Ordered a Brownells AR receiver lapping tool on 5/31.  Standard shipping to Hawaii $8.  OK, like i have a choice.

Shipped 6/1.   Start tracking it.  2# package.

Iowa - Missouri - Texas - New Mexico - Arizona - Calif, where it has ricocheted around for over three weeks now.

FedEx claims a delivery of 7/13.  WTF, a month and a half to get a 2# package to me?   For $8??

Yes, multiple long wait phone calls that yielded nothing, other than one lady talking about the package being in Anchorage, Alaska at the time.

Unless Brownells comes up with a USPS choice for low cost shipping, I am done with them.

Ordered a Wheeler tool from Amazon 6/30, will be here 7/5.

Rant off.  having to get everything shipped here is one of the great negatives of living Hawaii.

1-2 months for USPS Parcel Service isn't uncommon, but for FedEx?  I didn't think the commercial carriers bothered with such low-end levels of service.

You need to report an undelivered package to Brownell's and tell them you'd like a replacement shipped out immediately.  If the other package ever arrives, you'll ship it back to them at their cost.

If they tell you to just wait for it to show up, tell them it's already been over 3 weeks, and you are canceling that order.  You're also contacting the credit card company to have the charges taken off your account.

As long as you go along with whatever they tell you, this may never resolve itself.  For all you know, the package is empty.  Even if it arrives, it may not be the end of this saga.

Just a suggestion. 

If your lapping tool is anything like mine, it isn't super-light.  $8 to ship it is pretty reasonable, IMO.  Of course, shipping is one thing -- delivering is another!   

Did most of what you said.

Email is useless, you get a reply about the volume of email and taking time to respond.  Been emailing for several weeks and not a single reply.

Phone calls :all of our representatives" yadda yadda. Call back usually does come, but the usefulness is variable, like the idiot that said tracking showed it in Alaska.  A upport guy (that yo cannot call directly) called and said it looked like it was lost considering the clusterf*ck of tracking history.   he mentioned something about a refund, but I have yet to get any further communication and they do not provide any contact info other than the aforementioned useless ones.

This "Smartpost" they have started using is Fedex with USPS final delivery.   What i have read, it is sometimes a very messed up service.   Absolutely unlike what most think of Fedex.

Ir will be returned if it shows up.  Of course, getting hold of anyone for the return will be a joke, again.

Sad, Brownells used to be great place to order from.

if it's coming via UPS Surepost, my experience has been about 23 days, +/-.

if it's coming via Fedex Smartpost my experience has been about 40 days, +/-.
the bad thing with Fedex Smartpost is that the tracking status shows "label created, waiting for package", even though it's on-board a truck zig-zagging across the US.  Apparently, the shipper is able to see actual status, we as peasants do not see those updates.

Midway uses UPS Mail Innovations, that takes about 8 days, +/-.

you really don't want to go with a USPS "low-cost" choice, that would be Parcel Post.  and on that one, the package does get beat to shit.  I've had empty torn boxes arrive.  I've seen that vary with 4 days to 40 days.

this is one of the hidden costs of "living in paradise", the high cost of living in Hawaii.  At least with some vendors, you can step up and pay more (out of your own pocket) for Priority Mail, or UPS/Fedex 2nd Day Air, or, get used to it, deal with it, or move.  your choices.  'murica!

I'll bet the folks in Guam, it sucks even more.

"Lucky you live Hawaii!"

data collected over many years.

Did most of what you said.

Email is useless, you get a reply about the volume of email and taking time to respond.  Been emailing for several weeks and not a single reply.

Phone calls :all of our representatives" yadda yadda. Call back usually does come, but the usefulness is variable, like the idiot that said tracking showed it in Alaska.  A upport guy (that yo cannot call directly) called and said it looked like it was lost considering the clusterf*ck of tracking history.   he mentioned something about a refund, but I have yet to get any further communication and they do not provide any contact info other than the aforementioned useless ones.

This "Smartpost" they have started using is Fedex with USPS final delivery.   What i have read, it is sometimes a very messed up service.   Absolutely unlike what most think of Fedex.

Ir will be returned if it shows up.  Of course, getting hold of anyone for the return will be a joke, again.

Sad, Brownells used to be great place to order from.

Here's the thing to keep in mind:  your credit card company will have a DEADLINE from the time of purchase until you are still able to file a dispute.  Once that window closes, you're 100% at the mercy of the seller.

That's why you need to look at the dates and make sure you're inside the dispute timeframe.  That's one of the benefits of using credit cards in the first place:  Purchase protection.

So, look up your CC policy -- I think most have a 60 day time limit, roughly 2 billing cycles.  Yours may vary to as little as 30 days.

Report the disputed charges inside that window to protect your rights.  Delaying means you may lose that leverage/protection.

Brownell's can dispute your charge-back, but they have to show proof of DELIVERY TO THE BUYER, not just a shipping receipt.  Otherwise, the charges are reversed.  At that point, you have the money and quite possibly the product on its way to you, too.  If it arrives, it's up to you if you keep it with/without paying, or contact them to set up return shipping.

That's my advice.  Do some checking, and make sure you at least know when your options start to disappear.

 

I’m in the same boat with one order from Brownells and similar thoughts and experience as rpoL98. I’ve had similar slow boat shipping from Midway as well. Sucks, but there are shipping choices that get items here faster if time is a concern.

I shop with Brownells and Midway quite often. There are items that I can get on Amazon, but quality and authenticity sometimes sketch, so I stick with Brownells and Midway for certain items.

This is how my X26 Taser arrived when I sent it to have the E2 code removed.  It was sent certified mail and the mailman just left it at his door without getting a signature. 

UPS gone woke ... canceled Brownell's account

Ordered a Brownells AR receiver lapping tool on 5/31.  Standard shipping to Hawaii $8.  OK, like i have a choice.

Shipped 6/1.   Start tracking it.  2# package.

Iowa - Missouri - Texas - New Mexico - Arizona - Calif, where it has ricocheted around for over three weeks now.

FedEx claims a delivery of 7/13.  WTF, a month and a half to get a 2# package to me?   For $8??

Yes, multiple long wait phone calls that yielded nothing, other than one lady talking about the package being in Anchorage, Alaska at the time.

Unless Brownells comes up with a USPS choice for low cost shipping, I am done with them.

Ordered a Wheeler tool from Amazon 6/30, will be here 7/5.

Rant off.  having to get everything shipped here is one of the great negatives of living Hawaii.

I'm in the same boat with Brownells and their FedEx Smartpost.  Two outstanding orders -- one 3 lbs package shipped on 6/6, and it has been sitting after traveling to Chino, CA, with a scheduled delivery of 7/13.  The other is a 1 lbs package shipped on 6/20, and has been sitting in Chino since 7/1, with a scheduled delivery of 7/29.  The 40 day +/- estimate seems to be pretty accurate.

The Surepost and Smartpost get put on a ship to Hawaii most times, its takes about 10 days after you see the California scan.

The Surepost and Smartpost get put on a ship to Hawaii most times, its takes about 10 days after you see the California scan.

Ya. And it seems like they put the package on pony express, where they take a tour of America route to get to CA. Ya, I get distribution hubs, I sweat Forest Gump could get it to CA faster. Haha

if that's bad check out Geiselle's shipping charges. $40 to ship a trigger via UPS.

Another video that goes into pretty much the same subject.


UPS drops firearm companies and will "destroy packages"
... Something is off about this...

Brownells has always been awesome for me. They are having issues with UPS right now and are also swamped trying to get mags to Washington State before their mag law takes effect.

That might be the problem

I've had one really bad experience with Brownells where my package took two months to arrive (all parts were in stock). Many calls and emails to customer service as well as to USPS and FedEx did not yield a quicker solution.

On the other hand I've had many times over great experiences with them. I have Brownells Edge so free shipping. Bottom line I'm not leaving because of that one horrible experience

MidwayUSA now ..... don't get me started 

I’ve ordered a lot of stuffs from them. Edge member for 4 years now. Free 2nd day air never failed. The thing I like about Brownells is their “Guarantee Forever” policy. I returned so many reloading tools I didn’t need that I’ve tried. And which Ive used for a few months to a year. Only to find out I don’t need it anymore. Recently returned a box of 168gr .308. I had that for over a year. A few months ago I returned a press that I use for 4 years, till I got another press. Well, I guess others has had different experience with them. Midway? Well they slow with deliveries. But they always have the stuffs I need when Brownells no more.

I used to prefer Brownells for faster and only slightly higher shipping than Midway.  Their selection was similar, just felt better about Brownells.
Too many time Midway would wqnt more for shipping than the part i was buying.  I usually canceled and found it elsewhere, their loss.

This Smartpost debacle is new to me.   I do not order a continuing stream of stuff, so changes in shipping took me by surprise.