Pet Peeves when ordering guns or related items online

[KCJones]

(Note: not putting this in 'where to buy' since it's not specific to any store)

My #1 pet peeve ordering online is "processing time."

Many sites don't specify this. If it's specified, then fine: If you tell me "4-5 days processing" then I can choose to order or not, and accept that.

But for sites that don't specify I expect prompt processing. If I order on a Thursday morning, I pretty much expect my order will go out by Friday afternoon. I only order "in stock" items, and it doesn't seem excessive to me that you get it out by "following business day"... I run an online business (non-gun) myself and we promise following-business-day ship-out (though in fact for a morning order it would usually go out the same day).

Frankly, even 2nd business day (like I order on Tuesday you ship on Thursday) would be okay... Not great, but not a deal-breaker.

But when I get orders that are "processing" for days and days, it's my last purchase from that place... Either you're amateurs, you were fibbing about having it in stock, or you just have generally poor customer service and I expect more 'bumps' in the road with you.

There's a bunch of other things that can annoy, but I leave them for others to identify as their pet peeve.

[KCJones]

PS - MiseryLovesShotguns...

Keen to hear your views. But let's keep this one somewhat generic... We got a whole forum for "Vendor X Sucks"...

[Berncly]

Not specific to guns, but relevant since I have ordered a lot of gun stuff on Amazon.
Amazon Prime free 2 day shipping is total BS.
The stuff almost never arrives on time, and often takes well over a week.
No notification of delay, no apology, no discount.
Amazon has become large enough that they don't need to care about customer service anymore.
I still like buying from Amazon for the ease and convenience of it.
But paying for Amazon Prime irks me when they constantly renege on their free 2 day shipping "guarantee".

[KCJones]

Not specific to guns, but relevant since I have ordered a lot of gun stuff on Amazon.
Amazon Prime free 2 day shipping is total BS.
The stuff almost never arrives on time, and often takes well over a week.
No notification of delay, no apology, no discount.
Amazon has become large enough that they don't need to care about customer service anymore.
I still like buying from Amazon for the ease and convenience of it.
But paying for Amazon Prime irks me when they constantly renege on their free 2 day shipping "guarantee".

Berncly -

I'd probably instantly cancel my Prime account if I experienced that. I use Prime video and a few other things, but the 2nd-day shipping is the core of why I have Prime.

The weird thing is I've found them about 98% reliable on the free 2nd-day shipping myself.

[Berncly]

Berncly -
I'd probably instantly cancel my Prime account if I experienced that. I use Prime video and a few other things, but the 2nd-day shipping is the core of why I have Prime.
The weird thing is I've found them about 98% reliable on the free 2nd-day shipping myself.

Could be due to the stuff I order, or where I live related to ease of delivery.
Maybe they just don't like me :P

[qmcorps]

Could be due to the stuff I order, or where I live related to ease of delivery.
Maybe they just don't like me :P

Third party vendors are usually the ones that either deliver outside the two day window or not at all.

[39flathead]

Not specific to guns, but relevant since I have ordered a lot of gun stuff on Amazon.
Amazon Prime free 2 day shipping is total BS.
The stuff almost never arrives on time, and often takes well over a week.
No notification of delay, no apology, no discount.
Amazon has become large enough that they don't need to care about customer service anymore.
I still like buying from Amazon for the ease and convenience of it.
But paying for Amazon Prime irks me when they constantly renege on their free 2 day shipping "guarantee".

I did the free trial for Prime to try it out.
Well over 50% of the stuff that was supposed to be two day was more like 5.
If it had been actually 2 day, I would have signed up.

[markshere2]

Amazon has saved me a BOATLOAD of time and money and frustration. Living out in the weeds, it's a 40 minute drive to Dreary Erie to do shopping for "stuff" that ace hardware and wally world ( think small store) doesn't carry.

My biggest frustration was making 80 minutes of round-trip travel time and $, then NOT finding what I was looking for. OMG- it was and is awful.* Amazon has eliminated most of that crap.

WELL worth $100 annually to get the stuff I need delivered to my doorstep in a couple of days.

and amazingly, I get a lotta great deals from Ebay delivered promptly, as well.

* not whining. That is part of the cost of living in a quiet, green boondocks where I can shoot from my back porch and the population density is low low low.

[unclejumbo]

Amazon has saved me a BOATLOAD of time and money and frustration. Living out in the weeds, it's a 40 minute drive to Dreary Erie to do shopping for "stuff" that ace hardware and wally world ( think small store) doesn't carry.

My biggest frustration was making 80 minutes of round-trip travel time and $, then NOT finding what I was looking for. OMG- it was and is awful.* Amazon has eliminated most of that crap.

WELL worth $100 annually to get the stuff I need delivered to my doorstep in a couple of days.

and amazingly, I get a lotta great deals from Ebay delivered promptly, as well.

* not whining. That is part of the cost of living in a quiet, green boondocks where I can shoot from my back porch and the population density is low low low.

I go out shopping (40 minutes to Mechanicsburg and civilization like you) just so I don't go stir crazy. I used to love weekends when I was working so I could stay home. Now I need one or two trips a week to remind me to trim my toenails and shave my head. I do love the internet for finding things that just aren't available locally or if they are, they're a lot more expensive. I never seem to find good deals on Amazon anymore. Ebay and favorite stores always seem to have better prices than Amazon vendors.

[unclejumbo]

(Note: not putting this in 'where to buy' since it's not specific to any store)

My #1 pet peeve ordering online is "processing time."

Many sites don't specify this. If it's specified, then fine: If you tell me "4-5 days processing" then I can choose to order or not, and accept that.

But for sites that don't specify I expect prompt processing. If I order on a Thursday morning, I pretty much expect my order will go out by Friday afternoon. I only order "in stock" items, and it doesn't seem excessive to me that you get it out by "following business day"... I run an online business (non-gun) myself and we promise following-business-day ship-out (though in fact for a morning order it would usually go out the same day).

Frankly, even 2nd business day (like I order on Tuesday you ship on Thursday) would be okay... Not great, but not a deal-breaker.

But when I get orders that are "processing" for days and days, it's my last purchase from that place... Either you're amateurs, you were fibbing about having it in stock, or you just have generally poor customer service and I expect more 'bumps' in the road with you.

There's a bunch of other things that can annoy, but I leave them for others to identify as their pet peeve.

IMO, it's a scam to get the customer to upgrade shipping. Choosing free or cheapest shipping results in intentional delays processing the order. When it takes 5 days to get a tracking number every time, I know that business is sitting on the order.

Some businesses I've dealt with seem to prioritize. Under most circumstances, it goes out quickly but during times of heavy volume, I may have to wait while the higher cost shipping methods are handled first. I can accept that, if I were in a hurry, I would have paid a premium.