Ellwood Epps customer service -- unhappy!

Status
Not open for further replies.
I'm scratching my head over all of this. I haven't read all of the 100+ posts, but there seems to be quite a few gripes. Anyhow, just to add my own
$0.02, all I can say is that I've been very happy with the service I've received from Epps over the years (and I've been in and out of there for more years than I care to admit), and for that matter, with he service I've received from other site sponsors.

When it comes to Epps, I've had minor repair issues on newly purchased (and sometimes not so newly purchased) firearms (new and used) dealt with promptly and with no charge, as well as minor repair issues on firearms that I've purchased elsehwere handled in the same manner. I've been immediately refunded a price difference between the sticker on the box after it arrived, and what was shown on the website. I've even "returned" an online purchase immediately upon discovering a week later that a second example of the same gun ("used" but really new in box) was available for 25% less than the actually used one I was buying. In this case, I called them up, they took the gun "back" and applied the deposit to the new gun, no questions asked. I was back in the shop a couple of weeks later and picked up the "used" NIB gun and went home to dream about duck season.

So, while I realize that perhaps not everybody is happy with the service they receive everywhere all of the time, all I can say is that I have been very happy with Epps service.
 
I had a similar problem with a norinco pistol bought from Marstar: the pistol was defective and dangerous (safety problem).
I returned the pistol and they refund me without any question. That is what I call service.
 
Chuckbuster...are your experiences recent ones?
I've dealt with Epps for many years and received VG service. But lately I'm feeling a little less than happy with their service. Just my $0.02
 
Epps sent me rusted Hipoint carbine mags, didnt even bother to have them exchange. If you package rusted stuff and send them out, you either dont know what you are doing or you are just ripping somebody off.
 
Farmboy, you really don't get it! or worse you don't want to get it!!!!!

This has absolutely NOTHING to do with the defective firearm.

However it has everything to do with Epps' policy to let their customer hang high and dry.

This is very shameful, and you should not even think of trying to defend these awful business practices!

Please don't deal in guns, better continue farming
Click to expand...

I take it you read the posts you wanted to, or skimmed over everything and missed where I said.......

Anyway, both Epps and the OP need to rag on the distributor/manufacturer and get the shipping costs covered for the OP.
Click to expand...
 
lol not much of a bible pounder but it does say people are sheep.....lol so just cant see what is right in front of them.....
 
Under the Sale of Goods Act (Ontario), there are implied conditions of merchantibility and fitness. By providing you with a gun that does not fire, nor has ever fired, they have failed to live up to their conditions. I would not accept a repaired gun in six months when they have my fully-functional money now.

Assuming you paid by credit, I would attempt to reverse the charges, although I suspect that will fail because it wasn't outright fraud.

My philosophy has always been that if the company won't do right by you on a $300 gun, how can they be trusted to take care of you with bigger concerns?

This is an epic fail on Epps part. The bad feelings over something so small will cost them way more in the long run. I know their name is crossed off my list of first choice dealers...

P

mlehtovaara said:
I will also mention that I am in the cell phone industry, and if a product is defective in the first 30 days, and determined to e no fault of the buyer, then it is replaced without question!

It only becomes a warranty issue after 30 days.

The way the firearms industry in Canada runs, as far as customer service is considered, in many cases is a big joke.
Click to expand...
 
Usually, I try not to comment until I hear both sides of a story. Fortunately for us, a spokesperson for Epps has replied to this and we can now draw our own conclusions from both sides.

Personally, I've concluded that until Epps revisits their current return/refund policy I wouldn't spend a dime of my own money there and would actively advise others to do the same.

Thanks to Harrier and the OP for informing the masses.
 
johNTO said:
Chuckbuster...are your experiences recent ones?
I've dealt with Epps for many years and received VG service. But lately I'm feeling a little less than happy with their service. Just my $0.02
Click to expand...

They range from a few years to a few months ago. I have yet to have a bad customer service experience. One other I should mention took place a few years ago (4?) when I brought a prohib in on trade. It went something to the effect of I paid the difference between what they would sell the gun for on consignment and what I was trading on. In the meantime, they let me take the new gun home before I had even brought the prohib in for them (which was a couple of weeks later).
 
ciphery said:
Hey, it doesn't matter where you go. I ve looked at new guns on the shelf in dozens of other stores. I've seen dents, scratches, rust, metal chips in the receiver, damaged crowns, loose stocks, warped/cracked stocks, stripped screw holes, untapped screw holes for scope bases....
The long and short of it is that the manufactures don't put the care/quality into the product but want you to pay as if they had. And used guns are always a gamble.
Best advise is to buy in person if at all possible, do your homework, inspect before you pay!
Like I said 5 boxes! The clerk was getting pi$$ed but I didn't care! I was leaving with a good one. I learned my lesson the first time.
Click to expand...

Really? I have yet to see something like that on a Sako or a Browning.

Remington 770's are a different story...

Realistically, you do get what you pay for. If you pay $300 for a new rifle, you get $300 worth of care in manufacturing and QC.
 
agilent_one said:
Usually, I try not to comment until I hear both sides of a story. Fortunately for us, a spokesperson for Epps has replied to this and we can now draw our own conclusions from both sides.

Personally, I've concluded that until Epps revisits their current return/refund policy I wouldn't spend a dime of my own money there and would actively advise others to do the same.

Thanks to Harrier and the OP for informing the masses.
Click to expand...

Indeed, I think many share your sentiments.
 
Darn shame I didn't see this thread before ordering a new rifle from Epp's. I may have gone ahead with the purchase anyway, but seeing a theme here (unsatisfactory service) is somewhat unsettling.

I have made purchases from 2 other dealers online (thank you Blue Line and Marstar for outstanding, problem free interactions), but somebody did mention something earlier on in this thread that really struck a chord... that had to do with a person being willing to pay 10-15% more to buy from a brick & mortar dealer so they could inspect and handle the firearms firsthand rather than gambling on the internet to save a few bucks.

Now that I think about it, it does make very good sense and I would be willing to pay a little more for the peace of mind I could expect from buying local.

As I said, my first 2 purchases online were flawless, and now I'm waiting to see how my purchase from Epp's plays out. Will let y'all know. If it does turn out to be a sour experience I will shop locally, exclusively, from that point on.

Epp's, I'm rooting for you to make things good with the OP, to not give me any BS with my purchase, and to stand up for the collective integrity of the online retailers' reputations. Your move.
 
The other thing you pay more for in shopping "relatively local" is the ease with which you can (if need be) address your issue in a small claims court.

It really shouldn't ever get to that point, but sadly it sometimes does.

P
 
My question is who is running the show at Epp's, the Chief or the Indians. sorry if I am not politically correct. Maybe the Chief shoud be more involved in his store front operation as well as his Internet sales.
 
pubb said:
The other thing you pay more for in shopping "relatively local" is the ease with which you can (if need be) address your issue in a small claims court.

It really shouldn't ever get to that point, but sadly it sometimes does.

P
Click to expand...

Absolutely true.

I was scammed by a gun dealer once who promised "gun, original box and manual." I got a gun wrapped in paper. When I complained to the dealer in Quebec, he told me that he would send the original box and manual along ASAP. Three months and a dozen emails later, nothing came.

I looked in to consumer protection laws, business licensing and other means to turn the screws on a company that defrauded me. The only thing was, it was a trivial sum of money they screwed me out of. As far as I could determine, the only way for me to proceed against the dealer was to either sue him in a Quebec court or try to enforce a local judgment against the dealer in a Quebec court. Either way, it was not worth the trouble. I wrote it off in my mind, thinking I would never buy off the Internet again, when against all expectation, I got the original box and manual in the mail, over six months later. Go figure.

By the way, I had a very nasty and lengthy dispute with a national firearms dealer that was far more serious. It involved an order I discussed over the phone, ending with me passing on a certain purchase. The next thing I knew, Visa informed me that the dealer charged me the full purchase price plus shipping for the rifle I never ordered. In the end, the dealer refunded the money as I informed him I was alleging fraud against his company and proceeding through Visa to get a refund. I learned that Visa can be your big stick when dealing with shady retailers. If you see that a given dealer will not accept credit cards, be very, very wary.
 
Grouser said:
Well, I just received my brand new S&W 22A semi auto. Upon receiving it, I found it to be defective in that it would not #### (took it to a local smith who confirmed that it indeed would not work. I called Epps and informed them of the problem. They told me to ship it to the warranty depot in Chat-ham ON. I asked if I could return it to them and was told yes and they would send it to the depot for repair -- would not exchange. On the initial purchase, I was charged $22.39 for freight -- now I'll have to pay another $22.00 to ship to warranty and perhaps another $22.00 for it to come back to me when repaired. Customer Service -- sympathy non! :mad:
Click to expand...
tiriaq said:
So the purpose of this whinethread is to.....?
Click to expand...

Obviously the reason the OP started this thread was to share his experience and his dissatisfaction with the way he perceived that customer service at Epps has treated him.

After all, isn't that what CGN is all about? :eek: Sharing our experiences with each other and discussing the issues that affect us all?

Whether I agree with the OP or not, the fact that he is sharing/venting seems reasonable to me...
 
agilent_one said:
Usually, I try not to comment until I hear both sides of a story. Fortunately for us, a spokesperson for Epps has replied to this and we can now draw our own conclusions from both sides.

Personally, I've concluded that until Epps revisits their current return/refund policy I wouldn't spend a dime of my own money there and would actively advise others to do the same.

Thanks to Harrier and the OP for informing the masses.
Click to expand...

I think that I will promptly follow You with this idea...I'm going to spend my hard earned money somewhere else. Clay may get more of my business soon.
 
So the upshot is that S&W does not inspect their products for functionality before shipping and this particular dealer does not inspect for functionality before shipping either.

I note the attitude displayed by the use of terms such as "jump-ins" and "the masses" in referring to potential customers.

Evidently Epps have all the customers they need already. I wonder what the man who gave the place his name would say to that.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom