It's not a question of being incompetent or not. It's about decency and having the curtasy of telling your clients what's going on. Am I supposed to expect my supplier to always be wrong about is deadlines? Come on, I even wrote emails saying all I want is to know if he's STILL working on the project and no answer. I don't care about my shooting season anymore because I had to buy another "in the meanwhile gun". People understand when things don't go as you had planned and this is not the issue. The issue is not being structured enough to tell your clients what's going on. A simple email with an approximate date would have been more that sufficient. I know the guy is good. Hell I love is work and it makes me sick to have to write but no matter how good he is, clients should be treated with a minimum of respect.
Anyone heard from Gunnar ? Loosing patience
- Thread starter Wess1911
- Start date
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It's not a question of being incompetent or not. It's about decency and having the curtasy of telling your clients what's going on. Am I supposed to expect my supplier to always be wrong about is deadlines? Come on, I even wrote emails saying all I want is to know if he's STILL working on the project and no answer. I don't care about my shooting season anymore because I had to buy another "in the meanwhile gun". People understand when things don't go as you had planned and this is not the issue. The issue is not being structured enough to tell your clients what's going on. A simple email with an approximate date would have been more that sufficient. I know the guy is good. Hell I love is work and it makes me sick to have to write but no matter how good he is, clients should be treated with a minimum of respect.
- Location
- Sudbury, On
Let's call a spade, a spade, shall we?
Today's problem is there are far too many "jack of all trades, master of none" so-called "gunsmiths". The problem lies in that usually a gunsmith becomes extremely familiar with one set of firearms (typically something popular like a 1911, or a 10-22, or even more the Remmy 700 action), and feel they are now instantly skilled in ALL firearms. Not so. Yea, I'd almost call myself a 'smith for the Beretta CX-4 Storm, because I made it my mission to get the dam thing to function correctly. As most know, they tend to be 'diamonds in the rough' out of the box. Certainly not too reliable. But mine shoots like a dream, yes, I'd trust my life or anyone else's to it, over any other firearm I own - even my #1mk.3 - but that's only because I invested heavily in time so that it would work the way I want it to work.
Case in point, hand me a famous Norc M14S, and yep, I'll be looking for a how-to guide online - if you're thinking I don't own one or feel the time to invest into the litterature surrounding it - you're right!
I'm sure it's not always easy to get parts out of the States these days and it's possible that an older smith may be assuming that things will arrive like they used to.......still people need to be kept up to date if there are delays.
- Location
- 54°52'56"N 112°10'7"W Alpha Bravo
What are you talking about its called training and checking work, we do it all the time in our business, its not hard to find a young competent person that you can train on small simple jobs, you check his work before it leaves, not hard!
Also it seems he's falling behind answering messages and emails, its not hard to get the questions answered from the horses mouth and have the kid return calls and do all the typing, it's called an apprentice/assistant. Why do you think this is so hard, its not!
Not keeping your customers informed is a no-no, thats BS, and its not just armco....
Work Smart not Hard!!! Its people like you that seem to be ok with this type of service because you can come up with BS excuses to try and excuse or justify this type of behavior. All this does is create an industry standard of, "we got you by the balls, its a privilege to deal with us" type attitude... its just plain weak!!!
JDForBrkFst
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Roughly North Central AB
I have had the worst experience with him. Got him to tune a pistol, 7 months later and I still haven't had it resolved 100%. Everything from forgetting to mail things to double billing me. I'm not at all impressed with him, I don't mind the time it takes to do stuff but saying you mailed something and then not mailing it several times gets old fast.
Max Owner
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Haven't had any work done by him, but I tried to buy 2 hand guns off him. Phoned and got a live voice. Sent an e-mail as a reminder.
Guns sold before I got my info and he never did reply. Found them sold on his site.
Shame.......................
Guns sold before I got my info and he never did reply. Found them sold on his site.
Shame.......................
This seems to be pretty standard for gunsmithing... at least in BC. Deadlines, promises, and common procedure for cimmunicating are blown right out of the water.
You do get good quality work... But you wait for it, and I dont mean just a little wait... I mean, you wait so long you worry some horrible fate befell the smith and are left to worrying about your money or your firearm.
The problem is that there are so damn few guys out there willing to make a go of it, being a smith, that this is what we as consumers have to deal with. You can't really blame the guys. They do what they can and charge a fair price. Its just that the demand far exceeds the supply.
If I could open a gunsmithing business in BC I sure as hell would, and then I'd put in a Timmies franchise right next door and I'd comfortably live ever after... in the carribean!
You do get good quality work... But you wait for it, and I dont mean just a little wait... I mean, you wait so long you worry some horrible fate befell the smith and are left to worrying about your money or your firearm.
The problem is that there are so damn few guys out there willing to make a go of it, being a smith, that this is what we as consumers have to deal with. You can't really blame the guys. They do what they can and charge a fair price. Its just that the demand far exceeds the supply.
If I could open a gunsmithing business in BC I sure as hell would, and then I'd put in a Timmies franchise right next door and I'd comfortably live ever after... in the carribean!
Gimme a few years to finish my education and learn the ropes; if the politics don't drive me south to Michigan you'll have a new smith around.
I'm a quick learner...knew more about guns at 16 than my mechanic father did about cars when he was 40.I agree though, there's way too much demand and not nearly enough smiths around to deal with it. Maybe if the government wasn't so hostile towards firearms there'd be more people willing to do business up here. Frankly I'm thankful people like Gunnar are even around.
I'm sorry to hear this bad talk about Armco. He really should hire a few extra hands to run his business if it's really this busy over there.
Not to mention fix his website a bit to make it look... professional?
It looks like a 5 year old made his site.
But like the other guy said... I'm thankful something like Armco is around. Don't want them dying on us.
Not to mention fix his website a bit to make it look... professional?
It looks like a 5 year old made his site.
But like the other guy said... I'm thankful something like Armco is around. Don't want them dying on us.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
If you are going to deal with one of the best and busiest pistol smiths in the country, don't expect a fast turn around. It is as simple as that. I'd be much more concerned if their was a rash of complaints about unsatisfactory work than a I am about a long turn around time. The biggest mistake I've made in a long time was to get a custom revolver built by a fellow who seems to be a very nice and honest guy, but the work, based on the Bowen guns in the States, was simply beyond him. I contacted Gunner first but was told up front there would be a lengthy turn around time, so I chose to go with the guy who promised to get it done quicker. Mistake! The end result is that after several years a good gun was ruined, and while we have agreed on a settlement that is agreeable and fair to both parties, I'm still waiting to be compensated. Don't sweat the turn around time if you care about the end result.
i have dealt with gunner on numerous ocasions and he has always done every thing he said he would do in a timley matter the problem is every one wants every thing now.patience is a virtue.but then again i must send him hundres of email.
notsorichguy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- The city that rhymes with fun
I just got a 1911 back from Gunnar, after a 2-week promised turnaround turned into 4 1/2 months.
I was starting to get a bit alarmed after he billed my cc & 9 weeks later I still hadn't recieved a tracking # let alone the pistol. I fired off a coupla e-mails called and what not.....
It wasn't untill I told him (via email) to just send my pistol back in pieces and refund my cc as I would be taking my business elsewhere that I finally got a response, and the response was "it's done, here's a tracking #"........
3 weeks later I had my 1911. (Dam CP!! their web site said it was in Richmond for 2 1/2 weeks)
I will admit I was alittle bit cheesed,Heck I was PIS**D I was saying to myself there was no way I am going to send another thing his way........
Then I shot the pistol...... All the waiting and fricken around just went right out of my head...... That thing is a dream to shoot!
I will now say that Gunnar does Excellent work! The wait times are a bit, but IMHO they are worth the wait! But be prepared for them! multiply what he tells you by 10, then double it..... and that maybe in the ballpark....
From what I understand all of the parts (for my 1911 build) were on the shelf @ Armco.
Now if I had to wait for 18 Months as opposed to 4 ish........ I'd probably still be PO'd!!
I feel your pain fellas! But hang in there I don't think you are being deliberatly fukt with, And even if the "end doesn't justify" you will wind up with the best frikken pistol possible!
Cheers!
I was starting to get a bit alarmed after he billed my cc & 9 weeks later I still hadn't recieved a tracking # let alone the pistol. I fired off a coupla e-mails called and what not.....
It wasn't untill I told him (via email) to just send my pistol back in pieces and refund my cc as I would be taking my business elsewhere that I finally got a response, and the response was "it's done, here's a tracking #"........3 weeks later I had my 1911. (Dam CP!! their web site said it was in Richmond for 2 1/2 weeks)
I will admit I was alittle bit cheesed,Heck I was PIS**D I was saying to myself there was no way I am going to send another thing his way........
Then I shot the pistol...... All the waiting and fricken around just went right out of my head...... That thing is a dream to shoot!
I will now say that Gunnar does Excellent work! The wait times are a bit, but IMHO they are worth the wait! But be prepared for them! multiply what he tells you by 10, then double it..... and that maybe in the ballpark....
From what I understand all of the parts (for my 1911 build) were on the shelf @ Armco.
Now if I had to wait for 18 Months as opposed to 4 ish........ I'd probably still be PO'd!!
I feel your pain fellas! But hang in there I don't think you are being deliberatly fukt with, And even if the "end doesn't justify" you will wind up with the best frikken pistol possible!
Cheers!
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