Years ago in Santa Barbara, CA I saw a Winchester 21 on consignment at a sporting goods store. I made the deal to buy it and then put it on layaway for 30 days. Two days later I went to the store to look at it and was told the gun was sold to someone else because that customer offered more money. The sporting goods manager thought he owed it to the consigner to get as much money as he could even though he had taken money from me. I immediately contacted a SB County District Attorney investigator who worked in the fraud unit. He and I had been in the same law enforcement academy together and was a good friend. I explained the circumstances to him and he said if I wanted to do it I could go into the company and tell them to sell me the gun or I would have the D.A.'s office file criminal fraud charges against the store. If they refused and it went to court the store would be liable to me for 3 times the amount of the sale. I went to the store, found the sporting goods manager and explained my intentions. He said he needed to talk to the store manager. I went home expecting someone to call me. Within 30 minutes the sporting goods manager called apologizing and said the gun would be sold to me as agreed. I picked it up 3 days later just to make sure. I can't vouch for other states but once they have the credit card they are legally obligated to sell the gun to that buyer. It wouldn't hurt to contact Cabela's and explain your intentions. Depending on their answer I would sure consider contacting the D.A. in that city/county to ask about your rights. If enough people do that maybe Cabela's will change their mind.

I know Wes Dillon well from buying many firearms from him in the Sidney store. He is a fine gentleman and I have nothing but the highest respect for him. I agree with the writer that once he left the customer service at Cabela's Gun Librarys went downhill. I have gone into many libraries across the country and in many of them I was not even greeted. I could walk the library for 20 minutes with a couple of salesmen talking and neither one of them would say hello. On one occasion I had $5000.00 burning a hole in my pocket for a rifle I had been told was there. It was still there when I left since I had no desire to give $5000.00 to somebody who couldn't give me a common greeting.

The "no greeting" situation is alive and well at the Cabela's in Hamburg, PA. I have never successfully engaged a Library clerk or manager in any sort of conversation at that store. I wonder if the big cheese at Cabela's will come on this thread to defend his honor and his company?

I am sure my friend would appreciate all of your advice.
Again I was not involved in this deal.

The info Mr Nix posted is interesting. Not only did they get my friends credit card once but twice. :shock:
I can say my friend said they have lost his buisness for good.

I just purchased a very nice 10 ga hammer gun from another Cabelas store earlier this week. They were wonderful, knowledgeable, and easy to deal with. I guess it is all about which store and who you deal with. But after my friends experience I have serious reservation about dealing with the Cabelas in Kansas City.

Just so yall know I had great dealings with the Cabelas in Minn. I dealt directly with a man named Brad.

I guess we need to keep in mind that Cabela's is the basically the Meijer Store of sporting goods. Face it, volume is about the only thing that they have going for them and that's reflected in the quality of their employees and the service they provide.

Setter Man, I apologize but I am missing what you are trying to say. First, I don't understand Meijer store. Is that a common store somewhere but not where I live? Second, how do you mean volume is the only thing they have going for them? And in your opinion is it reflected good or bad. I find many stores that offer the same products as Cabela's. To me what sets them apart is the quality of individual service and their, used to be, quality of return policy and also policy of working with the customer to the customer's benefit. I don't see that anymore.

The company used to have a policy of used guns where if you purchased a used gun and didn't like it you could trade it up on another firearm even if it was in a different Cabela's. Though my brother and I seldom used that option it was wonderful on occasion. A year ago my brother who has literally spent thousands of dollars in various Cabela's stores bought 3 firearms. He didn't like one of them and tried to trade up at the store where he bought it. He was told they never did that and when he requested to talk to the store manager they ended up allowing him to return the gun for another but the store manager refused to even talk to him. On another occasion when I felt I had a bad experience at a Cabela's I wrote a letter to the store manager. Two years later now I still have not received a reply. I am not a happy camper over these incidents. I still shop there but only with old time people I can trust when buying high price items.

Again please forgive me. I am not saying you are right or wrong but wondering what it is you are saying.

I had a problem with them on a gift card and an ammunition purchase. I got mad enough to write letters to the Dundee customer service manager, the Dundee store manager, and the corporate customer service manager. Never heard a word from the local people but after a time the corporate folks did get back with me and make it right to my complete satisfaction. I think going up the ladder is really the key, the locals hope you'll just forget about it.


Destry

Meijer is a step up from a Super Walmart. Perhaps that's not the best comparison - Gander Mountain is probably more accurate. The volume of inventory and sales generally means (at least to me) lower prices - and that's about all they have going for them. For the most part (especially at it relates to gun sales, old and new) the employees are dismissive and have treated me like it was almost too much to ask them to answer a question and I have NEVER been approached proactively by an employee of the Gun Library in Dundee.

I get the fact that they get a lot of people who are just window shopping but that goes with the territory and they should have known that when they ask for a job. If you don't like the heat then perhaps a kitchen isn't where you want to work.

Well I'll tell ya I been doing business with Buda Texas And the lady I was talking to was a sweetheart very helpful... I guess if there was no cabelas you would not have anything to bitch about. And a lot less guns to look at. ch

"The world is built on relationships. We've all been the guy that didn't get the deal because they gave it to someone else after committing to us. And if we're lucky we've been the guy who saw the deal and squeezed our buddy behind the counter to sell the gun to us instead of shipping it off to someone they don't even know in another state. Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug."

What a terrible commentary. Whether it's true or not, we at least try to hold forth some semblance of honor in our dealings, no? The world is not built on relationships -it is built on laws and plain old doing-the-right-thing.

The idea that it's all about buddies and trying to come out on top when the screwing stops is just wrong....I'm glad I don't think that way. And sorry you do.

In the words of Gomer Pyle, 'Shame, shame, shame!'

The Gun Library Mgr from Dundee was Phil Reynolds, very knowledgeable, fair and an honest guy needless to say he isn't there anymore.

I don't think the big cheese of the Gun Libraries is the big cheese anymore. I can't remember his name but the idea of the Library was his. Wes once told me he was set to run all of the Cabelas when the brothers retired however someone from Remington Arms is now at the helm.

The ONLY store I'd deal with is Owatonna, Mn Jim Flarty there is knowledgeable and honest...but I'm hard pressed to give them any of my hard earned dollars. One of their stores has a Ruger #1 in 38-55 I'd like to have but I just won't give them my money.

I know more than one dealer who shops them on a regular basis looking and finding deals like the GHE that was sold as a reproduction. either they are way overpriced or it's the other way around.