Then why can't they give me an honest answer? Better yet, if they really know what they are doing, how do they lose track of my paperwork until it arrives back at the store (meanwhile telling me it's in the system)?
1. If "your paperwork" was complete and payment was enclosed …..payment is stripped out by the bank and forwarded to NFA branch.
2. At NFA Branch, the info on the Form 4 is entered in "the system" by a data entry clerk and assigned to an Examiner.
3. If the ATF NFA Branch Examiner returned your paperwork, there IS a reason, and that reason would be on the enclosed error letter.
4. ATF will enter your paperwork into the system, even if there is an error, then return your paperwork for you or your dealer to correct.
5. If your error (could be a typo, missing information, missing signature, etc) is not corrected by the deadline on the error letter.....your Form 4 will be returned as disapproved and you will eventually get a refund.
You keep complaining about not getting an honest answer, but I think they DID give you as much of an answer as they could. ATF will not give out detailed info over the phone about Form 4 status or errors other than "pending", "awaiting result of FBI background check" or "approved". They won't tell you which examiner has your application, which of your RP's is holding up the FBI approval.....none of that, they ain't got time for that!
Instead they'll either return the entire packet or just the Form 4 along with an error letter explaining the problem and giving you a deadline (around two weeks) to correct the error.
Sometimes that error letter takes 6-8 months after submission and the check being cashed. That yours was returned so quickly tells me there was a problem at the bank.
I've been doing NFA transfers for ten years and have nothing but great experiences with NFA Branch as far as their professionalism, politeness and competence. That's a little over 1,100 Form 4's. The error letters that have caused delays were:
-I ask the transferee for his trust name written exactly as it appears on the trust. "The DogtownTom Family NFA Gun Trust" is not the same as "DogtownTom Family NFA Gun Trust". Yet guess what happens.
-Transferee sent his packet in but didn't even fill out the check...at all.
-AFTER I had completed my part of the Form 4, the transferee decided to add additional responsible persons to his trust. Guess why that was returned?
-At least three were returned because my transferee chose to use a credit card and either wrote the #'s wrong or BOA in Atlanta mistyped.