Pet Peeve - lack of info

[Sparkitoff]

I have interest in a particular muzzleloader that is for sale by a large, popular retail vendor. It is advertised on popular sites. Not inexpensive to me at $3200. I emailed to ask the weight and length of pull. The answer I got was “I think about 6 1/2 pounds and about 14 inches “. Really? He can’t weigh it or measure it? If he said “I think, but I’ll get back to you” that may have been acceptable if he actually did. I cannot and will not buy something important with a speculation of facts. If the vendor doesn’t care enough to provide the info what else does he not care about. This item has been for sale for the whole year. No wonder why. I appreciate TOTW descriptions that are usually pretty detailed and in my experience they get right back with answers to any questions. Not the guy selling the item I was considering. Rant over….

 

[necchi]

I hear ya,
$3,200 is a major investment! I'd want answers to your basic questions to be;
Weight; 6.225 pounds
LOP: 13.7"
With a follow-up by the seller that says:
"Please feel free to ask about any further details, we're here to serve"
I'd walk away from that response too.

 

[FPDoc]

For some you can't, even with extensive online research, find a twist rate. That information is important to me.

 

[FishDFly]

I have interest in a particular muzzleloader that is for sale by a large, popular retail vendor. It is advertised on popular sites. Not inexpensive to me at $3200. I emailed to ask the weight and length of pull. The answer I got was “I think about 6 1/2 pounds and about 14 inches “. Really? He can’t weigh it or measure it? If he said “I think, but I’ll get back to you” that may have been acceptable if he actually did. I cannot and will not buy something important with a speculation of facts. If the vendor doesn’t care enough to provide the info what else does he not care about. This item has been for sale for the whole year. No wonder why. I appreciate TOTW descriptions that are usually pretty detailed and in my experience they get right back with answers to any questions. Not the guy selling the item I was considering. Rant over….

Rant warranted!

There was a rifle here, I asked for the maker of the barrel (Kibler, GM or Rice) and a picture of the rear sight.

Seller would not respond, poor response happens here also. If we ranked sellers here, he would get a negative from me.

 

[hawkeye2]

I don't think that "don't give a d@%&" type response is acceptable even form a convenience store clerk. It only takes a very few minutes to measure the pull, twist, drop and whatever to provide a decent answer. It must be nice that a $3200 sale isn't important enough to be concerned about.

 

[deermanok]

During my working days, when I was asked a question that I didn't know the answer to, I would tell the person that I don't know but I will find out.

 

[tenngun]

For some you can't, even with extensive online research, find a twist rate. That information is important to me.

None of my guns are anywhere near that value, but in near fifty years I never have measured a gun and only weighed one.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Perhaps more correspondence is in order? Not everybody knows the proper way to measure LOP. Not everybody has the equipment to accurately weigh an object in the 6-9 pound range to the level of precision you seem to be asking for.

 

[SOLANCO]

The sign over my desk at work read:
Price. Quality. Service. Pick any two.

Doesn't seem like the outfit you are dealing with could post that sign.

 

[doubleset]

We don't know all the details, of course. And that sort of response is deplorable. But it's along the lines of the sort of responses I've been getting from several sources over the past year about everything from medical supplies to door hardware, grading work, and kitchen appliances. This includes Items that I've already bought (from, for example, a high-end hardware supplier only a couple of hours from me) and now can't get ANY response from the guy I bought it from and who was great during the spec and sales process. I wonder if COVID got him and the company just isn't handling his email and phone messages. At the moment I have no other contact and need to go through the manufacturer (who is great) to somehow move this along.

My point is that in these times it might be worth some additional effort for you to follow up on this. Maybe that's a 17 year old kid you communicated with who's working part time, inexperienced, and subbing for someone who's out for some reason. Maybe they're just over their heads for some reason owing to labor and supply issues.

I'm getting pretty tired of this sort of thing myself, but I wouldn't let a single incident put a full stop to the process. After four or five attempts, I confess that I get fed up and just basically quit.

 

[oldwood]

Most favorite sign in over garage owner's office door said ,"Mistakes are made , others will be blamed."

 

[Sparkitoff]

I've had imprecise weights estimated with a caveat. For example: X-pounds on my bathroom scale. That is better than "I think it is around...".

 

[hanshi]

I have a very nice postal scale which will handle weights up to about 95 lbs. For weighing guns it gives the weight in pounds, ounces and tenths of an ounce, very precise.