Gun shop jokers

[look no hands]

not a dig at anyone just a question

how is it that when someone gets good service from a shop they name them but when its bad they get all cryptic

I know that critisim can get out of hand but if someone wants to relay a genuine coplaint about a dealer they should say who it is

For instance I live in Chichester and have recently been into Chichester Armoury for the first time (yet to try Protek) I have to say it is a lovely shop but I did feel my appearance definately got me judged on entry, I tried to make conversation about the small selection of airgun stuff (which is pricy) and got little in return, however when I changed the conversation to clay shooting the guy lit up - not so much a critisism
as an observation and to show I like to talk guns, I bought nothing as he didnt have anything I wanted

On the flip side I travel to Ripley in Derbyshire every week for work and decided to have a look at Drapers, what looked like a proper airgun shop, I wanted some pellets (like to but over the counter if I can my theory is the less they have to travel the less they get damaged) I walked into the empty shop barring the salesman, he was unpacking some boxes, the conversation went like this:

me - "hello"
him - just looked up then carried on unpacking
me - I had a good look round then asked "do you have some JSB Jumbos"
him - "yes" he walked over and got a tin and walked to the till "thats £12"
me - "do you by any chance do sizers"
him - "no, waste of time with these pellets"
me - do you have any Jumbo RS pellets"
him - "no"
me - paid and said "thanks, bye now"
him - nothing, just back to his unpacking

now I know I may be being touchy but I tried real hard to engage, and i think someone new who wants to engage is a repeat customer - not sure I will go back?

as a "country of shopkeepers" we do customer service real bad here

I've always found "Chi" Armory (Yes I know the local tongue) blow a bit hot and cold, I've had pretty good chats with them about air rifles and shotties and yes their stuff is very expensive, Protek I've been into a couple of times and they have a very good selection of secondhand rifles and new cheaper end rifles, I did give some guy some advice once when I was waiting to get served as the guy behind the counter didn't seem to know much, I also asked about a .25 Hatsan Striker and could he get one in the wood stock instead of the placky one and was told to buy the Hatsan 60s in .22 as he had them in stock, I did point out several times I wanted a .25 calibred rifle but it didn't sink in, if your looking for a hald decent older rifle then have a look at there secondhand stuff.

Pete

[Neil.]

not a dig at anyone just a question

how is it that when someone gets good service from a shop they name them but when its bad they get all cryptic

I know that critisim can get out of hand but if someone wants to relay a genuine coplaint about a dealer they should say who it is

For instance I live in Chichester and have recently been into Chichester Armoury for the first time (yet to try Protek) I have to say it is a lovely shop but I did feel my appearance definately got me judged on entry, I tried to make conversation about the small selection of airgun stuff (which is pricy) and got little in return, however when I changed the conversation to clay shooting the guy lit up - not so much a critisism
as an observation and to show I like to talk guns, I bought nothing as he didnt have anything I wanted

On the flip side I travel to Ripley in Derbyshire every week for work and decided to have a look at Drapers, what looked like a proper airgun shop, I wanted some pellets (like to but over the counter if I can my theory is the less they have to travel the less they get damaged) I walked into the empty shop barring the salesman, he was unpacking some boxes, the conversation went like this:

me - "hello"
him - just looked up then carried on unpacking
me - I had a good look round then asked "do you have some JSB Jumbos"
him - "yes" he walked over and got a tin and walked to the till "thats £12"
me - "do you by any chance do sizers"
him - "no, waste of time with these pellets"
me - do you have any Jumbo RS pellets"
him - "no"
me - paid and said "thanks, bye now"
him - nothing, just back to his unpacking

now I know I may be being touchy but I tried real hard to engage, and i think someone new who wants to engage is a repeat customer - not sure I will go back?

as a "country of shopkeepers" we do customer service real bad here

You should have gone to Walkers of Trowell.
They dont have a vast selection of guns, but they will price match and you can have a right good conversation with Gaz or David that runs the gaff.

I wouldn't give Drapers the time of day.

[Lol Moore]

I will have a trip down to Protek for a root round

I have been in to Walkers before and didnt know they did gun bits (i also fish ) I will have a look next time

[look no hands]

I will have a trip down to Protek for a root round

I have been in to Walkers before and didnt know they did gun bits (i also fish ) I will have a look next time

Protek are the only decent sort of place on the south coast for secondhand stuff at pretty good prices, just a shame the place is the size of a outside toilet but a good place to buy a project rifle from, shame I don't live closer as I'de be in there nearly every week but I do like to travel down there every now and then.

Pete

[speedthing]

If you chaps want a really good larf go and trade your rifle in at gloucester all sports those 2 that run that shop are a proper comedy duo.

[markmac]

You should have gone to Walkers of Trowell.
They dont have a vast selection of guns, but they will price match and you can have a right good conversation with Gaz or David that runs the gaff.

I wouldn't give Drapers the time of day.

Walkers are a really good shop,pity they do not stock too much gear."Go Dive" at Spondon in Derby is also very good,limited choice but good prices and friendly service.

I only use Draper's if I really have to, as their customer service is appalling,but they do stock everything and if Chris the owner is in the shop then the service isn't too bad - at least he is civil and engages in some conversation.

[32:1]

Im sort of glad someone else has posted similar dealings

Im a recent recruit to airgunning and took a trip to the airgun centre (my local) looking for a new first gun, had a budget if £250 cash on me ready tobuy, there was another customer in there buying something or other and it was just over a £1000 and they all seemed quite happy, one assistant asked if he could help, so I said Im after a new springer with a top price of £250 !

He said that that was areal cheap gun and I should look at the hw97 for £440 with bits thrown in, I said no mate I only want to spend 250 as Im not even sure Im going to stick with it, he then asked this other customer what he thought of cheap guns, right there I knew this was not a place I wanted to leave my money, the assistant didnt even try to offer me guns in my price range and almost left me and started talking to the other customer ??

I left and found TR Robb, nice old fella very helpfull and gives friendly service, then found an old BSA at a bootsale and as I was going right passed their foor I called into TAC to asked if they could complete a full service and id leave gun with them, the response was, we only offer that to guns bought from us , I walked out the door and will never go back.

And the good news is I have got hooked and have spent over £500 with TRRobb and Im just saving for a new HW77k YES from Robbs

Happy new year to you all

[Bjacobs571]

I love Protek as its my local shop. I go in on a Friday afternoon to chew the fat and drink tea. One of the brothers is more knowledgeable on air rifles than the other so it may have been him you spoke to. I have seen more interesting and rare air weapons there than I have seen on the internet.

I have seen them sell two HW100's for £690 and one for £790but they were nearly mint and they had nice scopes on them ( one had a nice bipod as well) They didn't have them long before they sold. Its when you add on the price of the extra's that you end up paying nearly the same price of a new rifle.

[transporter]

melbourne guns and tackle worth a visit i'm after a tx 200 hc they have a beech one in and wont £320 new good price i thought

[Tack Driver]

I love Protek as its my local shop. I go in on a Friday afternoon to chew the fat and drink tea. One of the brothers is more knowledgeable on air rifles than the other so it may have been him you spoke to. I have seen more interesting and rare air weapons there than I have seen on the internet.

I have seen them sell two HW100's for £690 and one for £790but they were nearly mint and they had nice scopes on them ( one had a nice bipod as well) They didn't have them long before they sold. Its when you add on the price of the extra's that you end up paying nearly the same price of a new rifle.

yer i love going to protek also..its like a little aladdins cave, stuff all over the place including the ceiling lol..its where i bother to trek along with c.h westons in brighton.

[Lol Moore]

Im sort of glad someone else has posted similar dealings

Im a recent recruit to airgunning and took a trip to the airgun centre (my local) looking for a new first gun, had a budget if £250 cash on me ready tobuy, there was another customer in there buying something or other and it was just over a £1000 and they all seemed quite happy, one assistant asked if he could help, so I said Im after a new springer with a top price of £250 !

He said that that was areal cheap gun and I should look at the hw97 for £440 with bits thrown in, I said no mate I only want to spend 250 as Im not even sure Im going to stick with it, he then asked this other customer what he thought of cheap guns, right there I knew this was not a place I wanted to leave my money, the assistant didnt even try to offer me guns in my price range and almost left me and started talking to the other customer ??

I left and found TR Robb, nice old fella very helpfull and gives friendly service, then found an old BSA at a bootsale and as I was going right passed their foor I called into TAC to asked if they could complete a full service and id leave gun with them, the response was, we only offer that to guns bought from us , I walked out the door and will never go back.

And the good news is I have got hooked and have spent over £500 with TRRobb and Im just saving for a new HW77k YES from Robbs

Happy new year to you all

I just dont get it with some shops, if the sales staff had any sense you were the customer they should have been concentrating on as you were a new future customer, you were the guy who was going to be spending £1000 a year later and the other guy would still be there - fools

enjoy your new hobby and happy new year to you and all other gunners

[look no hands]

yer i love going to protek also..its like a little aladdins cave, stuff all over the place including the ceiling lol..its where i bother to trek along with c.h westons in brighton.

That's one place I've always wanted to go to, I have bought a rifle via post from them a few years ago, the seemed a good place and nearly always had a rifle I was after.

Pete

[mauser201]

popped into Shooting Supplies in Bromsgrove some years ago to look at 17hmr's. I explained that I was waiting for my ticket to come back and the young lad in the shop took me into their armoury to have a look. I think it was his dad (the owner) told him "not to be long". Another time I was looking for a .177 break barrel. The owner said you dont want a 177 springer, very hard to shoot-surely its my choice isn't it?
Needless to say, apart from having a mooch round their new shop to have a laugh at the over inflated prices, I have not spent a penny there.

[funkymonk]

I've been in there a few times and they are seriously pricey.. I'm in orleton btw. Just round the corner from you.

[angrybear]

Im sort of glad someone else has posted similar dealings

Im a recent recruit to airgunning and took a trip to the airgun centre (my local) looking for a new first gun, had a budget if £250 cash on me ready tobuy, there was another customer in there buying something or other and it was just over a £1000 and they all seemed quite happy, one assistant asked if he could help, so I said Im after a new springer with a top price of £250 !

He said that that was areal cheap gun and I should look at the hw97 for £440 with bits thrown in, I said no mate I only want to spend 250 as Im not even sure Im going to stick with it, he then asked this other customer what he thought of cheap guns, right there I knew this was not a place I wanted to leave my money, the assistant didnt even try to offer me guns in my price range and almost left me and started talking to the other customer ??

I left and found TR Robb, nice old fella very helpfull and gives friendly service, then found an old BSA at a bootsale and as I was going right passed their foor I called into TAC to asked if they could complete a full service and id leave gun with them, the response was, we only offer that to guns bought from us , I walked out the door and will never go back.

And the good news is I have got hooked and have spent over £500 with TRRobb and Im just saving for a new HW77k YES from Robbs

Happy new year to you all

Bear in mind the assistant might not shoot air rifles, he might be a clay shooter or powder burner with a very limited knowlage of only a few of the better air rifles.
I'm very lucky to have 9 gun shops within a 30 mile radius (granted some are farm shops with only 1 or 2 break barrels) but there is only 1 of them that I know the owner is big in to air rifles, while at the biggest dealer in Devon there are at least 8 sales staff, but as far as I know again only 1 has an air rifle, I was recently in there when another customer asked was a daystate huntsman regulated? the staff could not answer him they didn't know Theoben had closed either!
but if asked about a different type of shooting sport it might have been their area of expertise.