Hi, this is a duplicate of a thread I started. It was suggested that I post it here to ensure others do not trip into the same mistake I made.
I am very new to hunting but have been skeet shooting previously in the UK and have a Beretta 687 O/O already. As part of my ongoing integration into life in Canada I decided to take up hunting as a sport and hobby. I took all of the courses and started on the expensive business of getting the equipment required, I did a lot of reading and homework on the guns I would need and toured around Cabella's and Bass Pro locally to find out what kind of gun I would need. I decided to purchase a shot gun first for turkey and wild bird and had settled on a Benelli supernova. I did a bit of research and found that Epps had a good deal on a supernova so decided to take the 1.5 hour drive to the store to review the gun and make the purchase. Being a real novice I was given some very good advice by the sales person (Chris) about the supernova (28" barrel) and the kind of shooting I would be doing so was moved from the supernova (a $699 deal) to a new Beretta A300 Outlander ($914 deal). I still think the deal in terms of cost for a new A300 is pretty good, but that is where things go awry!
I made the purchase in good faith, the gun was assembled for me and dis-assembled by the sales person. I did not really inspect the gun which is a real mistake on my part. I did check the first 2 guns I was shown which was the Benelli and a new Browning, but I did not check the Beretta!
A couple of hindsite notes I will take away from this.
1. The Benelli and the Browning were both fully packaged with the suppliers packing, the Beretta was just in a box.
2. I should have checked the firearm thoroughly before I paid for it.
3. I was too eager to make the purchase.
I then went home and before I put it away decided to give it a full clean to make sure it was ready to take out and shoot when the weather is warmer (currently -47 is no fun). On checking the bore I noticed that is was absolutely filthy after about 20 runs with the brass brush and soft cloths it came out clean! Then I notice the markings down the barrel from the shot, I immediately thought this is a second hand gun and I purchased a brand new one. So I decided the next day to drive the 1.5 hours again to see what they had to say.
I spoke with the first sales rep who said he felt it was not used even though there are some chips in the ejector hole and the fact that the gun was filthy before I cleaned it. Then I was passed onto the owner of the shop, he was pretty condescending about how guns are not pretty toys and that they get marked up. He then went on to say that the reason the bore was dirty was because the manufacturer has to test fire 60 rounds through the gun before it is shipped (seems he cannot agree on that because in a previous comment in regard to another post about poor service he said it was 40 rounds?). I also mentioned the fact that there was what appeared to be a deformity in the barrel, I was corrected because this is for the gas ejection (I am still learning). So I then asked if they had another gun I could look at (I knew they had another for sale in there inventory), he brought out the other gun and I could immediately see the gun was still packed, there was oil residue all over the gun and when I inspected the barrel I saw that while it was still dirty it definitely was no where near as bad as the one I had just cleaned up. I asked if he would swap the one he had sold me as new for then one I could see is definitely new. His answer was the same as he had give the other poster about the transfer of warranty and that I would have to pay a restocking fee ($120) as the gun would now have to be sold as used! He then went on to say that if I have any problems I should talk with the Beretta rep directly and gave me his number.
I cannot definitely say the gun was used, but all indications would point to that. I am new to this game but I cannot see how swapping out a gun would void the warranty? The fact is I was a first time buyer at the shop, I spent a lot of time and money going to the shop to make sure I got the right gun, the sales staff I encountered were excellent and I was definitely encouraged to get the right gun for all the right reasons. But in the end this has left me with a very bad taste about dealing with Epps in the future, I am not writing this to whine about the store but just to make others aware of just what to expect. It was my dumb stupidity that got me here and I will live with that. I will never buy from Epps again just for this reason, as a new gun enthusiast I feel very wronged by someone who should be encouraging new buyers and giving them a great gun purchasing experience.
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Originally Posted by dahs
