OK... Something has changed????

[03Lightningrocks]

Or maybe I am reading something wrong. My daughter and son in law have their Utah CHL's and have been wanting to get the Texas CHL's for a couple years now. The cost was making it hard for them. My daughter received a "groupon offer" for a full blown CHL class at the reduced rate of 60 dollars and wanted to sign them both up. Being the suspicious type, I went to the web site and it all looked legit. It was actually the same place I took my class a few years back and paid 140 bucks or so. It said all inclusive. I told her to jump on it as it was a limited time offer.

Tonight I was surfing some CHL sites and got the impression the finger print part is no longer done at the actual location of the classes. I found this at every site I checked. Did I correctly understand that the prints can only be done at certain L1 print locations?

[apostate]

Correct. They only accept electronic prints now, and the only electronic prints they accept are L1.

[03Lightningrocks]

Correct. They only accept electronic prints now, and the only electronic prints they accept are L1.

Well, shoot!!! Sounds like an extra step or two but that is what I was afraid I saw. Thanks.

[68Charger]

Interesting..

So fingerprints are no longer being taken at the class and it's digital now? Wow.. looks like I got lucky..

[Crossfire]

Fingerprints can only be taken by L-1 locations, but several gun ranges, and some others, are L-1 providers, so it is still possible to get your prints done during the class.

We have an L-1 location at Cabela's, and we teach at Cabela's. So, on class day, we just move to the conference room and fingerprint during the class. Just like before, only digital.

[Keith B]

I've seen a bunch of groupon/livingsocial/urban delight CHL classes show up recently. It was all massage deals a couple months ago, so the marketing teams must have figured out the gun crowd has money too

Yeah, I know one range that offered half-price for their class, as well as two free range passes. The class is regularly $120, so half is $60. The range must pay half of that to Living Social, so that takes them down to $30 income. Their normal range fees for non-members are $19, so that comes to $38. Calculating that gives them an $8 per person loss. They sold right at 800 seats! I know they are hoping to make it up on gun sales, memberships and range fees in the future, but sure seems like it may be hard to get that kind of ROI.

[03Lightningrocks]

All the input is appreciated. I suppose competition is good for us...bad for them.

[Lupine]

Wife got me a LivingSocial deal for a $55 CHL class for Christmas. Was $10 for L1 fingerprints here in McKinney.

[03Lightningrocks]

........... Was $10 for L1 fingerprints here in McKinney.

That does not sound out of line. They live in Allen so McKinney is not bad. Maybe there is one in Plano or Allen???

[Seabear]

I've seen a bunch of groupon/livingsocial/urban delight CHL classes show up recently. It was all massage deals a couple months ago, so the marketing teams must have figured out the gun crowd has money too

Yeah, I know one range that offered half-price for their class, as well as two free range passes. The class is regularly $120, so half is $60. The range must pay half of that to Living Social, so that takes them down to $30 income. Their normal range fees for non-members are $19, so that comes to $38. Calculating that gives them an $8 per person loss. They sold right at 800 seats! I know they are hoping to make it up on gun sales, memberships and range fees in the future, but sure seems like it may be hard to get that kind of ROI.

Groupon tried to sell me on the idea. I laughed the guy off the phone. He kept saying "well, you told me a large percentage of your business comes from referrals" and I told him I don't need more $30 customers.

A rookie instructor did it here and was bragging to me about how many he sold. (close to a hundred) he thought it was a great way to get his foot in the door. I told him I have been self employed for over 20 years, and in my book that was just a good way to go broke. It definitely is Not for me.

I saw an article where a bakery lost $20,000 on a cupcake promo.

[tommyg]

I took my CHL class at Texas Handgun Acadamy on Plano road in Dallas.
They gave me a list of L1 locations to go to and get the finger print done.
I made an appointment at a place in Fort Worth I was in and out in less than Half an hour.
No problem.

[Drjfiremedic]

It is kinda a pain in the rear at first, making the appointment and traveling 70 miles (in my case). But it gets done right the first time and you should never have to go back for a second or 3rd attempt at getting some good print, as some have had to do with the old ink card prints.