Brownells bait and switched

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  • GunBum

    Active Member
    Feb 21, 2018
    751
    SW Missouri
    I never allow Brownells to back order anything. Here is why...

    About 2002 I ordered a long list of small parts. That was the first time I used their website to order something. Prior to that, I called the 800 number and talked to one of the Iowans working there. The total was about $200 including shipping. A week later, I got 3 parts out of the 20 items I ordered. :sad20: Two weeks later I go another part, and they hit my CC for an additional $8.95 for shipping the next item. Two weeks later, they did it again. And again. And again. The 20 items came in 15 shipments and each time they hit me for an additional $8.95 :mad54: Each time I called the 800 number, and the “nice” person told me they don’t ship for free. When the entire order was done, I had the CC company reverse the charges for the shipping on everything but the original. Brownells froze that account. Fortunately, I moved that summer and opened a new online account with a different email address and physical address.
     

    Czechnologist

    Concerned Citizen
    Mar 9, 2016
    6,522
    If Brownells keeps running the business the way they have recently they go by the wayside. To many others out there with better service and prices. They need to improve to stay afloat.

    I don't use em that much but they're definitely hit and miss. The past couple years, about 50% of my ammo orders either get cancelled or backordered. I've had slightly better luck with parts and accessories.
     

    Docster

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 19, 2010
    9,768
    Thought I got a pretty good deal in the current climate for $.21/rd 9mm when I snagged 1000 rounds of 9mm for $218.94 shipped. A few hours later my credit card got charged $359.94.

    Started doing some searching and this doesn't appear to be a single occurrence. Found this notice of incompetence on their site to absolve them of responsibility. https://www.brownells.com/helpcenter/product-pricing/index.htm?id=35

    From the invoice:
    I5zN5Se.jpg


    From the order:
    CSm7M8Z.jpg

    Posts #2 and 3 should've been the first thing to do before bitching about it. Being proactive not reactive. Brownells is good about resolving issues.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    YES!!
    Their search function is THE WORST of any online vendor I've ever seen, EVER! Makes it an absolute pain to shop and like you, I usually don't bother.

    Often I search “Brownell’s X Y Z” in google to find what I was looking for...

    Searching on a computer is slightly easier on their website as you have additional sort and filtering options that you don’t on mobile. Pretty stupid.

    I use them fairly often for smithing supplies. Occasionally partS. Almost never Ammo.

    Their shipping seems fine to me. Most of my orders ship within 48hrs, like 95% within 72.
     

    duckduckgoose

    Active Member
    Sep 7, 2016
    138
    Annapolis, MD
    This may not be standard or common, but I put an order in on Brownell's for a few hundred rounds Thursday the 18th around lunch time and they're scheduled to arrive today the 21st. That's not quite amazon prime speed, but I'll take it.

    Appreciate the heads up on the switching issues, I'll keep an eye out if I use them again. This was my first order through them.
     

    135sohc

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 27, 2013
    1,157
    Many orders with brownells, including one right now. I cannot comment on the pricing issue but I can say to date they have never wronged me.

    Most of the time I get free or $5-10 shipping with brownells, including cases of ammo if you use on of their coupon codes that is always going around. I wont come here and bitch about shipping taking 5 days on a 40lb order where I paid $5 shipping, took $25 off and still got a case of decently good .308 way cheaper than anyone else all said and done.
     

    Harrys

    Short Round
    Jul 12, 2014
    3,362
    SOMD
    I dealt with a company said all ammo was in stock and they outright lied. The other thing a reputable company will not charge your credit card until the item ships. They charged mine and used my money for 30 days. I did end up getting a refund but had to fight them tooth and nail. When I order stuff now I talk to a representative by phone and ask if they are going to charge my credit card before the Item ships? If they say yes I do not order. Theses companies try to take advantage of all of us you just have to be smarter. They were so stupid they admitted in an email the manufacturer was behind and would be another 30 days. What a bunch of ass hats incase you want to know it was LG Outdoors. They even said they were closing stores/warehouses and going to ship everything via Amazon.
     

    IX-3

    Active Member
    Aug 21, 2018
    424
    Eastern Shore, MD
    Often I search “Brownell’s X Y Z” in google to find what I was looking for...

    Searching on a computer is slightly easier on their website as you have additional sort and filtering options that you don’t on mobile. Pretty stupid.

    I use them fairly often for smithing supplies. Occasionally partS. Almost never Ammo.

    Their shipping seems fine to me. Most of my orders ship within 48hrs, like 95% within 72.

    If you turn the phone sideways you get all of the filtering options you have on a computer.

    For example if you’re looking at rifle barrels on mobile you only see Cartridge, Length, Finish, Special Filters, Price, and Reviews. Sideways you also get Barrel Weight, Contour, Gas System Length, Muzzle Threads, and Twist. You also get the Make, Model, Manufacturer search and Sort By options.
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,818
    Many orders with brownells, including one right now. I cannot comment on the pricing issue but I can say to date they have never wronged me.

    Most of the time I get free or $5-10 shipping with brownells, including cases of ammo if you use on of their coupon codes that is always going around. I wont come here and bitch about shipping taking 5 days on a 40lb order where I paid $5 shipping, took $25 off and still got a case of decently good .308 way cheaper than anyone else all said and done.
    Shipped and received are two different things. They're shipments always seem to take at least three weeks. They can charge you on the "shipped" date because the order has been "fulfilled". Shipping dates are BS. That's been my experience with 'Browns'.
    And as far as smithing products go, as soon as my search lands on them, I still get the vague-assed search mechanism. I hate that place.

    I'm not saying they're crooked, just behind the times in their internal organization.
     

    Orawhaty

    Member
    May 10, 2020
    11
    Rockville
    I'll just say this about Brownells, they are always my last go-to out of all my online suppliers. Their shipping is incredibly slow, but the worst thing, the thing that keeps me away from them, is their product search is the worst I've ever seen. You make a pointed search for something and you get 25 pages of crap that has nothing to do with your search. They are a stop of last resort. And usually, I don't even bother.

    I actually stopped in there a couple months ago to take a look around. I asked about a few items I was looking for and even the employees had to use the website. The two that tried to help me, just complained about how bad the search functionality was. "Wait, why are we seeing only 223 barrels when I search 300blackout?" All I could do was shrug my shoulders. Oh, and if you do end up getting something not in their retail space, it'll be at least an hour for them to bring it up to you.
     

    SkiPatrolDude

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 24, 2017
    3,331
    Timonium-Lutherville
    I haven't had any trouble with Brownells, but my go to's have become Midway and Primary Arms. They ship laser fast and have kept up even through the pandemic.

    I have completely written off Optics Planet. They were my #1 before the pandemic, despite already slow shipping times. They always had a hair better pricing on things and offered pretty good discounts for writing reviews and such. Their performance through the pandemic, though, was astoundingly bad. I know they keep their prices low by drop shipping lots of things, but they really sh*t the bed.
     

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