Thread: Gun City why do people dislike them?

I live in chch have all my life, had limited dealings with. Guncity (happy enough with those ) do seam to buy thru hunting and fishing ballingers store mostly but in saying that guncity have been around as long as I can remember so I suppose they must be doing something right to survive as a business (surely they can't survive on 1 of customers must get a lot of regulars)

Pricing is probably my main gripe but its the one that matters most, the crazy way they inflate their prices suggesting the RRP is so much higher just to show a package deal.... nobody sells a base SR-22 at $1999 not even GC yet thats the RRP they suggest in the package, even worse they add these to the specials list even though they have run the same package for the last 12+ months.


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A certain Tipple Dynasty family member threatened, by email, (der must be a bit fik) to put us out of business three years ago, because they wanted the Pulsar NV distributorship, and we had it. Never be afraid of telling the truth about anyone, even if it means getting into a fight.

I can back up what Cround Control has said, i think the issue with the Australian one was that it wasn't so much about bagging the gun shop as it was about personal attacks on the gun shop owner and his family? Just what I heard as well.

You would think, with their boasts of being the biggest that their buying power would bring lower prices,

It doesn't

Secondly their latest paper advertised "sale" had them pricing up norinco jw15 to sale price of like $299 kitted out yet it's been like that for ages the price, but they make a big deal saying it would normally cost $400-500 listing retail on all parts.

Smaller stores under cut them hands down and their buying power is a lot less

I walked into the Invercargill GC agency with 1k cash ready to buy. Basic rifle. They had to order. 2 weeks later, after I had chased them several times, still no goods. Cancelled it and bought ex stock @ H&F. Mate had precisely same experience. He did the same. I won't bother them again. Plus of course the internet is our friend.

I don't understand why they get a bad rap either. Have had good experiences so far, including a free replacement and upgrade on a cheap scope I bought from them that broke (was on an air rifle).

They have price matched prices I gave them from other retailers. You need to find someone to deal with though, and just always go to that person. There's a couple in there that i'm not fans of. Just poor attitudes but hey you can get that anywhere.

For me it's mostly about convenience. They're a 2 minute drive from my house, they price match, and most of the time they don't have to order things in as they actually have more than about 50 guns in the racks.

That's my issue with other retailers - they just aren't big enough and don't stock enough and usually have to order in. I'm impatient.

About to spend 3 or 4 grand there on Friday so my opinion could always change! Will update if it does .

trthe worst bloody experience i ever had was at a certain CHCH H&F.lets put it this way ,Id only trust one person in that shop and if he aint there I dont buy.
thisa was definitely a case of verbally bludgeoning me into spending twice what id budgeted on a gun.Instead i made mr know-all wait for 2weeks whilst i made my decision ,and i aint regretted it one iota.sure i talk shit with em ,but forget -bloody never!!!

H&F ballingers isn't much better, I'm still waiting for the Stoney creek backpack I ordered years ago........

Originally Posted by Ground Control

Over here in AUS a shooting forum that I was a member of doesn't exist any more , because a member said some not so nice things about a major gun shop in Brisbane .
They took the Forum owner , administrator to court and basically rogered him really badly . Even though he didn't post it himself , it still came back to haunt him and he paid the price .
I don't how your rules work , but I maybe would suggest a little caution .
Funny thing is , Gun Cities reputation has even spread as far as Australia , I've heard it mentioned a few times over here and none of the comments have been favourable .


Ken

Yeah, I was a member of that now deceased website too.
Can't be bothered re-registering on the new site.

Personally, I've bought a few small things (Gun bags - good design too, .22 suppressor) that GC had that were good prices or that they were the only people to have in NZ (Vepr mags).

Buyer beware is what I say, do your research on prices and shop accordingly.

Whats the new website? Was also a member there.

Every time I go in there it feels like you should be privileged to be served. Some staff are incredibly under trained and know sweet FA about the guns they are trying to sell.
Their pricing is extremely high, especially on second hand goods. Ex, a second hand rem 870 for $899 when you can buy a brand new one for $699.
They try to match competitors offers with their cheap Chinese crap. Eg the H&F Tikka t3, Burris E2, sing and bag combo. They offered a Tikka, with the rings that came with it (which on a magnum cal are crap) Chinese made GC ranger scope, and gun city bag for the same money.
They are not hunters or outdoors people, just people with a gun store who have money. Whereas H&F have people who have genuine hunting interests.
They did not take in my Benelli (which they sold to me) on a warranty issue, instead I mentioned this fact to a great guy at Ballingers who said he would take it, send it to Beretta and get it sorted for no charge. If you compare prices they are never the cheapest. Go to H&F or reloaders and they will always go out of their way to give you a deal. Even though H&F stores are restricted in pricing due to franchising they will always be cheaper than Gun City on normal pricing, and if not they will work something out for you.
BTW, you should be paying $299 for that SKS. not $499

Every time I've been into a GC store they have been unhelpful or just uninviting. Every time I've spoken to an employee they seem like they think they know more than me. They are good if you want to go look at cool expensive guns though, but their prices are too high.

A friend of mine shops at the Auckland store and has gotten some good deals by finding the youngest, non gun looking person working at the time.

My first and only experience with Guncity wasn't a good one. to keep it straight to the point, i contacted them about a package of items.
I wanted a jw15 for my son so asked for a price for the over barrel suppressor model along with a bag, sling, bushnell scope, cleaning kit & box of ammo. I emailed my list and they replied with a price, it was a little less than i was expecting so i replied asking them to check the price. they confirmed it was correct so i ordered it. about three days later i rang them to see what was going on as i hadn't heard anything.
The response was basically "oh we messed up the price and you can't have it". they weren't even going to let me know and after discussion they weren't interested in doing anything about it so i won't deal with them again based on my experience.
fun thing was when i took the same list to my local H&F where i bought that package from, their price was only about $70 to $80 more than the guncity price they refused to honour. Can't remember exactly what the total cost was but around $750 i think i paid, something in that range.

We all want a deal right?! ... & we want to feel valued for our business and treated like proper customers and if something is not right - we want personal service to get it fixed asap. I have bought firearms from most Auckland retailers but I mainly deal with Sportways & Serious Shooters whose staff are experienced hunters/shooters because I'm looking for serious advice based on 10-20 years of practical knowledge. I also respect guys like Bill McLeod who have influenced my buying philosophy in terms of 'investing in firearms which will out live me'. I hate it when I make a bad decision which I have done a few times.
I hate bashing so if I look for the positives - GunCity's pricing (usually lower than most) keeps the other retailers prices in check which has to be good for us all. Whilst I have never bought a firearm there, I have picked up plenty of deals (scope, knife, mags, torch, the usual shit I don't need more of) and they have been fine. I see them as discount retailers who have a place but personally, I'm really happy to pay a little more to get a better advice from an experienced outfitter who really knows his stuff when it comes to weaponry ... it's all about the people behind the counter.
As someone has said earlier ... buyer beware ... which is a nice way of saying "you should know better & don't be a moaner".