Midway/UPS rant

[jtcarm]

I would rather buy from the back of a stranger's van than order from Smiling Larry, but i couldnt resist the sale on Comp Iii SLs.

I ordered on Friday, 10/18. Even though it was a back order, I got an email the same day that they had shipped. I didn't read it until I started wondering today where my SLs were. According to Ups tracking, they didn't get it till the 21st and won't be delivered until the 28th.

And yes, I'm in the continental U.S.

[UncaGrunny]

These days, "Shipped" really only means a label has been generated by the customers' terminal.

10/18 being a Friday, if Midway created the label after UPS pickup time, then UPS wouldn't actually get it til the 21st. Ground freight in transit for four or five days, and delivery on the Monday 28th, the 6th business day after ordering.

Not making excuses for them, understand - - but it makes a good point of not buying anything on-line on a Friday if you want it in a week. Especially if it'll go ground freight.

[Federalis]

Midway and smilin' Larry" lost my business several years ago. He needs to spend a little more time at home running his business and less time traveling the world, IMHO....

[Alpo]

I placed an online order to Numrich. Placed it Friday, after close-of-business, so I knew it would be Monday before they got to it.

It arrived Saturday. Not "the next day" Saturday. "Eight days later" Saturday. I got a "we shipped" email Tuesday. Took four days to get from New York to Florida.

Oh well. It got here, and the gun is fixed. That's the important thing.

And that was 1st Class Mail, from the Post Office.

[safearm]

I haven't had those problems. I ordered on-line during business hours on Friday with standard shipping, and the package was delivered to my front door on Tuesday.

[mkk41]

Just wait till ya see your "fair & honest shipping charges"!


Shipping PLUS handling PLUS packaging!

Forget exactly how much a set of Burris Xtreme rings were on sale for , think it was like $29.99. They shipped in a padded envelope.

S&H was $16 and change!!!!

[jtcarm]

Well, shoulda checked the mail before posting, they arrived today:-)

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Originally Posted by jtcarm

Well, shoulda checked the mail before posting, they arrived today:-)

Midway emails the UPS tracking number and link to it. Even if it had not arrived yet today, it should have showed "Out For Delivery" when you clicked on the link today.

[Practical]

Smiling Larry was about the ONLY online dealer who would ship Magazines to NY up to about 10 days before the 7 round or lower magazine band went into effect in NY.

Midway USA delivered ammo and guns and said they would support NY'ers.

Cheaper then dirt, and every other website I tried stopped sell magazines as soon as the law passed. Only 1 other site in California would sell to NY'ers I knew of ONLY after I pointed out the law was not yet I effect.

Midway is the FIRST place I shop because they helped me acquire 10 round magazines when I needed them.

They offer good products at fair prices and are ON OUR SIDE.

[TucsonMTB]

I like Midway and often purchase from them. More than once, the shipping time was frustratingly long. And, more than once an order arrived sooner than expected.

Until my most recent order, Brownells was always amazingly quick and was my "go to source" when I wanted something in a hurry. In the past, Brownells checkout also allowed me to choose the US Postal Service as the shipper. Believe it or not, USPS has easily been the most reliable method for shipping to where I live in Tucson, Arizona from almost anywhere in the US, except Texas where they often route the package through Tennessee or South Dakota. For my last order, USPS was not an option . . . no idea why. Physically, it was just a few very small, lightweight items.

Bottom line is that shipping from both of my favorite shooting item suppliers has become slower and less reliable of late than in the past.

[millisec]

Midway made a huge mistake dropping priority mail. For many things it was the best thing going in shipping. If you take regular UPS the rates are ridiculous now and the cheaper rates they now offer are for some ridiculously slow method where UPS ships it by truck to your city and then passes it off to the PO for delivery. I ordered one like that and it was 8 days to get a .5# package with a muzzle break. DVOR has picked up the same type of shipping except the same garbage from FedEx. Its only a shame Graf's was out of something I needed and I had to order from Midway again. I suspect a lot of what is going on was from UPS jacking rates for ground since its really only 3 days in most cases. Then of course FedEx followed suit. Even Newegg known for the ability to get UPS packages anywhere in 3 days for ground rates has changed and pretty much switched to FedEx ground. Funny thing is my latest order from Midway was scheduled for delivery next Tuesday. Checking tracking it got bumped up for "early delivery" on Saturday... We'll see.

On the smiling Larry front... I'm a hunter also but it was pretty audacious for him to be mailing out Larry's stories about doing things like killing elephants in Africa. Not very politically or environmentally correct these days.

[71firebird400]

Ya'll need to quit being babies. Midway USA has always done right by me and the one time I had a shipment delayed due to them transitioning to a new software I received a letter from Larry apologizing for the delay along with a gift certificate.

[arjay]

I wonder if amazon sees an opportunity here ? :-D

[Hack]

Just ordered a bunch of cleaning stuff from Brownells. Shipping was $7.95.

Haven't ordered from Midway in a while, but when I do, it's usually at least $100. Often more. Can't recall what there shipping was, but it was fast. No complaints, other than some parts are still listed that are no longer available. Same with Brownells. Just a waste of time ordering them and then a few weeks later getting the information that the part is no longer available.

Numrich is expensive for shipping. But when they got the part ya need....

[Smitty357]

Dont feel bad man, some weird stuff happened to me also. I ordered some good hunting rounds from BPS the other day (in stock). Of course i have one here in my city, so it ships free to the store. Anyways, i ordered went about my business. Today (4 days later) i still havent gotten an email from them on my order. But they have charged my CC for the package.

So im sitting here wondering when my package will ever get to the store or if it will even ship before hunting season.

[Malpasowildlifer]

It is all about Brownell's and Natchez Shooting Supply...for me

[perrazi]

smiling larry's place is my last stop. if no one else has what I want I try them. he likes to hear himself talk too much.

[BLUEDOT37]

Midway has always shipped my orders fast, if they were in stock & UPS delivered fast, but their rates have changed & they added a cheaper, but slower option, which I didn't have good luck with & I thought you might have used. UPS Mail Innovations

[Boxhead]

Originally Posted by jtcarm

I would rather buy from the back of a stranger's van than order from Smiling Larry, but i couldnt resist the sale on Comp Iii SLs.

I ordered on Friday, 10/18. Even though it was a back order, I got an email the same day that they had shipped. I didn't read it until I started wondering today where my SLs were. According to Ups tracking, they didn't get it till the 21st and won't be delivered until the 28th.

And yes, I'm in the continental U.S.

Horrible. I suggest you delete Midway's website from your favorites.

[snake803]

I just received a shipment from Gun Parts Corp (Numrich) on Tues. .... (springs and extractor and small parts) The total weight was 0.61#s ... "shipping" was $7.50...Postage on the plastic envelope was $1.69 ,1st class USPS...Ain't that sum'thin?????
JIM..............

[ohiojerry]

Life is a series of trade offs. Even in the moderately sized city where I live there isn't a store that offers everything I can buy at Brownell's, Midway, etc. So paying some shipping charges is a trade off to get just what I want. Plus, it isn't like they sneak them in on you, whenever I've ordered online, any charges are clearly shown before I hit the "place order" button.

If you want to pay the charges, pay them. If you don't, then don't. Smiling Larry isn't holding a gun to your head. But, exercising your free will and then complaining about it is just childish.

[zzzippper]

I've never had any trouble with them either. This is the first reference to "Smiling Larry" that I've seen.

Originally Posted by 71firebird400

Ya'll need to quit being babies. Midway USA has always done right by me and the one time I had a shipment delayed due to them transitioning to a new software I received a letter from Larry apologizing for the delay along with a gift certificate.

[Taurus627]

Never had a problem with Midway USA. Every time I order it usually get's to me in a week, or maybe a couple days more but then again, I guess I may be a bit more realistic when it comes to internet orders knowing I am not the only customer they have. So if it takes a day or to longer to get it, no big deal!!

If I am in that big of a hurry, I try to find the item locally.

[Taurus627]

Originally Posted by snake803

I just received a shipment from Gun Parts Corp (Numrich) on Tues. .... (springs and extractor and small parts) The total weight was 0.61#s ... "shipping" was $7.50...Postage on the plastic envelope was $1.69 ,1st class USPS...Ain't that sum'thin?????
JIM..............

Welcome to this great thing we call CAPITALISM!!
Profit is the name of the game, so they made a couple extra bucks on shipping.

[Poodle Soup]

Never have had a problem with them, but when I order something online I forget about it until it shows up at the door... it turns the UPS guy into santa clause and is a little more fun that way : p

[Minnehaha]

I just got a delivery from Midway today. I ordered some gun rugs, gun socks, 44 special, 12 ga buckshot, and 410 ga buckshot. It got here in two days, packed perfectly. I have never had a problem with Midway and have placed many orders with them. The quality of the products they sell is first rate. The only bad thing I could say is that they are a little expensive (not more than going to Gander Mountain or Cabela's though). Sometimes the convenience of having it delivered right to my door in a timely manner, and knowing the product is good, is well worth it.

[NCTexan]

I always "resist" buying from sellers that I can't stand. It keeps my BP down.

I'm very happy with 95% of my on-line purchases (including Midway) and generally get good service from UPS, FEDEX and even the USPS.

Maybe I'm just too easy to please.

[the ringo kid]

Ive never ordered from any online dealers--but would like to--just never dipped my toe into the pond yet. That said, I looked at a few sites today like: Cheaper than Dirt and I noticed they have NOTHING cheap IMO. Ive been looking at their site for several months. Dont think ill ever order anything from them. I looked at Midway and like the site, so will eventually place an order.

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Ordered $50 of stuff on the 12th. Shipping charges were $4.29 (UPS Mail Innovations). Used discount code NRA5013 for $10 off, which is the same as free shipping plus about 10% off my order. Shipment is in Atlanta and my guess it will be here on the 15th.

Been using Midway for a looooooooooong time. Not much to fuss about.

[NCTexan]

Not much to fuss about.

Hey... folks can always find something to fuss about.

[Hack]

Welcome to the wonderful world of internet buying.

Put on your big boy britches and venture in.

I've never had any issue with Midway, Brownells, Optics planet, etc. Know what you're buying and go forward.

[aphelion]

I read stuff like this and wonder if I am on a different planet. It is rare that it takes more than 3-4 days for me to get something from Midway. And I always specify the cheapest shipping method. But I can still remember ordering stuff from J.C. Whitney back in the '70s that would take 4 months to arrive. I wonder how those grousing about shipping taking a week would react to that.

[billwill]

Will not shop Midway for same shipping problems and shipping prices

[kamloops67]

Originally Posted by aphelion

I read stuff like this and wonder if I am on a different planet. It is rare that it takes more than 3-4 days for me to get something from Midway. And I always specify the cheapest shipping method. But I can still remember ordering stuff from J.C. Whitney back in the '70s that would take 4 months to arrive. I wonder how those grousing about shipping taking a week would react to that.

"allow 6-8 weeks for delivery" , that was the usual parting line for a lot of ads i remember.
i just had a handgun ship from missisauga to kamloops sent on the 7th it arrived yesterday, and i was irritated because the tracking system had indicated today as delivery day...i got over it

[kwselke]

I've made two small orders from Midway in the last three months. I used the lowest cost UPS/USPS hybrid shipping option and the goods arrived within the week. I could not have bought the items locally or elsewhere online for any less money, and Midway had them in stock.

[RenoGuy]

I've ordered lots of stuff from Midway and had no complaints; until today

Placed a small order the end of last week for a box of bullets and a small digital scale.

$9.53 for shipping, handling & insurance.

Shipped by what they call "Sure Post" (UPS from Missouri to my local post office outside Baltimore; then postal delivery to me).

Wish I'd noticed the shipping thing when I placed the order.

UPS managed to get my package (really just an 8x11 padded envelope) from Missouri to Baltimore in about 3 days.

The tracking notice noted that my package would even show up one day sooner than originally anticipated!!

That was before the USPS got a hold of it.

I was actually kind of anxious to get the bullets because I needed to work up some new loads for an upcoming deer hunt, and I needed to do my test firing tomorrow or Saturday.

UPS got the package to the post office late Tuesday afternoon. The post office didn't log it in until after 7:00 the next morning.

USPS tracking shows it loaded on the mail truck for delivery yesterday morning at 10:30.

My mail was delivered yesterday at 5:45 PM - no package!!

I had signed up for email tracking notices from USPS. They email you every time there's a change of status, or every 24 hours if there's no changes.

This morning's email status said, "Delivery status not updated."

What the Sam Hill does that mean?

Printed out the UPS and USPS tracking statements and drove to the post office to see if I could lay my hands on the package (I said I was anxious to get my hands on the bullets, remember?

Lady behind the counter looks at the tracking papers, goes in the back, and comes out empty handed. No packages here for me today

I ask her where she thinks it is. She reads the tracking info again, gets a little confused look on her face, and says she has no idea! Probably out on the truck for delivery!

I remind her that she just read a statement that said the package was "...on the truck for delivery.." YESTERDAY, TOO!

She shrugs, I snatch my paperwork and leave

The mail (and my package) doesn't show up at my house until 6:15 this evening!

So-o-o, it took my local post office two-thirds as long to deliver my package a mile and a half down the street as it took UPS to deliver it from Missouri to Illinois and on to two different UPS terminals in Maryland

Nice work USPS! And they wonder why they're going broke every year?

From here on, it's gonna be UPS or Fedex all the way. This is not the first time I've had serious issues with mail delivery here. A few years back they actually caused me to lose several thousand dollars because of a chain of undelivered mail (and certified mail at that!)

Midway I got no problems with; but I'm gonna watch how my deliveries are shipped from here out.

[millisec]

I ordered a couple things again from Midway that finally showed up after being out of stock a while. Here again no one else had it in stock. Charged $9.53 for mail innovations 1.5# package when I ordered on the 5th. Again my real complaint is this new half cocked shipping scheme they have. They could have still offered priority mail (or preferred UPS ground rates) for less than that and would have had a happy customer with package in hand in 2 days. This is the age of instant gratification and slow over priced shipping only serves to annoy customers. I was always happy with Midway (for years) until this BS started. This latest package was delivered on the 13th. Larry would do his business a huge favor by firing the members of management that dreamed up this new shipping arrangement.

[SgtLumpy]

I find that whoever the vendor is, the UPS+USPS "Surepost" or the FedEx+USPS "Smartpost" is a long delivery time. Always seems to add a day at each switchover from one company to the other. I always picture disgruntled USPS workers saying "That UPS [or That FedEx] thinks they're gonna take our jobs". So they put their stuff in the back of the que.

It's always faster if it's USPS alone, or UPS alone or FedEx alone.

And Amazon kicks everyone's butt in speed of delivery. Sometimes same day. Some of those other vendors don't even acknowledge my order by the time Amazon will get it delivered.


Sgt Lumpy

[LVSteve]

Originally Posted by SgtLumpy

And Amazon kicks everyone's butt in speed of delivery. Sometimes same day. Some of those other vendors don't even acknowledge my order by the time Amazon will get it delivered.


Sgt Lumpy

Got to hand it to Amazon, they have this game nailed. I bought four new tyres and opted for the slow but free delivery. I think it only took two days longer than the expensive option.

Speaking of Amazon reminds me, there is a Curved Air Live CD I must order.

[Rastoff]

Originally Posted by jtcarm

Well, shoulda checked the mail before posting, they arrived today:-)

Let me get this straight. You ordered from a company you hate, but they had the right price. You knew it was back ordered, but they ship it sooner than you expected. In fact, you get it in only 6 calendar days. Yet you came here to complain about it???

Originally Posted by aphelion

I read stuff like this and wonder if I am on a different planet.
.....
But I can still remember ordering stuff from J.C. Whitney back in the '70s that would take 4 months to arrive. I wonder how those grousing about shipping taking a week would react to that.

The funny part is most of those that complain like this were around when that was normal.

We live in the microwave generation. If it doesn't happen instantly, they're pissed. Amazon isn't perfect either. I've had stuff take more than three weeks to come from them.

Where I live I have little choice. If shipping is less than $20 it's cheaper to get it on line. I'm patient and can wait. Midway, Brownell's, Cabela's, Gander Mountain, and on and on, they're all fine and have a larger selection than any local store.

[chief38]

Unless Brownell's doesn't sell it and I can not get an item locally, I usually will NOT buy from Midway. Every time I order from them and it says "in stock" it usually gets back ordered. I have found lately that their customer service is stinko and there always seems to be an issue. Brownell's seems to be much more customer oriented and usually has what they advertise as in stock - in stock.

[BLUEDOT37]

Originally Posted by RenoGuy

I've ordered lots of stuff from Midway and had no complaints; until today

Nice work USPS! And they wonder why they're going broke every year?

From here on, it's gonna be UPS or Fedex all the way. This is not the first time I've had serious issues with mail delivery here.

Midway I got no problems with; but I'm gonna watch how my deliveries are shipped from here out.

Same thing here...USPS sat on it locally instead of delivering it.

[FishingPilot]

Originally Posted by arjay

I wonder if amazon sees an opportunity here ? :-D

I've started ordering stuff from Amazon also. Same items, sometimes cheaper and ALWAYS cheaper shipping.

[oldbill]

USPS routing appears to be crazy.
This is from an UPS-USPS order from Midway. (Shipping charge less than $5 for two magazines.)

N.B. The top entry is the most current, the bottom the oldest.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, United States 11/18/2013 10:29 A.M. Package processed by Post Office
GREENSBORO, NC, United States 11/16/2013 2:26 A.M. Package processed by Post Office
CAPITOL HEIGHTS, MD, United States 11/15/2013 9:58 A.M. Package processed by Post Office
PHILADELPHIA, PA, United States 11/14/2013 11:14 A.M. Electronic Shipment Information Received for Package by Post Office

[O2Guy]

Originally Posted by jtcarm

I would rather buy from the back of a stranger's van than order from Smiling Larry, but i couldnt resist the sale on Comp Iii SLs.

Sounds like you weren't going to be happy, no matter what happened.

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaPhil

Ordered $50 of stuff on the 12th. Shipping charges were $4.29 (UPS Mail Innovations). Used discount code NRA5013 for $10 off, which is the same as free shipping plus about 10% off my order. Shipment is in Atlanta and my guess it will be here on the 15th.

You guessed wrong, dummy.

Tracking shows it to have arrived in Atlanta and USPS Chattanooga 11/14.... but it hasn't arrived in my mailbox yet.

It still shows scheduled delivery 11/18 (yesterday). Pugsters alerted me to the mail lady yesterday. Walked out to get my goodies...

Next time I choose Mail Innovations I'm not going to look at tracking. I'll just wait till it arrives and be happy.

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Update...

What a nice surprise. Two Mail Innovation packages from Midway arrived today. The other one I had ordered on 11/15 and it was scheduled to arrive 11/21.

Hmmm... maybe Mail Innovations is a bit more sophisticated than I know.

That said... I ordered a Harris bipod from Amazon on the 12th (same day as I ordered from Midway on the first package) it arrived last Thursday. Shipping was free... and it also went through Atlanta.

Alls well that ends well... Thanks Midway and Mail Innovations.

[Rastoff]

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaPhil

Next time I choose Mail Innovations I'm not going to look at tracking. I'll just wait till it arrives and be happy.

This is quality advice. It will greatly reduce stress. No need to concern yourself until the package is more than a day or two late.

I have a co-worker who is obsessed with packages. When he has one coming, he keeps the UPS site open on his computer and refreshes it every 5 minutes or so. I'm not kidding, every 5 minutes. What's really funny, is that he doesn't really care about the stuff inside the package. I've known him to leave boxes unopened for months. I feel sorry for him.

[TucsonMTB]

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaPhil

Next time I choose Mail Innovations I'm not going to look at tracking. I'll just wait till it arrives and be happy.

Originally Posted by Rastoff

This is quality advice. It will greatly reduce stress. No need to concern yourself until the package is more than a day or two late.

I believe you gentlemen are right on the money. When I really can't wait, I do avoid Midway. Same for smaller orders. I can usually find what I want for the same total cost or less from other suppliers who can deliver more quickly.

But, I still enjoy using Midway. They have a huge catalog and are usually very reliable. What's not to like?

[Rick_A]

My last order came a couple days early. I've yet to be burned by MidwayUSA. The prices aren't the best, but the selection is usually good. If I can save enough on shipping instead of buying from multiple sources, I'll use them.