Not Happy With Midway USA

[garbler]

I still think the government is behind it, spending huge sums of money they don't have on ammo they don't need.

You should be thankful the govt or military is doing just that. Without military surplus powder companies like Hodgdon would not exist in fact all the powder mills started and exist to supply the military. Right now the pecking order for supplies is controlled by contracts. You and I don't have a contract for powder and primers and all of us combined are a very small number collectively and because we are all so diverse in our wants and needs we are not easily catered to. In other words we don't have the horsepower to make things happen the way we would like. So Military contracts first, then law enforcement and other Govt agencies second, then wholesale factory ammo, then us.

The military has always maintained large ammo reserves for contingencies that can't be planned on. You can't all of a sudden order enough ammo to support some conflict the pops up nor can you expect Federal, Winchester, CCI or any of these companies to stand by and wait for a large order to come in. You have to build and groom your suppliers and the pipeline and that mean keeping enough product in the pipeline to keep the factories working. I have been reloading close to 45 years and have seen so many guys drop out of the sport of shooting during this time that I can't even imagine the count. All of a sudden guns and shooting are in big demand but for how long ? The military and law enforcement just keep buying

 

[jag22]

Think of the CS rep as a traffic cop. They have heard every story imaginable as to why you were speeding. They listen to your rant then hand you a ticket and say have a nice day. Not their job to reinterpret on a case by case basis. I think Midway and most of the major dealers are doing the best they can under extraordinary circumstances. They make decisions that they believe will best satisfy the majority of their customers, knowing full well it won't please everyone. On the other end of the spectrum is someone like CTD who makes the their decision based on satisfying only themselves. Your choice.

 

[H Richard]

Larry Potterfield did not get where he is without using good business sense. Irregardless of a few policy changes under unforeseeable circumstances he has done more for the shooting community than just about any other manufacturer or supplier has ever done. Does he have to make hard business decisions? Darn straight he does. But what I am impressed by is everything I have ordered in the past several months was shipped within 24 hours (I check on line and don't order if not available) and the price had NOT BEEN INCREASED. How many dealers have you dealt with that have not raised prices in the last couple months? Some having raised prices more than double?

 

[Fuego]

I must be the luckiest customer in the world! I have never had a problem with Midway, CDNN, Sportsmans Guide, Brownells, Numrich, Optics Planet, or anyone else.

 

[Twoboxer]

I believe my point was that they did not 'listen intently,' they blew me off with polite indifference. I've been a good customer for a number of years, ordered product that they had no restrictions on at the time of order, entered my cc info, and subsequently got restricted. When questioned about this, they did a poor job of explaining their actions, and did a poor job of customer service.

Honestly, you're conflating "listening to you" with "agreeing with you" and "explaining adequately (from your perspective)". You already know why they're doing it, you just don't like it. And I understand that reaction.

You believe you had an "agreement", but the reality is you had no contract or legal agreement . . . you exchanged nothing of value - they did not even charge your card.

You wanted them to do something different, perhaps as you say because you are a good customer. Well, so am I. So you should get 3 units because you called, and I should only get one because I think they're doing the best thing in a bad situation?

People are free to accept second rate customer service from a vendor, and reward them with handing over their hard earned money, I chose not to... And again, I understand these are tough times, but they could still have handled the situation differently.

What second rate service? How? What would have satisfied you?

Keeping your order at 3 units? Not possible. Should they have cancelled ALL backorders rather than leave you with 1 unit because they realized the shortage situation won't settle down without limits and eliminating a MASSIVE backorder?

I am also not questioning the logic of restricting orders (read my post, this is clear), I just think its wrong to do it to an order already in the system; expectations were already set.

Never said you questioned limiting orders. You just don't realize that those limits apply to future deliveries, and therefore to YOUR BACKORDER.

I don't have an ax to grind with Larry Potterfield, or Midway. He seems like a decent, self made guy, and I respect that. However, that does not take away from the situation that I experienced.

I experienced the same treatment. IMO, you were well treated, and we all are well treated by these policies. Our differences here are what make CS such a biatch.

 

[amazingflapjack]

GREED-What goes-comes.

 

[Rule3]

Larry Potterfield did not get where he is without using good business sense. Irregardless of a few policy changes under unforeseeable circumstances he has done more for the shooting community than just about any other manufacturer or supplier has ever done. Does he have to make hard business decisions? Darn straight he does. But what I am impressed by is everything I have ordered in the past several months was shipped within 24 hours (I check on line and don't order if not available) and the price had NOT BEEN INCREASED. How many dealers have you dealt with that have not raised prices in the last couple months? Some having raised prices more than double?

I have to agree with H Richard above. Now I do not know the OP's exact situation not did any of use hear the conversation. I do find it strange that they changed his original order if in fact that was done.

I have had a few disagreements with Larry and his company, but they have always gone my way. I was questioning a price modification as it seems every time I order something, the next day a flier goes out and it's on sale.. Larry flat out said no we do not price match or adjust prices, He agreed he is not the lowest price but that is why they are still here today.

They have most everything, their returns are easy no problem, their shipping is as good as it gets and he and his Wife just gave one Million to the NRA (not Round Up Money) their money.

So it's not always perfect but I still order from them and when I do, I know I will get it fast and my order will not be screwed up. I have learned to NEVER back order part of a total order or you pay for the shipping twice but that is just the "WAY IT IS"Also never order primers and powder as they come from two different places so there is two haz mat fees.

 

[Maximumbob54]

Also never order primers and powder as they come from two different places so there is two haz mat fees.

I didn't know that... That's no good.

 

[Krogen]

I didn't know that... That's no good.

However, the last time I ordered powder and primers at the same time, the powder shipped for a flat $9.95. It's been a while, so double check for current costs. That flat fee compensated for the double hazmat fee. If you buy enough powder, the hazmat fee isn't a big hit and $9.95 shipping is bargain. It's all about the total cost.

 

[Rule3]

I agree with the "total cost" concept and a haz mat fee but I never order reloading stuff from Midway as prices are almost always better somewhere else.

Haz Mat fees are no big deal if you can afford to order a lot at one time. As you say the cost ($25 or whatever it is now) gets absorbed the more you buy.

HAZ Mat is a joke anyway, they put the product in a heavier cardboard box, the rest is paper work

 

[Maximumbob54]

I agree with the "total cost" concept and a haz mat fee but I never order reloading stuff from Midway as prices are almost always better somewhere else.

Haz Mat fees are no big deal if you can afford to order a lot at one time. As you say the cost ($25 or whatever it is now) gets absorbed the more you buy.

HAZ Mat is a joke anyway, they put the product in a heavier cardboard box, the rest is paper work

Yours shipped in a better box??? Mine has always just been a regular box with primers in their own box in the main box with the powder.

 

[Rule3]

Yours shipped in a better box??? Mine has always just been a regular box with primers in their own box in the main box with the powder.

Never ordered from Midway but absolutely. I got the calipers out to check

But seriously yes it is bit heavier and has all kinds of official warnings, makings. packing labels and neat stuff on it, I threw them all away or I would post a picture. I may have one somewhere,

 

[blujax01]

There's "what's legal" and there's "what's right." Making their new policy retroactive was not right, in my opinion.

 

[geoff40]

Wow, you guys taking the side of Midway surprise me. Using pretty much all of your arguing points, let me ask you this:

If you were in a restaurant and ordered a steak, and they brought you a stuffed chicken breast, you'd be okay with that?

If at a car dealership and you signed off to purchase a truck and they gave you the keys to a compact car instead, you'd say thats okay?

 

[Twoboxer]

There's "what's legal" and there's "what's right." Making their new policy retroactive was not right, in my opinion.

They made their decision - a good one - when it became apparent the situation was long term and necessary.

 

[Twoboxer]

Wow, you guys taking the side of Midway surprise me. Using pretty much all of your arguing points, let me ask you this:

If you were in a restaurant and ordered a steak, and they brought you a stuffed chicken breast, you'd be okay with that?

If they didn't tell me they were out before bringing it to me, I'd laugh and walk out. If they offered to backorder the steak for me, I'd ask how long? Neither matches this case.

If at a car dealership and you signed off to purchase a truck and they gave you the keys to a compact car instead, you'd say thats okay?

Again, not close to the same.

If I needed milk for my baby before the storm, called and ordered 3 gallons held for me, and when I got there they said " There was such a run on milk, we restricted quantities to one - here's yours." . . . I'd be damned grateful.

 

[blujax01]

They made their decision - a good one - when it became apparent the situation was long term and necessary.

I do not believe it was necessary to cancel existing orders. There cannot have been that much material on the pipeline that had been ordered and not yet delivered to make a real difference.
All it did was give the appearance of "caring and sharing" to some potential buyers who may or may not order something while alienating actual customers who had already laid down their cash. What ever happened to "a man's word is his bond?"

I have to wonder that if this were about a shortage of iPhones or video games instead of ammunition would all these self-serving Socialistic sentiments be so evident?

 

[blujax01]

By the way, milk is not a free market commodity. The price is highly publicly administrated through a wide variety of government regulation.

The way the price of milk is determined is about as close to Socialism as we get.

 

[Twoboxer]

I do not believe it was necessary to cancel existing orders.

They didn't cancel it; once it became a future order, they subjected it to the limits on orders to be placed against those incoming materials.

There cannot have been that much material on the pipeline that had been ordered and not yet delivered to make a real difference.

You are certainly free to make unevidenced assumptions. I'd make exactly the opposite assumption.

Midway is a capitalist organization, out to max profits. They want to sell as much as they can. In Midway's case it would appear to me they are, like Powder Valley, maxing profits over the long term.

All it did was give the appearance of "caring and sharing" to some potential buyers who may or may not order something while alienating actual customers who had already laid down their cash.

Heh, you interpret it as a socialist nanny-state concept . . . it's actually quite a capitalistic one . . . over the long term. I guess you and I would run our businesses differently

What ever happened to "a man's word is his bond?"

Here I agree with you to a certain extent. The inventory control system should never have allowed orders to be placed without inventory coverage. They certainly screwed up and accepted a lot of orders that went backorder.

If it was only me and Dmar . . . total 3 extra 1k units . . . the decision would have been to fill the order quietly, like any capitalist would. Hence, there must have been a ton of orders. Stuff that appears on line disappears now in minutes.

I have to wonder that if this were about a shortage of iPhones or video games instead of ammunition would all these self-serving Socialistic sentiments be so evident?

I *hate* what is being done to this country . . . but this ain't part of it. He made his decision in the best interests of HIS business and the industry. Keep a lot of people shopping . . . bullets, powder, accessories, etc. Capitalist.

I guess we're gonna have to agree to disagree on this.