NEVER Ever do a PPT at Big 5 Sporting Goods

[Litespeeds]

I advise everyone to avoid Big 5 Sporting Goods for any Private Party Transfers. Seller was doing me a favor meeting me half way from Sacramento and chose to use Big 5 in Davis, CA. They were open on Sunday and the manager Steve said yes he can do the PPT.

Drove about an hour and met seller at Big 5. Manager said he can not help us until his employee comes into work to cover the cash register. We wait about 20 minutes. Then he starts the PPT and I fill out my paper work in like 1 minute because I have done quite a few PPT's. He ask me to read and answer these 4 questions which I replied NO to all 4. Then he goes back and forth from the office asking a question here and there which took another 15-20 minutes. Then we complete the paper work so off we go and wait my 10 days.

Monday morning I get a call from manager Kassandra and she said there was a mistake made on the PPT and they had to cancel it and start it all over again. Steve accidentally entered Yes to one of the 4 No questions. I was like, WHAT? You need me and seller to come back out there to start the paper work all over again? She said yes and that the $35 fee will not be charged again. I said what about my 1 hour driving time each way and gas? She kept apologizing and said she couldn't do anything about that. Seller said he could meet me on Tuesday at 6pm. I was thinking, that's just great. In the heart of commute traffic. Guess we have to do it so left the Bay Area at 3pm and sure enough, traffic was horrendous. Took me about 1 hour to drive from Oakland to Vallejo. Ended up taking about 1.75 hours to get there and another hour to get home.

On Friday, a worker called from Big 5 and said that I needed to let them know when I am going to pick up the gun because only 2 of the managers have authorization to release the rifle. So I called to make sure Kassandra will be in today and was confirmed that she will be there till 5:30pm.

I drive out there and get there around 1:30 and what do you know, she went out to lunch so I had to sit around waiting for 30 minutes. When she gets back she went into the office for 15 minutes and then comes out with my gun and another manager that is learning to release firearms. He had to read the handgun safety demonstration information to me and had me do the demonstration before I could complete the paper work. Another 15 minutes and finally I was done with everything. I told her to triple check the paperwork because I am not coming back here ever again.

Worse experience ever!!!!! Kassandra was very nice and knew her stuff but everyone else there really don't know much of anything.


I should have learned from the first time I did a PPT at a Big 5 in Pleasant Hill. They had me sign something and after everything was all said and done and I left the shop, I got a call from them saying that I signed the wrong area and they had me go back to sign another from in the right place. Luckily I was having dinner in the same plaza and had just finished so that was no big deal.

Out of maybe 30 PPT's the only 2 that went bad just happened to be at Big 5 Sporting Goods.

This is a warning to all to avoid Big 5 Sporting Goods for PPT's. Thanks for reading my post and feeling my pain.

[NATEWA]

What a PITA!!

[Bill Carson]

Lesson learned. Gun stores have a hard enough time doing a ppt. a sporting goods store is def a no go zone.

[SkyHawk]

[tradecraft]

I've done a few PPTs at the local Big 5. The big pro is there's never anyone else doing a firearm transaction ahead of you. Flip side is they're pretty understaffed/slow and you have to make informal phone appointments.

[Bainter1212]

I had a terrible experience at that exact same Big 5. Will never PPT or shop there again.

The initial visit took over an hour because none of the employees knew what they were doing.
Picked up the rifle ten days later, even that took twice as long as it should have.

A few days AFTER I picked up my rifle, I get a call from that store saying that I needed to come back because they had forgotten to get my signature on their DROS copy.
I was pretty livid about that. I waited for weeks to go sign that paper.......

[zinfull]

I have bought and done ppt at my local big five and it was a great experience. They are open on Sunday and will transfer and not make you wait for people that come after you. It is all the store workers not the store.

[DSB]

I have avoided Big 5 for firearms. Their emphasis is on cheap, off-brand shoes, now. They were never really a gun store. I'm amazed they still sell guns, given that their employees are usually 5 IQ points shy of being morons.

But if you need a pair of Oakley shoes, that's your store.

[AK all day]

Uhm..... It's not possible to enter YES to one of the four questions... When you try to submit it, it will kick it back and not process it to begin with, So they screwed up some other way and made up that BS to mitigate the fact they made a big mistake in the process somewhere.

[Litespeeds]

What I was worried the most was their mistake would have put me on a DOJ list where I can no longer purchase firearms.

I have a pistol that is in jail at Triple A's in Vallejo right now. Keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes smooth otherwise I will have to seek legal counsel and sue Big 5 for damages.

I have a copy of the original DROS where one of the 4 box was marked yes. Never thought to review all the information before I left but that is something I advise people to do now. The manager also put the nationality of the seller as Vietnamese and he is Caucasian.

All I can say is, for anyone who plans to do a PPT at Big 5 in Davis, make sure you call and only deal with Kassandra. Any one else, you'd better find another place.

[billped]

My Big5 purchase experience was ok, except for their store policy that says I can't exit the store with both ammo and gun. I had to make two trips.

Hmmm, they allow me to have them both in the store and outside the store, just not when I cross the threshold. Of course, I can reenter with both.

Bizarre. Between that odd experience and reading the dozens of weird, slow, or both weird and slow experiences, I haven't been back.

[Condorguns]

Uhm..... It's not possible to enter YES to one of the four questions... When you try to submit it, it will kick it back and not process it to begin with, So they screwed up some other way and made up that BS to mitigate the fact they made a big mistake in the process somewhere.

It is possible to enter them all yes. If you do that the system will take it. The FFL gets a call the next day asking for an explanation.

*hanging head*

In my defense I was very sick that day.

[kemasa]

In the past you could answer yes to every question and the DROS system would just change it all to no. I am not sure that the current system will do the same thing.

If you answer yes to one, then it won't accept it.

[ThighSlapper]

Lol check my previous thread on PPTs at big 5...... Was a nightmare, similar situation

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1071540

[zapatito92]

I was lured into big 5 for a purchase one time. the price seemed good and they never have a waiting line, however that doesn't mean you will get in and out quick and I learned that the hard way :/ never again...