Great day, NEW XD .40 and a lesson in customer service

[Quilbilly]

So I decided to check out the Cabelas store in Lacey for the first time today. It was a more than I expected to say the least. I looked around for more than an hour before going to the firearms section to pick up my new pistol. I was impressed with the store up to this point but then.....

First off, I had to literally take a number to be helped which was not cool. Then the guy helping me actually pointed the pistol I was looking at right at me. He was holding it by the slide and not by the grips but still made me pretty uncomfortable. Then, to top it all off, they would not sell it to me because my license address did not match my CPL address. So, I left pretty disappointed.

I was thinking to myself that I would just wait until next weekend and go to Sportsmans Warehouse in Silverdale (who had the best prices I have found). Then, out of no where, I saw a Sportsmans Warehouse in the distance. The sales guy made eye contact with me before I even got to the counter which was nice. Everyone there seemed much more professional. Their prices were about $25 less than at Cabelas. AND he actually suggested a cheaper pistol than what I was looking at (a subcompact XD instead of the Glock 27), which I ended up getting because it fit much better in my hand.

So I guess I learned something today. All the flair in the world doesn't even come close to great customer service. I think I will be doing all my firearms shopping at Sportsmans Warehouse in the future.

 

[Zedicus]

shame that cabelas was like that.

btw, have you looked at/considered the XD-M's as well?

 

[Starship1st]

This is why I prefer ordering my guns from the comforts of home.

 

[stickslinger]

I love Cabela's, but I have experienced the same problems with the one that opened up in LA. and it seems now that everytime I go looking for something they don't have it so I believe I will stick with catalog sales and buy my guns elsewhere.

XD's...I bought an XD40 last year with night sights. Sent it to springerprecision in Oregon for a trigger job and I love it. I absolutely believe that it is the one of the best bangs for the buck on the market now. Then I made the mistake of letting my 18yo son take it to a Thunder Ranch Class at Shootrite in AL and now I can't get it back!

Oh well, I guess that's a small price to pay for finally getting my son excited about shooting after 18 years of trying everything else.

 

[ProficientRifleman]

Then, to top it all off, they would not sell it to me because my license address did not match my CPL address. So, I left pretty disappointed.

There are many people in our state who have a P.O. Box for an address on their driver's license. I try to explain to my customers, "Look, you don't live in your Post Office box."

Sometimes I get a response like, "Well, my address at the house is 610 Meadow Muffin Lane...but that just means it is six tenth's of a mile up my property road from the highway."

ATF has told us that: A secondary form of state issued I.D. is all that is required. A vehicle registration, a voter registration card, a fishing or hunting license, etc... can be used as a secondary to confirm the buyer's physical address.

They could still sell it to you as long as your CPL had your name, photo and current address on it. A combination of the two forms of I.D. would satisfy the regulatory requirement.

 

[jed_p]

They could, but then they could be held liable. Don't misunderstand, I agree, I'm just doing the "Devil's Advocate" thing. Many corporations are unwilling to run any type of risk, especially with firearms. I prefer smaller shops that take the time to get to know their customers.

 

[wagoneer1019]

you should contact cabelas about this....I love the store and I only live 2 miles from the on in AZ last year I had an issue with a lazy worker. I asked where the 223 and 7.62x39 in bulk was. he said they were not going to sell it any more 'cuse of the war was using it all up and they where all sold out. I took his word they where sold out and got my bulk amo at another store. I paid like $20 or $30 more per caliber. but no big deal. so the next day I go back and they have a huge display of .223 and 7.62x39 around the corner. not only where they instock but it was on sale!!! I called the store customer service dept. and they offered me 5% off my next purchase. I thought "nope not good enough" and called the corporate office. they gave me a $25 gift card for my gas and gave me employee pricing for one day. This was a 15-40% discount. I had just gotten my tax return and got my brother in law's wish list along with my dad's and spent a day a cabela's. I got over $1000 worth of stuff including a new henry lever .22 for about $700 saved over $300 + gift card

 

[FourTeeFive]

Lacey, WA Sportsman's Warehouse and Cabela's

I've pretty much found the same thing. Oddly enough Cabela's prices were really low the first month they opened, but now they're selling used guns for more than I've seen similar new ones!

Sporstman's Warehouse seems to have a nice bunch of people working there, and the prices are great. They also have some very good deals at times on certain guns, so it is worth going in there often.

No reason to go back to Cabela's in my opinion. My only beef with Sporstman's Warehouse is that it can take some time to do the whole gun purchase procedure depending how busy they are (have to walk up front with salesman, stand in line, etc.).