Last week, I visited the store and spoke directly with one of the owners to put a rifle on hold. He…read morehad me fill out a form with all my information and set the rifle aside. I was clear that I would return for it within a week, at most. Fast forward to today--I came in to pick it up.
Upon walking in, I was informed that they sold it.
And the best part? The very same person who put it on hold for me was the one telling me this. I received no phone call, no update, no courtesy notification--nothing. But, of course, I was immediately offered the chance to place an order for another one, which would take a week to arrive.
So let me get this straight--if that was an option, why wasn't another one ordered the moment mine was sold? Why wasn't I called? I filled out the order form, the rifle was pulled, and yet it was still sold the very next day.
To make things even more ridiculous, the rifle I put on hold was the most expensive one in the store. There was no upsell opportunity, no higher-tier option they could steer me toward. In fact, the owner actually tried to downsell me on a lesser item. That tells me this wasn't about maximizing a sale--it was pure mismanagement. Price wasn't a factor for me; I have expendable income. I wanted that rifle, I put that rifle on hold, and I returned within the timeframe I gave. I held up my end of the deal. They didn't even have the courtesy to do the bare minimum and let me know it was no longer available.
To make matters worse, this wasn't just a random purchase--this was intentionally planned around my brother's birthday, which is in two days. We specifically coordinated the timing so that everything would align for a birthday event, and now, because of this store's complete failure to honor a commitment, we're scrambling last-minute to fix a problem that never should have existed in the first place.
Then, instead of taking responsibility, the owner who sold it off passed the blame to the other owner, claiming it was "his call." Internal miscommunication is one thing, but that's not the customer's problem. At the very least, a simple phone call would have been basic customer service.
Now, I know some people will argue that customers put things on hold all the time and never return. And sure enough, the owner used that excuse. But both owners personally know my brother and me. He even admitted he wasn't worried about us not coming back because he knows we're reliable customers.
So, to sum this up: they knowingly sold off an item I put on hold, made no effort to notify me, then tried to shift blame rather than owning the mistake--all while knowing we're regular, loyal customers.
This was a complete failure in customer service and basic professionalism. It's enough to make me reconsider doing business here at all. At this point, I'd rather order online or drive two-plus hours elsewhere than support a store that operates like this. I know this business does some great things, but actions like this send a very clear message: "We don't care about you."
