 gm2uscg 
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Joined: Sep 2008  NC, USA
 Posts: 5 Feedback: 0% (0) |
Posted: 3/22/2012 3:00:35 PM
[Last Edit: 3/26/2012 9:57:12 AM by gm2uscg]
Why do you offer things for sale on your site that you know are not in stock?
Here's my story: I placed an order on 2/1, and got this e-mail response: Greetings from OpticsPlanet.com! Thank you for your order. We apologize, but your order has been temporarily placed on hold because we have just run out of stock on: Nikon P-Series Scope Mount w/ Rings $49.95 They are very popular and hard to keep around. We do expect to receive the merchandise back in stock within 5-10 business days. We will not charge your credit card until we are able to ship the order. You will be automatically notified with your tracking number when your order ships. On 2/12, I got this: Greetings from OpticsPlanet.com! Thank you for waiting for your order, #2736164. We apologize for the longer than expected delay for your product(s). We realize we were unable to uphold the promised time frame and are actively working with the manufacturer on a resolution. If you would like to continue to hold, no action is necessary on your part. If you are interested in finding a suitable replacement, our product specialists would be happy to assist you. We can be reached at (800) 504-5897 or by e-mail at Sales@OpticsPlanet.com. Finally, you can always check the current status of your order at http://www.opticsplanet.net/orderstatus.html. Again, we are very sorry for the delay. Thank you for your patience and understanding! I checked the website after receiving the above e-mail and noticed that the item I had ordered was still available for purchase on the website with no mention of it being out of stock or backordered. So, I sent an e-mail asking how it was possible that they had been aware that this item was out of stock for over three weeks and they had not changed their website to reflect this. Below is the response I got: Greetings from OpticsPlanet.com! We do apologize for the longer than expected delay in receiving your order. We are currently waiting for the manufacturer to fill our order. At this time, the manufacturer has stated that the wait time is approximately 3-4 weeks. As soon as your items arrive in our stock, we will notify you and ship your order as promptly as possible. Please note: This time frame is only an estimate provided by the manufacturer and is subject to change. If your order is time sensitive, please contact us for other options. We appreciate your patience. If you need anything else, please let us know. Best regards, Steven L, Sales/Customer Service Specialist As of today, the item in question is still available for purchase on the Opticsplanet website with no mention of it being out of stock or backordred. You would think that they would have been able to update their website at least once during the last month and a half... Just wanted to post this as a heads up to anyone thinking about purchasing from this website. You need to call and make sure the item is actually available before placing your order. Or, better yet, buy from a retailer who cares enough to keep their website updated. |
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Greg3
Screw it, I'm going shooting!
Team Member
Joined: Nov 2000 KY, USA
Posts: 3924 Feedback: 100% (1) Link To This Post |
Posted: 3/26/2012 7:49:18 PM
[Last Edit: 3/26/2012 7:50:33 PM by Greg3]
I got the same email.
Order: AK Ghillie tan handguard and pistol grip (in stock) on 3/3 Next day they said order shoud be in stock in 5-10 business days. I'll keep the order but would like to see some kind of update soon. Edit to add order #2824530 |
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Posted: 3/26/2012 7:52:42 PM
Ordered an eotech back on the 6th, same story. Saw yesterday it was going on sale on the sister site "DVOR" Cancelled my order, and waited for sale to start this morning... It was still cheaper to buy at O.P. proper, less free shipping, and 5% Coupon Code... I promptly re-ordered.. Still o.o.s. of course...
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ARinKCMO
"The truth is...."
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Joined: Jul 2004 MO, USA
Posts: 10027 Feedback: 100% (3) Link To This Post |
Posted: 3/26/2012 7:55:50 PM
Similar story, ordered something, and a couple other things. One of the impulse buys was out of stock, per the email I received the next day. I hit thier web-chat, and asked if they could send the rest of the order, and simply ship the other item when it came it. They did, problem solved.
But yeah, I get irate when a website (In this day and age!) shows in stock, but the item is out of stock. Especially at a large company like opticsplanet. If one man shops can have an automated inventory system... |
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opticsplanet
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Industry Partner
Joined: Oct 2003 IL, USA
Posts: 368 Feedback: 0% (0) Link To This Post |
Posted: 3/28/2012 5:02:04 PM
Hello everyone,
I cannot apologize enough for the problems and inconveniences caused by not having a stock availability option on our website. It is one of our biggest weaknesses that overshadows the hard work that everyone in our company puts in (especially our customer service representatives), the range of products available on our site and the low prices we carry. I know that you’ve probably seen us apologize for the same issue again and again. I would like to assure you that your concerns are not falling on deaf ears. I will try my best to communicate in this post why this problem exists and what we’re doing to change.
So the question is: why do we do this? With our current platform we are very limited with what we can do. Any changes or publishes to our website takes at a few days to go live while our inventory on the other hand is constantly changing…this would defeat the whole purpose of having a stock availability feature. So for now we recommend our customers to call or use our "Live Chat” feature for real time inventory statuses.
That being said, we are now taking steps to transition our site to a different platform. It’s a project that has/will take several months to complete as it will affect everything. Although it’s easy to say "that doesn’t sound so hard”…think of it as ripping a house off of its foundation with everything left inside and moving it without breaking anything.
So the next question that comes up would naturally be: what’s taking so long?
One thing to note is that we do not outsource our work, be it our call centers or any development work. Our internal team develops our sites and the majority of the tools that we use in our company. This is a double-edged sword. We have the freedom to tweak the tools we use, but it also means that any changes we want to make lays squarely on our shoulders...and as you can guess when one feature is added/changed the rest of the site is affected as well. So due to the size of this project, it requires a lot of planning and involvement of a lot of people.
The first stage of the project was recently completed (the new product page design) which was required before we could make the system work. We hope to start internal testing on stock availability option very soon! Once it’s up I will be sure to let you be the first to know.
I hope I was able to answer your question, but if there’s anything else you would like to ask feel free to contact me. Also, if you have any "On Hold” orders that you would like me to look into please send me your order number and I will follow up with our sales team and get you an updated ETA.
We are sincerely sorry for disappointing you and you have every right to be frustrated and angry. Contrary to popular belief, we do care about making sure our customers are satisfied and when things go wrong we try our best to make things right. We hope that these changes will allow us to meet the expectations that you hold for us and we ask for your patience as we make the transition.
Best regards,
Cynthia D.
(800) 504-5897
http://www.OpticsPlanet.com |
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Posted: 3/28/2012 5:20:18 PM
The safariland stuff I usually order from them, always comes back with a similar message..BUT I GET THE SAME THING FROM OTHER RETAILERS AS WELL. Its not like botach where its a crapshoot whether or not you'll ever see it. OpticPlanet has always delivered within their updated DOD to me.. I have no experience with ordering scope rings from them, but for for holsters they've always given me a realistic update on DOD...
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Greg3
Screw it, I'm going shooting!
Team Member
Joined: Nov 2000 KY, USA
Posts: 3928 Feedback: 100% (1) Link To This Post |
Posted: 3/28/2012 7:45:05 PM
Originally Posted By opticsplanet: Best regards,
Cynthia D.
(800) 504-5897
http://www.OpticsPlanet.com Thanks for the info, I understand where you are coming from. I will keep my order standing as long as my friend wants it. I am ordering it for him as he isn't computer smart.  Thanks again. Greg P. |
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Posted: 3/28/2012 9:13:12 PM
SWFA does the same thing, only you don't get an email saying it is out of stock.
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ARinKCMO
"The truth is...."
Team Member
Joined: Jul 2004 MO, USA
Posts: 10040 Feedback: 100% (3) Link To This Post |
Posted: 3/29/2012 8:52:39 AM
One thing to note is that we do not outsource our work, be it our call centers or any development work.
This alone will keep me ordering with you! As an IT contractor who is about to switch careers because of the constant outsourcing to save a buck, I love when I see companies keeping jobs in house! |
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Posted: 3/30/2012 3:53:57 PM
Patiently waiting for my order to be canceled and my money returned, this is the second instance of this happening to me as well, not a biggie, but I have messaged and sent two e-mails to sales, and as yet to have word back.
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Posted: 4/1/2012 8:43:19 PM
Originally Posted By Dragynn:
Patiently waiting for my order to be canceled and my money returned, this is the second instance of this happening to me as well, not a biggie, but I have messaged and sent two e-mails to sales, and as yet to have word back. I have done a fair amount of business with them in the past, usually I have a similar attitude as yourself when minor problems come up. But over the last two months or so they seem to be falling off, nearly every order seems to become a chore . . . . and Im one of the guys that usually come in here to rave about their CS, shipping, etc. Pick it up OpticsPlanet!!! |
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Posted: 4/4/2012 12:40:05 PM
Originally Posted By zegermanznew:
Originally Posted By Dragynn:
Patiently waiting for my order to be canceled and my money returned, this is the second instance of this happening to me as well, not a biggie, but I have messaged and sent two e-mails to sales, and as yet to have word back. I have done a fair amount of business with them in the past, usually I have a similar attitude as yourself when minor problems come up. But over the last two months or so they seem to be falling off, nearly every order seems to become a chore . . . . and Im one of the guys that usually come in here to rave about their CS, shipping, etc. Pick it up OpticsPlanet!!! Well Cynthia was gracious and helpful as always, and it did get resolved. But I have to say, that i'm not going to order again until the in-stock/backorder issue is fixed and stock status is visible online. I've just had similar issue happen with Botach tactical, and this is no way to do online business in 2012 when options to do it properly are easily available. But customer service counts a lot, and Optics Planet has been good about it, and they have good prices generally, so i'll try again when migration to new ordering system is complete. |
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opticsplanet
Member
Industry Partner
Joined: Oct 2003 IL, USA
Posts: 426 Feedback: 0% (0) Link To This Post |
Posted: 5/7/2012 7:08:39 PM
Hello everyone,
As promised, I wanted to give you the updates on the stock availability option on our website. I am happy to announce that we’ve begun testing!
Testing will be limited to a random selection of visitors to our site, so that’s to say not everyone will see it. However, the lucky few who can view the new feature will be able to check the approximate (but still very accurate) shipping time for products site-wide. For instance, in stock items will show a "Ships within 1-2 days” message while items that we don’t have on hand might show the next available date whether it be 15 or 27 days. There will also be a message that let's you know if we’re waiting on the next restocking shipment. I have been assured the estimated time is very accurate. I have randomly checked a few items and the shipping time do reflect the inventory status that I see.
The stock availability option is still not perfect and we’re still ironing out some bugs. But I wanted to let you know that we haven’t forgotten about your concerns and we’re working hard to perform up to your expectations.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or our customer service agents! I will be sure to keep you all posted on future updates, so til then.
Best regards,
Cynthia D. |
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Posted: 5/7/2012 7:40:37 PM
Just recently cancelled my order for the exact same thing. Ordered a new eotech hood and screw kit. Immediately put on hold "should be available in a week". Put on hold a week later again. Emailed them a few days later and cancelled it. No hurry for the part and no need to have 30$ of paypal tied up forever lol.
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tommyrich
<---Cookie Thief
Team Member
Joined: Jun 2007 MO, USA
Posts: 5472 Feedback: 100% (20) Link To This Post |
Posted: 5/7/2012 11:49:08 PM
Cynthia
Can you look into this, it's been 6 weeks and not a peep. Also paid for next day air shipping which i hope you can change to regular since my deadline for needing it has long since past. Didn't know there was an arfcom code either. 
See IM for order #. Thanks Greetings from OpticsPlanet.com!
Thank you for your order. We apologize, but your order has been temporarily placed on hold because we have just run out of stock on: ================================================================== NightForce 5.5-22 x 50 NXS Illuminated Reticle Riflescopes $1,959.00 Revision Eyewear Hellfly Ballistic Sunglasses $59.99 ================================================================== They are very popular and hard to keep around. We do expect to receive the merchandise back in stock within 6-8 weeks, however we do have some other options available. |
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opticsplanet
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Industry Partner
Joined: Oct 2003 IL, USA
Posts: 427 Feedback: 0% (0) Link To This Post |
Posted: 5/8/2012 10:09:18 AM
Yes, I will look into your order now and get back to you as soon as I can.
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