Has anyone ever dealt with an online retailer named Midwest Tactical?

I ordered a couple of things from there 11 days ago. I got an email "Thank you for your order" confirmation, listing the exact items, amount, cost for shipping and method of shipping info.

The order shows up on their "Order Status" link, and after a few days, with no "Your order has shipped" email, which I guess I've come to expect from most online retailers, I started to do some more checking. Over the past two weeks, I've called three or four times, and got a voice mail message each time. I think I left two messages, saying that I wanted to know if the order had shipped yet, used the paging option that supposed sent my phone number to the company pager, and sent an email to the company.

As of today, there has been no contact except for the confirmation email. The funds are still in the bank, but I'm wondering if anyone else has dealt with them, with similar results. I'd just forget about it and leave a message to cancel the order, but one of the items I ordered is offered at the lowest price I could find...about $40 less than anywhere else, so I REALLY would like to get it for that price!

Experiences? Ideas?

I've never dealt with them before.

Did you notice if any of the items were on backorder, or if they have a policy page that makes not of whether items will either be shipped out individually in cases of backorders or whether all items will be shipped when everything is in stock, or even if you will be notified if there is a backorder issue?

Also, most companies won't charge your account until items have shipped, so they might be on backorder.

Just a thought. I could be looney. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The policy says that items received by a certain time will be shipped the same day or the next day if after the certain time. Backordered items may cause a delay, etc. but notice of backordered items will be given.

My point is, return your phone calls and emails once in a while!

I went over to Lightfighter forum and searched there for Midwest tactical. Only found 1 mention of them, nothing about service, etc.

Dave

I ordered my Streamlight and bulbs for it and my Surefire through them last spring, I had no trouble at all.

No kidding on that count.

I hope I didn't come off like I was pointing a finger and saying it was all your fault anything. I was just checking all the bases, so to speak. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Didn't think there was any finger pointing going on Nic. To be honest, I hadn't checked their backorder policy before your post. Can't say I'm any happier now that I did.

I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it's one person who runs the place, and they're really sick or something. I'd feel kinda bad. Then again, I haven't been snippy with any messages or emails yet, so I guess the person wouldn't know I'm honked off.

Part of it is that I'm eager to get my stuff, and it's so hard to be patient when you don't know what's going on. That and the fact that some turkey on Ebay seems to be giving me the run around about a purchase they supposedly Fed Exed the day after they got my payment. That was about the same time I ordered from MT, and I haven't received it yet. He also seems to be reluctant to communicate. Guess it's just gettin' to me.

I'm about to drive up to Minnesota and see what's up! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Ouch... On the same day too.

I'd probably be going nutz about now, myself.

I placed an order w/ them a few months ago. The price was good and the shipping was reasonable. But I had mixed up the billing and shipping addresses on the form (my fault completely) but I had a hard time getting in touch with them. I had to call 3 times and I sent several emails but it took days for them to get back in touch with me and it was by email only. Finally I got a confirmation from them and the method of shipping was USPS and I specifically wanted to ship it UPS. So I tried contacting them again and in the end the package just arrived via UPS anyway. It also took over a week to ship the item, a spec ops pack rat. The pack rat was worth waiting for but I wouldn’t buy from them again.


Adam

So today is day 12 since I placed my order. In stock items are supposed to ship in 1-2 days, otherwise an email is supposed to arrive saying which items are backordered.

Today, I left a message, put my phone number into the pager feature of the voice mail and sent an email. Still nothing.

Another ETS member did some digging and found it quite a challenge to find any information about the dealer's business, although the member did find a very different phone number (different area code even) from the business phone listed on the site. I plan to call that number tomorrow to see what I can find out.

The only reason I'm so much into this order is that they offer the Spec Ops THE Pack at a price of $110, when everyone else sells it for at least $130. $20 in savings for all this aggravation. Maybe I'm a cheapskate, but I'd like to spend that $20 elsewhere if I can.

What would you do?

If you want to go hardball, you could leave a message saying that if you do not hear back from them in X number of days you'll file a complaint with The Better Business Bureau Online.

They may not care, but then again you never know. Before I order online I check to see if the company is registered with the BBB (usually they have a BBB graphic link) and then I check to see if any complaints have been registered against a company at BBB Online..

Sometimes you get nothing there, but other times you can find information on the company you're checking out.

Anyway, if they're interested in keeping a good name, then the threat of a report might prompt them to contact you in a more timely fashion.

Several years ago I ordered an Emerson Commander from this place on the East Coast. Got the item, then had a near death experience resulting in emergency surgery and 9 day in the hospital. Btw, don't EVER spend Christmas in the hospital if you can help it!

Anyhow, I got home, and just after the new year, this guy calls me up and says that the debit card number I gave him had expired, and could I give him a valid one. It seems my card expired at the end of the year. So I did some checking, and it looked like the money had already been taken out of the account, but it was unclear who made the withdrawl.

So this guy keeps calling and one time says, "I talked to a friend of mine in law enforcement and he said if you don't pay, then it won't be good". That was it for me. I emailed him and stated that any further correspondence from him should be written and that he was not to call my house, or I would take legal action. I then proceeded to file a complaint with the BBB, the attourny general in his state, asked advice of the attourny general in my state and filed a report with the FTC.

Strangely enough, he stopped calling.

It turned out that it was not his company that took the money out. Being in the hospital had put a severe financial drain on me (and my pregnant wife) so I agreed to pay when my tax refund check came, which was not long after I filed reports.

Needless to say, I didn't do business there again.

Forgot to mention that he waited almost a month to debit my account... I figured that if he wasn't that worried about when he got paid the first time, why should he be concerned then?

May have to look up those agency's email addresses again, eh?

Still have not heard anything from them. Even after promising to file complaints with a few different agencies. I consider the order cancelled.

I ordered the same gear from another place this past Monday. Had to pay a little more, but TLBTOJ is scheduled to deliver it on Friday.

Paying a bit more for gear is better than waiting and hoping for weeks that it will come <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Bummer.

I agree with the policy of paying a little more though. I've gone and bought stuff at REI so I could get my grubby paws on it immediately rather than save some money. LOL

Ah, yes, immediate gratification is a terrible disease among us gear junkies. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

LOL

You got that right!