MidwayUSA finally disappointed me

[Brians356]

FWIW yesterday I ordered enough stuff (> $150) from Midway to qualify for a one-day free shipping offer (Cyber Monday special). A few hours later they sent out an e-blast announcing Nosler's new reloading guide "free with orders > $25".

As my Midway order was still "in process" (not yet shipped) I opened a live "chat" with customer service and asked if they could add the free Nosler guide to my open order. Nope. They would have to cancel my original order, and create a new order w/ the free Nosler book added. And there would be shipping fees added as well, as the free shipping offer had expired. Couldn't they waive the shipping in this case? Nope.

Just bad timing, and my bad luck, that I missed the free book by a few hours. But I was a little surprised that their order system is so rigid that they couldn't jigger things to make it work in a loyal 25-year customers' favor, given that the order still hasn't shipped.

Whining? Fair enough. But them's the facts, for what they're worth. Perhaps little.

 

[JohnHenry]

The manual is not free, it just ships free like over 5800 other in stock items at Midway.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/158738/nosler-reloading-guide-8-reloading-manual

http://www.midwayusa.com/freeshipping

 

[Brians356]

The manual is not free, it just ships free like over 5800 other in stock items at Midway.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/158738/nosler-reloading-guide-8-reloading-manual

http://www.midwayusa.com/freeshipping

Dang if you aren't correct. But then why didn't the customer service chap straighten me out immediately, like you did, when I was off on the wrong foot? I asked him verbatim "Can you add the Nosler book to my open order, for no additional fees?" He responded "I can open a new order and add it for no additional fees, just shipping." You can see how I remained on the wrong track. The e-blast said "Ships free with $25 order" which is slightly ambiguous, something like "Free shipping with $25 order" would have been clearer to someone of my limited comprehension.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Last time i ordered from midwayUSA, the items showed up in a box that was so cheap, they might as well have been wrapped up in a paper sack. The plastic case that my sons Zeiss binos came in was all broken to hell and other items were hanging out the holes. Luckily the binos were undamaged and nothing was lost. If that box had transferred through one more mail sorting facility, im sure there would have been a lot of things missing or broken. Now i see exactly why their shipping prices decreased...

 

[Brians356]

... The plastic case that my sons Zeiss binos came in was all broken to hell ...

Hey, I probably bought those same Zeiss. Are they the inexpensive "Made in China, but with German-designed optics" ones? I pondered and scratched my head over that goofy, showy plastic case for some time. Now it turns out it was fragile as well. I also go mine from Midway. Frankly, I've never had a problem with Midway's packing, or delivery times, or anything else for that matter. And as it turns out, this incident was my own fault, but the Customer Service experience did go off the rails IMO.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

They are the Zeiss Terra ED. Theres not a piece of glass out there that can even come close to touching them for the $269 I paid. Really good in low light.

Ive had sketchy packaging from midway before, but that packaging was absolutely ridiculous. With a little effort, you could probably wad up the box in a ball with your bare hands like you would a piece of paper. Im serious

 

[Ledd Slinger]

The case was damaged, but at least it did its job and saved the optics.

 

[Brians356]

They are the Zeiss Terra ED. Theres not a piece of glass out there that can even come close to touching them for the $269 I paid. Really good in low light.

Yes, those are what I bought, mine 10x40. As long as they are robust and hold up over time, they are excellent.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Yeah i even compared them to my Vortex Razor 10x50s in darkness viewing objects in shadows beyond street lights. I could barely tell a difference. They dont have the wide field of view my Razors provide, but the low light performance is nearly identical. Pretty amazing considering the 10x50 Razors cost nearly $1300. I couldnt be happier with the Zeiss Terra ED glass for the money. If they hold up like you said and give my son many years of good service, they'll be a total home run for sure.

 

[MGYSGT]

Sorry to hear of your experience. I am glad they learned how to ship with less expense. I always thought it was silly to pay $8 for shipping of a Die Bushing or some cleaning brushes. Now they come in an padded envelope at much less cost. Those old higher priced shipping cost have kept me from buying.

Tom

 

[Junkout]

I remember the free shipping days! I know the price was rolled in but it made me feel better. I was dissatisfied with my last order and dealings with Midway customer service. I will do more shopping the next time I need gun related items. The only good about Midway is their quick shipping. I order on Friday night it's at my house Monday morning.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Cabelas doesn't have the best standard retail prices, but if you wait and watch for their sales, Cabelas prices can't be beat. I just saved $255 on a set of binoculars I've been wanting for about a year due to a huge Christmas sale they had on them.

 

[rrwildlife]

Cabelas doesn't have the best standard retail prices, but if you wait and watch for their sales, Cabelas prices can't be beat. I just saved $255 on a set of binoculars I've been wanting for about a year due to a huge Christmas sale they had on them.

I agree 100%. I have been a Cabela's Club member since 2001. I use to buy a lot from them before they went corporate and there prices bordered on highway robbery and the quality of there house branded merchandise fell off a cliff. Now I wait for the sales and stock up on branded items. The latest good buy I was involved in was .204 and .224 caliber z-max bullets for $54.99/500 with $20 off a purchase of $100 and free shipping. This was just before Christmas.

Midway USA occasionally has sales that are spectacular as well.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

The other nice thing about Cabelas is that whether you get free shipping, reduced cost shipping, or have to pay full price for shipping, I have NEVER had any issues with how they package or ship the items. Always protected very well so the items show up in perfect shape. That cheap packaging Midway USA uses nowadays is a total joke.

And Cabelas customer service is top notch. 90 day no questions asked return policy. And lifetime no questions asked warranty on a lot of products that wear the Cabelas brand name. I was talking to a sales associate at the local Cabelas store in the boot department when buying my son some hunting boots about 2 months ago and she suggested I get Cabelas brand boots. She then told me how they recently had a guy bring in a pair of old worn out boots that were made by Meindl with the Cabelas name on them. The guy had purchased the boots in 1993 and we're totally worn out. He had no receipt or proof of purchase since he bought them such a long time ago. Since that boot had obviously been discontinued for many years, they did research and figured out what he paid for them in 1993, then gave him that full credit towards a new set of boots. Now that's customer service of the highest level

 

[1shot]

brians356,
Even though you interpreted it wrong, the spirit of the law/letter of the law still applies as far as any logical person would read it. I had a bad experience from Midway about a year ago that made me take an oath to myself that our days of business were over. I ordered and received a scope base for an Encore that I had just bought. Midway sent me the mount that matched the product number in their catalog. Unfortunately it wasn't even close to fitting. I immediately contacted them to find out how to proceed. The response I got nearly made me climb through the phone line. "Hey, we don't make the stuff, we just sell it"!! After a chat with a manager he agreed to refund my money with Midway money. I told him I didn't buy the mount with Larry money, I used U.S. currency and expected to be reimbursed in the same manner. End of story, I got the correct mount and a free $50.00 knife for all the hello I raised. My point is we as customers should never have to jump through all those hoops to spend our money.
RANT OFF
Lloyd