I made an inquiry to a dealer regarding a PCP air rifle advertised. In reading the disclosures, I noticed a restriction against any air rifle return once out the door. In a follow-up email it was confirmed that this is indeed the dealer's policy, and stated as being an industry standard. I have not done business with this dealer, and I have no reason to doubt his integrity, but I found this unusual, or at least inconsistent with my experience with other dealers. I never want to be an unreasonable or problem customer, so I will not discuss it with him further. Which gets me to the point of this post. Maybe I'm just out of date, as I haven't bought an air rifle in a couple of years, but I've bought quite a few during the last 10+ years. During that period, I had three instances when I returned an air rifle, and the dealers had no issue with it. I will not make any further disclosures about this experience since, as I said, I have no reason to doubt the dealer's integrity or reputation, just wondering if my experience is inconsistent with other members here.
Dealer return policy
- Thread starter elh0102
- Start date
What happens when someone receives their new gun & something is amiss, broken or not functioning properly? We know how commonly it happens. That should be a deal breaker for anyone familiar with airguns. Weird.
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Walmart wont take airguns back. Even new and unopened. Watched a woman fail to return red ryder to walmart. High dollar specialty store I would expect a restocking fee (cover inspection labor)
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I understand your concern. I have bought many airguns and have returned three that I remember. I'm kind of in the middle on this issue. Dealers have to make money. New guns returned have to be sold as used/refurbs whatever and money is lost. Used guns are a far different issue and some dealers will let you return them. Used profit margins can be far higher and there's room to allow returns.
I've dealt with most of the major dealers many times. They are honest and reputable. I try to deal with them as I want them to deal with me. If I'm not satisfied, then I openly discuss it and see if we can come to a mutually acceptable resolution. I know they're in business, so I try to be realistic and things have always been worked out satisfactorily.
I also know there are also pita buyers that make life miserable for businesses and the dealers have to have rules to protect them. I respect that.
I've dealt with most of the major dealers many times. They are honest and reputable. I try to deal with them as I want them to deal with me. If I'm not satisfied, then I openly discuss it and see if we can come to a mutually acceptable resolution. I know they're in business, so I try to be realistic and things have always been worked out satisfactorily.
I also know there are also pita buyers that make life miserable for businesses and the dealers have to have rules to protect them. I respect that.
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Gerry, I assume that this dealer has a policy for handling warranty issues. We didn't get to that level of discussion. As noted above, he mentioned that Walmart will not accept an air rifle return, and I'm sure that's true. But if I operated a specialty shop for high end PCP rifles, I would aspire to a higher level of customer service than the clerk at Walmart. Here is an experience of mine for illustration. I bought a new Daystate Wolverine from AOA a few years ago. It was obvious to me as soon as I shouldered the rifle with a scope, that I could not achieve a satisfactory cheek weld, the stock just wasn't going to work. AOA took it back, full refund, and said "we'll see you again soon we hope". And they did. That's quality service, and it's the way high-end sellers should treat high-end buyers. Just my opinion of course, and my wife says I'm always wrong. Peace to all, and don't forget to set your clocks back tonight.
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Depend on the return. Was it buyers remorse? I'm pretty sure all dealers will not accept a return for buyers remorse. If it was for a broken gun, it should be cover by the manufacturer of the gun. Should call the manufacturer up with proof of purchase, they will be happy to help with repairs or parts.
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I know from experience that Bass Pro won't accept returns even if the product is defective.
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Most small specialty shops want to differentiate themselves from big box retailers, and for good reason. It's easy to say no, but a more thoughtful response builds relationships. One is just counting transactions, the other is focused on long-term customer satisfaction, very different businesses.
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Very simple, it is all about money and profit margin. If a dealer accepts a return for buyers remorse or for any other reason, it is now a used product that cannot be sold as new. Therefore, it sells for a reduced price, most likely, below what the dealer acquired it for. This is why many vendors will charge you a restocking fee for a "buyers remorse" return. If the item is defective, the warranty should cover repair or replacement. In this case, most times, the dealer is made whole by the manufacturer of the product. Vendors who embrace returns don't stay in business long. Money talks, BS walks.
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Yeah imagine selling a new rifle to someone. They shoot it and don't like it and want their money back. Now imagine 100 guys doing the same. Now you have 100 used rifle to have to sell at a lost. If item is damage or defective then either the dealer or manufacturer should cover warranty for repairs.
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Most, if not all retailers have a disclaimer stating 'all sales are final'. When you have your livelihood attached to a small business, one or two high money, non warranty returns can sink it. Buy-it-to-try-it returns, as has been mentioned above are the luxury of large companies and corporations. How AOA treated you is awesome, but that is their prerogative, not the rule.
Quality service doesn't mean we have to acquiesce to the customers whims. It means supporting them to ensure they make a purchase they won't return. It means supporting them when an item has a factory defect and requires repair, or replacement. At times it can mean supporting them when they have took their item, voided the warranty and now needs it fixed. Depending on their attitude and honesty, that can become a warranty issue. It means keeping in touch when a repair is taking longer than expected, will cost more or can't be repaired. Taking back items due to a customers whims seems like a great policy,(AOA, amazon, ebay etc.). In reality it hurts us smaller businesses by creating a bar to high, casting a shadow we cannot escape.
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There seems to be a general misunderstanding about the meaning of my original post, probably poorly stated by me. I was not, nor would I ever say that a "buy-it-and-try-it" policy should be the norm, nor that dealers should "acquiesce to customer whims". My point is that a totally closed policy can be damaging to both the dealer's business and the customer's satisfaction. I would never expect a dealer to accept a return based only on "buyer's remorse". There is a small but important component of sales that sometimes results in the product being unsuitable for the customer, but is not due to a warranty issue. IMO, a dealer should be willing to discuss such a sale and make a reasonable decision, which will sometimes result in accepting a return. In such cases, the customer should have no issue with paying a reasonable restocking fee. Having over 40 years' experience in banking and business, I understand the challenges of running a small business, and how trying to compete with the high volume/low margin competition can be the kiss of death. You don't need to open the door to unreasonable customer demands and make poor management decisions, but you need to be willing to discuss the reasonable requests that might be a little outside the box. My experience has been that most dealers (in any business) are willing to do this regardless of fine print to the contrary.
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As I recall most of my warranty's say to deal with the manufacturer not the retailer.
Now days some retalers of airguns handle the warranty as well as custom work that won't affect warranty.
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