Just a rant, Midway USA

[oldred]

Is there ANYPLACE that actually stocks shooting supplies so that an order can be shipped immediately? I have finally given up on Midway and I will never buy anything from them again! In the past 6 years I have not been able to place a single order, not ONE, that at least one item and usually more was "out-of-stock" and they will place multiple shipping charges to your order if you go ahead and place the order, I learned that the hard way and wound up paying almost $50 shipping on a $100 order that was sent in separate packages a few days apart. I am a bit upset this morning because I have been waiting three weeks for an item to become available to complete an order so that I would not incur multiple shipping charges and now that it is finally available I find that two other items have become back-ordered while I was waiting so I am right back where I started! I thought "well to %*!! with them" I will just pay a few dollars more and order from Brownells but guess what? They are out-of-stock on more of the items than Midway! I called Midway and asked if they would take the order and just hold the available items until the others came in and just ship all at once and the guy almost laughed at me (this is what got me so ticked off!) he seemed annoyed by my asking and pretty much told me that's they way they do things and there's nothing I can do about it and good luck finding the items somewhere else, I am certain he gets asked that same question regularly. Regardless I am through with these guys (yes I was very polite and never argued, I simply asked if they could ship my order all at once and when he said no I asked why not, "can you" and "why not" was all I said or asked, I will not get offensive or argue with anyone on the telephone.


Anyway I need a new source for chamber reamers, bluing chemicals, brass/bullets and just basic shooting supplies. In six years I have not been able to place a complete order without paying ridiculous multiple shipping charges and I refuse to get $#@^*^! like that again!

[onesonek]

Well, to a point I understand of them short stocking, not wanting a lot of capital tied up in inventory during these very sluggish times. You can elect to not backorder on the the form,to avaoid getting rapped on the shipping as you mentioned. But then you will not get it as soon as you need on some items. It sucks, but not a whole lot can be done. I tjink it is going on with a lot of supplier's, and just not the industry in question. It's virtually impossible to do a one stop shop anymore, or so it seems.
You might try Graf's,,,,, it's where I go for most supplies, and then Brownells for the smithing items.

[Ickisrulz]

If I were as upset as you seem to be, I'd write a letter and send it snail mail to the president of MidwayUSA. Complaining to the help and posting forum rants helps blow off steam, but will not resolve your issue. A physical well placed letter might.

[gray wolf]

I have had things back ordered from Mid way and they always ship what they have,
Then they ship the other items on there dime.
I would get that taken care of with customer service and if still unhappy just find a different supplier.
If they all have missing items I would think that is telling us something.

[bruce drake]

Go to www.brownells.com They are THE Gunsmithing supply center and if you have an FFL, the discount more than cuts the price differences from Midway.

I just bought 6.5 Creedmoor dies and brass this weekend (Friday night at 8PM from their website) at almost 15% less than Midway offered and they are already on the UPS truck this morning.

Bruce

[41 mag fan]

What about Natchez and Mid South?

[oldred]

Complaining to the help will not resolve your issue. .



Which is exactly what I did not do, I fully realize the person on the other end of the phone just works there and could not change things even if they wanted to so like I said I was polite and simply asked two questions, nothing more. I too can understand about short stocking slow moving items and occasionally being out of stock on popular items but not being able to place a complete order, not even ONE, in a six year period is a bit much! I could accept that as just rotten luck but the multiple shipping/handling charges is just a rip-off and nothing more. I think that one of the biggest things that burns me about this situation is that about a year ago Midway was sending out E-Mails bragging about their effort to ship as economically as possible when nothing could be father from the truth. Their shipping/handling is not terribly excessive in most cases but it certainly is not the cheapest in the industry either and their multi-charge shipping on back orders is simply ridiculous. As far as the forum rant, that can be FAR more effective than a complaint to the company that will "fall on deaf ears", a letter of complaint to them would again just land in front of an employee who would have a canned reply, if they reply at all.

[oldred]

I have had things back ordered from Mid way and they always ship what they have,
Then they ship the other items on there dime.
I would get that taken care of with customer service and if still unhappy just find a [/U]

NO THEY ABSOLUTELY DO NOT SHIP BACK ORDERS ON "THEIR DIME"!!!

They WILL charge a separate shipping on EACH part of the order as it gets shipped no matter how many back ordered items there are! They will tell you this plainly if you ask, call them if you don't believe me!!!

[HollowPoint]

There are enough Midway-Rants posted here every month that we could have a separate "Midway-Rant" section and get alot of hits on it.

I don't do much business with midway any more for all of the reasons that have already been mentioned.

It's a shame really. It seems like the larger this company gets, the more focused on profits they've become and the less important their customers seem to be. I know this isn't exactly true but, it sure seems that way when you're the customer being charged $12.00 shipping for a three-dollar item.

HollowPoint

[x101airborne]

Yeah, I had a beef with them making Alexander Arms products and selling them under Alexander Arms trademark. I spoke with the second in charge under Larry Potterfield himself and I can tell you what they will say. Im sorry, but it is not what you want to hear. He told me straight out that they will do what they can get away with to make money. And yes, I have gotten the same attitude on their shipping. I have posted the pics of the counterfeited parts on this site before and sent copies of the pics to Alexander Arms. I still have the parts to boot.
Sorry to say it, but they dont care what any of us think.

[Roundnoser]

I can't remember where off the top of my head (maybe Mid-South Shooters Supply), but I recall ordering items that had to be back-ordered. They offered to hold my entire order until the items arrived and shipped it all at once. They didn't even bill my credit card until all of it shipped. -- If Midway isn't doing this, they should!

[Ickisrulz]

As far as the forum rant, that can be FAR more effective than a complaint to the company that will "fall on deaf ears", a letter of complaint to them would again just land in front of an employee who would have a canned reply, if they reply at all.

Why not try? It just costs the price of a stamp. If enough people complained to the right person things would change.

[oldred]

I can't remember where off the top of my head (maybe Mid-South Shooters Supply), but I recall ordering items that had to be back-ordered. They offered to hold my entire order until the items arrived and shipped it all at once. They didn't even bill my credit card until all of it shipped. -- If Midway isn't doing this, they should!

Yes I think Midsouth and Brownells both do that and I like what I am seeing at midsouth unfortunately for me however they don't sell chamber reamers. I checked with Brownells and they have most of what I need (the reamers) but are out of one item and just simply don't carry two of the others but I am going to place the order for what they do have. The people at Midway seem to be developing an attitude problem and when I asked about holding the order until everything could be shipped I got the impression from the guy of "here we go again" as if he was tired of addressing that issue, honestly I was polite and did not argue anything but was given the impression he was annoyed by me simply asking.

[9.3X62AL]

I've switched most of my online reloading-related purchasing to Graf & Sons for the past couple years. They seem to have a lot better order fill rate than Bwana Larry's Safari Store has, and they support this site.

[oldred]

Ok I have been doing some searching on the net and it looks as if Brownells and Midway have a "cornered market" on true gunsmithing supplies, with Brownells getting far better reviews for customer satisfaction than Midway. Lots of places listed as suppliers of gunsmithing tools but most places' idea of tools is a set of screwdrivers and a bottle of cold blue solution. Guess I will place the order at Brownells and just wait on them, the wait I can accept and understand but not getting ripped off on shipping like at Midway!

[Ickisrulz]

Yeah, I had a beef with them making Alexander Arms products and selling them under Alexander Arms trademark. I spoke with the second in charge under Larry Potterfield himself and I can tell you what they will say. Im sorry, but it is not what you want to hear. He told me straight out that they will do what they can get away with to make money. And yes, I have gotten the same attitude on their shipping. I have posted the pics of the counterfeited parts on this site before and sent copies of the pics to Alexander Arms. I still have the parts to boot.
Sorry to say it, but they dont care what any of us think.

What were they selling that had AA's trademark on it?

[cabezaverde]

Remember the gold old days when Midway shipped everything "free".

[Ickisrulz]

Remember the gold old days when Midway shipped everything "free".

Shipping is paid for by someone somewhere. I personally shop around and find the best price on what I want when everything is considered. This topic has been repeated time and again on this website.

But the OP had a concern that I hadn't seen addressed before. MidwayUSA will not hold a shipment for backordered products and therefore additional shipping is charged. My questions are:

1. Does any firearms related company do this?

2. Would it be that difficult to do in this age of computers?

3. Has anyone seriously approached MidwayUSA in an effort to get them to hold orders until all backordered products are in?

[405]

I'll segway, hijack and rant here a little. Since chamber reamers were brought up..... be aware, caveat emptor and all that good stuff that no one pays attention to until it bites them in the rear, if you think about using the custom services of a place like Pacific Tool and Gauge for reamers... BE AWARE!!! If you think the customer service reps are not connected to the back rooms at Midway you ain't seen nuthin' until you deal with the same at PT&G!! To put a positive plug in for one of the companies with which I've had genuine and "real" customer service recently, I'll mention my latest top rate experience with Krieger barrels. Rant over

[x101airborne]

What were they selling that had AA's trademark on it?

50 Beowulf marked parts. But AA wouldn't service the parts from Midway, as they shouldnt. And midway did not offer (at the time) enough parts for a complete build. But of course they wouldn't tell you that till you had the other parts (barrel) already on the reciever at wich point they would not take it back. Sneaky devils.

[D Crockett]

I quit ordering from midway years ago becouse of there **** Roundnoser in post #11 is right about midsouth I have a order right now waiting on a backorder item and they are holding shipment till it comes in and ship all at one time D Crockett

[oldred]

I quit ordering from midway years ago becouse of there **** Roundnoser in post #11 is right about midsouth I have a order right now waiting on a backorder item and they are holding shipment till it comes in and ship all at one time D Crockett



Seems Midsouth gets a good review here and other places I have been looking but unfortunately for me they just don't stock a lot of the items I'm looking for and it seems Midway and Brownells has a lock on it. Midway's practices are often the result of a company who has little competition and although most of their products are sold by other companies a lot are not so they can squeeze the customer and get away with it. I will buy my tooling used or just make them before I spend another dime with this outfit, they put up a nice friendly front but their customer service stinks! Those who think the service is top notch just haven't had a problem yet and anyone who thinks they will ship back-orders without adding additional full shipping/handling charges on EACH additional shipment hasn't checked their credit card!!! If you place an order and an item, or multiple items (which is often the case) are on back-order they will ship what they have in stock and they WILL NOT hold it even if requested, then they will ship each additional item as it becomes available adding full shipping and handling charges to each separate shipment! Since their shipping/handling is not all that cheap to begin with if you make the mistake of ordering several back-ordered items on your order the total shipping/handling can be ridiculously high, if you try to wait until the items are in-stock as I did then often other items will become back-ordered during the wait. This is why I have become so frustrated with the situation, I have waited over two months to place an order for tools I need and can't seem to find anywhere else but to do this I would be forced to pay shipping handling as many as 4 times on this one order if all the back-ordered items come in on different days which according to Midway's site they are scheduled to do just that!

[TJF1]

Have you tried www.4-dpr0ducts.com
for reamers and head space ga.
I have had good luck with them (406) 752-2520
terry

[Ickisrulz]

50 Beowulf marked parts. But AA wouldn't service the parts from Midway, as they shouldnt. And midway did not offer (at the time) enough parts for a complete build. But of course they wouldn't tell you that till you had the other parts (barrel) already on the reciever at wich point they would not take it back. Sneaky devils.

If I remember correctly, MidwayUSA carried 50 Beowulf stripped uppers made by Satern Machining. There are claims that Satern was licensed by AA to do this. I also remember seeing barrels, BCGs and gas blocks for the Beowulf on MidwayUSA. I don’t know if they were made by licensed manufacturers or not. But, I do recall everything was available at one time to assemble a 50 Beowulf upper. I don’t see these items for sale anymore. Just barrels made by Stoner designated 12.7x42 mm. Of course there are lots of AA products for sale on MidwayUSA’s website now so it doesn’t look like there was bad blood between the two companies or if there was they got it fixed.

[richhodg66]

I did a lot of business with Midway back in the days of their paper flyers and truckload sales and "free" shipping (yeah, I know, but it was nice to not have to figure it in). Watched them get worse and worse over the years then tried to order something while overseas with the Army and have it shipped to Kansas where I always did and they got mega stupid with me and even hung up on me. I then ordered everything from Natchez and Precision reloading and emailed them an itemized list by price to show them they aren't all that and a bag of chips like they seem to think and asked for a direct line to Potterfield. Then they got all nice and tried to give me some kind of credit offer, but I'm through with those a$$holes unless it's something I need real bad and there is absolutely no one else who has it. I'll even pay more to get it from someone else.

[garym1a2]

I never had a problem with Midway. The times that the product was defective they sent me a refund no problem.

[Lively Boy]

I guess I'm lucky. never had a problem with Midway. it could happen,but will see. I do shop around for things and try to get the right price(one i can afford). wich means a lot of time in colorado "looking". wish there was more stuff locally but ...oh well.

[wgr]

i made an order to midway last week. they had everything i ordered but 1 item. it was back ordered. they sent my order then the very next day they sent the back ordered item . 17 dollar item 9 bucks shipping. i called them but only got madder so said thinks and tell larry ill do my bussness else were

[wallenba]

If they are the only game in town on an item, I hit the 'notify' button and wait for them to tell me it's in. I never place an order with them if an item is backordered. I then go to Grafs, Midsouth or even $inclair. Midsouth usually beats them in price, and Grafs has no tiered shipping charge, just $5.95 handling. One beef I have with Midway is, they seem to e-mail me discount codes just after I place a big order.

[insanelupus]

I've had good luck with Midway's customer service in the past. That said, I don't do nearly as much business as I used to do with them. I used to frequent Grafs quite a bit but have since started using Buffalo Arms as much as possible. Those Buffalo Arms boys ship stuff fast, have good prices and are generally good fellers to deal with.

[badbob454]

get on the phone and ask for Larry Potterfield Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA

[Buckshot]

................Midway is the biggest. Not saying the best but they carry most all of it. I have learned to NOT PUT STUFF ON BACKORDER, so I don't get charged for it 1 day, 1 week, or1 month later. I try to give most of my business to Randy Graff as I appreciate their flat rate shipping.

To be honest I shop. I will open up 3 browsers on my infernal contraption, and will have Midway, Graff & Son, and maybe Natchez pulled up. I sift my list of "Gotta-Haves" through all 3, or 4 depending. I already know what the shipping is going to be at Graff, and I'll go all the way with the others until I get the shipping quote. I then go with whichever is least expensive overall. It's usually Graff & Son.

If you leave an order hanging like that at Midway you'll get an e-mail from them wanting to know if there is a problem. There is your chance to tell them and you will get an answer. I've done that twice so far. The last was for some 100 round 308 size plastic ammo boxes, case pad lube, and 3 or 4 other items. The shipping charges at Midway was $16 something. At Graff it was $6.

I got an e-mail from Midway's Customer Service saying I didn't complete my order, and was there a problem? I simply stated I wasn't going to buy Midway's made in Communist China cheap plastic ammo boxes, and furthermore the MTM 100 round flip top boxes at Graff's were $1.20 cheaper then at Midway, and the case pad lube was .79¢ cheaper. Midway's shipping was $16 something and Graff's was $6. All together I saved $4 at Graff (I had some other stuff that was slightly more at Graff's) vs what Midway was charging.

I got an e-mail back saying they'd let the appropriate people know of the price discrepancy. That was a couple months back. If you go to Midway @: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1564157332/mtm-flip-top-ammo-box-22-250-remington-243-winchester-308-winchester-100-round-plastic you'll see they're STILL $5.99 and go to Graff @: http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/11330 they're $4.79.

The first time I got an e-mail I forget now what Midway's shipping was, but they showed the USPS MEDIUM FR Box at like $62 and the USPS LARGE FR Box at something like $54. Since UPS doesn't move over the weekend (unless their trailers are on flat cars) the USPS showed delivery 2 days before UPS. I asked why the 2 USPS boxes that were FLAT RATE boxes were so much. Did they have to use multiple USPS boxes? I never did get an answer and we went back and forth twice.

I know Midway gets a break on their UPS rates as they allow UPS to use their facility for something or other. Staging? Equipment storage? Whatever it is, it's a rate reduction and Midway is certainly NOT the only company who does it. Now Midway is obviously pro-gun, and they do make contributions to several worthwhile organizations and events. I will buy from them unless I can find it substantially cheaper somewhere else, as noted above.

..............Buckshot

[Geraldo]

Oldred, I'm guessing you order by mail because most retailers, Midway included, show whether an item is in stock on their website or tell you if you order by phone.

Since no shop around me carries much of anything I want, I have to order just about everything. I do like Buckshot does, opening browsers for Grafs retail and dealer pages (they have different shipping policies), Midway, Midsouth, Natchez, and Cabelas (to check coupons, shipping deals, sale items). The majority of the time Grafs or Midsouth win out.

[MBTcustom]

Times are hard, hard to keep stock and pay taxes on inventory that might or might not move. Be glad you can get the stuff in the first place. No one who has any business sense is going to keep a huge backlog of stock that does not move, and no one is going to pay your shipping for you. Midway is a place that knows where everything is, and they can get it to you.
If you want it NOW and are unable to exercise PATIENCE, then you will pay. Even if you are patient you still have to pay for someone to get your stuff to you. If you find a place that has as much stuff listed in their catalogue , and rich enough to stock all those items, then those items are going to be at least 10% higher across the board. Be glad all you have to pay is shipping.

[oldred]

Oldred, I'm guessing you order by mail because most retailers, Midway included, show whether an item is in stock on their website or tell you if you order by phone.



Well actually that's the biggest complaint I have with them and I use (well did!) the website exclusively for shopping but as I said before not ONCE in six years have I been able to place a complete order! EVERY SINGLE time I have tried to order one or more item(s), more often than not more than one, is back-ordered and I either have to just pass on it and shop somewhere else or get shafted on the additional shipping. This time after waiting weeks for the E-Mail notification (I do use the "notify me" option) I went back to place the order only to find some of the other items have been back-ordered while I was waiting! Way too many items on back-order (just scan the site) meaning a wait of weeks and even months for the item plus the rip-off on shipping has finished me with these crooks, anyone who thinks I am just an irate customer (well I am but for a darn good reason!) blowing off steam has just been lucky so far and I suggest you keep a close watch on your credit card bill if an order comes up short an item or two!

[oldred]

Times are hard, hard to keep stock and pay taxes on inventory that might or might not move. Be glad you can get the stuff in the first place. No one who has any business sense is going to keep a huge backlog of stock that does not move, and no one is going to pay your shipping for you. Midway is a place that knows where everything is, and they can get it to you.
If you want it NOW and are unable to exercise PATIENCE, then you will pay. Even if you are patient you still have to pay for someone to get your stuff to you. If you find a place that has as much stuff listed in their catalogue , and rich enough to stock all those items, then those items are going to be at least 10% higher across the board. Be glad all you have to pay is shipping.



I use several companies (not just shooting supply outfits) to get stock and tools for my shop and not a single one has the stocking problems Midway seems to have even on common items, plus NOT A SINGLE ONE of these companies charge extra shipping for back-orders- not ONE! You mention patience? PATIENCE??? Having to wait weeks or even sometimes months only to find that other items (that they refuse to hold for the order!) are now back-ordered and will require more weeks of waiting with no guarantee the original back-ordered item will still be available takes more than just Patience!!!! This is the very situation that has me so ticked off at them and if it was just this once I would have just called it my rotten luck and never mentioned it but not being able to complete a single order without back-ordered items incurring additional shipping is not a problem with patience!

[largom]

Midway has had this "backorder" problem long before the economy went bad. I can't help but think there backorders are a way to skim off some extra $ from their customers. I buy most of my supplies from Midsouth. They will hold your order for backordered items if you wish and they tell you when they expect out of stock items to arrive. For smithing tools and supplies I usually go direct to the manufacturer or do a web search. I only buy from Midway as a last resort.

Larry

[softpoint]

I almost never use Midway. I've been a pretty regular customer of Midsouth for reloading supplies since they started business. Right now I have an order coming from Natchez, I use them some too, and when they have a sale on some things, they can't be beat. Graf has been good to do business with, although I haven't used them much, and I've used Wideners a few times on some bulk reloading supplies. I haven't used Precision Reloading yet, but they have some shotshell components I'm interested in. I've never heard any feedback at all about them.
Brownell's is the place to get 'smithing tools, and that's who I use. :Fire:

[x101airborne]

I am not saying they are a one stop shop, but check out Dillon Precision for some of yalls stuff. They carry TOP QUALITY stuff only (from my experience) and they have a wonderful NO BS customer service attitude. I mean they really take it to new levels. I have never been charged for replacement parts for my Dillons and that includes shipping. The only replies I have ever gotten from their customer service techs is "Yes Sir" and "Let me help you with that". And their ammo boxes are some of the best I have used. I order the slip top rifle boxes by the 50.

[PB234]

I try to use Graf & Sons. They work at bringing back rare cases and ammo and this deserves support. They will soon be selling 6.5 X 54 MS ammo and have already brought back .455 Webley cases and ammo.

[oldred]

For sure this thread has me looking at some new places that I had not considered before, Brownells has the tools I need and shopping the dealers you guys have suggested looks as if it's going to solve my problem. Midway certainly puts up a fancy front and claims to have the biggest selection which may be true but what good is it if they don't have it to send when you need it?

[41 mag fan]

MidSouth is good to deal with. i've dealt with them many times.
I'd forgotten they'll hold your order till an item you ordered is in stock, then ship it all at once.
The one thing I hate about Natchez is if you order over the internet, it takes 3 days to ship, whereas you order over the phone, they'll ship immediatley.

Even though I deal with Midway alot, and have had a couple of problems over the yrs on their shipping items, I like how Larry Potterfield and his wife donate and sponsor alot of the gun and hunting related conventions.
They're a very big sponsor of the N*** convention every year, the NRA ect ect.
So I will still throw them my business, just because of who and what they support.

[Reaper]

Great people at Midsouth. Hold your backorder and email you when it's in. Ron

[alamogunr]

Most of my business goes to Graf. With my discount for having my C&R license on file with them, their prices on powder and primers is less than Powder Valley. Admittedly it takes a fairly large order to justify paying actual shipping and using a credit card adds extra also.

I like MidSouth also but can't overcome the Tennessee sales tax I pay as a resident. Natchez looks good in some of their ads for specials but to protect their retail customers they won't sell to Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.

Midway has some good specials occasionally. I like their Tipton cleaning rods and would still like to acquire a couple more when they are on sale. Like others, I won't order if any thing is put on back order.

[MBTcustom]

I apologize to the O.P. That's what happens when I start typing before I get through that first cup of coffee!
Anyway, I have run across several items that have been backordered in midway. So far, they have posted in small italics when they expect the item to be back in stock, Either that, or they list it as "out of stock no backorder". While I do not see the sensein keeping things on the website that cannot be backordered, those items I have dealt with so far that are back ordered, have shown back up within a week of the posted schedule. I just check back then and place my order, item arrives at my door 4 days later. That's been my experience, and I admit that I'm a loyal type of guy. If a company ever convinces me that they are likable, I tend to stick with them until they work just as hard to deliberately kick me in the teeth. Midway has never done that. I like shopping on a website that is easy to use (unlike brownells, their search function sucks rocks), has nice pictures that accurately represent the product, and a wide, wide selection of stuff that I otherwise wouldn't even know existed.
Having read this thread, I will have to see if graphs and these other suppliers can give midway a run for their money.

[GabbyM]

Few years ago I ordered powder and primers from Midway. They shipped the primers from MO. Then the powder came from a vendors warehouse. Incurring two separate haz-mat shipping fee charges. Plus the powder came from Western Powder out west not next door in Missouri so the UPS charge was far higher. When I called about this the lady on the phone said it was standard so it’s not a problem. Can’t say I’ve never done business with Midway USA since then but they are about fifth down the list of places to shop online.

[oldred]

Few years ago I ordered powder and primers from Midway. They shipped the primers from MO. Then the powder came from a vendors warehouse. Incurring two separate haz-mat shipping fee charges. Plus the powder came from Western Powder out west not next door in Missouri so the UPS charge was far higher. When I called about this the lady on the phone said it was standard so it’s not a problem. Can’t say I’ve never done business with Midway USA since then but they are about fifth down the list of places to shop online.




That's where they sometimes get you unexpectedly! I had an order about a year ago that had a box of 20 rifle brass arrive in a separate package from the main order with full shipping applied to each package, I never even thought to check the point of origin because the UPS truck had left them at the door and I had already been charged so I just grumbled and opened them. This was on a Tuesday and I assumed it could have been that they were shipped a day apart but in any case I got shafted on the shipping AGAIN!!!! Those crooks won't get me anymore however as I will never buy from them again even if I have to pay more somewhere else, obviously it's standard business practice for them and I guess they can get away with it because enough folks either just grumble and take it or don't pay attention to the charges. From the replies to this thread however it's obvious that their greediness is costing them money because this is just a miniscule sampling of their customer base but look at the percentage that's PO'ed at the same problem!

[Ickisrulz]

That's where they sometimes get you unexpectedly! I had an order about a year ago that had a box of 20 rifle brass arrive in a separate package from the main order with full shipping applied to each package, I never even thought to check the point of origin because the UPS truck had left them at the door and I had already been charged so I just grumbled and opened them. This was on a Tuesday and I assumed it could have been that they were shipped a day apart but in any case I got shafted on the shipping AGAIN!!!! Those crooks won't get me anymore however as I will never buy from them again even if I have to pay more somewhere else, obviously it's standard business practice for them and I guess they can get away with it because enough folks either just grumble and take it or don't pay attention to the charges. From the replies to this thread however it's obvious that their greediness is costing them money because this is just a miniscule sampling of their customer base but look at the percentage that's PO'ed at the same problem!

I don't understand how this could have happened (to include GabbyM's post). You check out on the website and the shopping cart gives you a total which includes shipping and HazMat fee if applicable. You pay for that amount using a credit card agreeing to pay a certain amount. Anthing beyond this amount should have been disputted. It just doesn't jive with my experiences using any online vendor.

[GabbyM]

I don't understand how this could have happened (to include GabbyM's post). You check out on the website and the shopping cart gives you a total which includes shipping and HazMat fee if applicable. You pay for that amount using a credit card agreeing to pay a certain amount. Anthing beyond this amount should have been disputted. It just doesn't jive with my experiences using any online vendor.

Trust me they did not disclose ahead of time that I was to be charged two haz mat fees. Nor did they disclose the TAC powder was to be shipped from a satellite warehouse. This was a few years ago back when Ramshot powder was low priced. I paid extra for the primers because the powder was priced so low. Then Midway screwed me on double up haz mat fees. This sort of ploy isn’t even legal. It’s a known fact that money makes people go crazy. I personally hold companies to a higher standard than “anything that won’t put us in jail”.

I do'nt give a didle what they do now. They already put one to me a few years ago. No do overs offered from me.

[Geraldo]

GabbyM, why didn't you call your bank or CC company and dispute the charge?

[oldred]

I don't understand how this could have happened (to include GabbyM's post). You check out on the website and the shopping cart gives you a total which includes shipping and HazMat fee if applicable. You pay for that amount using a credit card agreeing to pay a certain amount. Anthing beyond this amount should have been disputted. It just doesn't jive with my experiences using any online vendor.



Clearly back-ordered items will be noted and they do not hide the fact that extra shipping will be added to back-orders as they arrive and are sent out but they don't go out of their way to explain it either! Just add a back-ordered item to your order next time (you can easily delete it before confirming the order so you don't have to actually buy it) and you will see what we are talking about, easy to get bitten if you aren't aware of the back-order shipping policy. Please don't misunderstand I am not saying they sneak these extra charges on the customer and keep them hidden and if the customer is aware of it then it won't happen but it's easy to slip up the first time, however that's not my complaint. The problem is not getting stuck with UNEXPECTED extra shipping it's being FORCED to pay extra shipping in order to get every thing I want to buy, this would rarely be a problem if they didn't have so many items back-ordered but they do, just scan the site, their warehouse must be the size of a two car garage! Even that would be just an annoyance and maybe the problem is their suppliers BUT that still does not excuse their unfair shipping policy.

Once more here is my situation, I tried to place an order but two items are on back-order. One is scheduled to be in-stock in a few days the other in two weeks so if I add these to my order I will pay shipping on what they have on hand and then pay twice more as the other two arrive and are sent out on different dates- don't believe it works that way? Call them! Ok so I click on the "notify me" button and just cancel the order so I can wait until everything can be shipped at once, when both back-ordered items finally became available I attempt to order again only to find that one of the other items (one of the most important to me) has become back-ordered while I was waiting on the other two! I am now faced again with paying double shipping/handling charges or waiting AGAIN on back-ordered items STILL with no guarantee that one or more of the others will be available at that time, think I am getting extreme here? Just look at the number of back-orders on their site, it's all too easy for this very situation to occur! Of course there's a third option and that's just not to order at all which apparently, as evidenced by the replies to this thread, a lot of customers choose to do and who can blame them? That greedy policy does cost them business but they probably will never believe it.


The solution is simple but they WILL NOT hold items they have for the order until the back-ordered items become available, they simply refuse and say it's "the policy" but no one else I order from has any problem doing this. I am not joking, in six years I have not been able to place a complete order with these guys without either having to pay the extra extortionist shipping/handling fees or just not order what I need, having other items become back-ordered while waiting on some to become available has happened to me more than once! All I am saying is that they should work with the customer and give them the option to ship everything at once when back-ordered items become available but they refuse o do that. With their extremely limited on-hand stock causing so many back-orders I can understand why they cannot send the order out in multiple shipments at their expense but good grief at least give the customer the option of having it sent all at one time!

[Lee]

I wonder if old Larry is reading these threads?? I wonder if old Larrys' old Lady is reading these threads. Rumor mill says Midway started to slide when the old bat got a title........ Juast sayin.....[smilie=1:

[Ickisrulz]

Trust me they did not disclose ahead of time that I was to be charged two haz mat fees. Nor did they disclose the TAC powder was to be shipped from a satellite warehouse. This was a few years ago back when Ramshot powder was low priced. I paid extra for the primers because the powder was priced so low. Then Midway screwed me on double up haz mat fees. This sort of ploy isn’t even legal. It’s a known fact that money makes people go crazy. I personally hold companies to a higher standard than “anything that won’t put us in jail”.

I do'nt give a didle what they do now. They already put one to me a few years ago. No do overs offered from me.

If this is all correct, you should have addressed it with your credit card company when it happened. Like I said, whenever I hit the "submit" button on any vendor's website I know how much it is going to cost me. Most times, but always from MidwayUSA, I have an invoice e-mailed to me soon after I hit submit. I have yet to be overcharged.

[Ickisrulz]

I wonder if old Larry is reading these threads?? I wonder if old Larrys' old Lady is reading these threads. Rumor mill says Midway started to slide when the old bat got a title........ Juast sayin.....[smilie=1:

I doubt Internet forum rants do much at convincing a business they should change. If I were Mr. Potterfield I wouldn’t waste much time seeking them out.

It would be nice if someone seriously approached MidwayUSA with the idea of holding all items of an order while backordered items are received. That would mean a letter or phone call to someone who can change their business practice.

Most gripes about MidwayUSA concern expense of their products and/or shipping fees. When all things are considered, MidwayUSA is comparable to most of the other online sellers. They certainly beat local retailers when sales tax is considered. They might make mistakes and, at least in my limited experience, have corrected them.

[oldred]

If this is all correct, you should have addressed it with your credit card company when it happened. Like I said, whenever I hit the "submit" button on any vendor's website I know how much it is going to cost me. Most times, but always from MidwayUSA, I have an invoice e-mailed to me soon after I hit submit. I have yet to be overcharged.




No one said you would be OVERcharged but if you are saying that you will NOT be charged multiple shipping charges on back-ordered items then you are wrong! They most certainly WILL charge shipping + handling fees for every item that gets sent separate from the original order, they will plainly tell you they do this and they do not make any apologies for doing it! Try and add a back-ordered item to your next order.

[Ickisrulz]

No one said you would be OVERcharged but if you are saying that you will NOT be charged multiple shipping charges on back-ordered items then you are wrong! They most certainly WILL charge shipping + handling fees for every item that gets sent separate from the original order, they will plainly tell you they do this and they do not make any apologies for doing it! Try and add a back-ordered item to your next order.

I was referring to GabbyM's post--that's why I quoted him. He said they did not tell him anything about 2 HazMat charges and that they did things that were not legal. Sounds like a claim of being overcharged.

However, in post #47 it looks like you're saying you didn't know they were sending items in different shipments and that they were "crooks."

[MBTcustom]

I'm still trying to get my head around the double shipping thing myself (I've never been accused of being the sharpest tack in the drawer). I guess I assumed that if you receive two shipments, then there would be two shipping/haz-mat/delivery charges. Are you saying that if a company does not have something is stock and have to ship it at a later date, then you should get the shipping for free? I thought that the haz-mat fee's were levied by the government on everything that is shipped, every time its shipped. I was under the impression that shipping charges were the same way in that those trucks dont run for free. I dont see how a company could make it if their only option was to either pay huge inventory taxes, and pay free shipping for all the items that they were not taxed for.
If the items are not on the shelf in the same warehouse, I dont see how you can get away from charging the customer double shipping sometimes.
What am I missing here?
Not trying to stir the pot, just trying to figure out how that makes them crooks (aside from charging $15 to ship and item that would otherwise fit into a SFRB).

[oldred]

The term crooks was a very bad choice of words and I should not have said that but I have said several times the problem is not giving the customer a choice, not that they hide charges, but still unless you check your back-order you will not see the extra shipping since they do not charge for items until they are sent- not charging until items are sent is, to their credit, fair. Once more, my complaint is NOT ABOUT HIDDEN charges but rather forcing a customer to pay extra shipping/handling fees to complete an order that includes back-ordered items! The customer has no choices other than just pay up or take a chance and wait for the back-ordered item to become available, this means not only waiting on all the items but risking that other items will become back-ordered while waiting! This is what happened to me this last time and it has happened before! The problem is, and has been. that I simply CANNOT place a complete order without paying multiple shipping/handling charges!

BTW, If you think it's not possible to not notice you might be incurring extra shipping handling just try adding a back-ordered item to your order. No problem if you're aware of it but it can happen easier than you apparently think! Besides it should not even be an issue, they could do as most everyone else does and at least give the customer the option of having everything shipped at once but they refuse to do that.

[Jon K]

There is no one stop shopping dealer, that has everything at a good price.

You need to shop around and find what suits your needs.

Midway ships fast, if it's in stock.

Graf and Brownell's are high price for those, who are not a dealer/C&R/active LEW or Military. Brownell's staff will not check or measure in stock items(guy i dealt with really went off on me, when I asked.

Midsouth and Powder Valley have great prices, and are easy to deal with.

Tooling was mentioned... Manson Reamers gets my vote. Get exactly what you want, delivered when quoted. Dave is a good guy to deal with.

Shop around, then you won't need to rant!!!

One stop shopping...Who can afford it in this economy?

Jon

[MBTcustom]

The alternative is to buy from three different places to get the items that are in stock delivered to you in a reasonable period of time....but I dont see how that saves you on shipping, you will still pay a fair shipping price per parcel that is delivered to your door. It doesn't matter if you get three packages from one company or one package each from three different companies, you will still pay three different shipping charges.
Can't you just not order a back-ordered item until it becomes available? They do clearly state which items are on back-order so that you can easily budget your order. If you add an item to your cart that is back-ordered, and are charged for it, why should that guarantee free shipping when the item becomes available?
If you were to wait until the item comes available, you would pay shipping.
If you shop somewhere else, you will pay shipping.
If you drive to the factory and pick your stuff up, you will pay gas to get there and back.
I just don't understand how that makes them the bad guy. I mean you ordered the stuff. surely, you don't want Midway to call you up and remind you of what you ordered, right?

[oldred]

The alternative is to buy from three different places to get the items that are in stock delivered to you in a reasonable period of time....but I dont see how that saves you on shipping, you will still pay a fair shipping price per parcel that is delivered to your door. It doesn't matter if you get three packages from one company or one package each from three different companies, you will still pay three different shipping charges.
Can't you just not order a back-ordered item until it becomes available? They do clearly state which items are on back-order so that you can easily budget your order. If you add an item to your cart that is back-ordered, and are charged for it, why should that guarantee free shipping when the item becomes available?
If you were to wait until the item comes available, you would pay shipping.
If you shop somewhere else, you will pay shipping.
If you drive to the factory and pick your stuff up, you will pay gas to get there and back.
I just don't understand how that makes them the bad guy. I mean you ordered the stuff. surely, you don't want Midway to call you up and remind you of what you ordered, right?


You are missing the point, I even said I understand that they probably could not ship back-orders for no extra cost (even though most places do!) post #51, at least not with the ridiculous numbers of items they ALWAYS have back-ordered, the problem is -now listen closely- I have not been able to place a single complete order in six years without EITHER leaving out items or paying at least double shipping and handling! I elected this last time to wait on two items (which would have been shipped at different times with separate shipping/handling on each) but when they at last became available two more items of my original order had been back-ordered!!! If you have no problem with paying $45 total (that's about what it would have come to after all had arrived) on a $219.00 order that would mail in a $5.00 flat rate box then I don't know how else to explain it to you! The most expensive item was $95 and I could have gotten everything I wanted shipped for about $15 if they would have just held everything for a week and shipped all at once but they refused! I really don't see what's so hard to understand and I doubt you will either if you ever need something that's on back-order.

[edsmith]

that is why I will not order from midway.:goodpost:

[Geraldo]

oldred, is there a large mail order business that will set aside two items for a customer while they wait for a distributor or manufacturer to ship them a backordered item?

From their perspective that would take up a large amount of space and require a another system to keep the orders separate and organized. Then you might cancel your order before it ships and they missed a chance to sell something that was reserved for you. And to be fair to Midway you're not ordering something that flies off the shelf daily.

I understand what you don't like about Midway, but what I don't understand is why you're letting their business policy give you heartburn. Exercise your right to spend your money elsewhere and drive on.

[alamogunr]

i understand what you don't like about midway, but what i don't understand is why you're letting their business policy give you heartburn. Exercise your right to spend your money elsewhere and drive on.

amen!

[oldred]

oldred, is there a large mail order business that will set aside two items for a customer while they wait for a distributor or manufacturer to ship them a backordered item?

From their perspective that would take up a large amount of space and require a another system to keep the orders separate and organized. Then you might cancel your order before it ships and they missed a chance to sell something that was reserved for you. And to be fair to Midway you're not ordering something that flies off the shelf daily.

I understand what you don't like about Midway, but what I don't understand is why you're letting their business policy give you heartburn. Exercise your right to spend your money elsewhere and drive on.

I deal with several mail order outfits and NONE of them have the same problems as trying to order from Midway. Again if someone has no problems with paying $45 shipping on a $219 order that could be shipped for less than$10 then there is no explaining the problem to them. As far as the "heartburn" this discussion is simply that, a discussion, and it it seems that by far most who have replied to this thread have had the same problems and have no trouble understanding my dis-satisfaction. I was just simply frustrated at not being able to place a single complete order in six years without having to omit wanted items or pay unreasonable shipping fees after all is totaled, I think most would agree that having to pay shipping/handling twice or even three times on the same order is unreasonable. Of course I have the option to leave off items and avoid these fees but how many of us are going to later order only one or two small items and pay shipping fees that can sometimes amount to more than the cost of the item? Like I said if this was an occasional occurrence I would just call it an annoyance and not say anything but not being able to place a complete order, not ONE, in a six year period?


This problem is often voiced about Midway both on this site and others but do you see the same about other shooting suppliers? Which one's?

[Ickisrulz]

Oldred,

You've spent all this time explaining your position on this thread, did you write a letter to Midway?

[oldred]

Oldred,

You've spent all this time explaining your position on this thread, did you write a letter to Midway?

LOL, yes I finally did send them an E-Mail but I doubt I would have had some of you not repeatedly urged me to do so, of course that's what should have been done before getting this deep into an internet forum I just didn't expect it to go more than a reply or two.

I was also surprised at the heavy response from people having the same problems with them. I probably should not have been surprised however since this complaint is nothing new and I am sure Midway hears about it on a regular basis but their lack of real competition leaves them with little incentive to change their practice. It matters little to me at this point since I have now joined the group that will not buy from them again, fair business practice or not I am just fed up with the frustration of trying to buy what I want without being forced to pay multiple shipping/handling fees.

[Ickisrulz]

LOL, yes I finally did send them an E-Mail but I doubt I would have had some of you not repeatedly urged me to do so, of course that's what should have been done before getting this deep into an internet forum I just didn't expect it to go more than a reply or two.

I was also surprised at the heavy response from people having the same problems with them. I probably should not have been surprised however since this complaint is nothing new and I am sure Midway hears about it on a regular basis but their lack of real competition leaves them with little incentive to change their practice. It matters little to me at this point since I have now joined the group that will not buy from them again, fair business practice or not I am just fed up with the frustration of trying to buy what I want without being forced to pay multiple shipping/handling fees.

An e-mail is not a letter. Many times you will get better results with an old fashioned letter.

[rbertalotto]

I'm at number 11.....I've tried to order mdse 11 times in a row where they were out of stock on at least half of the items on each order!

I wrote a letter. The response was "It's hard to keep mdse in stock"..........Amazing!

Brownelles, Titan Reloading supplies, and the various vendors on this site get all my business now.

[alamogunr]

oldred, You keep saying they have no real competition. I guess I don't need the range of items you do because I find many places to order what I need. Graf usually has what I need and if they don't I just wait until it is in stock. Case in point: A year or so ago, I wanted to fill out my collection of Wilson case holders. They were out of one that I needed. I called and they said it was on order and check back in about 2 weeks. I did, they had it and I placed my order.

As I mentioned before, I've had very good luck with MidSouth except for the Tennessee sales tax of 9.75%.

I get emails from Widener's promoting their specials and new items. This past week they had 40mm ammo cans. A good price on a shipment of 4. They made special note that shipping would probably be more than the cost of the cans. I'll probably still be considering whether to buy when they are all gone. They also have to charge me Tennessee sales tax.

[oldred]

I am unfortunately all too familiar with Tn's sales tax since I live in Tn also.