Huzar

So how patient would you be? I placed an order with a vendor for 3 holsters couple weeks ago: two were for a friend of mine and one was for me. Because one of the hoslters was needed ASAP I asked for them to be shipped overnight and to her office (she was the one with the urgent need). Anyways, the order was placed online late at night, I called in the next AM and verified with the vendor that he will be able to ship them on time (he resells them and keeps the products in stock). He put me on hold, verified that he has everything and then came back and told me: not a problem.

Fast forward till the day the order was supposed to arrive: it arrived on time with one tiny hitch.... the only holster in the order that was supposed to be for me was the wrong one. OK, not a big deal, I called him next week (it was Fri) and explained the situation. At first the vendor (same guy I spoke with las time) found it hard to believe I ended up with the wrong holster (funny thing is that it was a more expensive one then the one I ordered) but then he said no problem, pack it up and ship it back to me and circle on a copy of the invoice which one it should have been just so that we can send you the right one at that point. I was going to ask for a label but figured... BFD, it's like $5~$10 (I can't remember how much it was) or so through USPS to send it out. So I send it out, and wait a week (figure 3 days one way.. couple days back). Upon not seeing anything arrive nor not hearing anything from the vendor I call up and ask whether he can confirm receiving the holster (I sent it so that I could track delivery so I knew he had it :D ). The guy looks up my name and goes: oh we're out of stock but we should get more stock any day now. That was almost 3 weeks ago. I called again yesterday and was told similar thing: the manufacturer is delaying the shipment for some reason and supposedly he should have received from them the holster about 2 weeks ago so he just apologized and asked for me to be patient.

Now my patience is wearing thin.... I don't NEED the holster but I could use it (I'm switching out my carry gun and I wanted to use the off the shelf holster untill my new crossbreed comes in). What really irks me is the lack of communication (Vendors in general take note and think on that). Each and every time I have to call. IMHO since they screwed up, they should have called me the second the got the holster back in and realized they are out of stock. Then they should have called me when they didn't receive the new stock at the expected time!

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maclean3

Delivery problems suck but the fact that you're dealing with a reseller puts both of you at the mercy of the manufacturer. It may be something on the maker's end like materials or manpower issues, a large maker (Galco, Bianchii, etc) may be rushing a large contract job and holding small orders until its completion, any one of several other possible problems. Fact is, the vendor you're dealing with can't send you what they don't have and they can't strong arm the maker into producing your holster any faster.

We've all waited for orders that were a bit overdue (sometimes more than a bit), in the end all you can do is be patient and check with your vendor from time to time. As far as them not contacting you well, that happens. They may very well be swamped with orders or just waiting until there's something to report before contacting you.
Jack

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retsupt99

Who is the Vender?
Did you use a credit card?
How badly do you want to do business with this vendor?
Is this your only source for what you need?
There are OTHER reputable holster makers...most take time!
Fist, Inc...See 'Holster Sources' above...has never taken more than 5 weeks to arrive (usually 3 or 4)...I have purchased 2 doz+ holsters from them...excellent products, dependable...'no stories', just great service!

OMO

You do have choices...

ret

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freetrapper

I agree with maclean3 on the first part but I feel venders should keep a customer informed. I have been on both ends of this deal over the years and I know how hard both ends can be.

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Huzar

Update:
This turned out to be an interesting experience and I have lost all respect for the vendor. I looked on the manufacturers website and found out that the holster is not going to be available till early May.
So I called the vendor and asked to find out when can he ship the hoslter. He gave me the line again that he should be getting it any day now. Without getting into details I replied that the timing is everything for me and I no longer have the need for this holster as I had to get something else to get me by. I asked for a refund to which he promptly agreed. Here's the kicker. It's been close to a week and I'm not seeing a refund charge on the card yet. I think I will be giving him another call tomorrow. That call might not be too pleasant though.

Note to vendors in general: I know that sometimes you are busy. I know sometimes you are overwhelmed with oders. I (we/customers) understand that, but keep in mind we as customers want to know you know we are still alive. I might have waited for the holster if I knew that it's going to be delayed that much. Finding out by doing research myself irritated me. Also in case where I would have not waited for the holster I would still do business with that vendor. Unfortunately the way they acted made me not want to do business with them ever again. Honesty and communication will get you far. Lack of communication and evasiveness is going to be bad for your business.

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California CCW board

enigmaone

Oh Boy!..............................

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jarhead79

I agree that communication is key. Also lying is gonna do nothing but cause trouble.

I respect your choice as to not include the name of the vendor thus far, but as it being a reseller, my curiosity is piqued. Might want to avoid them in the future.

Nate

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Sig P239 9mm
Bersa Thunder.45
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UBG Holsters current wait time as of 7-16-2009: 3-5 weeks.

sass20485

Well, at least you were able to speak to him and may get your refund. I'm waiting since November for a holster I'll probably never see or get a refund. Zero communication from the maker.

Flippinstk

Husar,
I learned quickly on this site that we can go RIGHT TO THE MANUFACTURER and not have to deal with a "vendor". ( out of 10 times when you pick up the phone you will talk with the right person, ie Kevin, Gary, Nate or Eric (sorry if I left out a few) or they will be standing right next to the person you are talking with. There is no excuse for your "vendor" to have poor customer service and I hope you get your refund/credit soon. Then you can pick up the phone and order one from the folks that actually HAND MAKE your holster.

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Alex G.
S/A Micro-Compact .45
Virginia Beach, Va.
Senior Chief Petty Officer, RETIRED, USN
Certified NRA Pistol Instructor
NRA Range Officer

Huzar

Thanks,
While I like going to source as well, sometimes a reseller (vendor) will have a better price or will be able to deliver faster (this was the case with the first 2 holsters that actually were the right ones). Every so often a manufacturer will actually do whatever he can to direct you to a vendor as they just don't want to deal with single orders and would rather sell mass quantities to their resellers.

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