First Class Bullets and Brass

[Vance]

Am I wrong in thinking that if a web store page says an item is in stock, then I should expect them to ship the order with in a day or two? On 3/16/2012 I ordered 1000 55gr fmjbt .223 bullets and 300 processed once fired cases. Both items said in stock, shipped from stock on hand. 4 days later I email him to ask if the oreder had been shipped. A week later, I get a reply from Bob Wise saying he was 2 weeks behind as he did not have any processed .223 brass in stock and he was working to process the brass. I replied to him to cancel the order as I would just buy from someone else who had them in stock. Got no reply to that. Tried to call him on the phone. No answer, got an answering machine and left him a message. No return phone call from him. Fast forward to 4/18/2012. No product, no shipment notification, nothing. I called my credit card company and filed an "item not received" claim. On 4/19/2012, I receive an email from Bob saying he now has the brass in staock and would be shipping my order by Saturday at the latest. It did not ship until the following Monday 4 /23/2012. It will arrive here tomorrow.

Would you guys accept the shipment and tell the credit card company to allow the charge? The credit card company has already issued me a credit.

I don't really want to accept it. I think anybody in business to sell a product should answer their emails in a timely fashion and answer their phone. At the least, return a phone call.

[Adamantium]

Honestly just to what is smartest for you and never shop there again. I doubt you'll get bullets and brass quicker if you cancel with them and order somewhere else. But yeah they would never get my money again if that happened to me.

[Axelwik]

If it was me I'd just accept the order and never do business with him again.

[Vance]

I probably will accept it. Definitely will not buy from him again. I've already deleted the bookmark.

[hammered54]

I guess it would all depend on how P'd off you are....you could take the order and wait a month to pay for it...and when he Emails you ...you could ask hows that feels, and at that point let him know doing biz is a thing in the past....

[William T. Watts]

hammered54 I like your response.. William

[Old 454]

Accept the shipment, and see if he sticks any extra stuff in your order for the problems, sometimes people forget to update there web site or something happens unexpectedly and orders fall behind, its possible that he did not get his brass on time as expected when he put it up for sale on his web site.

If thats not the case, well he will only get your money once.

[serf 'rett]

A professional approach would be accept the shipment, pay the bill and communicate your disappointment with the service. If the company is a quality outfit, they will appreciate the feedback. If not – your business goes elsewhere.

Funny thing about getting angry, torqued or upset by the actions of others is that we then are allowing them to control our lives – out thoughts and actions. The reason it’s somewhat humorous, is that many times we’re angry because they have done something which we can’t control; leading to our thoughts being dominated by that person or action. Relax, don’t sweat the small stuff and you may live longer.

I’m serious about communicating your disappointment. Years ago my folks got Sears and Roebuck flooring which was advertised as being very easy to clean. It had small pits in the design and could only be cleaned by getting on hands and knees and scrubbing with a hand brush. Mopping would not clean the material out of the pits. Mom made many phone calls, but got little response. Then she sent a letter of complaint to the service department. No results. The second letter was sent by registered mail, but didn’t get a response. The third letter was registered mail to the President of Sears in the Chicago Tower and it got quick response. In the third letter, Mom let the president know of her dissatisfaction by typing it on toilet paper.

[TheNatureBoy]

I would accept the items if/when they arrive and never do business with them again.

[Hardcase]

I, too, am on the accept it, pay for it, and pick a new company to do business with. I wouldn't bother following up - it sounds like you've already done that in advance.

And then let it go. No need to give somebody free rent inside your head.

[Jammer Six]

If you accept the order, I would say you don't have anything to complain about-- in that case, he knew exactly what he could get away with, and he was right. You were willing to accept it.

[UtopiaTexasG19]

He's already got your credit card number from the original order so stalling the payment the second time around won't do you any good. Accept the order and move on. I do not know how old you are but I am at that stage in life where hassles like this no longer concern me. I'd just go elsewhere next time.

[Vance]

Yes, I did accept it. The bullets are what they are. The brass was decapped and cleaned, but was not decrimped. This was supposed to be processed brass and he states that the crimps are removed in processed brass. The crimps were not removed.

Yes, very definitely the last time I buy from him.

[Cascade1911]

OK man, you can't let that go. If it's me I'm going to call the credit card company and tell them I'm disputing and tell Bob to send you a shipping label for the brass. Whats the point of processed .223 if the crimp is not removed?

What next? Maybe he double charges you or something?

If the only problem was slow/ poor customer service that's one thing but now he's not even providing you with what you paid for.

[Lost Sheep]

I am the forgiving type, but only up to a point. Posts 2 through 12, I agree. I suppose he is a small businessman trying his best to provide a service and product and being overwhelmed to the point of distraction and just can't keep up with the orders, phone calls, the trips to the post office, much less the actual work.

But my sympathy has a limit.

You have already been inconvenienced multiple times.

Yes, I agree, accepting the order (especially since, at the time you had the choice to cancel it, it would have taken longer to get the goods from another source) was best. Having the wrong item, though (the crimps still in the primer pockets) is unacceptable.

I would ask for a return authorization (on principle) and accept a refund for the brass as an apology if he still wants to make a sale (and not have to deal with the return, which will only bog him down more).

If he apologizes and gives you more than a reasonable refund for the inconvenience of the crimps, I would consider doing business with him again, but probably on a C.O.D. basis. Like I said, I tend to forgive. If he balks at being conciliatory to the max, I would have my credit card company withhold payment until the dispute is resolved and take the hard line with this vendor.

A primer pocket decrimper is not that expensive. But if it raises your blood pressure to remove the crimps yourself, it ain't worth it to be forgiving. Return'em and forget his name.

Good luck

Lost Sheep

P.S. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" is a well-worn adage. Temper it with the Japanese saying, "It is the nail that sticks out that gets hammered down."

In this case, his nail is what needs hammering.

[Vance]

I have calmed down and have already removed the crimps myself. I do not want to have to try to get him on the phone, get him to respond to an email or mess with the credit card company. I had to start the original dispute via the credit card company to get any response from him in the first place.

Definitely will never send him another order ever. Thanks for letting me vent about it though.

[Jammer Six]

Sometimes, that's all a guy can do and remain civilized. I'm behind you!

[mrawesome22]

Just a tip.

The internet has made researching prospective purchases very, very easy.

I typed "First Class Bullets and Brass" into Google, and the very first 4 or 5 links have things as "finally recieved", "buyer beware", "do not order", and so on.

A little internet browsing can save a lot of headaches and help weed out junk before you ever have to deal with it personally.

[Jim243]

I have calmed down and have already removed the crimps myself. I do not want to have to try to get him on the phone, get him to respond to an email or mess with the credit card company.

You are a better man than me, Charlie Brown. I still go by the Good Book, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." Or is it "don't get mad, just get even."

Either way good luck and stay calm.
Jim


May I suggest in the future to use Midway USA, if there is a mistake, they fix it right away usually within 5 min. And they do not charge your credit card, untill the items ship.