Response from Budsgunshop.com

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Isn't a flat 10% restocking fee to stop the whimsical idiots, a little like hitting a fly with a sledge hammer, especially because of the range of prices in firearms? How bout a 24 hour window where the restocking fee is a flat $20 and then after 24 hours THEN it goes to 10%?
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How about you just order what you want? Once you hit the "submit" button it should be considered the same as walking out the door of a brick and mortar establishment. The transaction has been made, no backsies.
 
Wow, Bud's is swamped! In light of the following email, they deserve a lot of leeway given the pressure they're under to meet demand.

According to our records, you recently attempted to contact us via email and were not given a response. We sincerely apologize for this issue as we have become completely overwhelmed with new customer inquiries since the recent presidential election.

As you are probably now very aware, thanks to national news like Nightline, MSNBC, or NPR Radio, this whole firearms "panic buying" ordeal hit hard on Nov 3 and has not let off since. We were admittedly very unprepared for these unexpected and unwelcome events. Since November 3, we have had over 1,044,000 attempts to contact us via email or phone. As we previously had only 4 sales staff and 4 phone lines, it very quickly became an impossible situation. We have added new staff, updated telephone and email systems, all in the last two weeks. Those new resources are just now starting to have an affect on our ability to respond to this unprecedented demand in the firearms industry.

As responding to all emails was not even a remote possibility, we decided to work overtime, nights, and weekends just to respond to the emails that were from existing orders/customers, as indicated by their order number appearing in the "Subject:" line of the email. Unfortunately, thousands of standard "Contact Us" emails via the website have gone unanswered. We sincerely apologize for our inability to meet the customer service demands during this exceptional time.

We have purchased new telephone and voice mail systems, and are continuing to hire additional staff each week to man those lines. We have also completely reworked our "Contact Us" email feature on our website to automatically direct customer requests to the correct representative to handle each individual request. To view that new email solution, please click here:

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/contact_us.php

We will continue to try and get this situation under control. However, if the "panic buying" does not let up, or we find that we are still not able to keep up with the demand, we will be shutting down the website temporarily in order to take care of all existing orders. Once we have all existing orders, emails and voice mails addressed....we will refire the website under much better circumstances and pledge to return to the level of customer service we were well known for prior to Nov 4, 2008.

I am very sorry that we let you down, but I assure you everyone here at www.budsgunshop.com has, and will continue to, give 150%.

Happy Thanksgiving and may God bless you and your family.

Rex McClanahan
Vice President
BudsGunShop.com, llc.
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Just got my 1895 Marlin in from Bud's Monday. They did pretty decent, 10 days from payment to arrival at my transfer dealers shop. Not the fastest gun deal I ever had but not bad either. They get a thumbs up from me.
1895Marlin4570.jpg
 
I have bought several firearms from Buds over the years, and never had a problem. The prices were great, communication prompt, and they shipped in a timely fashion. I certainly understand their policies. Online sales can be a costly mess if a vendor does not impose some reasonable requirements of customers.

John
 
TIMC,

You just HAD to post that photo, right? Rrrrr..

:) I've been back and forth on one of those for the last couple of months even though it's the last type of gun I need. Because of health issues my hunting days are over, and because I can shoot pistols on my own property I seldom get out to our club range anymore to shoot rifles. But that Marlin.......well, it just trips my trigger.
 
edSky said:
Wow, Bud's is swamped! In light of the following email, they deserve a lot of leeway given the pressure they're under to meet demand.
Click to expand...

. . . We have purchased new telephone and voice mail systems, and are continuing to hire additional staff each week to man those lines. We have also completely reworked our "Contact Us" email feature on our website to automatically direct customer requests to the correct representative to handle each individual request. To view that new email solution, please click here:

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/contact_us.php
. . .
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I've purchased two weapons from Buds in recent weeks, & received excellent service as well as great bargains. I don't know what else I could reasonably expect.

When I received the above note & responded to the specified link with a comment, I received a reply from Rex literally within an hour.

Count me not among the 1%'ers. At least as far as Budsgunshop.com is concerned.
 
I have no horse in this race, but I am not sure calling some of your customers "whimsical dimwits" is a smart PR move. While you may have some customers who are challenged when it comes to internet website navigation, they are still customers,
 
If you are in the retail gun business long enough you may come to the conclusion that there are some customers that you can do without, and others that you would prefer to send to your most hated competitor... :uhoh:
 
I'd much rather do business with someone who tells troublesome customers to take a hike than I would with one who puts up with the bs and then raises prices 10% to cover all the additional transactions and labor expended on those who can't or won't be pleased until they get something for nothing.
 
I fixed it for you.

If you are in business long enough you will come to the conclusion that there are some customers that you can do without, and others that you would prefer to send to your most hated competitor.
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I personally never had any problems with budsgunshop.com and continue to do business with them.

However, I noticed that firearms retails always seem to have this "cash discount" or "credit card upcharge" whatever you want to call it, yet you dont' see this with any other types of retailers (i.e. electronics, etc.)? I have a business myself and I don't upcharge for CC use. It's just part of business, and I don't charge for "employee bonus upcharge" and "fuel surcharge" and all other legit expenses. It's just part of business and I wish that all retailers take the expenses into consideration and don't pull this "cash price" BS, IMHO.
 
Few customers know it, but the retail mark-up on firearms is very small. Sometimes a distributor may give an extra discount for various reasons, but seldom on hot-selling models. A small retailer sometimes finds that the local "big-mart" is selling certain makes and models of conventional rifles and shotguns for a price below what the retailer's distributor is charging him.

Then of course the retailer's customer expects a discount off of the firearm's list price. From his view dealing in guns is so much fun that the retailer should pay the customer to take the gun, and throw in a free box of ammunition to boot.

So since the retailer gets hit by the bank each time a credit card purchase is made his profit margin may be so thin that he offers a cash discount - especially if the gun's price has been discounted in the first place.

Guns are a great hobby, but a tough business. Dealers make money selling accessories, ammunition, and everything else.

But usually not guns.
 
I've got one problem with Bud's,
the OUT OF STOCK responses.

I thought you were the change we were waiting for?
 
I just ordered my fourth gun from Bud's over the years. I ordered it last Friday (at night, mind you,) and it shipped on Wednesday of this week. Looks like they're getting stuff out pretty fast at the moment.
 
My wishlist in my Bud's account has held a dozen or two guns for many months now without a single one item having been received yet. I suppose that there are other customers inline ahead of me for a few of these items, but it makes you wonder about the frequency with which they are receiving some of this stuff.
 
I've had nothing but a positive experience with Bud's and will do business with them in the future. I know everyone I talk to who has a stake in the business end of firearm retail has said that shipments from manufacturers are sparse. Until the panic dies down.
 
...So I check their website constantly to see if the 686+ are in and they are...but their instant credit isn't so instant. "You will recieve notice of your credit application in the mail w/in 7-10 business days." Is this normal or is this a nice way of saying I was denied?
 
With any luck enough retailers and wholesalers will put pressure on the manufacturers to cut off Bud's and end their unfair trade practices.
 
Bud's buys from manufacturers like a wholesaler and sells via internet at retail prices. Wholesalers hate them. Retailers hate them.
 
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