Academy Sports + Outdoors — Local services in Longwood

I will NEVER step foot in this sorry excuse for a store again. My boyfriend and I decided that we wanted to get into competitive steel matches...he wants to do rifle, and I want to do pistol. We searched and searched for just what we each wanted and found his Ruger for a good price here and decided to go get it after we had checked out the gun show and looked around. So we get there, we look at 2 rifles, decide on the cheap one since hes going to be customizing it, and we head over to check out. I have a concealed carry permit, so I give the kid who was our sales associate that and my ID. Andy shows his ID, we live together, and have for many years, and the guy we were talking to knew the whole reason we came to buy the rifle. I dont know his name, but hes chubby with black hair...maybe 23 years old at most. He starts entering in all our information and then suddenly stops. Walks to the other side of the store, with both of my IDs, then literally just walks off. He's gone about 10 minutes and comes back with some blonde lady who says "apparently there is some confusion about who this gun is for?" I say, no..its for us. We're getting into competition shooting and he wants the rifle and were getting my pistol later. Then she says "well, because we can't confirm that you're getting this gun for yourself, and it appears you're getting it for someone else, we are not selling it to you today, and you're banned from making purchases as this store for 30 days". Well, the someone else is my man, who I live with, which we told that smug sales kid everything! The WORST customer service ever! If it was a problem, me using my concealed carry permit, then he should have said, well, that could pose an issue... I would recommend that your boyfriend purchase it himself and just wait the 3 days to pick it up. But did the mop head say ANYTHING remotely helpful or informative?... NO. Instead, he listened to us, pulled the gun, then entered in most of our information, stopped, took my IDs and left, then came back with a blonde lady who banned me for 30 days from there while he stood all proud and smug behind her. My mom is dating a cop, I have extensive training in pistols and firearms use. That sales associate was just being a smug jerk because halfway through the transaction he just decided to. We will never be back and I will tell anyone and everyone I meet to avoid this place at all costs because they obviously don't care about the customer or how a customer should be treated and/or informed. STAY AWAY! Go to Dicks sporting goods...they actually help you there.

UPDATE

Well, we found out his name... Dylan works at the Sanford store and likes to think that he knows EVERYTHING about guns. He doesn't. If you are a beginner looking to get into steel matches or any other kind of shooting match, do NOT go here. They do not help you learn or even remotely try to inform you of...well...anything really. We learned way more from people at other stores (Richard at Dick's Sporting Goods was incredibly helpful. As well as Jeff from Stone Mountain and the owner of AAA Pawn whose name I forgot). I also found out that not only was I banned from this store, they actually put a flag on my Concealed carry permit which banned me from being covered for 30 days. Dylan's manager was dishonest about that as well. She told me I was banned from purchasing anything in that store for 30 days, not that my permit was in jeopardy as well. All of this because of a smug kid who thinks he knows everything but doesn't. He also has no idea what he's talking about when it comes to customizing guns. Go anywhere but here to ask questions and get...

Rude “manager”- the pool we wanted was not available in Daytona Beach, so I called Lake Mary. The gentleman I spoke with was very nice, told me they had the pool, but the only way to save it (as they only has 2) was to put it in the cart online and pay for it. He then said we could come pick it up and that would guarantee we would get the item. I was on the phone with him and he walked me through the process. I had my husband call back when I received an email saying we had to wait to pick the item up until we received another email from the store. A female answered. My husband explained to her that he wanted to come pick it up but that the email stated we needed to wait for them to contact us. He let her know that since I was not feeling well, he would be picking it up. She rudely told him that he could not because it would have had to be stated online that he was picking it up. I asked so you mean even if I tell you he’s coming to get it, that’s not good enough? She said no. I said so what if someone comes in and buys the pool before you get verification of the order, which she stated could take up to 2 hours (the reason the email said to wait for them to contact us back) she said then it’s sold to whoever buys it. I said, first the guy on the phone walked me through switching stores and purchasing the item, secondly I didn’t see anywhere to put a name for someone else to pick it up and thirdly the reason we did it this way, was so we would be sure to have the pool. My husband asked for a manager, she rudely informed him she was the manager. She insisted I had to come and they would check my ID. So, I got my sick body in the car, we drive, pull into designated parking spot and then summons them to bring it out. The guy put it in the car, didn’t say anything to us. My husband asked if he was the gentleman I talked to on the phone he said no and walked off. Long story short NO ONE ADKED FOR MY ID, for any confirmation email, nothing! So, I came all this way sick why????? Rude manager, will never...

Absolutely horrible experience. I bought an 870 Remington shotgun about a year ago from this store and it ended up having problems the first time I used it. I brought it back to this store for them to take care of the issues and a couple months later I go back to pick it up. First, I never received a call that my shotgun was even back. I had to call them myself. Also, I go to pick it up by myself and now I can’t pick it up because I’m not 21 yet. Yet it’s my gun. In my name. But I do understand they have regulations to follow so I brushed that off. So I then make another trip with my boyfriend who is 21 years of age and he had to take a test. Because he was supposed to skip a question on this test and didn’t we couldn’t take our firearm. Which is understandable, so I received a call not even two days later from Brandon, stating that my boyfriend can come in at his earlier convince to review his questions again and pick up the firearm. So now we make another trip to pick up my gun and he passes the test just fine. Now a young lady says we can’t pick it up for 3 days because we don’t have our concealed? Then another lady says we can’t pick up the gun for another 3 days because my boyfriend was denied the first time. Then the same lady says we can’t get it for another three days because the firearm compliance department says so. Please acquire a more knowledgeable staff. The voicemail I received from Brandon states that the firearm compliance department company confirmed that I can come in and pick up my firearm if my boyfriend reviewed his questions, which we did. One person says one thing and another says one thing. I live 50 minutes away from academy and this has gotten ridiculous. I only came back because Brandon said in a voicemail loud and clear I could get my shotgun. Once I get my shotgun, I will not be back...