North East Airguns First Impression

[Ezana4CE]

Today I received my first order from North East Airguns. I read up on the company, read their first post after they became AGN sponsors, looked into the business filling and owners, and decided to give this startup company a shot. Their website looks good and is easy to navigate. I placed a pellet order and it arrived a day ahead of the estimated delivery date. That’s always a plus. The outside of the box looked good upon arrival, not too beat-up - no rips, tears, or crazy dents. 
Upon opening my parcel there were a couple of layers of bubble wrap on top.

When I removed the first layer of bubble wrap I noticed an open tin and loose pellets dispersed on top of the bubble wrap beneath the tins and in the corner of the box. This was the only tin in the order without the red tape used seal it and it has a funky ring of some sort of glue residue visible where the tape should be. I have several empty JSB tins and tins that I’ve unsealed and resealed multiple times until empty and they don’t look like this. Minuscule issue, but strange nonetheless. Thankfully I didn’t notice any badly damaged pellets from the open tin.

I also observed the loose packaging of the tins within the box. There was significant unused space within the box that could’ve been filled with packing paper or some sort of medium to act as a cushion/buffer. I emptied the packing medium and examined my other tins. Only one was dented and it was loosely packed in the box. Nothing major. I didn’t open any sealed tins or boxes to inspect the ammo, but I think the contents should be ok considering how the loose ones look.

This is beneath the first layer. The sheet of white foam is between the top and bottom layer. 

The second layer

The dented tin and the tin that came open in transit (w/tape residue around the tin). The rest look great.

This is an honest assessment based upon my first order and experience with North East Airguns.

All-in-all I would relate my experience as follows:

Online Shopping experience - 10

Order processing time - 10

Email communication - 10

Shipping time - 10

Shipping Options/Prices - 10

Packaging - 6

Overall impression based upon my first order - 8

I prefer to order from a small American startup, especially an AGN sponsor, as opposed to an overseas company so I think North East Airguns is worth looking into. I do realize that this is a new business that isn’t fully staffed. I believe that I read that it’s operated part-time by two people and some of the brick-and-mortar store hours are by appointment. The packing issue can be easily remedied by speaking with someone about it, so I don’t see this as a huge issue. I may reach out to them to discuss it.


In conclusion - would I do business with North East Airguns again in the near future? Certainly, unless I open my other tins and boxes and see something horribly deformed or wrong. I encourage other AGN members to checkout their site, merchandise, and shop with them.


edit: corrected typo

 

[Keyman62421]

Why was tape removed from tins??

 

[Ezana4CE]

Why was tape removed from tins??

It was only the one tin pictured. I suspect it was a tin that had been opened before shipping. If that’s the case it wouldn’t be the first time a vendor has shipped a tin of pellets that had been opened prior to shipping. When I speak to someone with the company I will update this thread with more info. I don’t like to speculate too much on business dealings. 

 

[Ezana4CE]

Update: I communicated my issue with the packing of pellets to John, one of the owners, and shared some of the above photos. He was very receptive to my suggestions and he said he spoke with his business partner about it. He had a really great attitude and I definitely look forward to doing business with them again in the future.

 

[Schnauzershine]

Thank you for this thoughtful, detailed and specific review, @Ezana4CE. Even though it is only about one order, it is much more informative than a complaint about an untaped/resealed tin of pellets. This is a great example of why I read AGN. The community is helpful in so many ways, from the technical to the transactional. And, you've convinced me to give this young business a try.

 

[Ezana4CE]

Thank you for this thoughtful, detailed and specific review, @Ezana4CE. Even though it is only about one order, it is much more informative than a complaint about an untaped/resealed tin of pellets. This is a great example of why I read AGN. The community is helpful in so many ways, from the technical to the transactional. And, you've convinced me to give this young business a try.

In business we all have to start somewhere and build from that point. Over the years I’ve watched great customer service (as a business practice and priority) give way to automated and online shopping. I still value good communication and quality customer service. As an owner John French demonstrated these attributes in our correspondence and it made for a welcoming experience despite the hiccup. I don’t expect companies to be perfect. I do, however, appreciate consistency and have a basic standard of how I like to be treated as a customer. Again, John ticked one of those boxes. Now it’s on me, as the consumer in this scenario, to allow him and his partner to tick the consistency box. The only way I can see that happening is by continuing to shop with them enough to accurately gauge their performance in this regard. I’m happy to read that recounting my experience helps other members select quality vendors because I too rely upon the words of reputable AGN members. That is one element that makes this an awesome community of airgunners. 

 

[Ezana4CE]

I’m glad I gave this company another shot. A recent order came packaged very well. No dented or open tins and shipping was fast. A company that actually takes suggestions and criticism and uses it to improve their service is good in my book! Thank you Mr. French and company. Remember to support our AGN sponsors folks. @North-East-Airguns is one that has been good with me so far.