BudsGunShop.com
Reviews and Complaints

Sent in my firearm over 2 months ago for warranty work. I purchased the extra” Life time Warranty offered by Buds” I have not heard a word back. They didn’t even advise me they received my gun until I contacted a supervisor to see if the gun arrived. Called them every week to obtain a status of the repair. I was told every time that someone would call me back in 15 - 20 minutes. To date I have not received one phone call back as promised. (no contact at all) I fear that they have either lost or damaged my firearm. This is the worst customer service I have experienced in my 54 years. I have been very patient, time to escalate this to upper management. Will report back to this forum soon.

12/28/2016 ordered gun from budsgunshop.com
Order #1861593
S&w 10098 m&p®9 performance center® ported
Serial # hda7082
Cost: $676.00
Order total: $703.28

1/4/2017 ffl recieved gun
1/5/2017 picked up gun from ffl, looked ok in the case.
1/6/2017 inspected gun closely, found incredibly dirty with powder residue, more than would be there from a few magazines fired at factory.
Called buds, was told that it is normal to have some residue from test firing at factory and was told that since i took transfer from ffl, tough luck.
Took photos of gun (enclosed)
Spoke with s& w, sent photo's to them, they requested i send it in for inspection.
1/17/2017 called s&w for information as to what distributor got the gun first. it was chattanooga shooting supplies. called them, and sent pics. they say guns are not inspected on receipt, but sold to suppliers.
1/23/2017 still waiting for s&w to process
I believe buds guns allowed this gun to be used at their indoor range, then boxed up and sent to me as a new gun. the pictures tell the story.

I paid $280 for a new firearm. I could only inspect after cutting heavy plastic tie in barrel off at home. Item was full of rust damaged. After a dispute they took it back but i had to pay $90.00 shipping for a item that was defective when i got it. Also $15.00 shipping for magazines to go with the gun. Buds order #1816787 order date 11/18/16 . I paid $105.00 total shipping because buds sent a defective item. Buds guns should refund $105.00 shipping.

My complaint narative to the FTC

On 6-24-16 i orderd a pistol online from Buds Gun Shop. This pistol was priced at $1422, which is a very good price, about $300 less than i can get it locally, however Buds is often several hundred dollars cheaper than my local shops.

On 6-24-16 i received an email from Buds advising that mynorder had been received. My order was assigned order number 1677218.

On 6-24-16 I received another email from Buds advising my order was in processing and once it went to shipping I woukd be unable to make any changes.

On 6-24-16 I received a third email from Buds advising that processing was complete and that my order was sent to the shipping department. From this time forward I would not be able to change my order.

On 6-25-16 I noticed that my item had price dropped on Buds website from $1422 to $1393, after noting that I took a screen shot of the item so that I could submit it against the price drop guarantee that is provided via the Buds website and a second party vendor.

On 6-27-16 a charge of $1479.66 cleared my credit card and was charged to buds gun shop, this was for the pistol, non cash penalty, and insurance.

On 6-29-16 5 days after my order was placed, and two days after I had paid Buds gun shop, i received an email from Buds that there was a problem with my order and to call them. I did so that morning and recorded the phone conversation. After calling Buds long distance charged to me, i waited on hold for approximately 6 mins, after being connected to a customer service representative I explained they asked me to call them in reference to my order number. She then advised that there was a listing error, and that the price was for a refurbished pistol. I asked who refurbished the pistol, she put me on hold, returned and advised Dan Wesson refurbished the pistol, I advised her that was not accurate and asked to be conncted to a supervisor or someone who would not lie to me.

Dan Wesson doesnt sell refurbished pistols, this i knew but have since confirmed with Dan Wesson. I was then allowed to speak to Eric, who would not give me a last name, only advising he is the only one at ext 7721. He advised that there was a listing error, I advised him that it was not my error, that the pistol was still listed that morning on their site for $29 less than I paid. He said they could send me a refurbished pistol, which i explained to him i believed to be a lie, as Buds has never carried or sold refurbished Dan Wessons in the 6 yrs i have been a customer and watched their site, and because DW does not sell refurbished pistols to vendors, and still to this day Buds does not list any refurbished DW pistols.

Eric advised that he would refund my money that they have already had for several days in another 3-5 days. I advised Eric that I didnt want a refund, I wanted what Buds oferred to sell me, that I accepted, payment for which Buds accepted from me, He then advised me they didnt have any new DW Specialist pistols that I ordered, i askd him why their website shows them currently in stock, as they still do today show in stock 6-30-16, he would not answer that question.

Buds oferred to sell me something, even sending me reminder emails that the item was in my "shopping cart" pushing me to buy their product, i then accepted and purchased it, they then accepted my payment, i fully believe they have the pistol i ordered in stock but instead refuse to sell it to me and have cancelled my account. I have screen shots and recorded audio evidence of all of my claims

i ordered a mossberg 715t camo duck commander from buds gun shop.three days later i recieved an email saying my order was canceled..no reason.i tried getting on their web site but they blocked me.after finding a complaint site and leaving a complaint they responded..if you have to keep a person just for this they must be tons of complaints..theyre reply was i had place a previous order and they had an issue with me..only problem ive never ordered anything from them..i collect gun as a hobby..m, y son collects guns too. he said they had done him the same way several months ago..evidently buds doesnt care anything about its customers or new businsess..they could have called me or emailed and said i have an issue..but they blocked my email and havent bothered to contact me.and i havent got the refund yet. seems they have no father and sons with the same name and address..im the sr my son the jr..he said they canceled his order after he contacted them about their lower price grauntee..which they wouldnt honor..and buds blamed me with out asking or emailing me about the problem...seems like they dont care about customer satisfaction.or the customers...they still havent gave me a chance to rectify the issue.just a refusal of a sale..maybe im the lucky one.

I ordered a gun on line like I had done many times before from Buds in 3/23/16 #1602555. If they do not have the gun in stock it won't be on their sight and I can't order. I get an email to call them the gun is out of stock. I call and talk to rep #7708. She said I should call first which I have never had to do. I paid with a e-check so it was never taken out of my bank. Today 3/28 I saw the gun in line again. I called 7708 and she placed the order #1607041 saying it is in stock. I look on line tonight and it said out of stock again! I called and after they tried to blame me for not ordering correctly. They canceled my e-check again. I hope. Frustrating as if I ordered a gun and canceled Buds would charge me 10%. Not really nice on the phone this time.
LR DAV

Ordered PTR 91 GI in mid-February, Paid by check. Arrived at dealer 24th. Gun is 2015 basic GI model, and functions fine. Have fired 100 rounds through weapon with zero problems. I will probably go ahead and purchase rear sight adjustment tool from HK parts to raise elevation. So, as far as the gun itself goes, you can buy one of these and expect it to work well and probably hold up over the long run. HERE IS WHY I GAVE IT SUCH A LOW RATING. PTR 91 Industries website states any GI firearm shipped out after 1/116 will have upgraded barrel threading and paddle magazine release. The photo Bud's shows on this item listing is for the older model. When I called customer service to see which rifle Bud's is actually selling, the nice girl on the phone could not tell me one way or the other. I went ahead an ordered it, and when I got the older model without the newer features, I figured it was old stock that Bud's was getting rid of. After taking possession of the rifle, I find a review dated 2/25/2016 by Gregory K. where he ordered the same rifle and was shipped the updated model. When I called Bud's I was advised that since I had taken possession of the gun from the FFL, there was nothing they could do, even for a customer like myself who has a history as a customer with Bud's going back to 2010. Moral of this story: Bud's buys its stock from various wholesalers and sells them for reduced prices (kind of like StienMart or TJ Max) so you can never be quite sure what they are going to pull out and send you once you order an item. It should not be such a crap shoot when ordering an item costing hundreds of dollars. Given the lack of resolution on this particular issue I intend to make my future purchases with a company that does not vary so wildly in their stock and places a higher value on my business.

My wife placed an order with buds gun shop she wanted a colt 1911 45 pistol she placed the order with them but they had a picture of a colt 1911 45 auto but is was really a colt 1911 9mm pistol so she called and was put on hold for a long long time well she called me and ask me if I would call buds guns and fix her order I said sure well when I call some rude woman there answered the phone when I tried to tell her what happened she wanted to charge me $70.00 I said can't you just fix the order she said she would have to cancel the order and start over again. The funny thing is the payment had not been taken out yet. Well when I refused to pay $70.00 extra they took out $709.00 then they cancelled my wifes order then some guy by the name of eric called and wanted to speak to my wife well I thought maybe he was going to fix her order well he told my wife that he cancelled the order after they took out the money of our account it took 13 days to get the money back I had to get my bank involved in this. Also this guy named eric told my wife she could not handle a colt 45 pistol and that she was buying the gun for me I already own 6 colt 1911 hand guns why would I want another. The gun was for my wife. Not me sorry gun shop. I would never buy from them.

Bait and switch tactics... Avoid buds gun shop at all costs!

I purchased a weapon on-line saturday 2/6/2016 and they accepted credit card payment. Sunday I get e-mail stating they can't ship to chicago due to local laws (they have incorrect info as sales are now allowed to chicago) and they cancelled my order. I immediately went back online and updated to my second residence outside of chicago, but now the weapon is "sold out" call buds monday and eric (supposed mgr.) states that he can't take a back-order from me and that I must re-order at the new higher price. Here it is 5 days later and no credit has yet to appear on my charge account. After some internet research, I actually found a better price for the weapon from another dealer and it's arriving friday! Buds just lost $600 and earned this review. Buds is a dud!

Auction price accepted on budsgunshop.com. Shopping cart price $30 more. Entered auction in coupon box, wrote lengthy noted on order form of problem and requested a call to fix this error on their web site. No calls 2 days from buds. I called them, left in que for 26 minutes and got seth. I explained problem, he said web site had over 5000 users that time and site was giving them issues. I wanted auction price, he passed me to james who calmly said no. You place your order and the price you paid is final price! I have been buying guns from buds for 7 years. The way buds is run now is wrong. Now you have unhappy people writing real life stories rather than honoring the price agreed to by buds auction tool. Currently my card charged wrong price. If rex the owner does not want to make this situation right, then more posting of this will be shared socially.

I went to the store to purchase a gun. The cash price on their website was 369. They wanted to charge $379 in the store. When I pointed out the web price, they said that they could not honor it unless I ordered through the web. Pickup at the store is an order option. They additionally said they couldn't give me the cash price since that was only offered on the web, though I was standing in the store with cash. The cashier refused to let me speak with a manager. They lost this sale and all my future business over 10 dollars and failing to honor their prices. I have been a repeat customer for years and have never run into that. What kind of customer service is that.

These clowns increased the price on me when I showed up in-store to pick up the firearm. I ordered an all black colt mustang from them. The model number in the listing was suspect, but the picture and written description was an all black gun. I even called their support line to verify. The rep informed me that it was an all black mustang. When I showed up to pick it up, it had a polished stainless slide.
They located and verified the mistake on the site, then found an all black model from the back room. Then they said that it would cost me and extra $25 because of the "current cost of that particular gun for them". I told the clerk that the website AND support rep told me it was all black before I ordered. That didn't matter to him or his supervisor. They would not honor the price in the listing. I coughed up the extra $25 because it was cheaper than re-ordering online and paying a transfer fee, but I'm done with Bud's.
They sold me a gun online, then would not stand behind the price. That incorrect listing is still on their site! Doesn't get much worse than that.

Glock 26 Gen4 with extras (Crimson Trace, extra magazines) advertised in the used handgun section of the store's website for $649. After agreeing to purchase the pistol at $649, the website showed the same pistol for $530. When I called to ask about the price drop, I was told no problem, and that the lower price would be honored when I came in to pick the pistol up. As I was waiting for an email telling me I could come in to pick up the pistol, their website listed the final selling price at $456. When I went in to pick up the pistol today (29 NOV 14), the manager told me I would have to pay $649, and that the last sale price listed on the website, "Meant nothing." I've done business with Bud's going back to the early Paris, KY store and find this practice (as I told the manager) to be shady, to say the least. Bottom line, Bud's "Buy Safe" guarantee of their lowest advertised price is fallacious.

Buyer Beware

I had the same exact issue with Buds Guns that many many others have already expressed. I purchased a Stoeger M3500 shotgun from them, a firearm that I had been looking for for over a year, because I finally found the price I wanted and for a "Factory New" one to top it off. I was so excited. I go to my local gun store to pick it up and the first thing the rep asks me is "Did you buy this new?". I respond yes, he then says "Well you might want to check it out, there is a lot of gunpowder residue in the barrel". I examine the gun and it is obviously a used gun. There was gunpowder in the barrel and in the action, the metal grommet on the magazine cap was scratched and rusted, there was a huge 1 inch long scratch on the camo mag cap all the way down to the metal, etc. I have pictures as proof.

As I expected the Buds rep told me that it was not used and the powder was due to the manufacturer test firing the gun and I had to contact Stoeger to resolve the issue. So I call Stoeger and let them know what was going on, they looked up my serial and said that the import date on the gun had been 7 months prior to my purchasing it. The very helpful rep at Stoeger told me that Stoeger does not test fire any of their guns so the powder most certainly was not from them.

I call Buds guns back and spoke with the manager Nick who tells me that I have no proof that the firearm is used despite my having pictures, videos, and supporting statements from both Stoeger and my local gun shop. He said I should not have accepted the gun at the LGS. He wouldn't even entertain any type of partial refund for the gun being used. Also he stated "Why should I have to refund any money to you when we did nothing wrong?". This is fraudulent activity and they should be shut down.

Photos attached include obvious wear on the barrel and a huge scratch with rust on the magazine cap.

Bought a new Shotgun Barrel. It was defective. It takes a while to determine what the problem was. The Gas chamber was bent slightly. I get response back for Ol'Bud. ...

"Returns must be immediate" tough luck. Flush my 230 down the drain.

I had the gun just a short period of time. Beware of what Ol'Bud considers "immediate". Its a crap shoot. If it has a flaw good luck with Ol'Bud.

* Shot gun w new barrel no ejection.
* Cleaned Gun w new barrel no ejection.
* Ordered seal "O" ring. Tested no ejection.
* Ordered metal seal rings. Tested no ejection.
* Took gun to a gun smith - he had gun for a week. Barrel diagnosed as being bad.

To late for the return.

Bought a new 1100 Shotgun Barrel. It was defective. It takes a while to determine what the problem was. The Gas chamber was bent slightly. I get response back for Ol'Bud. ...

"Returns must be immediate" tough luck. Flush my 230 down the drain.

I had the gun just a short period of time. Beware of what Ol'Bud considers "immediate". Its a crap shoot. If it has a flaw good luck with Ol'Bud.

* Shot gun w new barrel no ejection.
* Cleaned Gun w new barrel no ejection.
* Ordered seal "O" ring. Tested no ejection.
* Ordered metal seal rings. Tested no ejection.
* Took gun to a gun smith - he had gun for a week. Barrel diagnosed as being bad.

To late for the return.

I ordered firearm from buds guns shop online. After selecting the one I was going to buy, buds guns shop website added an offer to my order. They offered two different AK 47 Drum Magazines, one for $79.and change and one for $59. and change. I clicked on the $59.-- one, at least I thought I did. I then became distracted by my son who's Birthday present this was. In my hurry to finish before he saw what I was doing I did not verify that the Drum Mag. was added. The next day when I received a verifiction e-mail from buds guns I saw that the Drum Mag. was not included. I called buds guns shop customer support and after a long wait I was conected to Carin. I explained what had happened to her and asked if I could still get the Drum Mag. Carin said she looked and told me that no such offer happened with this firearm. That they had combo deals but not on this one. That I was wrong. I explained that I know what I saw or how else would I know the prices and that there were two Drum Mags offered. She told me that I was wrong and had seen some advertisement from somewhere, and was wrong. I have never had any customer service person imply that I was lying before. This took me aback. I asked her why would I lie. She just continued to rudely say I was wrong. I shocked by her total rudeness and the fact that it was her who was lying. I said Good Bye. I was very upset to be treated like this, and this after I had just spent many hundreds of dollars with them. I then called back to see if I could speek with another cs agent. I finally got through to a very nice agent. I went through what happened. She looked it up and confirmed that yes there had been a combo deal with the firearm that I had purchesed . She then stated that they were now out of the Drum Mags. I accepted this and her appoligy for the way Carin had spoken to me and lied to me. For me the matter was closed. Then latter that day I received an e-mail from buds guns shop. When I opened it, it was from Carin stating what she claimed was the conversation. The e-mail is nothing but a whole lie. She says things that never happened and that are out rite lies. The next day I called back to buds guns shop. I spoke with a man calling himself a supervisor. I told him what happened. He appoligized and said he would talk with carin. When I complained about her sending out an e-mail full of lies he would not acknowledge she would lie. I then told him good bye. Today when I logged in to check on the status of my firearm, I saw that carin had posted her version of what happened on their web site. No where were any mention of my side or the fact that I had called back twice to complain. Apperantly it is standard practice to lie to customers and when they complain they try to embarris the costomer by posting the lies on there web site. I have used buds guns shop several times, But this will be the last they don't care but I do.

I ordered an EAA Witness 45/22 Combo (999119) online through budsgunshop.com. I placed the order later in the evening of Thursday, August 1st, Pacific Time, Buds system processed the order as received August 1st (East Coast time). Bud's policy is to ship purchases within 3 to 7 business days. I went with Buds because of positive online reviews about prompt and quick shipping, so I expected the gun to ship sooner than later.
It still hadn't shipped on Thursday, August 8th, so I called to make sure everything was on track. Was told that the gun was being shipped to their facility from the distributor and they would ship it when they received it. Why not just drop ship it direct?

The gun still hadn't shipped by the close of the business day on August 12th, the last day for them to ship it with in their 3 to 7 business days window that they promise. So, I called and questioned why the gun hadn't shipped. I was told that it was being processed to ship and I would receive an email. I explained that I wasn't happy with having to wait 10 days (7 business days) for my order to ship and asked to have shipping upgraded to overnight. I Was told no! OK, fine. I asked why it took so long to ship it and was told that they had to have it shipped from their other facility. Wait, what? Previously I was told that it was being shipped from the distributor. Why 2 different stories!
The dealer received the gun yesterday and I went to pick it up today (Thursday - 2 weeks after placing the order). I opened the package and examined the gun to find that the 45 slide was used! The top and sides of the slide were all scratched up and had it a big gash behind the rear slide grip. The guy at the shop got out a light and upon examining the barrel and firing pin it was clear that the slide had been fired hundreds of times, not just test fired. The 22 slide looked ok, just a little dirty. The mag for the 22 looked new, but the mag for the 45 looked used as well. You could see the wear from rounds being pushed in and out. Also, the 45 slide wasn't coated with the heavy oil that comes on new guns. The 22 was.
So I rejected the transfer and called Buds. Had to press 4 for new purchases. Otherwise they don't answer the line for existing orders. Spoke with a rep who said they would have the gun shipped back and refund my money. Really, no apology, no let me get someone who can make this right. Nothing. I explained that I still wanted the gun and politely asked if they would help me since after waiting for 2 weeks I received a used gun. He said he would contact his supervisor tomorrow and follow up.
So, at this point I was hoping Buds would handle the situation:
1. Promptly apologize and let me know they would do whatever it takes to correct the situation.
2. Offer to immediately ship out a replacement without waiting for the return.
3. Drop ship the replacement directly to my dealer.
4. Overnight the package with Saturday and Sunday delivery.
But, unfortunately I have to wait to hear back. At this rate, by the time they receive the used gun and then take 7 business days to ship out a new one it will be well over a month before I receive the new gun I purchased. Ugh! Come Buds, step up!
And I was troubled to learn I wasn't the only one that received a damaged gun that day. The guy at the counter told me that another guy was in earlier that day and had to reject one of the two guns he ordered from Buds because of damage.
Anyway, besides my concerns above here's other customer service let downs I noticed:
1. There online chat is always off line, even during business hours. If you send a message through the online chat when it's offline they don't respond.
2. They don't answer the phone when you call about a pre existing order. You have to pretend like your placing a new order.
3. The page for the gun I bought didn't even have a picture or a description of the gun. That should've have been a red flag.

Well, at this point I am still waiting to hear back from Buds with a resolution to the matter. So far, not so good though. If they resolve this matter to my satisfaction then I will update this complaint.

I posted here because a previous poster posted a similar experience with Buds, receiving a used gun they bought a new one. I'm not looking to engage Buds reps in any BS conversations in this forum, but I do want to post about my experience so others can make an informed decision about purchasing from Buds.
In no way am I accusing buds of selling me a used gun, my complaints center around how long it took for me to receive it and how they reacted when I informed me that I received a used gun!
Yes, Buds has great prices and doesn't charge for shipping, but I would have preferred to pay more to have the gun shipped out sooner. Also, I could've have paid a little more and ordered the same gun through another online retailer that stocked the gun and could have shipped it the next business day! I guess you get what you pay for!

I placed an order for a gun on their website, and a few days later wanted to change the other. I was charged a 10% restocking fee to make the changes to which I had no choice but agree or forfeit my money. After the purchase, I submitted a negative customer review and cited the incident mentioned above. I then received an email from a person called Nick Valle who is supposedly a Customer Service Manager informing me to call him to discuss my recent review. I called and explained to him why I posted the negative review to which we replied as unfair to their business. After the call I sent him an email further detailing the reasons why a negative review was submitted. In return, I receive an email stating that my current order that was pending had been cancelled. A few minutes later I attempt to log onto the website and to my surprise I am brought to a screen telling me that my account cannot be found and that it has been permanently suspended. WOW! Talk about taking care of your customers! Buds Gun Shop will never see a penny from me, and I warn against everyone else thinking about giving them your hard earned money.