provide good service and folks will return more often. Duh.

 

[William_LXIX]

I thought the deal with membership is to get BELOW the LOWEST MARKED RETAIL PRICE legal agreement for some companies to sell their goods?

That is too bad for the OP.

Free market though, take your business elsewhere if you are not happy.

I haven't bought from Buds in years, as Gunbroker has better deals (& luck!) for me.

~Will

 

[KYS]

The people at Buds are a joke. I live not to far from them and never go there. I would rather order it online from a SH dealer then go in there. They make you take a number when you walk in the door and if you dont have your shit picked out by the time they call your number you miss the window to be checked out in.

Bud himself is a crook. He starts a location, then when it gets popular he sells it off. They usually get run into the ground and he goes and opens another one.

 

[nsmi]

I had a bad experience recently after being a long time happy customer. I picked up a rifle at my FFL , he was busy and the box was unopened from the factory so I didn’t think I needed to pull it out of the plastic. Got it home to find that the finish was damaged early in the manufacturing process and it was never flagged as something not to ship to the customer.

First let me say I should have check the rifle better at my FFL’s but the way Bud's handled it surprised me.

I called Bud’s Gun Shop and see if they would do an exchange. I’m a repeat customer and maybe they would make this right.

I talked to a very helpful customer service rep who told me their policy was that if I did not refuse it at the FFL they will not do anything, it is up to the manufacturer. She was nice and offered to call the manufacturer for me. I explained I wanted a new gun and only choice would be to dispute with my credit card. She told me there was nothing more she could do for me so the call ended on polite terms.

I relented and called the manufacturer. The customer service rep was indifferent and said I could send it back and they would decide IF it was something they would fix under warranty, if so they would refurb the gun and send it back, 4 – 6 weeks. They did offer to pay shipping after I asked.

Refurb isn’t want I was looking for and I also didn’t want to wait. I thanked him for his help and called my credit card company. American Express was very helpful reversed the charge and said they would contact Bud’s Gun Shop and request an exchange.

A couple hours later I got a call back from Bud’s, I think it was one of the owners because they seemed mad and to take it personally that I expected them to deal with it. The attitude was basically I’m a dumb customer (I did apologize for not checking it better) and that it is the manufacturers problem not theirs. Because I called the credit card company they would take it back but I had to pay return shipping. I offered that I bought it from Bud’s not the manufacturer, I was a repeat customer was there anything they could do. This just seemed to make him madder. I apologized again for not checking it better but thought the credit card company made it clear I wanted shipping paid too. This set him off on the fact that I disputed it with the credit card company and this was against Bud’s Gun Shop terms, that if I had a problem I had to resolve it with them. I reminded him I started trying to resolve it with Bud’s but was told by Bud’s rep that the manufacturer had to fix it. His answer was that I should have known to ask for a supervisor…

 

[redneckbmxer24]

A couple hours later I got a call back from Bud’s, I think it was one of the owners because they seemed mad and to take it personally that I expected them to deal with it. The attitude was basically I’m a dumb customer (I did apologize for not checking it better) and that it is the manufacturers problem not theirs. Because I called the credit card company they would take it back but I had to pay return shipping. I offered that I bought it from Bud’s not the manufacturer, I was a repeat customer was there anything they could do. This just seemed to make him madder. I apologized again for not checking it better but thought the credit card company made it clear I wanted shipping paid too. This set him off on the fact that I disputed it with the credit card company and this was against Bud’s Gun Shop terms, that if I had a problem I had to resolve it with them. I reminded him I started trying to resolve it with Bud’s but was told by Bud’s rep that the manufacturer had to fix it. His answer was that I should have known to ask for a supervisor…

From my dealings with both supervisors, they're a joke. There was no resolution to it, just this is how it is take it or leave it. He was also super butthurt because I had told the first supervisor if they're going to tell me to do business elsewhere or pay the privilege fee then I no longer wish to do business at all and I want my one current layaway refunded. She went into the terms BS and I said fine, I'll dispute the charge with my bank and they'll get a inspection fee as well. He said this was wrong and dishonest and told me because of it he's cancelling the orders for the three glocks and refunding them as well... guns that have been in the shipping department since friday. What's wrong is their team buds royalty bullshit.

Fuck them though, if they're going to let other people cut in line with their team bullshit whether its how fast they get to your call, shipping team orders first, then I don't want to deal with them. That's discrimination at best. Costco and Sam's club (phone guys reference) may charge for a membership but they aren't wishy washy about letting certain people buy this one day but not the next and crap like that. God knows the customer service desks at costco and sams doesn't have a special line for members to cut the peons.

I hope they have enough "team buds" members to keep them afloat.

 

[CMH]

There were no others in stock even new so without even asking the representative said I'm going to refund you in full for the gun and membership, let you keep the membership for a year, and give you a $25 gift certificate to use on your next purchase. I would have rather had the gun but I was happy with that and the way they handled it.

I hesitated and went back wednesday to order it and all of a sudden its "team buds only". I say WTF and figure I'll wait it out. This morning its still "team buds" so I call and get a nice lady in customer service who I explain everything to and says there's nothing she can do but will have a supervisor call me.

From the portion I underlined, did they not give you a Team Bud's membership? Or were you objecting on principle and refusing to use it?

 

[redneckbmxer24]

They said they were going to give me the year membership free and refund it for the inconvenience plus give a $25 gift card but when it was refunded the membership was cancelled and I never pursued it. Today the customer service lady put me on hold and went to ask the guy if that was true or a "miss-communication"... I already knew where that was going. Like he would have remembered that 4 months ago anyway.

 

[jashmore1234]

Bud's just told OP they don't want his business on standard terms because the computer says so.

When an organization makes decisions based on the computer's opinion, they have lost their focus on customer and should be excluded from future purchasing decisions.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

I just got four emails from buds. The ACH payments on all three glocks and the ACH payment for the layaway on the AK are all being refunded. I guess I can officially write them off. It's a shame that they're so damn stubborn about this. They could have easily sold me the rifle through the store, did CC over the phone and the store ship it out or change their retarded ass computer system, or better yet do away with the team buds bullshit all together.

They were happy to lose a sale and cancel four orders because of something so stupid.

 

[pyplynr]

A lot of companies have lost my business for crap like this. They treat the new customers better than ones that have been doing business with them for years. A couple months ago I called Dish Network to see about getting another receiver for my garage. They acted like I was asking for 200 pounds of gold. I told them that if I were a new customer I would probably get up to 4 receivers and free movie channels for 6 months for nothing. It wasn't until I threatened to cancel my account did they finally do anything. And all this computerized shit is getting out of hand. If it's not in the computer they're lost. Heaven forbid they ask their supervisor if something else can be done. Just like when you give the person at the cash register a $20 bill, $1 bill, and 37 cents for something that costs $6.37. The look of "what did you just do to me" glares over their face.

 

[tipper]

Always shop where it makes you feel good that you spent your money wisely.

 

[BapZander]

Hmm, 20 + 1 + .37 - 6.37 is uhh, umm, hold on a sec...

I'm sorry sir, we don't accept cash.

 

[blackfoot]

Banks put a value on membership lists and companies can actually use them as collateral for lending. They also generate a lot of revenue without costing a company much at all. Costco derives most of it's profit from membership fees, not selling product. I think a lot of companies are trying to follow the bandwagon/business model without understanding the massive volume you must do in order for it to work. So in essence, Bud's is using you for cash flow and lending power, and they have calculated that you want to be a follower/member of a club, and the "exclusive deals" they have are enough to make you want to. My opinion is that it's a gross miscalculation because gun people are not "wired" like the general population as evidenced by the OP

 

[George63]

first off I will say having a whore like buds in existence keeps prices down at every retailer in the country, so whether you buy from them or not they are saving you money

2nd - buds will do very well with the other 99% of gun buyers who will pay the 30 to get the items in tight supply - everything you had on layaway has probably already been re-sold, when demand exceeds supply this "club" strategy may be accounting for 1/3 of profit - if they make exceptions in the age of the internet, everyone will know and demand the exception - there goes the 30%

the same people who piss and moan about buds would yell and scream if there were regulations to limit online gun sales

basically, I am saying: their business, their rules - get over it

 

[KYS]

first off I will say having a whore like buds in existence keeps prices down at every retailer in the country, so whether you buy from them or not they are saving you money

2nd - buds will do very well with the other 99% of gun buyers who will pay the 30 to get the items in tight supply - everything you had on layaway has probably already been re-sold, when demand exceeds supply this "club" strategy may be accounting for 1/3 of profit - if they make exceptions in the age of the internet, everyone will know and demand the exception - there goes the 30%

the same people who piss and moan about buds would yell and scream if there were regulations to limit online gun sales

basically, I am saying: their business, their rules - get over it

When supply gets tight? That's funny. Since Bud's creates the demand. They order Glocks by the thousands…… there is a reason the store front is called "The Gun Warehouse". They have pallets and pallets of these so called hard to find items. Generally, their in store pricing is higher then anyone else in town. Well, except for Sportsmen Warehouse.

They buy in bulk to creat a short supply for others, that has been their MO from day one. While the internet site seems all warm and fuzzy the locals (me) get outrageous prices in their store. Used guns worth more then new guns, they don't even have the staff that knows how to mount a scope but they will sell you a $4000.00 optic for that pee shooter you just bought! And when it breaks you have to send it back yourself and hope its covered. I'll buy from the small stores run by honest people.

 

[Twisted .308]

Bud dicked me over on a pistol I was buying as a gift , told it was in stock ,paid the bastards after being promised it would Ship immediately as FFL was already on file . I needed this gun in my hands within 2 weeks. It took them 17 days before it shipped from them on its way to my FFL and only would return money if I took a 25% hit for restocking fees. Screw them !

 

[redneckbmxer24]

first off I will say having a whore like buds in existence keeps prices down at every retailer in the country, so whether you buy from them or not they are saving you money

2nd - buds will do very well with the other 99% of gun buyers who will pay the 30 to get the items in tight supply - everything you had on layaway has probably already been re-sold, when demand exceeds supply this "club" strategy may be accounting for 1/3 of profit - if they make exceptions in the age of the internet, everyone will know and demand the exception - there goes the 30%

the same people who piss and moan about buds would yell and scream if there were regulations to limit online gun sales

basically, I am saying: their business, their rules - get over it

Telling a customer that spends $10k a year to get lost is great for business! They can take their business and shove it up their ass.

For your own sake, I hope you never run a business if you think running a customer away whether a good or bad one is a good idea.

 

[George63]

I do not think either of you are getting the point:

the 3 most important things for the modern consumer are:

1) price
2)price
3)price

a whore like buds is no more likely to go away than walmart, unless someone can beat them at the whore game

you can bitch on every venue you can find and 99% of modern consumers will still buy from buds

as far as going to the bricks and mortar location - why do you bother - 2, 4 and 6 years ago it was the same shit - did you expect it to change?

 

[George63]

Telling a customer that spends $10k a year to get lost is great for business!

like I said above, they have already sold what you did not buy - possibly they got 3 or 4 people to each pay the 30 - they may be $$ ahead on the deal

I realized a long time ago I did not have the stomach for business - if you treat your customers, suppliers and employees well, the government wants the rest and there is very little left for you - cheating and screwing are pretty much a necessity for success

 

[Pester]

I agree with most of your points and can certainly understand the challenges in retail sales but I dont agree with your thinking that the only way to success is cheating and screwing others.

There are many examples where ethical, customer focused retailers are selling and doing well. For sure its not easy and margins are tight but the creative ones are making it.

As an aside, went to all 4 of my local shops to get some 9mm range ammo and none of them had anything but the SD stuff. I was looking online and purchased from someone else because, while Buds was cheaper, the cost per round from another was not much better and their cost was not much higher. True customer service has a financial value....where you place that monetary value is up to each person.

 

[JMGlasgow]

From the portion I underlined, did they not give you a Team Bud's membership? Or were you objecting on principle and refusing to use it?

I read the same thing. Redneck, did you not take the free membership?

 

[bluto77]

OP, you were a long time customer, a repeat customer, and you were in the process of buying 4 other guns at the same time.....yet Bud's treated you like you were just some other guy on the street. That's bullshit, and I can understand why you're so pissed off. I think everyone would be pissed off if they were treated like that by a store where they have spent so much of their hard earned money.

Unfortunately, I don't think you are completely understanding the big picture here. There is a reason they are able to sell everything so much cheaper than everyone else. It is because they are sacrificing quality to save money. They sell new guns at a cheaper price than many other gun dealers (namely your local small business owner-type of dealer) cost from their vendors. How is it that they can sell their guns....at a profit (presumably)....at a price that is equal to or less than what other dealers cost is from their vendors? Is "Bud" some sort of retail genius? Is Bud getting his guns substantially cheaper than other dealers? No, they're not geniuses, but they are probably getting a slightly better price than other dealers, but it isn't likely that much. Then how is it they are able to operate at such small margins? The answer is simple. They are not spending their money on hiring quality customer service people. As a matter of fact, they're not spending very much of their money at all, because there ain't much to spend when operating on such small margins. This happens in nearly every business in the world. This business model isn't new. And it works to a degree.

But you, as a customer, need to be aware of what kind of business you're dealing with. You have to decide what's important to you, and if rock bottom price is the single most important thing, and you don't give a damn about anything else, then Bud's is your shop. OP, you obviously put some kind of premium on customer service. It is, without a doubt, important to you. You have to understand though, you're not going to get rock-bottom, discounted prices in conjunction with top tier customer service. It just doesn't happen. To a varying degree, you will always get what you pay for. Period. Customer service is a shitty, shitty job. Think about it. Your job is to get bitched at and solve problems. Every phone call has somebody on the other end with a problem, and you have been designated as the person all complaints shall be directed at. Some jerk at the packing center did a poor job packing a box and goods were broken when they were delivered, and now you get to be the one to get bitched at. How bad does that suck? What kind of a price tag do you think the good customer service employees carry? I guarantee you they cost more than the 2 supervisors at Bud's you spoke with.

OP, pony up and start supporting your local gun shops. It sounds like you would appreciate their customer service level as much as they would appreciate your business. Leave the bargain basement internet stores for the guy that doesn't mind being told that you can take your $10K of business and stick it in your ass for all we at Bud's care....buy our $30 membership (which btw is just another way to offset the low prices) or take your business elsewhere.....we don't really care!

 

[KYS]

I do not think either of you are getting the point:

the 3 most important things for the modern consumer are:

1) price
2)price
3)price

a whore like buds is no more likely to go away than walmart, unless someone can beat them at the whore game

you can bitch on every venue you can find and 99% of modern consumers will still buy from buds

as far as going to the bricks and mortar location - why do you bother - 2, 4 and 6 years ago it was the same shit - did you expect it to change?

Are you sure you know what you are talking about?

The location has changed...... 4 times already. They keep moving so they can sell the old spot to some unsuspecting fool and trick them into thinking it will be a good investment. As soon as they take that name away, people stop going.
The newest location also has 2 new majority owners. Bud has little to do with store, his internet department is there but dictates what the store can put out and for how much. So yes, I would think that at some point they would change to keep their local customers happy. They can't sustain their current location without local traffic.

 

[KYS]

like I said above, they have already sold what you did not buy - possibly they got 3 or 4 people to each pay the 30 - they may be $$ ahead on the deal

I realized a long time ago I did not have the stomach for business - if you treat your customers, suppliers and employees well, the government wants the rest and there is very little left for you - cheating and screwing are pretty much a necessity for success

I disagree. Bud's sits on a lot of inventory for a long time. They have stated this. Majority of their sales come from direct link to large distributors. They just drop ship stuff to you from their warehouse, and Bud's doesn't own the warehouse they just get a credit on their account. They only buy in bulk what they have to in order to receive a bulk discount.

I've been pretty successful running a company in which we don't need to screw anyone over to bring home the bacon. We are probably one of the few straight laced contractors in the area now. Most guys in construction will swindle you out of your socks before you even know what hit you. We don't and we have a good rep because of that. That IS why we are successful.

 

[redhooker]

It is the scientific law of business (especially construction). I believe this was proven by Einstein or Hawking...

Good.
Fast.
Cheap.

You only ever get 2 at a time per interaction, and unfortunately what every consumer seeks is all 3. That is the law, I'm pretty sure. Supposedly there is a guy that got all 3 once, but he now sits on a mountaintop in a white robe waiting for people to stop by so he can brag about it.

 

[mewillis]

unfortunately shit happens. I read a lot of bad press on Buds but I have not had 1 issue in at least 8 purchases of FA
or accessories. curious where you are going to shop online now since Midway and Buds are out?

 

[redneckbmxer24]

OP, pony up and start supporting your local gun shops. It sounds like you would appreciate their customer service level as much as they would appreciate your business. Leave the bargain basement internet stores for the guy that doesn't mind being told that you can take your $10K of business and stick it in your ass for all we at Bud's care....buy our $30 membership (which btw is just another way to offset the low prices) or take your business elsewhere.....we don't really care!

Local stores are the next issue. There are a decent amount of them around me but they all suck. Most of them cater to the mall ninja crowd and don't stock the kind of stuff I typically buy and to order it they all want MSRP which is outrageous. I understand they can't sell as cheap as online stores especially with northern virginia overhead but $200 over what those online stores sell for is getting up there. I had a store that I bought thousands of dollars of stuff from that was 1.5 hour rounds trip but they fucked me on two suppressors I bought. Each time they did the paperwork and handed it to me to take to the SO and both times they fucked up on it and I had to drive back out for them to correct it. Both times they said "we'll make it up to you", when I asked them to make it up to me was when I had three AR lowers paid for and waiting to be shipped, they charge $30 per gun plus the $2 state fee so it would have been $92 to transfer. Owner said sorry, we'll give you 5% off a new gun but thats the best I'll do. I found a home FFL that did all three for $30. Now that same shop has had a lower sitting there for 11 months that they won't transfer to him because he has a PO box on his DL despite ATF saying they can with additional ID's.

I've struck out finding a decent local shop but up until now I've had great luck online with the exception of buds and these darc ops armory assholes on gunbroker that I bought a few KAC rifles from. I've had good experiences with grab a gun, one purchase was a G23 that came out of the box with a heavy scratch in the finish but I didn't notice at the FFL. No questions asked they offered to take it back and refund all shipping and my FFL fee (despite my own negligence to inspect it) or send me a couple extra mags for the inconvenience. I took their offer for the extra mags to avoid the hassle of shipping it back and all. I'll see if they have what I want in stock and start sending my money their way.

 

[dbransco]

I've had great luck online with the exception of buds and these darc ops armory assholes on gunbroker that I bought a few KAC rifles.

I made a good trade with them when they were first starting out and I have tried to repeat business with them, however I don't feel like being raked over the coals severely. I attempted to share with them my feeling that $4,299 for a S&B 3-20 H2CMR is a little extreme, but they continued to state that very little profit was being made.....whatever! I think if I couldn't make profit selling a 3-20 at $4,300, I just wouldn't be selling them?

 

[clo]

bought 5 rifles and handguns from buds in the last few years never any issues.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

I read the same thing. Redneck, did you not take the free membership?

When they first implemented it and sent me the email with the free membership offer I didn't sign up. After the deal with the Glock going south and them offering to refund me and let me keep the membership I did but I guess when they refunded it they cancelled the membership too which is not what the guy said. I didn't really care though and never pursued it and it wasn't a problem until now.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

bought 5 rifles and handguns from buds in the last few years never any issues.

That's good for you. I've done that number in a month alone with them and when I did have an issue they treated me like shit. Fuck them.

 

[foxx]

That's good for you. I've done that number in a month alone with them and when I did have an issue they treated me like shit. Fuck them.

Red, it sounds to me like you are a big shooter who can afford to pay for the kind of service you properly expect, but you will pay a premium, for sure.

 

[1000yard]

Bud Wells is a complete asshole, a lazy piece of garbage (he'll be riding around at SHOT Show on a rented HOVEROUND, bumping into people and running over toes, and won't even say pardon me). That being said, he is a member of a buying group( ie, Sports INC, MBS,ETC) so he buys lower than most, floats the inventory and sells it cheap. He get's shipping discounts because of his volume, he's making the money., and the majority of the customers are happy, until there is a mistake on the CUSTOMER'S behalf, then the customer is treated like a pain in the ass, and charged a fortune for returning something, that could be just an honest mistake. I have witnessed it dozens of times. Bud's will continue to prosper, because of percentages. Like it or not

 

[HD1911]

never have ordered from Bud's, and never will.

this thread doesn't surprise me in the least bit.

 

[bluto77]

Both times they said "we'll make it up to you", when I asked them to make it up to me was when I had three AR lowers paid for and waiting to be shipped, they charge $30 per gun plus the $2 state fee so it would have been $92 to transfer. Owner said sorry, we'll give you 5% off a new gun but thats the best I'll do. I found a home FFL that did all three for $30. Now that same shop has had a lower sitting there for 11 months that they won't transfer to him because he has a PO box on his DL despite ATF saying they can with additional ID's..

That's crap. Waiving the transfer fee should be the easiest thing for them to do.

 

[Kirkd]

I had a bad experience recently after being a long time happy customer. I picked up a rifle at my FFL , he was busy and the box was unopened from the factory so I didn’t think I needed to pull it out of the plastic. Got it home to find that the finish was damaged early in the manufacturing process and it was never flagged as something not to ship to the customer.

First let me say I should have check the rifle better at my FFL’s but the way Bud's handled it surprised me.

I called Bud’s Gun Shop and see if they would do an exchange. I’m a repeat customer and maybe they would make this right.

I talked to a very helpful customer service rep who told me their policy was that if I did not refuse it at the FFL they will not do anything, it is up to the manufacturer. She was nice and offered to call the manufacturer for me. I explained I wanted a new gun and only choice would be to dispute with my credit card. She told me there was nothing more she could do for me so the call ended on polite terms.

I relented and called the manufacturer. The customer service rep was indifferent and said I could send it back and they would decide IF it was something they would fix under warranty, if so they would refurb the gun and send it back, 4 – 6 weeks. They did offer to pay shipping after I asked.

Refurb isn’t want I was looking for and I also didn’t want to wait. I thanked him for his help and called my credit card company. American Express was very helpful reversed the charge and said they would contact Bud’s Gun Shop and request an exchange.

A couple hours later I got a call back from Bud’s, I think it was one of the owners because they seemed mad and to take it personally that I expected them to deal with it. The attitude was basically I’m a dumb customer (I did apologize for not checking it better) and that it is the manufacturers problem not theirs. Because I called the credit card company they would take it back but I had to pay return shipping. I offered that I bought it from Bud’s not the manufacturer, I was a repeat customer was there anything they could do. This just seemed to make him madder. I apologized again for not checking it better but thought the credit card company made it clear I wanted shipping paid too. This set him off on the fact that I disputed it with the credit card company and this was against Bud’s Gun Shop terms, that if I had a problem I had to resolve it with them. I reminded him I started trying to resolve it with Bud’s but was told by Bud’s rep that the manufacturer had to fix it. His answer was that I should have known to ask for a supervisor…

Im amased as how many business are unaware of their contract (or whatever you call it) with a credit card vendor is. Doesn't matter what the stores policy are, this is a prime example why to pay with CC as you have consumer protection. You debit card does not afford this nor does cash. One thing that I see sone companies (specifically those you sell firearms or firearm related products) is to charge you card when they dont have it in stock. 2 of the 4 major CC conpanies specifically prohibit this practice. One allows it if disclosed. And one has no policy about tiphis practice. Now if you go this route and "prepay" for at item, there is only a specific time period that you can dispute the charge, often times this time frame will expire before the promised delivery date.

 

[Pinecone]

I have ordered once for Bud's. Once was enough.

I had an FFL fax them a copy of their FFL 3 times. They kept saying they never got it. Now maybe the FFl was lying, but I don't think so.

Once I switched to one of their "pre-approved" FFLs, no problem. Except the FFL tried to raise the fee for the transfer when I went to pick up the rifle.

I will find other people to deal with.

 

[RiverRatMatt]

never have ordered from Bud's, and never will.

this thread doesn't surprise me in the least bit.

Pretty much this.

 

[beenjammin]

Ooooh I'm jumping on this bandwagon also. I started a thread bashing buds a long time ago and got flamed for it. They sell weapons that they don't have instock as advertised. When you buy it then they order it. Oh yes they do. They won't get any of my green ever again

 

[Guy Montag]

Buds doesn't "save" me a damn thing, and price isn't the only factor for many of us, WHO we deal with is equally if not more important.

Outfits like Buds and other drop shippers make it harder for smaller shops to even get inventory, I'm seeing that reality play itself out with my ffl.

The $50 or $100 you "save" online isn't much of a deal when your ffl closes shop.

 

[pawprint2]

My guess is that buds will be out of business within 6 months, as the vast majority of their customers hate them and are looking for some where else to buy, even if it costs them a lot more money. Based on many of the above posts-how long do you experts think Bud's can stay in business?

 

[317millhand]

Drive by Buds all the time, and havent spent a dime in there yet. They only want to deal with the "Herd" buyers.

 

[Altnews]

A lot of companies have lost my business for crap like this. They treat the new customers better than ones that have been doing business with them for years. A couple months ago I called Dish Network to see about getting another receiver for my garage. They acted like I was asking for 200 pounds of gold. I told them that if I were a new customer I would probably get up to 4 receivers and free movie channels for 6 months for nothing. It wasn't until I threatened to cancel my account did they finally do anything. And all this computerized shit is getting out of hand. If it's not in the computer they're lost. Heaven forbid they ask their supervisor if something else can be done. Just like when you give the person at the cash register a $20 bill, $1 bill, and 37 cents for something that costs $6.37. The look of "what did you just do to me" glares over their face.

On the other side of the fence, I've been a customer of AT&T for my cellphone service since cell phones were invented, more than 25 years. My ex-fiancee refused to return the iPhone I bought for her to use that I paid cash for when she left me. I cancelled the phone line and then when I tried to make a loss claim on the insurance they denied it because I cancelled the line first, which automatically cancelled the insurance. After speaking with AT&T reps for a while and explaining that I didn't know that canceling, rather than SUSPENDING the line would cancel the insurance, they tried to reinstate the line so I could get the insurance on the phone, but the system wouldn't let them do it. My rep consulted with some other folks for about 30 minutes and when she came back on the line she told me that because I was a long-time customer (I have a legacy unlimited data line I got back in 1998) and I pay my bill on time every month, what they did was to reinstate the line and the insurance coverage under a program for business that also circumstantially provided a check for $500 for signing up. I made the claim, paid the $250 deductible, got a brand-new iPhone three days later, and about 3 months later I got a $500 check in the mail. Adding the deductible and the amount I paid for an unused line for three months, I actually made about $150 on the deal in the end. Plus, I have a brand new phone sitting in a drawer in case my regular one gets broken or lost.

So, it's not all bad.

 

[Ring]

sent buds a email today about a blackpowder i bought last week... it was listed as free shipping



sent:
question... i was charged shipping, the CVA Wolf i ordered says free shipping

CVA PR2110M Wolf Break Open 50 Black Powder 24" Black Synthe $166.00

=======================


response....

Thank you for being a Budsgunshop.com customer. I apologize for that issue. Muzzle loaders and black powder guns are not typically considered firearms and are not eligible for free shipping. Since they ship directly to your home, we do charge our standard shipping rates. My supervisor has corrected the listing on this item. If you would like to speak to someone about this, please contact us at 859-368-0371 from 9 am to 9 pm Eastern time, Monday-Friday.

Best regards,

 

[SidecarFlip]

Pretty obvious to me that Bud is a limp pud.

 

[Hunbramericano]

There are a few online companies I hear complains about all the time, one is Bud's. Even on youtube when you start to type "Buds gun shop" before you place the "p" at the end the "complaints" appear afterward. It means tons of people posted with complaints the most.
When I buy things online the most important is price without a question, but when I see a company with too many problems price becomes irrelevant. Once you experience bad customer service or shitty merchandise you know that "cheap" can be very expensive.

 

[George63]

My guess is that buds will be out of business within 6 months, as the vast majority of their customers hate them and are looking for some where else to buy, even if it costs them a lot more money. Based on many of the above posts-how long do you experts think Bud's can stay in business?

about the same time walmart goes away

 

[KYS]

Bud Wells is a complete asshole, a lazy piece of garbage (he'll be riding around at SHOT Show on a rented HOVEROUND, bumping into people and running over toes, and won't even say pardon me). That being said, he is a member of a buying group( ie, Sports INC, MBS,ETC) so he buys lower than most, floats the inventory and sells it cheap. He get's shipping discounts because of his volume, he's making the money., and the majority of the customers are happy, until there is a mistake on the CUSTOMER'S behalf, then the customer is treated like a pain in the ass, and charged a fortune for returning something, that could be just an honest mistake. I have witnessed it dozens of times. Bud's will continue to prosper, because of percentages. Like it or not

Haha, this gave me a chuckle. He does roll around on that cart the whole show but its because of his medical condition. Not an excuse for his lack of manners though.

He only has say in the internet department, he has little say in the new facility hence it not carrying much of his name. He does have a little invested into the indoor range.