Midway off the radar

[MGW]

I got a notification they had pistol primers on Sunday. I found I could only buy 1000. That doesn't justify the freight and hazmat. It was going to be almost $50.

The had a 5,000 limit today.

[donlapalma]

Placed an order today and got my shipping notice in just over two hours.

[Rex G]

I'd really like to have a better understanding of the "Innovation" deal between UPS and USPS. I placed an order with Midway on 7/6, and the confirmation initially said delivery would be 7/10. That changed to 7/13. I eventually got the order on 7/18. The UPS site continued to say delivery would be on 7/13, and showed the package arriving in my town on that date. However, the USPS site (using the same tracking number) showed the package arriving in town on 7/13, but said "Shipment received, package acceptance pending." The status on USPS stayed that way until 7/18, when it said "Shipment arrived at USPS Destination Facility", and then in a couple of hours "Arrived at Post Office". Subsequently "Out for Delivery", and then "Delivered", all on the 18th.

I was outside when my mail carrier went by a few days before the 18th, and she said the problem was that UPS delivered a bunch of packages to USPS in a container, and the container had to be unloaded, the parcels sorted, and then loaded for delivery. Seemed to clearly suggest problem was on the UPS end.

So, the joint process doesn't work very well, but I'm not sure whether the responsibility rests with UPS or with USPS, particularly since neither appears to stand up and accept responsibility (again, an n=1 sample). The conflicting status reports appeared to suggest a handoff to the USPS locally on the 13th. The USPS site has the nebulous "acceptance pending" for five days. My leaning is toward the slowness being on the USPS side, as my experience with its on-line tracking system is that it is basically abysmal.

The slowness is both with UPSMI and USPS. “Shared” responsibility means that neither feels responsible, apparently. My BLR magazines finally arrived at USPS North Houston Distribution Center, via the UPSMI tortoise, and it is now Day 4 of the package sitting, unmoved, at the USPS Distribution Center. Ten days, thus far, since that tortoise started walking from Missouri.

Meanwhile, Midway USA keeps spamming my e-mail box with “free shipping” announcements.

[TicTacticalTimmy]

Pretty much every order I have placed at Midway has shipped super fast, and their shippng rates are very reasonable.

Every CS interaction/issue I have had has been handled with superb professionalism.

I placed an order at Primary Arms over the weekend, and had an issue. I have sent 3 emails so far without any response. However, I am not going to hold it against them because, like Midway, they have banked up a big reserve of great CS with me.

These are strange times and you just have to be a little more patiend and forgiving.

[Rex G]

Finally, on the fifth day of, uh, storage, the USPS North Houston Distribution Center moved my BLR mags to my local PO.

To be clear, Midway shipped the next business day. It was UPSMI, and then the USPS, that have made this delivery slow.

[mmc45414]

I wonder if some of the push for free shipping has ended up with USPS offering services that are not guaranteed, so maybe Mail Innovations goes on a space available basis, sorta like flying standby. If the truck is full the priority packages go first, and if the truck is full for a number of days it doesn't matter. We end users don't like it, but we are willing do go for something free, that is actually not free. This is also coupled with USPS lowering the number of sorting facilities, it used to be that if I went downtown in Dayton, OH and mailed my last minute batch of Christmas cards or invoices, if got them there by like 21:00 or so the local people would start getting them the next day, now I think that stuff heads to Columbus around 17:00 and may or may not make it back by morning for delivery.

I dunno, this is just some schumk speculating.

[all42a]

Many companies are shipping like shit. They're using the coronavirus excuse.

I couldn't give less of a fuck, Amazon. Get me my shit here in two days. I don't care how many boxers you need to kill to do it.

On a serious note, it's not just workplace restrictions. With there being so little air travel, that's suffering as well.

I suspect (but maybe I'm completely wrong and with this being the internet and all it's probably best to assume I am) that all the people bitching about "bogus" tracking numbers simply don't understand the delivery service they selected or that's being used to ship their order to them.

Midway uses UPS Mail Innovations for their cheapest delivery option. This is where the package is shipped via UPS Ground (or whatever UPS's lowest cost, lowest priority, delivery service is) from the point of origin to your local/regional USPS package sorting facility where it is then processed and ultimately makes its way to your local post office to be delivered by your mail carrier.

The problem is that the tracking number is and looks like a regular USPS tracking number, but the post office doesn't know anything about it until they receive it. Which, of course, is after UPS takes its time routing the package across the country using their lowest cost, lowest priority, service. To get tracking updates while the package is still in possession of UPS, you need to track it via the Mail Innovations website: https://www.ups-mi.net/packageID/

After the package is accepted by USPS you can track it via the usual USPS tracking website. If you just try to track it via USPS when you first get the tracking number, it's going to appear bogus, but it's not. But don't let me get in the way of a good old fashioned Facebook mob doing whatever it is they do. But, like I said, it's probably best to assume I'm completely wrong.

I wonder if some of the push for free shipping has ended up with USPS offering services that are not guaranteed, so maybe Mail Innovations goes on a space available basis, sorta like flying standby. If the truck is full the priority packages go first, and if the truck is full for a number of days it doesn't matter. We end users don't like it, but we are willing do go for something free, that is actually not free. This is also coupled with USPS lowering the number of sorting facilities, it used to be that if I went downtown in Dayton, OH and mailed my last minute batch of Christmas cards or invoices, if got them there by like 21:00 or so the local people would start getting them the next day, now I think that stuff heads to Columbus around 17:00 and may or may not make it back by morning for delivery.

I dunno, this is just some schumk speculating.

My son worked for UPS the last two Christmas seasons, as a ride-along driver's helper. After this year's stint they hired him on as their regular dispatcher at the Center in our County. A dispatcher is used by UPS to daily create routes among that center's available trucks in order to ensure that the union drivers are not worked beyond 8.5 hours each day, and so while driver's routes are mostly the same day over day, the load has to be spread out amongst the trucks by the dispatcher to keep the Teamster's Union drivers happy. If drivers work more than 8.5 hours they have the right to file a union grievance after two such days in a row. And they do file them, regularly. My son has said that since March 1st of this year, because of covid, their daily package count has exceeded the counts of the last two holiday seasons, and drivers have been worked on average 10-11 hours per day on most days. UPS is still adhering to and meeting their guaranteed delivery times as much as they can, though it's killing their staff and drivers. Another wrinkle, in addition to the Covid-caused increase in online ordering is that Amazon has broken its relationship with FedEx and is using UPS to deliver all packages except for those for which they are hiring private delivery. I don't believe the USPS has the same refund policy for packages not delivered on time and so the mail innovations system is likely the weak point in that partnership between UPS and USPS and/or FedEx and USPS.
So, MidwayUSA, who I've always had good experiences with, in addition to having troubles keeping their own staff at work, healthy, and happy, is also challenged with keeping customers happy in spite of their delivery partners' own shortfalls related to tremedously increased workloads of their own.

[fatdog]

I remembered this thread about the UPS "smartpost" debacle Midway foisted on many of us.

I am here to report that Brownells is now using "Fedex Smartpost" with equally disasterous results.

I placed an order on Brownells site on 11/3, it shipped on 11/5 via Fedex Smartpost and it is no place to to be found. 22 days after it shipped...hopelessly lost who knows where....

Beware, especially if you are a Brownells Edge customer. This was an Edge order but they have dinked the menu around in the order process so it defaults to "standard 5-7 day" unless you purposefully select "Edge 2 day" now.

Standard 5-7 is this abomination that is Fedex mingling with the hopeless and happless USPS....3 to 4 times the expected transit if you get it at all....

[mmc45414]

Beware, especially if you are a Brownells Edge customer. This was an Edge order but they have dinked the menu around in the order process so it defaults to "standard 5-7 day" unless you purposefully select "Edge 2 day" now.

I noticed that was the case when I signed up for Edge, and as much as I like Brownells, that is kinda beneath them, IMO.

[Bratch]

I have had multiple orders from Brownells missing small parts this year. They’ve always came through and shipped replacements when I call but it’s a hassle to deal with.