I understand gunsmithing is a skilled trade, I also understand that all projects don't go exactly as planned.... so I am pretty darn patient when it comes to delays and longer then estimated turn-around..... but Gunmasters went well beyond what any reasonable person could tolerate.
On 7/2 I brought my Taurus PT 1911 in and to see about getting night sights installed. The Gunsmith looked at it and said "oh ya i have done a few of these, because of the design I would suggest getting a big dot front sight and then i will have to cut out the rear sight into a large U configuration." He showed me an example of the set up and I actually liked it even though it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. He said "I have to order the sights, being right before the 4th they may be delayed but I would guess 2 1/2 to 3 weeks." I specifically asked if he meant from when he got the sights in, and he said no total turn around.
I didn't hear anything at all from them so finally on 7/31 I called to get an update. The gunsmith got on the phone with me and said I just got the sights in two days ago, I am a little back logged but i will get on it in the next day or two. I reminded him of the fact he said 2.5-3 weeks and it was now 4 weeks and 3 days and he said "Nothing I can do I just got the sights." No rhyme or reason why.... and didn't apologize for the delay. I said ok I expect to hear from you in a few days.
As of today I still had heard nothing! I went into the store in person. The counter guy went and got the pistol and said I just need to ask the gunsmith about something. I knew darn well it wasn't done at that point and proceeded to get hotter and hotter as i stood there for 10 mins waiting for the Gunsmith to come out from the back. He FINALLY comes out and opens the case, I see the front sight is off. He says 'Oh ya I have been meaning to call you" he then walks behind the front counter and grabs a big dot front sight off a peg hook that had 3 or 4 others in packages in there and says 'These don't line up right and it is too far to adjust the rear sight so i need your permission to cut on the dove tail." I fully admit I was about to loose my cool so I didn't think to ask.... BUT I am 95% sure this was what we had discussed the day we dropped it off that he was going to have to cut the rear sight into a big U shape.... so why exactly he needed permission OR didn't foresee this after having "done a few of these" is beyond me!
I reminded him that he had told me when I dropped it off it was going to be 2/12-3 weeks and now we are at 6, his response, "Ya I am on about a 6 week back log." So obviously my next question was to ask why he didn't mention that when I spoke to him two weeks prior... his response... blank stare. My next question was that if he had been "meaning to call me" what had he been waiting for over the two weeks since he told me "I'll get on it in the next day or two"? His response.... blank stare followed by 'I cant control every detail going on, do you want me to finish this or not?' At that point I gave him his response back (blank stare) as I took a few deep breaths to keep from loosing my cool and finally told him to put the original front sight back on right now and give me back my pistol. 10 mins later he hands me the pistol back, tells me to sign the book and never apologized or said anything else. Oh and to add insult to injury I had also asked for it to be stripped and cleaned and THAT hadn't even been done. So in the end it took him 6 weeks and 4 days to remove a front sight and put it back on.
Why business think that it is a better solution to keep their customers in the dark then to be up front is beyond me.... then to not even take ownership for their horrible service??? You know how this whole thing (aggravated first time customer who will now never step foot in the store again, and bad review blasted anywhere I can put it) could have been avoided??? Heck... i will tell you three ways it could have been avoided. 1) Know your business and give a realistic estimate from the get go.... I DO NOT believe that suddenly he is back logged 6 weeks, I am positive he was the day I dropped it off.... if he had said that day I can do this but I am swamped and it could take me 8-10 weeks before it is done... I may have not left it but I would have shopped there in the future and certainly wouldn't have gotten upset. 2) When he spoke to me 2 weeks ago told me it was going to take longer then he thought it was going to right then (again SURELY must have been back logged by then '6 week back log' doesn't happen over night) or the second he realized he supposedly needed my permission for more work, pick up the phone and call then. OR barring all that 3) Took ownership today, apologized, and said, look things have gone crazy, I am sorry. Maybe offered to throw in the cleaning for free. DO NOT DO BUSINESS HERE EVER! read more