Potterfield should take a long, hard look at his web site and capability. I ordered two simple things n batteries and a magazine for my wife's pistol. Three days later I get an e-mail telling me that the magazine is out of stock but will be available in a week or so BUT at 8% higher cost. The batteries also increased in cost - almost 100%. I swallowed hard and re-entered all of my information twenty minutes ago. The order is still sitting there, as am I. In another two minutes the order will be cancelled and I will leave Midway USA, never to return.

This is VERY LOUSY business practice. I have been forced to scratch another company from my good guy list. What a shame.


Terry

Were they on clearance when you bought them?

better to note the situation in a email to them noting why you are cancelling the order and see if you get a corrective response.

midway is over priced anyway. i can always beat there prices.

And the order still has not been placed.

This.
I used to buy from midway when they offered free shipping. Since they started charging for that, other places are cheaper.

They have to reorder inventory too. If their costs go up, they must pass them along. I don't understand the bitching. It's not like Larry Potterfield is pulling orders himself. They do a big volume and have a vast inventory. You can find better prices, but Midway gets out of stock (read: unavailable due to manufacturer shortages) in faster than most any place else.

If you haven't noticed, shooting supplies have been a challenge to come in the past few years.

I've had two issues with midway back to back. For years they have been the company that really really impressed me.

First issue was a completely wrong part....it happens.

Second issue was paid for 2 day shipping and it sat in process for an extra 2 days....it happens

What really left a bad taste in my mouth was when I called the customer service department...very poor service. Almost like an outsourced call center.

It used to be that I didn't mind the higher prices because I new it would I could count on great service and fast shipping. Lately not so much.

I haven't given up hope on Midway because i think that if Oldman Potterfield knew about these growing business pains. He would work to remedy them.

There are a couple reasons to buy from Midway. Free shipping and price matching. Their prices are usually, as stated above, higher than competitors.

That said, If you watch prices closely, you can sometimes get same pricing as competition.

Another note, they have recently been running a "new customer" $15 or $20 discount (which rubs me the wrong way). I have taken full advantage of that on 2 or 3 recent occasions (and I am by no means a "new customer"). Flew like an eagle.

So they cancelled your order because things weren't in stock so they could raise prices?

I had an order - 5 boxes of 100- delivered to me at 5 boxes of 50. I was sure it had been 5 boxes of 100 when I placed the order. Even so, I went back and checked my electronic invoice; sure enough it showed 5 boxes of 100. So I emailed them to let them know. The next morning I got an email back from them which said "no - the order had been filled correctly but there had been a mistake on the website". The product had sold out but they apparently made a 'correction' to their website history anyway as my electronic invoice had also changed to show 5 boxes of 50. I just about blew up on them. I insisted that they honor what had already been purchased - but I have not spent a penny with them since. Yes- they need someone who is computer savvy, but also with a thread of ethics, to help them get their electronic 'house' in order.

I used to buy almost everything from Midway but now I can beat their prices without to much looking around.

when a person has been a loyal customer for 30 years or so and a company comes out with a "new customer discount" it is like a middle finger to me the old customer.
the only time I got free shipping from midway was when I had a shop(ffl) in
California. about the only thing I use Midway for anymore is price comparison on items from amazon or ebay. Larry is to busy making videos to run the store anymore.

....wish I had a piece of 7RSAUM brass for every time I called Larry up and told him the same thing.

I have pretty much quit ordering from them unless their price on something pretty expensive is the best I can find. I've had several orders of less than $100 where shipping and handling added up to between a 50 to 100 percent increase.

Agreed. Cheaper Than Dirt did precisely the same to me a couple of years ago.

Midway's gone through allot of changes over the years. Most of them for the worse IMO, so I seldom buy from them anymore but I'd hate to think what it would have been like without them when I started reloading 35 years ago.

Greed sets in..

Midway has dropped to one of the last places I look. Powder Valley, Mid South, Grafs and 3rd Generation Shooting is where I buy 95% of my stuff. Now that I have moved to Tucson, I dont know how much online buying I will do, have to get out and look around.

I have to say the same. I used to buy a lot from them. Seemingly within a short time prices and shipping cost got crazy higher than other places. I know they have made progress on shipping costs. Hard to get back into the swing of ordering from them. They are about fifth down the list for me right now.

I have not had a bad experience with Midway and have thousands of dollars in orders with them over the last decade.

I did return some items recently and specified a refund but they gave me credit, not really a problem but I would have called if it was more than a hundred bucks simply to put the money back in my bank.

Cheaper is normally better for me but fast processing is good too.

Powder Valley and MidSouth Shooters for me. Natchezz gets thrown in there occasionally.

May have to go back to Natchez. Used to order from them alot, but they wouldnt ship to AL.

Growth sets in.

Yup.

......some places fail to heed the need for quality IT people; even old guys who may not understand what to do should understand that they need to get it done. Many or most of Midway's growing pains/customer issues could be avoided with better tech support - and less defensiveness about same.

Batteries, have a "haz-mat" charge.

It shows you this when you are checking out with online purchase.

I've ordered several items from Midway recently and everything over $25 has been free shipping.

I'd get an attorney. ASAP.



Travis

Midway has been good to me so far. I haven't paid shipping with them in a couple of years. I just keep an ongoing list and order what I can afford when they have free shipping and or special sales.

I recently bought a RCBS kit from Midway. After their sale, free shipping and RCBS rebate, it was $250 to my door. This vs. $396 after tax at the closest Bass Pro.

I'll put that savings towards my next uber killing machine instead of a crush Potterfield campaign.

I live in Missouri so I only use Midway when I have no other choice

Midway has been great to deal with, for me.

Free shipping on most orders. Sends me email telling me about specials sale items.

Larry just sent me an e-mail telling me my order is on the truck. (9/20/14)

Larry is good people.

My 2 cents

That'ill teach that Potterfield fugger.

I don't even check e-mail, it's just crap! Midway finally sent me a monthly flyer, but were sold out of what I wanted. Point being, some of us old pharts like seeing the catalogues!
I admit to only looking at the pictures!!

LOL!

Mark,

Does Midway even have a monthly flier anymore?

Back when I used to get one, damn everything I ordered ended up "out of stock". I finally gave up on them completely.

Myron

I was buying every week, ~$2k/year, in the 1990s from Midway.

Midway had people answering the phone that knew nothing of guns nor ammo.

Then Harry Potter went on vacation in Africa with vintage Winchesters while his minions implemented the new charge for shipping.

I decided to kick the Midway habit.

I have bought mail order from over 100 gun websites and phone numbers in Shotgun News, and they are almost all good.

Then ~ 2005 I started buying from Midway again, 10% of my purchases. I was impressed that they really turned the place around and it was good.

Then Potterfield started making videos about how to do gunsmithing. That is what I do. He is just like me. He loves guns.

Now I really like him. I am buying ~ 25% of my reloading stuff through Midway now.

Just about everything for hunting and shooting......NOPE