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There is a Yiddish proverb by Michael Cahbon, I believe that goes.....

"Man makes plans,..........and GOD laughs"

I got off the phone several hours ago with Earl Pittman, the owner of Impact Weapons Components. Two days ago, I had ordered one of the last in the USA Magpul MS3 Gen2 slings, along with a set of GrovTec "D" Loop, Push Button sling swivels which were also in short supply.

Today, Mr. Pittman confirmed that the sling was indeed in stock, and that it and the swivels would be on their way to DOC White in Utah for the Optima V2 pistol build by tomorrow.

The reason I had called today was to reassure myself that my money for those 2 items was not being wasted.

Unlike, or so I thought, my order at Optics Planet that I had placed on May 2, 2020.

That order has been trapped in a computer/ human limbo as a result of the President's stay-at-home orders, the Stimulus checks, and unprecedented firearms related purchases for the last year.

Since companies like Optics Planet have more business than they are equipped, or designed to handle; plus not enough merchandise to handle all the orders flowing in; plus a supply chain that is disrupted, and sometimes broken; plus not enough staff to deal with taking, pulling, packing, and shipping the orders..
..this has RESULTED in NO ONE to answer the phone under any circumstances for Customer Service; as well as e-mails that take as long as 3 weeks to be answered.

So, I have had 4 out of 6 items sitting in a warehouse, ready to be shipped since May 4. The 2 items that were out of stock, the same sling & swivels that I finally ordered from IWC, had back order dates that, along with server overload froze my order, refusing to allow it to be cancelled.

Which means that I have had approximately $195.00 tied up out of my checking account, not spent mind you, but not accessible either.

So, a few minutes before I started typing this post I get an e-mail from Optics Planet stating that my old order number is now caput, and a new number is going to be generated.

BECAUSE.......

VOILA!!!!! The "D" Loop sling swivels are now miraculously in stock (remember, they were 3 months backordered), my now 5 items are ready to ship, and I will be getting an e-mail SOON telling me what the tracking number is going to be; and WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.

The Magpul MS3 Gen2 sling is now 6-10 months back ordered.

I am laughing as I type, and GOD is laughing right along side of me.

ALL is well.

I have at least 1 of what I ordered, maybe 2 of a couple of things!!!!!!!!

Mr. Pittman said that this will continue to be business as usual for the indefinite future.
 
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I ordered a gross of 6 dram glass vials w/black screw top lids from Discount Vials on 5-13-20.

They arrived in Baltimore from Madison, Wisconsin this morning, 5-15-20.

It seems the smaller companies that I have placed orders with have seemed to have had fewer problems with shipping, than the larger ones.
 
My bullet order from Natchez arrived this morning, ahead of the 16 day delay that was implied at the order. FedEx got the order from the company, then delivered it to two sub-stations in the Twin Cities before it was put in the regular mail there after two more days of dinking around before delivery to the house. All that farting around, maybe just put it in the mail to start with, huh?
 
I finally got a response from Optics Planet today (17 days) in the form of an e-mail telling me that my order has finally been canceled; and now that they have given me PREFERRED CUSTOMER STATUS, I am able to cancel any order by myself by just following the online instructions.

HA!!!

Why should one have to be a PREFERRED CUSTOMER in order to cancel an order? If part of an order is ready to ship, then JUST SHIP THAT PART OF THE ORDER.

Don't hold the shippable portion of an order hostage in the hopes that the back ordered items will arrive in a reasonable period of time so that a larger bill can be charged to the customer.

As long as there were humans to man the phones and take care of all of the computer blocks that were in the company's favor, but could easily be resolved by voice, or e-mail, then all was well. The irritated customer was appeased.

With NO ONE MANNING THE PHONES, there is NO POSSIBLE WAY to resolve those computer blocks that did not allow the customer to take care of something as simple as cancelling an order.

I hope that Optics Planet takes a long hard look at their customer service policies after this all settles down.

Things like what has happened to me have got to have hurt their reputation. This was my first time ever dealing with them, and I am not impressed.
 
I had a problem with them last year. I ordered binoculars from them that, according to their rep, were a demo. When I received them, it was a rebuilt item that only had a 6 month warranty. On the other hand, they do have good prices and I’ve bought quite a few things from them over the years without a problem
 
I shipped a bbl to a fellow member on this forum that was supposed to arrive last Thursday. As of yet it still has not been delivered. I get updates everyday from USPS telling me it’s on its way to the next destination for delivery, but they can’t tell me where the package is??? I just hope it doesn’t get lost!!
To make matters worse I shipped another package to the same member two days later and it was delivered to his PO Box two days earlier then was indicated on my receipt. The problem is even though it was received at his post office it took two days for them to put it in his PO Box?????😡
 
I shipped a bbl to a fellow member on this forum that was supposed to arrive last Thursday. As of yet it still has not been delivered. I get updates everyday from USPS telling me it’s on its way to the next destination for delivery, but they can’t tell me where the package is??? I just hope it doesn’t get lost!!
To make matters worse I shipped another package to the same member two days later and it was delivered to his PO Box two days earlier then was indicated on my receipt. The problem is even though it was received at his post office it took two days for them to put it in his PO Box?????😡

As much as I try to support the USPS, I'm having a hard time thinking they haven't created their own monster. Here in town about 15 years ago they built a huge mail distribution center. Mail service back then was great. Then they got this wild hair and closed the center. Now mail that would have been sorted and disbursed here has to go to the Twin Cities, then back here for delivery.

My recent order from Natchez was by Fed Ex. It took four days to get from the company to Minnesota where it went to the Twin Cities.....right past Rochester. In the Cities it was delivered to a USPS mail distribution center that sent it to yet another Twin Cities distribution center, then to Rochester where it took another two days to be delivered. Eight days enroute. The pony express did better than that. But I got it.
 
I'm calling DOC White tonight to check to see if the parts that I have ordered from Midway USA, Impact Weapons Components, and Branded Rock Canyon Ranch have arrived in Utah.

The parts are for the Javelina custom stocks that he is building for my Optima V2 pistol.

I placed an order with Midway USA on 5-18, and got confirmation that it had shipped on 5-19. It's not supposed to arrive in Baltimore until 5-27.

OTOH, the order I placed on 5-4 for the sling swivel bases that DOC needs, I have yet to get an e-mail confirmation that it has been shipped.
 
As much as I try to support the USPS, I'm having a hard time thinking they haven't created their own monster. Here in town about 15 years ago they built a huge mail distribution center. Mail service back then was great. Then they got this wild hair and closed the center. Now mail that would have been sorted and disbursed here has to go to the Twin Cities, then back here for delivery.

My recent order from Natchez was by Fed Ex. It took four days to get from the company to Minnesota where it went to the Twin Cities.....right past Rochester. In the Cities it was delivered to a USPS mail distribution center that sent it to yet another Twin Cities distribution center, then to Rochester where it took another two days to be delivered. Eight days enroute. The pony express did better than that. But I got it.

YEEEE!!@@@ HAAAAAAA!!!@@@
 
Our homeless shelter, MCVET, is directly behind the Baltimore downtown USPS Mail Distribution Hub.

This place is cranking 24-7-365.

It used to be there was a quiet lull of about 5-6 hours between 1 A.M. to about 7-8 A.M. Sunday morning. No truck traffic, no yard tractors beeping as they moved trailors, no forklifts beeping as they moved those big S.S. mail containers into the trailors. No horns honking.

Not since the Covid-19 crisis started. Sunday is just as busy as any other day.
 
The ongoing SAGA of Optics Planet!!!!!

On 5-18-20, at 7:20 AM I get an e-mail stating that my order has been cancelled, and I should see a refund in my account within 4-5 days.

This morning, 5-22-20, at 10:32 AM I get an e-mail stating that my order HAS BEEN SHIPPED.

This is the order that has been sitting hostage in the Optics Planet warehouse now for 20 days. For no apparent reason. An order that needed to have its order number changed, so that a back ordered item could be added.

So, I review the now shipped order. The back ordered GrovTec GTSW284, Heavy Duty, Push Button, Recessed Plunger, "D" Loop sling swivels ARE NOT IN THE ORDER!!!!!!!!

Only the original 4 items that were in stock on 5-2-20 when I placed the order.

Remember what I wrote in an earlier post about man planning, and GOD laughing?

When I first saw the e-mail, my first instinct was to be angry, and then a moment later I just had to laugh.

I mean, what else can you do? I have learned that the only thing I can control is how I CHOOSE to react to any given situation. Being mad serves no purpose.

I really wanted the Warne steel 2-pc. scope bases, the Warne Q-D 1" scope rings, and the Warne torque wrench.

I had just resigned myself to purchasing them a little later in the year.

What I don't need is a second pair of GrovTec, GTHM289, Heavy Duty, Push Button, Black Oxide Stainless Steel, 9/16"-18 threaded, sling swivel bases.

If anybody needs these for a build, please let me know. They are for sale.

At least, I do not have a second pair of "D" Loop sling swivels to worry about, thank goodness.
 
Patience grasshopper. Who knows, you could end up with the refund AND the parts. Ive seen it happen before when they start having those kinds of difficulties. Shipping not communicating with acounting can work out in your favor.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!! Honorable Master!!"

The Warne CVA2 M980/982M scope bases, the 200LM scope rings, and TW-1 torque wrench arrived this afternoon; along with an extra pair of GrovTec GTHM289 Push Button sling swivel bases.

"PATIENCE GRASSHOPPER, PATIENCE."
 
I've not really been affected. My work pals were making fun of me, asking if all the panic buying of ammo was wrecking my ammo procurement.

I replied, "You dumb Ba$tard$... I've been panic buying ammo since 1992..."
 
Yep ive seen almost all my trackable stuff just sit someplace for a week or more. I had one package got as close as Detroit then it went to Cincinnati and sat for 7-8 days then went back to Detroit. Still waiting for that one. Its been in detroit for 3 days now.
USPS the worst. Item purchased last week of April. Shipped June 1 from Billings. Sat there for 4 days then goes to Detroit. Next day it goes to Pittsburgh and sits for 3 days. From there it goes to Des Moines and 2 days later St Paul. More days sitting. Then to Iron Mountain and finally to me on the 20th. The USPS says to wait 14 days before submitting a lost mail/pkg claim
 

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