djg0770

09 Jul 2014

They're from SOUTH Carolina. Everything moves slower in the south.

 

Y'all got that one right!

Maybe it's because I'm older but waiting four to six weeks for "mail order" does not seem like a big deal to me.  I know, I know.  We live in the internet age where everything happens yesterday, but considering that I grew up with catalogs and check books my perspective is different.  Back in the day, when I ordered something from Northern Hydraulics I filled out an order form, wrote a check and licked a stamp.  I deducted the amount from my check register as soon as I wrote the check because that money was as good as spent.  These days, naturally I'd prefer to have my internet orders processed within 24hrs of placing it and have it on my doorstep within four days.  But when things don't go that way I don't blow a gasket, especially when I order from a notoriously slow place like PSA that still thinks it's 1980. 

 

What is inexcusable is bad customer service.  There is no excuse for being lied to but it is all too common these days.  The internet has made retail sales a cutthroat low margin high volume business.  The tradeoff for cheap prices is CS going out the window, CS is expensive and is pure overhead.  Now this may seem a little messed up but when things go slow with my PSA orders I don't call because I don't want to set myself up for a disappointment.  I know I'll be lied to, or at the very least the truth stretched to the breaking point.  I also know that my order will eventually arrive and when I placed it I had no expectations of a speedy delivery.  When I need something fast, and I'm willing to pay more for better service, I'll place my order elsewhere.  PSA has only ONE shipping option, lol, UPS ground.  They are so damned slow (and they know it) they don't even bother to offer next day or two day shipping.

 

Right now PSA is buggering up my SPR project.  I placed an order on June 28th for an A2 receiver extension and piggybacked an ammo purchase to it.  It's been "processing" for nearly two weeks now.  If I needed it fast I could have gone with Brownell's and paid $40 for a $15 item to be here next day.  But I got some very good deals on ammo so I'm not sweating it.  Now how about this for Irony.  I placed an order for an ARFX Skeleton stock  and some other items from MidWay last week.  Midway shipped my order the next day but didn't charge my card for four days.  For a time I thought I was going to get the order for free.  Apparently MidWay has the opposite thing going on.  They ship fast but charge very slow.

I get all that. (I'm by no means the oldest guy here, but not the youngest either and have patience, but not for ignorance and stupidity). But as I mentioned, lying, charging my card right away, failure to respond to inquiries is unacceptable, lengthy ship times, you name it. Nobody answering the phones, etc., etc., etc.

 

They've always been slow. But never this bad. They are still blaming the panic game. I call bs to that. Further more, I've never dealt with a company as an upset consumer where they didn't attempt to make things right in a civil manner.

There is too many epic failures with PSA, and I tried to deal with them and have in the past. But there are way too many decent deals out there to put up with their nonsense. You just have to look.

 

I did order some mags from Joe Bobs as recommended and had a shipping invoice for priority shipping that day. I didn't request priority mail but they sent it. It will be here Saturday.

 

As my first experience with JB, the site is hilarious, their selection and prices are not bad and they shipped same day. So as they depict themselves as dumb red necks, they sure have great service. They found a new customer.

 

 

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.................

 

I did order some mags from Joe Bobs as recommended and had a shipping invoice for priority shipping that day. I didn't request priority mail but they sent it. It will be here Saturday.

 

As my first experience with JB, the site is hilarious, their selection and prices are not bad and they shipped same day. So as they depict themselves as dumb red necks, they sure have great service. They found a new customer.

 

 

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I've used JB only once, they were the first to have the Rainier barrel  I wanted in stock, after a months long drought, at a "normal" price.  Shipping was fast and they also upgraded me to a Sunday delivery without me even knowing.  I was tickled pink when it showed up a couple days earlier than I expected.  However, that alone was not enough to get me to switch to them as my primary on-line store.  Their prices are okay, but not great.

 

Just for kicks I sent PSA an e-mail about my order.  Not that I'm in any particular hurry to get it but more as an experiment.

 

 

Where is my order?

 

Hello,

 

I placed an order on 6/29, nearly two weeks ago, and it still shows as "processing".  Can you tell me when it will ship?  Please provide the specific details as to why this order has not yet shipped out.  When I placed the order all items showed as in stock.   If there is a problem with the order, such as an item not being in stock, please let me know so I can cancel the order.  If all of the items are in stock, I do expect that it will ship out today.

 

Order # 210xxxxxxx, Date 6/29/2014, Ship to xxxxxxx xxxxxxxx Total $140.13

Thank You.

xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx

 

 

The web site CS section indicates the lead time for shipping (getting it out the door) at 5 days.  It's been well beyond that.  I'm just curious to see how they respond.  They did have some pretty good ammo deals, and some not so great, yet not too bad deals on .22lr but they had it in stock, so I expect they will blame it on their 4th of July sale and ask me to be patient.  I'm sure they are swamped.   I'll let ya know how they respond.

They blamed mine was backlog because their compliance rep was backed up. What do they need him/her for a couple 7 round mags? They even have a copy of my FID.. Not like I never ordered from them before.

 

JB is not my only source. I bounce between many.

 

Optics Planet

Brownells

Midway Usa

Buds Guns

SG Ammo

LA Police Supply

LAX Ammo

Kentucky Arms

 

...to name a few.

 

You really need to be a good shopper. Get on email lists, etc. I've missed out on deals because lack of funds, or the need. But I've always gotten good deals on good stuff. Between all my sources, I usually find everything I need. Very rarely not. I even made some good contacts on gunbroker that have brick and mortar stores out west. Got to look!

 

 

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Before blaming it on "panic buying" it was because of their "free shipping" and before that was "discounted shipping".

PSA has $49 blem lowers. Two more "Assault Weapons" "on the streets," doing my part

Before blaming it on "panic buying" it was because of their "free shipping" and before that was "discounted shipping".

Their words, not mine and that's still not an excuse. Lot of vendors do free or discounted shipping and it doesn't affect them.

 

 

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Their words, not mine and that's still not an excuse. Lot of vendors do free or discounted shipping and it doesn't affect them.

 

 

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Exactly why I don't shop them anymore. They don't take accountability and don't have any products that I can't get elsewhere. If they don't care about their customers - and they don't - than I don't care to do business with them.

They have just updated their warehouse and shipping software. Look for shipping times to drop significantly in the next couple weeks.

 

Their stores are pretty well packed, despite the negatives on shipping and what you may think. .. they are a booming business.

They have just updated their warehouse and shipping software. Look for shipping times to drop significantly in the next couple weeks.

 

Their stores are pretty well packed, despite the negatives on shipping and what you may think. .. they are a booming business.

Too late.... Unless they are giving something away for free. I'm done.

 

 

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They have just updated their warehouse and shipping software. Look for shipping times to drop significantly in the next couple weeks.

 

Their stores are pretty well packed, despite the negatives on shipping and what you may think. .. they are a booming business.

I know I'm sour on this subject but, a booming business can afford better employees and customer service and avoid lying to their customers.

I know I'm sour on this subject but, a booming business can afford better employees and customer service and avoid lying to their customers.

 

They can't apologize for all the crap they pulled, but if a system change is in the works, coming clean should have started there. A simple message: "Excuse our dust while we are under construction" message of sort.

 

No sense in beating this any more.

Their only chance would be to prove themselves over time.

But they really need to educate themselves with running a business properly. I don't care how booming they are.

 

Losing customers as a habit and using the excuse that new customers will replace the old is not properly positioning your business to be top tier.

Customer retention is one of the main keys...

They've been around long enough to know better by now unless they are just a bunch of cheap greedy bastards, nothing will change.

 

 

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They can't apologize for all the crap they pulled, but if a system change is in the works, coming clean should have started there. A simple message: "Excuse our dust while we are under construction" message of sort.No sense in beating this any more.Their only chance would be to prove themselves over time.But they really need to educate themselves with running a business properly. I don't care how booming they are.Losing customers as a habit and using the excuse that new customers will replace the old is not properly positioning your business to be top tier.Customer retention is one of the main keys...They've been around long enough to know better by now unless they are just a bunch of cheap greedy bastards, nothing will change.Sent from my iPad 2 using T2 Pro

Head over to their AR15.com board. They posted about the update. They are also extremely fast at responding to inquiries on the "where's my order" thread. I've had one issue with shipping. After a about 3-4 days I posted, my order was shipped that day.

Head over to their AR15.com board. They posted about the update. They are also extremely fast at responding to inquiries on the "where's my order" thread. I've had one issue with shipping. After a about 3-4 days I posted, my order was shipped that day.

Appreciate the heads up but, don't ya think they should be responding directly to their customers emails?

Why should customers have to find out about orders on a forum anywhere?

My order exists in their system, my contact and order info is there. I'm not traversing the globe to hunt them down outside their realm of business.

 

 

 

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PSA responded to the e-mail I sent at 11:30ish yesterday morning . Their response time was uncharacteristically quick.  However, I call BS on the reply, maybe.  If the CS rep actually read my invoice they'd know there are five items on the order and they did not address me by name.  KInda gives me the impresion of a canned response..  That might have been an oversight but a red flag none the less.  However, the respondent appears to have acknowledged my questioning the in-stock issue and expectation of it being shipped immediately. 
 

Thank you for contacting the Palmetto State Armory Customer Service Department.

 

I have printed out a copy of your order and will submit it to our Shipping Department for an investigation to determine why it has not shipped.  If it is not an inventory issue, they will ship the item to you immediately.

 

Thank you for your anticipated patience and understanding,

​ 

Thank you,

Customer Service
Palmetto State Armory

 

They obviously don't read orders. They asked me for an ffl to send my order of two mags.

 

I also told them to cancel the order and refund me and they sent the mags anyway. One hand doesn't know what the other is doing other than pulling their pud.

 

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I received another reply, this time from a specific person instead of a generic CS account.  The reply simply instructed me to send a copy of my FID.  WOOT!!!  Since when is an FID required for rifle ammo, including 22LR???

 

We need your FID.

Please send to xxxxxxxxxx at xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

My response.

 

Thank you for responding to my inquiry .  I have placed several orders for rifle ammo with PSA over the course of a year and have not once been asked to provide my FID.  New Jersey only requires my FID be provided for pistol/handgun ammo. There is no pistol/handgun ammo on my order.   If this is a new blanket policy PSA has instated to include rifle ammo  Including .22 Long RIFLE, then I'm sorry to say I will have to cancel my order and use a different vendor for my sporting requirements.  I have purchased the same rifle caliber ammo from other suppliers without them asking me to send a copy of my FID as it is not a NJ state requirement.

Please review my order and see that there is clearly only rifle caliber ammo on the invoice.Once you have confirmed that then there should not be a problem and you may ship my order without delay.

Thank you for your prompt attention in this matter.

 

 

So if this order was hung up because I ordered .22lr I'll be a little pissed because they could have contacted me if it was an issue.  Tersely demanding a copy of my FID with no explanation as to why is not good form.  Since this was the first time I've ordered .22LR from PSA I can only extrapolate from their FID demand that, because 22LR can be used in handguns, That is the only thing I can think of that may have flagged the order.  However, afaik you don't have to provide a FID in NJ to purchase 22LR at any of our sporting goods stores.

 

I can't wait to see how they respond.

PSA has $49 blem lowers. Two more "Assault Weapons" "on the streets," doing my part

They STILL have $49 blem lowers free shipping. Get more "Assault Weapons" on "the streets"

Forget the chicks name that asked me for the ffl but the other cs by name was Everette... Neither a bright light.

 

 

 

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They STILL have $49 blem lowers free shipping. Get more "Assault Weapons" on "the streets"

Uhhhh, Mipa.... With love, "Bite Me"!

 

 

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Forget the chicks name that asked me for the ffl but the other cs by name was Everette... Neither a bright light.

 

 

 

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The second response I rec'd was from Everett.  My original post about the reply was deleted because (just guessing here)  html coded contact info was in it so I excluded all contact details.  I have since found the names of two top dogs at PSA and intend to write them a strong letter with some advice on customer retention.  The Better Business Bureau has PSA rated on a scale from A+ to F as a C.  How can a company with such a bad rep be doing so well?

 

I kinda screwed up in my response though.  What I should have asked is exactly why they needed my FID instead of leading the CS rep.

The second response I rec'd was from Everett. My original post about the reply was deleted because (just guessing here) html coded contact info was in it so I excluded all contact details. I have since found the names of two top dogs at PSA and intend to write them a strong letter with some advice on customer retention. The Better Business Bureau has PSA rated on a scale from A+ to F as a C. How can a company with such a bad rep be doing so well?

Easier to just have no ratings which means no complaints. Correct me, but I might be wrong. Good grades come from resolutions once the company corrects the issue. I never got any complaints and no complaints so I wasn't listed. On the other hand, you have to be a member to get good grades.

 

 

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He won't answer, I tried to get that answer.

 

 

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In Everetts instructions, he gave me the e-mail for the shipping dep't.  I'll send a separate e-mail to them asking the simple question.

 

Message sent.....

 

 

Hi,
Re. Order #210xxxxxxx

I was instructed by Everett to send you a copy of my NJ FID. 
Before I send it please tell me exactly why you need my FID to ship out this order.

In accordance with NJ regulations, there is nothing in my order that would require it.

 

Thank you.

xxxxxxx  xxxxxxx

 

This is getting interesting.  Keep in mind, I was just messing with them to begin with to see how they would handle a delay inquiry.  Now that they are asking for my FID, it's on!

 

Uhhhh, Mipa.... With love, "Bite Me"!

 

 

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Every time you buy a stripped lower from PSA, Bloomdouche has a mini-stroke

 

 

Every time you buy a stripped lower from PSA, Bloomdouche has a mini-stroke

He has a mini stroke every time we buy mags too. But he ain't dead yet. Someone hide his pills.

 

 

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I agree...PSA communications sucks. I had issues purchasing ammo from them. I won't do business with them.

UPDATE

 

Things are getting interesting with my inquiry about my recent order with PSA.  Long story short.  They refuse to ship my order until I send them a copy of my FID.  Since I have not ordered any pistol caliber ammo, there is no need for me to send it.  However, I suspect that they want it because I ordered .22LR.  I can only suspect that, because they will not tell me what item in my order has prompted them to ask for my FID after repeated requests for them to do so.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but.  LR does stand for long rifle and .22LR can be purchased without having to hand over a FID to comply with handgun ammo purchases.  Has anyone here ever had to hand over a FID in NJ to buy .22LR?

My understanding is if the ammo can be chambered in a handgun, a FID is required.  22LR fits that requirement.