I finally picked up my guns today from my original FFL dealer. Wow, the Ruger lives up to its reputation, rugged, well engineered and fun to shoot. I purchased both the Ruger Single Ten and the Single Nine from Bud’s Gun Shop Online.

Buds, however was a big disappointment. Although I purchased both guns for the cash price of $481.00 each, by the time I paid for two FFL dealers the guns cost me $543.50 each. Why two FFL dealers you ask. This was a mistake made by one of the customer service managers at Buds.

In mid February, I came back home to West Virginia to visit my Mother for a few weeks. I am a Virginia resident and have been one for the past forty years. Anyway, while there I decided to purchase the two Ruger pistols that I had been researching for the last three months. On February 20, 2014, I place an online order with Buds Online Gun Shop for both Ruger pistols. On the order form I filled out the billing address as the one in West Virginia. This is where I wanted the bill to be sent since I would be there for another couple of weeks. The FFL dealer I chose was one in Virginia that I have known for years and I am also a Virginia
resident. Soon after I sent in my order, I got an email from Buds requesting that I contact them by phone. The next day I called and spoke to the aforementioned customer service manager. He informed me that since I gave a billing address for West Virginia that I needed a FFL dealer in West Virginia. I explained to him that I was just visiting in WV and I was a VA resident and would send him a copy of my driver’s license and concealed weapons permit to prove it. He told me “It doesn’t matter, since you give a WV address on your order you need an FFL dealer in WV”. Well I should have suggested canceling the order and change my billing address to VA., but unfortunately I did not. I chose one of their recommended FFL dealers from their list in WV. This satisfied the expert customer service manager and the order was processed.

On February 28, 2014 I was called by the WV FFL dealer and told that my guns were in and come pick them up. When I showed up I inspected them carefully and they were in pristine condition. I felt like a small kid with their first BB gun. The WV FFL dealer asked for my driver’s license and another form of identification. I quickly gave him my VA driver’s license and concealed weapons permit. He looked at them and said “you are a VA resident and you cannot buy a firearm in WV”. I explained the conversation to him that I had with the customer service manager at Bud’s. He then said “this clown from Bud’s should have known that a VA resident cannot buy a gun in WV”. Long story short he told me he would deliver the guns to my original FFL dealer in VA for $25 per gun. The VA FFL dealer is eight miles from his shop, so I paid him $50 to deliver the guns that evening, I then paid my VA FFL dealer the additional $50 for the paper work and took my guns home.

I called Bud’s that night to let them know what happened. I was finally able to speak to the original clown who had me change to the WV FFL dealer. He said it was not his fault it was mine. I told him if he could give me an in store credit for $50 I would be satisfied and continue buying from Bud’s. I have bought three guns from them in the past three months and planned on buying the Ruger SR-762 and the Mossberg 590A1 shotgun next week. He told me that if I was dissatisfied that I could take my business somewhere else. This is what I plan to do.

I also plan to post this letter on every gun forum I belong to. I have already posted it on www.complaintboard.com. Look for my post; I know that this will be deleted from Bud’s page. I am also going to contact the Better Business Bureau tomorrow and give them this copy of my complaint.

I strongly recommend all of you future gun purchasers to read the numerous complaints on www.complaintboard.com (National Consumer Complaint Forum) before you purchase anything from Bud’s Gun Store.

Thanks for nothing Bud’s,

Robert

In proper advice / poor customer service from service manager at Bud's Gun Store.