# Gunsmith chargeing storage and keeping the guns.



## Boondocks (Jul 20, 2013)

Has anyone ever experienced a gunsmith with this practice? They say guns not picked up within 31 days on notice will be charged $1.00 a day storage. After 61 days guns will be forfeited. Their is no signs posted saying this and they are trying to keep mine.


----------



## Razor Blade (Jul 20, 2013)

I have never experienced this. How long did you leave it after it was done ?


----------



## killitgrillit (Jul 20, 2013)

Who is it????


----------



## rayjay (Jul 20, 2013)

I used to work at a motorcycle dealership. I have no sympathy for someone that doesn't go pick up their stuff when it's ready.


----------



## NCMTNHunter (Jul 20, 2013)

I haven't delt with many gunsmiths but I know several mechanics that do this.  I look at it this way, someone performs their service on  someone else's property, then it takes over a month for them to get paid for it.  All the while the property is taking up valuable space in the shop.  I don't see a problem with it.


----------



## groundhawg (Jul 20, 2013)

NCMTNHunter said:


> I haven't delt with many gunsmiths but I know several mechanics that do this.  I look at it this way, someone performs their service on  someone else's property, then it takes over a month for them to get paid for it.  All the while the property is taking up valuable space in the shop.  I don't see a problem with it.



X2.  I worked two years at a gun dealer and he had about the same policy.  Why should he repair or clean a gun and then have to store if for months until somebody has the money or takes the time to come pick it up?


----------



## Boondocks (Jul 20, 2013)

I went by last Monday the 15th. and he was closed. I have had some family medical emergency with my stepson starting mothers day morning in er and major surgery a few days later which thank god he came thru great. The guns were not my top concern as he was 16 .  and I had cataract surgery Wednesday the 17th.I have spoke with them and said I was willing to pay storage as it is a 100 mile round trip to pick the guns up and pay them. I guess I am old school and will pay what I owe but can not understand how for a 300 bill they can take 1500 worth of guns. I will not name them now but will see how this plays out this week and if we can not work something out I will let everyone know who it is so it does not happen to anyone else.


----------



## TrailBlazinMan (Jul 20, 2013)

The repair shop I work at has a clearly posted policy on unclaimed guns (firearms that the customer knows are done but hasn't set up a time to pick up): a late fee after 30 days and seizure after 60. Unfortunately as a business owner you have to be prepared to deal with people who have you do work for them but then never pay you. I am responsible for every gun in the shop for its care, storage, and paying insurance to cover any theft or damage.

That said as long as customers let me know what is going on (deployment, family emergencies, etc) we try to be very forgiving and work with our customers. We have been able to keep happy customers and I have never seized a firearm.


----------



## WGSNewnan (Jul 21, 2013)

did you sign anything agreeing to those terms of service. if he refuses your money or the return of your property, call the police. better yet, file in small claims court. he will quickly come to terms with you.
BTW - any legitimate shop will have a form for you to fill out if those are the terms.


----------



## JustUs4All (Jul 21, 2013)

If the policy is posted conspicuously in the shop, it is valid and small claims or any other court will throw your case out.  There is no legal requirement that a form be filled out.  This is a reasonable policy for the protection of the business owners.  Similar policies have been in place in many different kinds of businesses for decades.


----------



## SGADawg (Jul 21, 2013)

How long had they been there before the 15th?  If it had been some time since the work was completed, had you contacted them about when you would pick them up?   A lot of this stuff can be avoided with good communications.


----------



## Boondocks (Jul 21, 2013)

The guns were left with gunsmith april 25.They called may 14,the day we admitted our son in the hospital for surgery.I said thanks and I will get them but it will be some time after the surgery and all that.Then I got sick the end of june and over the 4th july and spoke with them and said I had strep throat and did not want to pass it on and to give me a few more days. I again said I did not mind paying storage.So I went to pick them up on the 15 july,their closed.Left a signed check with my cousin who lives close by and she goes by Friday the 19 and they would not let her have them. As I said I had eye surgery the 17 and have been at eye doc rest of week. I am going down Tuesday and see what they say. It is a gun shop by the guys house in a small town. I would think he would be glad for the business , and word good or bad travels fast in small towns .


----------



## Alan in GA (Jul 23, 2013)

I don't know if a gun shop will release guns to a different person that left them!


----------



## Wiskey_33 (Jul 24, 2013)

That's a stinger but I can't blame the gun shop. Any business that has to keep your product on hand for extended periods will charge you "warehousing".


----------



## Ballplayer (Jul 24, 2013)

Boondocks said:


> Left a signed check with my cousin who lives close by and she goes by Friday the 19 and they would not let her have them.



Might've done this ^^^^^^ 2 months earlier, would have eliminated hard feeling for both parties . Even a check in the mail would've been good, small business people need cash flow. He could probably write a book on peoples stories he's heard.


----------



## jigman29 (Jul 28, 2013)

My buddy is a gunsmith and he deals with this all the time.he has gotten calloused over the years to peoples problems and will tell them flat out that he can't take hard luck stories to the bank lol.I hope you get your guns back,but if he didn't have a sign posted or have you sign anything I would call the cops or a lwayer and see what ground you had to stand on.


----------



## rayjay (Jul 29, 2013)

There's a 45 day span from the time his kid went into the hospital until he went into the hospital. ????


----------



## mike bell (Jul 30, 2013)

Send him a check for whats owed and then make arrangements for a later pick up.


----------



## harryrichdawg (Aug 1, 2013)

Sounds like you kept in communication, but the guy still needs his money.  I can't really blame him for enforcing the policy.  Like others have said, you should have sent a check for the $300 plus storage fees up to that date.  At the minimum, that would have given you 60 more days to arrange a pick up.


----------



## Larry Rooks (Aug 11, 2013)

IF you dropped the guns off and they were logged in under your name, then by leaving check with Cousin, another problem was created.  She would have had to complete a 4473 and go thru back ground check prior to releasing them to her.


----------



## rdhood (Aug 15, 2013)

> X2. I worked two years at a gun dealer and he had about the same policy. Why should he repair or clean a gun and then have to store if for months until somebody has the money or takes the time to come pick it up?



And if the place burns down or gets ripped off and the gun, in storage for months, gets gone then the gun owner would be demanding compensation.  I have to agree with everyone else.  He did the work, he kept the gun safe, you owe him.  A check in the mail or a CC over the phone would have been an easy solution... would have take TWO MINUTES.  Heck, if you had payed him he might not even have charged you for storage. 

Take it to the extreme:  How long would YOU say is reasonable before the guns are confiscated for payment?  60 days?  180 days? 10 years? 20 years? Do you expect to get them back any old time you want to go there? 

I do a hundred mile round trip to commute everyday (got laid off, took the only job I could). In my book, that is not an excuse. Strep is not an excuse.   A surgery is not an excuse.  None of these things affect the U.S. Mail or a telephone.  

I believe, not sure,  that an FFL  gunsmith can ship a gun to a non-FFL for which he is doing work.   You could have made payment over the phone and had it sent to you... would have cost no more than the storage fee! 

There were just too many ways you could have EASILY resolved this before it got out of hand.


----------



## Gutbucket (Aug 17, 2013)

I would bet the problem is that He has twenty more just like you. He is not in the holding business and doesnt have room to store all these guns. This is probably affecting his ability to take in more guns to work on, because he has no safe place to keep them. You would be shocked to find out how many people take there guns to a gun smith for work and dont pick them up until the week before deer season. Im not trying to be harsh, but really......  He needs his money.....   he needs his space.............   and he does not need the liability ..............    GO GET THE GUNS AND PAY HIM!!!!


----------



## Sharps40 (Aug 18, 2013)

Common practice in the gunsmithing business.  Best thing to do is go to the shop with some cash in hand and pay for the work or at least see if an initial payment is acceptable and see if you can set up a payment schedule.  He/She may or may not work with you.  Shops are small, business is tight and his expenses and overhead is likely high, as with any small business.  Has to get paid for his time and skill but if not telling folks up front, probably ought to start...that would be a better business practice.


----------



## Ballplayer (Aug 27, 2013)

Try that with a motorized vehicle and see how it works out for you.


----------



## ironhead7544 (Oct 6, 2013)

I would say check local laws on this.  Charging for storage is reasonable but keeping the gun may not be legal.   Next time, ask what the policy is.   Generally you have to sign a ticket when you turn in a gun for work.

Also, those guns can be shipped to you.


----------



## Wiz (Nov 12, 2013)

My dad's shop has this very policy although he usually doesn't enforce it if there are mitigating circumstances. Far too many customers bring in guns to get fixed only to wait several weeks or months to pick them up. In one specific case I can think of, it took the customer 3 years to pick up his gun. I would say that there are a good 10 or so customers each year that require constant hounding to get them to pick up their gun. The worst part is that most of them are not hurting for money. In fact, some of the folks with the most hardships are the most diligent at picking up their guns. 

We used to do a lot of gun raffles for local fire companies about 10 years ago and of the 40 winners at each raffle, about 5 would take 3-4 months to pick up their guns. This was a big pain considering all of the paperwork that was involved in order to get paid by the fire company. 

My advice to all is be diligent in picking up your guns when they are worked on. Put yourself in the shoes of the dealer and think about how you would feel if your employer would pay you whenever they wanted to pay you rather than at a fixed time.


----------

