I'll start with the good: all the people I've spoken to at the Auburn location have been friendly and knowledgeable. Other than that, the buying experience I've had at Rainier Arms is by far the worst I've ever had. I decided to try a different gun shop than I usually go to because my regular shop isn't well set up for covid-era business (website isn't great to check stock, store is smaller) and a co-worker recommended Rainier Arms specifically for their expertise in AR-15's and parts. This turned out to be a terrible mistake. Here's a run-down of the debacle so far:
6/12--I purchase a rifle online that's listed as "In Stock--ships from warehouse"
6/20--The order changes status to "completed" online, so I call and leave a message asking if it's ready to start the paperwork. I'll call back trying to speak to someone multiple times in the next few days.
6/22--I haven't received a call back, so I follow up with an email.
6/24--Haven't received a response to my email, so I follow up with another email with more information.
6/27--Rainier Arms responds to my first email, saying it hasn't arrived yet but I'll receive a call when it's ready.
7/1--I get a response to my second email, informing me that it's actually a drop-shipped item that comes directly from the manufacturer and that it's not in stock. I ask about any shipping estimates and they respond several days later saying it's just waiting for a few small parts and it should be shipping soon.
7/15--I check in via email for any updated information and am told it should be shipping 7/17.
8/5--I call and leave a message asking if the rifle is in to start paperwork.
8/8--After receiving no return call, I follow up with an email asking where we are in the process.
8/11--I receive an email telling me that their internal notes show that I was notified on 7/24 that it's ready for paperwork. Nowhere in my call logs is there a call from Rainier Arms nor did they leave a message.
8/24--I'm able to get in and start the paperwork--Washington State law says that the firearm can be released in 10 days as long as a denial isn't issued in that time.
9/5--I once again haven't heard back from Rainier Arms so I follow up with a call asking if I can come in to pick up, since the ten days have passed. The person on the phone tells me that while the state law does say that it's ok to release after 10 days, their company policy is to wait for positive confirmation and they haven't received that OK to proceed.
9/17--I call again to check to see if the rifle is ready for pickup
9/19--After getting no return call, I decide to come down to the store to either pick the rifle up or speak to someone in person to sort the issue out. I'm told that they mistakenly filed the paperwork with the wrong authorities and that on 9/16 they re-filed with the police department in the city I reside in (which is in the information I filled out on 8/24) and that they'll contact me when they have an OK to proceed.
In the 14 weeks that it has taken for this transaction (thus far) Rainier Arms has not contacted me once without my having to reach out to them to get more information. Starting with the misleading information on the website indicating that the product was in stock and ready to ship from a warehouse, now finding out on 9/19 that they made a mistake in filing the background check paperwork, I've repeatedly made an 80 mile round trip and waited 30-90 minutes to get into the store and have yet to get the product I paid for in early summer.
In contrast, in the time since I filled out the background check paperwork on 8/24 I was able to find a pistol for a good price online, have it shipped across the country to Precise Shooter, file and complete my paperwork, pick up the pistol, and have had it for a few weeks now.
Nowhere in their rambling, incoherent attempts at customer service and fulfilling their part of the transaction has Rainier Arms come anywhere close to providing a good customer experience. I award them zero stars and may god have mercy on their souls. read more