Gun store in Alaska. horrible experience

[silversilvia]

Hello everyone, since there is a bit of AK people surfing the board i would like to share my experience. I am up here on a visit and decide to hit all the gun stores. quite possibly the worse experience i ever had of any gun store visit ever.

I went in and saw a used 686 6" with a fake pair of ivory grips and a etched eagle on it. the price was $450. since these guns go for $500 ish on gunbroker i asked the store clerk to come show me some guns.

he asked me how much money i had, so he will pick me out a gun. i told him that i just want to look at the 686. so i asked what kind of deal would he make for me. he asked if i had cash right now, i ignored. he then proceeds to go open his book of guns.

it was not a blue book but simply what the MSRP of the gun was NEW. he told me it was a $1000 gun (i don't even think he looked up the right combination 686) and it is worth more with the grips.

he then took the sticker off and re-priced it to $650, and told me i coulda had a good deal if i didn't bargain for it. and ask me again if i had the $500 cash to begin with. I said no, who carries around $500 cash in their pockets anyways?.

after i said no, he turned around and ignored me. and helped the other people.

i am so pissed!

 

[spacemanspiff]

oooooo, which store was it?!

 

[TallPine]

A racial issue, perhaps ...?

 

[TarpleyG]

Probably WildAlaska

 

[orangeninja]

Hahahaha....that's awsome. Sorry for your trouble...but the crappier service gets in the gun shops...the less I fret when they go under.

Seriously though. Automotive garages, doctors offices and gunshops generally equal in how crappy their customer service is.

 

[trickyasafox]

you shoulda said, wow if you werent a dick you mighta had a customer.

 

[spacemanspiff]

yeah, he's notorious for overcharging and being a real jerk.


(hey, one out of two aint bad!)

 

[Koobuh]

Wow.

That there is a business which does not want to stay open.
I suggest you help them out with that by telling this story to everyone you meet. Taking out an ad in the paper may be a bit far, but well within your rights.

Barring that, make sure to talk to the management about your treatment by their employee. If the management blows you off, go back to the original plan.

 

[carebear]

What was the store?

There are a lot up here and many difficult salespeople.

 

[jerkface11]

...

 

[Justin]

The conjecture and name calling about Wildalaska stops now.

 

[AirForceShooter]

this guy used to sell cars here in Florida I'll bet.
Met him trying to buy a Mustang a few months ago.

AFS

 

[silversilvia]

oh man a lot of people around the anchorage area i see. this store was a pawn shop on old steward i think.

the other shop i have been to several times was Great Northern Guns on Tudor, which has some of the nicest people i have met! too bad they didn't have a lot of the things i was looking for (carbines, CX4, etc)

Great Guns on Old steward wasn't too friendly either.

am i missing a couple nice ones i should visit?

 

[spacemanspiff]

i usually stop by Great northern guns once a month, i do like the guys who work there. and they have a LOT of inventory!

havent set foot in great guns yet.

gunrunners is pretty cool, had no idea you could cram so many guns in 100 square feet. (on northern lights across from sears).

of course you gotta stop by wild west guns and fondle the take-down guide guns!

dealing with anchorages pawn shops can be a frustrating experience. problem is, not many who work for the pawn shops know much about guns, or how to market them. doesnt help that they pay waaay too much for guns people want to sell. a half decent pawn shop that has a good selection (but no real room to make deals on them) is spenard pawn. according to the owner, they have a lot more guns collecting dust since they dont have the time to get them cleaned up and put in the racks.

 

[jerkface11]

Here in western arkansas it's usually the pawn shops that have better service and deals. The gun shops usually have rude counter people and high prices.

 

[Atticus]

doesnt help that they pay waaay too much for guns people want to sell.

Spiff are you basing that on what they told you, or the asking price?
Don't they usually pay about 30% of book value...if that?

 

[jsalcedo]

Pawnshops pay 20% to 25% of book based on condition.

For example if you took in a NIB Glock 22 you would get maybe $85

 

[Cosmoline]

I did a review of local gun stores here:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=157209


I know of only one pawn shop on Old Seward selling firearms, and they only have a few ratty things with absurd price tags. I've bought some other things from them and they were OK, albeit pricey. You can expect ALL local pawnshops to jack up prices through the roof whenever possible. BUt it's exceptionally fun to outsmart them. I've picked up some very rare C&R rifles from various local pawnbrokers for a fraction of their true value because the idiots don't know what they have. Just stay mum about it and savor the moment.

The other store on Old Seward besides Great Guns and Mountain View Sports is Northern Security, which I will never shop at again due to their EXCEPTIONALLY rude service.

GNG is one of my favorite shops. The folks at Great Guns are VERY friendly once you get to know them. Chuck Grubin there is a terrific guy and I've never had any problems with him.

 

[c_yeager]

Pawnshops pay 20% to 25% of book based on condition.

For example if you took in a NIB Glock 22 you would get maybe $85

What kinda pawn shops have you been going to? If they outright buy the gun they negotiate a price just like anyone else. If they write a loan on the gun it depends greatly on how much they consider the gun to be worth, and how likely it is that the person will recover their property. The only time I ever got a loan on a firearm I got about 50% of its value, and thats all I asked for.

 

[Sheldon J]

True story, a few years back I took my then 16 year old to a gun show, the boy collects fine knifes and is looking a fairly nice hand made in a scabbard, the boy asked nicely if he could look at it closer, and was ignored. He asked again and the guy just stared at him and refused to reply, the knife was about $150. the rude POS looked at me, as I was glaring at him and he said that he doubted the boy and enough money to buy his knife, and looked away. Very PO’d I looked at the A$$ and promptly proceeded to tell him that the boy had saved enough of his allowance to buy 3 of them but I sure as H E double L would not let him buy anything from him and escorted the boy away. Later the boy did find a nice little hand made for around $200.00 and of course I had to lead him by the guy’s booth examining the new purchase I loudly exclaimed Nice Knife son and only 2 hundred bucks. Too bad you couldn’t have found another one to add to your collection, the bozo just stared open jawed as we walked away.

 

[jsalcedo]

What kinda pawn shops have you been going to? If they outright buy the gun they negotiate a price just like anyone else. If they write a loan on the gun it depends greatly on how much they consider the gun to be worth, and how likely it is that the person will recover their property.

Thats the way gunshops operate.

Pawnshops here in Texas give 20 to 25 percent on any item loan or sell same deal.

I saw a crackhead try to sell her grandmothers solid gold 1 carat diamond ring.

The pawn manager measured the diamonds, weighed the gold and said he could give $280 on a $2000 ring.

If I decide I'm tired of a gun I take it to a gun shop that has something I want because they give 50% of book and 65% in trade.

As for A-holes in shops. I see it all the time. when I'm in a gun shop I have
money to spend or I wouldn't drive the 20 to 30 miles.

When they ignore me I tell the manager he lost a big sale. Most of the times
they act like they don't care.

 

[silversilvia]

I did a review of local gun stores here:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=157209

I had a semi-bad experience with Nortern security as well. I asked them if they had any cheaper AR's (DPMS, etc) in the $7-800, range. they kinda said they don't have any junk stuff. also they ignored me a good while, while i was up there trying to ask for a rifle.

 

[spacemanspiff]

Spiff are you basing that on what they told you, or the asking price?
Don't they usually pay about 30% of book value...if that?

based on what the managers have said. if no one is there that knows guns, any of the clerks will pull a figure out of the air (sometimes helped by the seller of the gun/merchendise). one in particular has a bad habit of buying nonfunctional guns. they have even unwittingly taken in guns that were modified to full auto.


northern security has bad employees, the head guy is usually very helpful. but then again, i havent had a need to go there for a while. sometimes alright for cheapo ammo but now that i get employee discount at WWG, no need.

 

[carebear]

As a tall, handsome, well-dressed and well-spoken, youngish white male, I get excellent service everywhere Spiff.

There's a lot of bad gun shop employees out there, primarily because gun knowledge and customer service/sales skills are not natural compatriots.

 

[Cosmoline]

but now that i get employee discount at WWG, no need.

Isn't there a forum rule against rubbing this sort of thing in?