Churchill`s of Dereham, Norfolk

[CZ550Kevlar]

I went into Churchill`s in Dereham, Norfolk this week well yesterday to be precise, i have to say what a big crock of rubbish they are, they are the most unhelpfull, arrogant, unwanting people that own an excuse for a gun shop i have ever met, they obviously like their guns to stay on their shelves as they show no interest in their customers and don`t want any money, i walked in with £2000 cash to hopefully buy 2 rifles and some other bits to bring home with me today but i`m glad now they didn`t get my money, they didn`t care they had customers in the shop i was stood there waiting for someone to serve me the 2 excuses for workers there ignored me and my family then i ask one of them what centrefire rifles they had and was told they are over there, i look round to find the rifles are the other side of a counter where you can`t see the tiny labels as to what they are and to see them i would have needed my spotting scope. I`m sure someone out there likes this shop but personally i think they should close down and return the flash looking Range rover they have parked on the driveway just to make them look good.

[vampire]

Would have given em mouthful ,can i ask why are you going to norfolk from kent

[Paddy Galore!]

Hi mate, what made you go to churchills? did you try out anywhere else? I think most people find it hard work getting service there, i don't go in there anymore, think i might have had a rant about them too..

something to do with a diabolical trade in price for a nearly new hushpower mossberg for a cz 550. I didn't realise they'd gotten worse. Sorry mate, not all norfolk gun shops are that bad...

[tractorboy]

i would them the time of day either saw them at the east anglian game last saturday .if you didnt the ok ya talk and didnt have the so called lord of the manor dress you got totally ignored.i spoke to the other gun traders there and they had the same opinion

[bruno22rf]

Just in case this turns into a "should have gone to" thread let me get in first-Stockcraft of Stoney Stratford near Milton Keynes-never felt less than very welcome and like my custom was their first concern.

[Paddy Galore!]

i would them the time of day either saw them at the east anglian game last saturday .if you didnt the ok ya talk and didnt have the so called lord of the manor dress you got totally ignored.i spoke to the other gun traders there and they had the same opinion

a friend of mine works there, mr edwards, he's a really decent chap, shame he's THERE tho.

I know what you mean, he couldn't stop and chat because the "boss" was there and i wasn't in tweed.

[fat_jay]

I have also ranted (pretty sure thats not a real word) about churchills on here, hateful place with a hateful owner. Not only that, its in dereham! Full on banjo land!

[Paddy Galore!]

I have also ranted (pretty sure thats not a real word) about churchills on here, hateful place with a hateful owner. Not only that, its in dereham! Full on banjo land!

He's right you know! there's a music shop round the corner and he usually has one or two knocking about..

if you're passing by early in the morning you can hear him shouting from the basement, "SQUEAL LIKE A PIG BOY!"

If you're still up here then why not try that place in north walsham cf sports?

Edited April 30, 2010 by GRAM71

[woodcock11]

I went into Churchill`s in Dereham, Norfolk this week well yesterday to be precise, i have to say what a big crock of rubbish they are, they are the most unhelpfull, arrogant, unwanting people that own an excuse for a gun shop i have ever met, they obviously like their guns to stay on their shelves as they show no interest in their customers and don`t want any money, i walked in with £2000 cash to hopefully buy 2 rifles and some other bits to bring home with me today but i`m glad now they didn`t get my money, they didn`t care they had customers in the shop i was stood there waiting for someone to serve me the 2 excuses for workers there ignored me and my family then i ask one of them what centrefire rifles they had and was told they are over there, i look round to find the rifles are the other side of a counter where you can`t see the tiny labels as to what they are and to see them i would have needed my spotting scope. I`m sure someone out there likes this shop but personally i think they should close down and return the flash looking Range rover they have parked on the driveway just to make them look good.

 

 

Dear Mr Kevlar

 

It sounds as if you have had a bad experience with Churchills and can easily understand why you are upset. I have no knowledge whatsoever of how they operate [i know they are a successful company though] but I do suggest that maybe you should review how you post your experiences....

 

You walked in with "£2000 cash" - that suggest that you think you are Mister Big and are entitled to some sort of super service.

 

You then refer "2 excuses for workers" = by this I presume you mean paid employees who have to do a job as best they can, just like you or me

 

Then you refer to the "flash looking Range Rover" - what on earth is wrong with that. I know loads of people who I meet shooting who have Range Rovers earned through hard work - I would love to have one too but cannot afford or justify it - that is life.

 

What I am trying to say Mr Kevlar [and to some of those who have posted equally intemperate posts] is that you need to stop and think very very hard.

 

Your supposed bad experience [ I was not there so cannot judge how you were treated ] has caused you to make a post that puts you in an equally bad - if not worse light- than Churchills.

 

1. You had £2000 in your pocket so you felt big [jack the lad??] but does that make you any more important than a customer walking in to spend say £20 - on reflection - I think you might agree and say NO

 

2. Your comments about the staff working there are rude, patronising, completely arrogant & totally unacceptable

 

3. The reference to the Range Rover is one of pure envy and adds nothing to your argument.

 

You may or may not have had a bad experience - as I said I just don't know - but I do seriously suggest that if you want to get the sympathy vote [which I would be more than happy to give you the benefit of the doubt on] then you take a deep deep breath and then post your views, complaints etc in a more measured and temperate manner - at the moment you come across as no better than the people about whom you are complaining.

 

We have probably all gone somewhere, excited and maybe even a little hyped-up with money to burn in our pockets and have been frustrated at having to wait to spend it so I do have some sympathy for you.

 

I suggest you sleep on it and am sure you will agree and - incidentally - I wish you all success in your quest, whether it be at Churchills or somewhere else

Edited April 30, 2010 by woodcock11

[Willxx]

I don't necessarily disagree entirely with your synopsis Woodcock but regardless of the OP's attitude,(being Jack the Lad with money to burn or not) bad service is bad service whether its in an upmarket gunshop or an Aldi or McD's. Being in a shop where people may spend more cash than you on a regular basis does not give the staff a right to act superiorr or be obnoxious to a customer.

 

Also if I understand Kevlars comments about the Range Rover I don't read it as envy towards the owner more a comment regarding the shop using a £50K vehicle(?) as a marketing / status symbol for the shop.

 

I have not been shooting long and have to admit coming from outside the "traditional country/village" background I have found the whole thing quite intimidating at times- turning up at a shooting ground with my cheap startup gun- I have been made very welcome at some places but also made to feel quite unwelcome at others.

I shoot with a couple of friends but we are not always free the same weekends so at times I have had to try going solo and I can tell you that a clay shoot does not always give off a particularly welcome "vibe" to a newbie so going into a "posh" shop and being badly treated would severely **** me off!

[TonySmith]

Justifiable rant I would say, you can only speak of as you find, when I was in retail I use to deal with millionaires to kids spending their pocket money, all had the same level of courtesy and service.

 

 

ATB

 

Tony

[GW80]

Justifiable rant I would say, you can only speak of as you find, when I was in retail I use to deal with millionaires to kids spending their pocket money, all had the same level of courtesy and service.

 

 

ATB

 

Tony

I'm not in retail but i am in the business of providing a service to who are paying my wage!! Have been in kitchens that are so grand the only reason they knew the fridge wasn't working was because the ice dispenser wouldn't work to the old girl down the that had lost her weekly shop because of a faulty stat in her fridge freezer, it makes no difference to me i will treat them both the same as they are both paying my wage, thats what it's all about no matter how much wedge someone has look after the customer you have there and then!!

[notsosureshot]

Many years ago I was at a motor trade show with my father. We were dressed normally, my dad in his regulation knitted jumped and tie, myself in tracksuit bottoms (before the Kappa days). We went to the Rolls Royce stand, musing over their latest masterpiece Silver Spirit. The salesman came over and offered my dad a test drive. In disbelief my father simply said that there was no point because he'd never be able to afford one.

 

The guy spun around on his heel as he was walking to get the keys and said "You might not be able to afford one today, but if you ever make a lot of money and want a quality car, we want you to remember Rolls Royce."

 

Cant say fairer than that. Its a shame your average £20k a year BMW salesman doesnt think in the same way, never mind an RFD who's business I'd think, would be hanging by a thread as it is.

 

The stupidity of some business owners beggars belief.

[alexr]

That is a good moral tail about the roller. Now here is a bad one about a porsche dealership. Not ten miles from me.

 

One of my old school friends is a corporate lawyer working for a London based investment bank. About 10 years ago he decided he was going to get himself a new Porsche, nothing to showy, a boxster just. He lived in London and really felt that a car was more hassle than it was worth for getting to and from work, so he was looking for a fun thing he could keep at his parents and use at weekends.

Anyway, I digress, He had been playing five a side and decided to go across to the dealers and have a look. At the time he was driving his fathers old cavalier. His father was in the construction industry and owned a company that would subcontract on road construction, so the car had a lot of miles on it and looked a lot more worse for ware than you might expect. On top of this he had come strait from the sports hall and was dressed in the remnants of an old track suit. Anyway he walked into the show room and was ignored by the sales staff. Eventually he got fed up waiting and approached one of them. He asked if he could see one of the boxsters and take it for a test drive. At this point the salesman started to laugh and had him ejected from the show room calling after him to come back when he could afford it.

Being rather angered by this, he decided that he would do something about it. He had noted the price of the boxster whilst he had been waiting, so he went to his bank and took a bankers draft for that amount. he then went home and showered and changed into an Armani suit. He then borrowed his mothers merc and went back to the show room. On this occasion the sales staff were tripping over themselves to serve him. However he made a bee line to the man who only hours before had him ejected from the store. He asked if the salesman remembered him, then reminded him of the incident earlier in the day. Ascertaining that he was paid on commission he showed him the bankers draft for the cost of the car. He then informed him that he was going to buy the car right now, and that the salesman was NOT going to get the commission. he then walked across the show room and purchased the vehicle off some one else.

 

Never judge a book by its cover.

[notsosureshot]

hah, nice. Some of the wealthiest people I know wear old tracksuit bottoms and t-shirts to go shopping. Your story is hilarious really since often the salesmen often dont earn sod all.

 

heh.

[john2]

Churchill's, Dereham, Norfolk

 

I have been in this shop more than once to enquire about air rifles new and S/H

found them helpful, I did not buy anything on my visit.

 

On each return the shop they may or may not have recognized me but again were ready to show rifles for sale.

Would I go there again YES

 

John

Edited May 1, 2010 by john2

[Whitebridges]

Easy answer don't go in the shop ever again. Use someone else.

You couldn't find a nicer more helpful bloke than Chris at Norfolk Sporting Guns in Wymondham. He is an excellent gunsmith and knows his job inside out.

Norfolk Sporting Guns

[CZ550Kevlar]

Dear Mr Kevlar

 

It sounds as if you have had a bad experience with Churchills and can easily understand why you are upset. I have no knowledge whatsoever of how they operate [i know they are a successful company though] but I do suggest that maybe you should review how you post your experiences....

 

You walked in with "£2000 cash" - that suggest that you think you are Mister Big and are entitled to some sort of super service.

 

You then refer "2 excuses for workers" = by this I presume you mean paid employees who have to do a job as best they can, just like you or me

 

Then you refer to the "flash looking Range Rover" - what on earth is wrong with that. I know loads of people who I meet shooting who have Range Rovers earned through hard work - I would love to have one too but cannot afford or justify it - that is life.

 

What I am trying to say Mr Kevlar [and to some of those who have posted equally intemperate posts] is that you need to stop and think very very hard.

 

Your supposed bad experience [ I was not there so cannot judge how you were treated ] has caused you to make a post that puts you in an equally bad - if not worse light- than Churchills.

 

1. You had £2000 in your pocket so you felt big [jack the lad??] but does that make you any more important than a customer walking in to spend say £20 - on reflection - I think you might agree and say NO

 

2. Your comments about the staff working there are rude, patronising, completely arrogant & totally unacceptable

 

3. The reference to the Range Rover is one of pure envy and adds nothing to your argument.

 

You may or may not have had a bad experience - as I said I just don't know - but I do seriously suggest that if you want to get the sympathy vote [which I would be more than happy to give you the benefit of the doubt on] then you take a deep deep breath and then post your views, complaints etc in a more measured and temperate manner - at the moment you come across as no better than the people about whom you are complaining.

 

We have probably all gone somewhere, excited and maybe even a little hyped-up with money to burn in our pockets and have been frustrated at having to wait to spend it so I do have some sympathy for you.

 

I suggest you sleep on it and am sure you will agree and - incidentally - I wish you all success in your quest, whether it be at Churchills or somewhere else

 

 

Ok lets address the statements by ths gentleman.

 

1- I stated £2000 cash as to show my intention to buy something there and then and wasn`t merely just browsing, i didn`t expect super service just "service" I hope that answers the question bog trotter, it`s not nice using defamatory names is it??

 

2- My comments were rude, patronising, completely arrogant & totally unacceptable??? how can this be so when they were a true accurate statement of what happened and were comepletely accurate of what happened in the shop.

 

3- It has nothing to do with envy at all, it is a statement to show they have an expensive ornament outside but show no interest in the customers that paid for it.

 

 

I missed the Norfolk country fair thing as we arrived at the holiday home on the Saturday and only noticed the signs on Sunday when we were out and about, we were staying at a place called Bale and the only reason i found churchills was that we had to get the brakes done on our outlander and noticed the shop when walking around the town from kwik fit, which i have to say is a town i will never visit again.

As we were on holiday in Norfolk i posted earlier about gunshops around the area but found when we got to the holiday house the internet connection we were meant to have wasn`t there so i couldn`t get the names of the gunshops people had posted about.

[mikee]

I'm with you 550kevlar, ive been in a few times when that way and needed some bits, all i can say about the place is "poxy", i dont go there ever if i can help it now, there are so many more good local shops than churchills, dereham is generally an ok place though

 

mikee

[woodcock11]

Fair enough -

 

I agree as much as the next person that bad service is bad service and you were obviously very disappointed, not least for travelling such a long way.

 

It is understandable too that you were angry but what I DO suggest is that you get your anger out of the system and dont let at least all of it come out in a post. A calm & measured resume of what went on is so much more impressive forget Range Rovers] and will get you sympathy for your position by the lorryload.

 

What next? I guess maybe you cannot be bothered but a well set out letter explaining your experience written to the Managing Director of Churchill [preferably by name] would be a good approach. It just might result in a personal invitation to meet him and - who knows - some sort discount or offer by way of recompense for the lack of service that you experienced.

 

If you get no reply, then let us know on P/W and we will draw our own conclusions on Churchill.

 

Anyway, wherever you get them, have fun in buying your new rifles and bits & pieces!

[shaun4860]

Many years ago I was at a motor trade show with my father. We were dressed normally, my dad in his regulation knitted jumped and tie, myself in tracksuit bottoms (before the Kappa days). We went to the Rolls Royce stand, musing over their latest masterpiece Silver Spirit. The salesman came over and offered my dad a test drive. In disbelief my father simply said that there was no point because he'd never be able to afford one.

 

The guy spun around on his heel as he was walking to get the keys and said "You might not be able to afford one today, but if you ever make a lot of money and want a quality car, we want you to remember Rolls Royce."

 

Cant say fairer than that. Its a shame your average £20k a year BMW salesman doesnt think in the same way, never mind an RFD who's business I'd think, would be hanging by a thread as it is.

 

The stupidity of some business owners beggars belief.

 

I really really hope this guy has been promoted and now trains or runs his own business/team.

 

Its people like him that gives you renewed faith in salesmen.

 

shaun

[brian28]

My family and i have just been on holiday to Norfolk and stayed in a House that we rented through Cottages4you, the house was not as described as there were bits promised like swings, gas BBQ, Heated pool, playhouse for the daughter etc.

When we got there no gas BBQ was there, the playhouse was full of old rusty/broken childrens toys and the wooden playhouse itself was dangerous, the swing was unsafe, inside the house was poorly decorated with mould/mildew in the showers, the downstairs shower filled with water from the washing machine, upstairs toilet wouldn`t flush, ant problem which only got fixed Thursday and we advised them Sunday, the owners house which sat behind our place had 2 very vicious dogs which barked whenever we came back and scared our daughter, the owners had 2 donkeys in a paddock but whenever my 4 year old went to feed them the dogs barked at her and scrambled to get over the fence and kept scaring her which upset her, and the final straw was the indoor heated pool was freezing, we tryed it Saturday when we arrived and it was rediculous, we told the owners about it and they came to check it out seeing as their business is a swimming pool company, we were told the water was heated to 26C but it was probably felt colder because the air temperature was hotter but they would put it up a couple of notches to a massive 28C, last time i checked body temperature is about 36/37C which made it still like getting into iced water and my daughter couldn`t stay in for long as she was shivering.

We feel the the house wasn`t as described and want a partial refund, what chance would i have and does anyone have any experience of this or any advice??

 

I went into Churchill`s in Dereham, Norfolk this week well yesterday to be precise, i have to say what a big crock of rubbish they are, they are the most unhelpfull, arrogant, unwanting people that own an excuse for a gun shop i have ever met, they obviously like their guns to stay on their shelves as they show no interest in their customers and don`t want any money, i walked in with £2000 cash to hopefully buy 2 rifles and some other bits to bring home with me today but i`m glad now they didn`t get my money, they didn`t care they had customers in the shop i was stood there waiting for someone to serve me the 2 excuses for workers there ignored me and my family then i ask one of them what centrefire rifles they had and was told they are over there, i look round to find the rifles are the other side of a counter where you can`t see the tiny labels as to what they are and to see them i would have needed my spotting scope. I`m sure someone out there likes this shop but personally i think they should close down and return the flash looking Range rover they have parked on the driveway just to make them look good.

 

 

 

 

Looks like you had a good weekend you name victor meldrew bac ??

[CZ550Kevlar]

My family and i have just been on holiday to Norfolk and stayed in a House that we rented through Cottages4you, the house was not as described as there were bits promised like swings, gas BBQ, Heated pool, playhouse for the daughter etc.

When we got there no gas BBQ was there, the playhouse was full of old rusty/broken childrens toys and the wooden playhouse itself was dangerous, the swing was unsafe, inside the house was poorly decorated with mould/mildew in the showers, the downstairs shower filled with water from the washing machine, upstairs toilet wouldn`t flush, ant problem which only got fixed Thursday and we advised them Sunday, the owners house which sat behind our place had 2 very vicious dogs which barked whenever we came back and scared our daughter, the owners had 2 donkeys in a paddock but whenever my 4 year old went to feed them the dogs barked at her and scrambled to get over the fence and kept scaring her which upset her, and the final straw was the indoor heated pool was freezing, we tryed it Saturday when we arrived and it was rediculous, we told the owners about it and they came to check it out seeing as their business is a swimming pool company, we were told the water was heated to 26C but it was probably felt colder because the air temperature was hotter but they would put it up a couple of notches to a massive 28C, last time i checked body temperature is about 36/37C which made it still like getting into iced water and my daughter couldn`t stay in for long as she was shivering.

We feel the the house wasn`t as described and want a partial refund, what chance would i have and does anyone have any experience of this or any advice??

 

I went into Churchill`s in Dereham, Norfolk this week well yesterday to be precise, i have to say what a big crock of rubbish they are, they are the most unhelpfull, arrogant, unwanting people that own an excuse for a gun shop i have ever met, they obviously like their guns to stay on their shelves as they show no interest in their customers and don`t want any money, i walked in with £2000 cash to hopefully buy 2 rifles and some other bits to bring home with me today but i`m glad now they didn`t get my money, they didn`t care they had customers in the shop i was stood there waiting for someone to serve me the 2 excuses for workers there ignored me and my family then i ask one of them what centrefire rifles they had and was told they are over there, i look round to find the rifles are the other side of a counter where you can`t see the tiny labels as to what they are and to see them i would have needed my spotting scope. I`m sure someone out there likes this shop but personally i think they should close down and return the flash looking Range rover they have parked on the driveway just to make them look good.

 

 

 

 

Looks like you had a good weekend you name victor meldrew bac ??

 

Nothing Victor Meldrew about it, ruining my families holiday and upsetting my 4 year old is the point of the matter and finding poor service, have i not got the right to complain and point out poor service and the fact i paid £805 to stay for a week in a holiday house only to have to leave Friday morning a day early because my family were upset at staying any longer? you say victor meldrew, i say not acceptable and a very poor comment and in very poor taste at seeing my 4 year old upset.

[notsosureshot]

Oh I dunno, my wife tells me constantly Im like Victor Meldrew. I wear that name with pride!

 

It seems everywhere you turn these days that you see bad service. Doesnt seem to matter how much you spend either.

[Harnser]

Easy answer don't go in the shop ever again. Use someone else.

You couldn't find a nicer more helpful bloke than Chris at Norfolk Sporting Guns in Wymondham. He is an excellent gunsmith and knows his job inside out.

Norfolk Sporting Guns

 

 

I couldnt agree more . Not only is Chris a very nice man he is more than a gunsmith , he is an endentured gun maker . Not many of them about now .

 

Harnser .