RANT:

Today I ordered 2 x Fobus holsters and a shotgun soft case from Optics Planet. As always, their prices were the best...and the website slickly guided me through my purchase. There was no mention of "out of stock" or "back order" and I pressed "BUY".

An hour later I get an email stating :

"Thank you for your order. We apologize, but your order has been temporarily placed on hold because we have just run out of stock on..."

BS. Double BS. Triple BS. This is a dang ploy by OP to lure us into buying knowing that other sites list if items are in our out of stock...and by having prices $2-$5 cheaper than the competition. Now I either wait an additional 7-10 days or go elsewhere.

GOD I hate OpticsPlanet!!! This is my 3rd time...same issue...same hate...but I usually end up ordering again with them!!!! WHY!!!!

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

Issue is with the WAY that products are shown as availabile. OP should have a better logistics tracking program that can show warehouse availability.

My other couple dozen orders have been first-rate (as well as when I need to return items). My rant is on a specific marketing ploy that I detest...as well as lack of investment into website/warehouse tracking measures.

I buy my Fobus holsters direct from Fobus. Free USPS shipping. Guaranteed for life.

Optics did the same thing to me once on a scope, they said 3-4 weeks. Ended up being months!.

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Still Running Against the Wind

1/2 of the holsters available at Fobus (no G19 RH model). I pay $7.00 more for the holster via Fobus. The G19 on the Fobus site is $10 more than OP. Crazy man. Will keep looking...simply crazy.

Customer: How much for that widgit?
Merchant: $10 sir.
Customer: $10!!! The store across the street has it for $8!!!
Merchant: Why not buy it there then?
Customer: It's out of stock.
Merchant: Oh - when were out of widgits we only charge $7!!

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Lou

I would not aggrievate myself, I would buy somewhere else. Life is too short to deal with bad people.

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Dick

Midway has them but then you would have to pay shipping

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Still Running Against the Wind

I don't buy a lot of stuff from OP, but when I do, I simply call them. I get a live person who takes my order, has always told me if the thing is in stock and takes my credit card.

I do the same with Midway, Mid-South, Gamaliels and most of the other places I purchase from. Much easier, at least for me.

Bob

I always sell the products I do not have for $3 to $4 less than the competition! lol

Happened to me in October last year..finally received January 2011. Never again, 15 emails of the same verbage.

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NRA Life Member and Instructor

At least you got an e-mail. A few months ago I was shopping for a Benchmade Mini-Presidio and, like you, found the cheapest price at Optics Planet with free shipping. The website said it was in-stock. I placed my order. Being free shipping I figured it was by ground so I gave it about a week, week-and-a-half. Then I realized I never got a ship notification. I checked the status online and there was no mention of the item being shipped. I called to check on the status of my order. That's when they told me they were out of stock and it would take 6-8 weeks before they would be in stock again. They said they had sent out e-mails to everyone who had ordered one, but I never received it. I cancelled my order. Within 5 minutes I found another vendor and placed my order. I had my knife in less than a week.

Similar experiences here, as well. As someone said, call 'em and confirm in-stock immediate availability, that's the best way and the only way I deal with them any more.

They do have very competitive prices, so for me it's worth a 5-minute phone call. Just my $.02.

Similar experience and I am done ordering from them. I wanted a new set of night sights and a co worker also wanted a pair for his gun (different model). I looked around and tried to find who had both in stock to save shipping. Optics planet said they had both in stock so I ordered. What I got in the mail was one set and the other one back ordered (mine).
I told them to shove the other ones.... Its the principal that it allowed me to order online (after I called to verify they had both sets) and then I got the surprise. I get dealer pricing from Midway and Brownells and they will get my funds. I tried OP a couple times and NOT impressed.

They have never had the lowest price any of the times I have checked with them. Most of the time they are even higher than Brownells. I usually find Natchez or MidwayUSA to have better prices. And I like Midway's NRA round up program.

Just called. Their "product handling expert" is not on duty and nobody who can fit a "gun to holster" is available to help me. I'm supposed to call back on Monday.

Great...I will spend the extra cash and go somewhere else. Just cancelled my order...eat it OpticsPlanet.

if you dont like the food..............dont eat the meal.

I got burned and will never buy from them. I ordered a Leupold scope for my son's Christmas present and couldn't figure out which Leupold scope caps went with it. I called the customer service folks who took my order and specifically told me they were sending the correct scope caps. The scope and caps arrived and guess what, the caps didn't fit. I called and they said no problem, send the scope caps back. They forgot to mention there was a $10 "restocking fee" for each scope cap. I called and took it up the chain to a supervisor who told me that it wasn't their fault the order people sent me the wrong scope caps and they would not refund the $20. I'd ordered the scope months prior to Christmas so I couldn't dispute it through the credit card. I'll never deal with them again even if they are giving stuff away. Avoid them like the clap.

I've used them 5 different times in the last 3 years or so. Mostly Safariland stuff. Never had the first problem whatsoever in ordering, paying or shipping. Always fast shipping and in stock. Never emailed or called them once about anything.

I'm actually surprised at the comments here. Better lucky than good I guess!

rags

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RIP Shipmate

I never used them until late May this year, and I ordered atriple mag holder from Bianchi I went through everything and ordered it.

I got my e mail saying it was on the way then 3 days later it was back ordered. I got an e mail yesterday that it was on the way a good 5 weeks after the initial order.

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Stan

If you use eBay, Optics Planet is on it and I've found you can sometimes get better deals from them going through eBay than you can Amazon or their own website. I bought some Trijicon night sights last year from them where they listed a Buy it Now price and also "Best Offer". I searched their feedback and, reviewing past sales for the same item, figured out what the lowest price they'd accept was and bought them that way, saving 5 bucks off their lowest price found anywhere else. Plus, if they've got it listed on eBay, it had better be in stock or they risk bad feedback.

Okay, let me be sure I have the right company:


Optics Planet


Let me put them in my Don't Order Here file!!!

Never dealt with them, but I've read LOTS of complaints. I've ordered optics from Bear Basin and have been satisified with prices and service, you might want to check with them.

I had better luck with Optics Planet On-Line than Smith & Wesson On-Line.
Ordered 2 mags from the store and got an automated confirmation that "normal shipping time is 7 to 10 days." when they didn't arrive within 10 days I called. "Oh, you must have ordered them through our web site. It doesn't tell you this but they're out of stock and we'll send them when they come in. Call back in a few weeks"

Three calls and 4 months later, still out of stock. Order cancelled.

Hey everyone,

I’m sorry about the trouble you’ve had with our website. We don’t have real time inventory on our site right now, but we do our best to keep our products in stock as much as possible. We have a huge warehouse that is constantly expanding, which you can see here:
Warehouse Photos.

As Straightshooter1 mentioned, if you want to check our inventory, give us a call and one of our customer service representatives will let you know if we have your particular product in stock.

As a gesture of good faith, I can offer 6% off on your next order with coupon code 50e8909, which is good through a week from today, so it expires on July 18, 2011. The coupon is good for any order paid through Paypal or with a credit card. Amazon Checkout is limited in its ability to accept our coupons at present. Hopefully the discount, along with free S&H on most orders over $29.95 and our already low prices will convince you that OpticsPlanet is concerned with your satisfaction first and foremost.

Please PM me if you have any specific questions about an order and I will do what I can to take care of it for you.

Brian
Optics Planet
[email protected]
800.504.5897
OpticsPlanet.com | Low Prices, Free S&H on Binoculars, Sunglasses, Night Vision Goggles, Riflescopes, Flashlights, Rangefinders - Hunting, Outdoor, Science & Military Gear

I tried that and still got shorted.......

Well it's good to see a company try and make good.
I do not think it's so much a question of being out of stock as that happens and is up to the suppliers. If you can't get it, you can not sell it. That's what happened with my order over a year ago. The scope was made in Japan and sold by a USA company.

I think the issue is to let customers know right away that a product is out of stock (real time inventory or not).

In today's market of selling online your company needs to address this. Most any other company list in or out of stock.

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Still Running Against the Wind

One of my concerns with OP is when you speak with CS and they direct you to their promotional "Out the door in 24" section of the website which has a "vast array of items, on hand, pre-packaged, and ready to go!" I went there in March (I know, shame on me..blah blah) and they had TWO holsters total. Today, they have ONE holster (a pocket one for a P3AT).

Another ploy is the "Bestseller and staff picks" section where they advertise the most popular and/or the staff favorites. Really. If you think stuff in the general portion of the website was hard to get on hand...imagine how backed up some of the popular items are in the best seller section.

Ultimately, I will probably use the Live Chat or call a service rep if I find an item online which I simply cannot get somewhere else. I will have a 2nd choice and maybe a 3rd choice when they tell me it is unavailable.

I appreciate Brian's comments on this site. [Someone on here must either know OP CS people or BE a OP CS person....to get this attention on a weapons site]. Brian - OP should not take an order for something you DO NOT HAVE. I ordered from Midway, .44MAG, BOTAC, and Comp-Tac this wekeend....all items which I could have gotten from OP. My $500 worth of sales probably wouldn't register as a hiccup in your sales world...but those loss of sales add up in the long run.

Thank you for taking the time to communicate in a professional manner Brian, that does mean something....even if I/we feel like ranting.

As Brian w/Optics Planet suggested, I just sent him a PM to inquire about several holsters that I have had my eye on.

I don't necessarily expect him to be the individual responding to me, but needless to say I am expecting a response. We'll see.

After all, actions speak louder than words.

Have had the same issue twice with them prior as well. Once with a scope, once with an Eotech 552. Will not order from them anymore.

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M66, M&P 360, 642, M85 UL/Ti

UPDATE: The good news is I got prompt responses. Unfortunately, none of the items I am looking for are in-stock or "drop-shippable". So that's fine; at least I know, and I can check elsewhere. Kudos to Brian et.al. for being up-front and honest.

For my part, just not interested in the ol' back-order routine. I don't "back-order" my payment. My money is in-hand and good, right now. I won't accept the other party doing the back-order thing on their end. Just the way I am, I guess. I'm kind of an ol' fart in that regard.

Funny thing how people say that when brick and mortar can compete with Internet stores, they'll go back to brick and mortar.

Ready to go back yet?

Ive bought several diff things from OP including a new pair of prescription sunglasses. never been dissatisfied

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Dyin ain't much of a livin

I'm another satisfied customer of OP. I've ordered 2 holsters over the last couple of months, and both orders were fast and easy. I had to return one holster, and even that went fast and easy.

And now you know why I NEVER buy ANYTHING from Optics Planet...

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Centennial Every Day

Depends on what I'm buying. I needed a watch battery, which was available only at a local Batteries Plus. Cost: $4.50 plus tax. I went on line, and got 10 of the exact same battery delivered, to my house, for $10.75. If friends need them, I'll sell them for a buck each.

Want to buy a new customized laptop? Don't waste your time with the brick-and-mortar stores because they can't do it.

I buy a lot of stuff at the brick-and-mortar stores. I buy a lot of stuff on line, too. If you shop and only one and not the other, you're probably wasting money.

That's true, Chuck. I do shop both and would buy batteries that way. After the fiasco with the mags at S&W I found what I needed at Aumiller's in Westerville. $5 more than on-line but they actually had them.
Custom Computer? I dunno. Anything that expensive, I'm getting in person. There are several custom shops in C-Bus (not the least of which is Micro Center) that can help you and if it crashes, you can knock on their door and complain.

I feel like I just heard the same thing in a restaurant not so long ago. I took a few bites of my steak and it was like the cooked spoiled meat. I called the waiter over to speak with the manager and he told me he would give me half off the meal and a coupon for half off my next visit. I don’t want to eat something that I’m paying for and it tastes spoiled and I’m not sure why I would want to come back for a second attempt.

Does it say on the website, "Call for availability"???

If you are going to buy primarily on price, you need to understand one of the ways that a retailer can sell at that price.

Many of the low price retailers achieve their pricing by have "virtual inventories" that reside in a myriad of wholesaler's warehouses.

This means that they can sell for a fraction over wholesale without any inventory cost. It also means that they must depend on their order systems interfacing flawlessly and on a real-time basis with all the wholesalers' inventory systems. A problem in counting inventory can occur on either end or in the connection between.

There may be a more mundane reason for these problems than deceptive marketing tactics.

This is a common business model for online "stores" and is a disadvantage over higher priced bricks and mortar store.

Hmm,I've seen this guy somewhere before.

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Dum vivo cano

OP must use a ton of paid search advertising. Google just about any shooting related product and Optics Planet will always be in the top ten responses. They must have linked to every product out there in the hope that you will place an order. They must figure that they will worry about order fulfillment AFTER they have collected your coin. I just skip on past them. Besides the back orders, their website is heck to navigate.

If they provided a real time inventory (that was ACCURATE) I might give them another shot. Probably not.

Out
West

Do you think Brian should be packing boxes instead of surfing the web for threads like this?
Two responses and both were to defend the company.Yet the results from both threads are about the same.I guess he's the press sec. or something.
Too little too late or Get on it Brian?
Your call.

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Dum vivo cano

Makes 2 of us.

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Sure you did

My talking skills are way better than my typing skills.
Blessings

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TEXAS, by GOD