Bad luck w/ UPS (moved to Reviews)

[stephen]

The order started out right when I ordered
Fal G1 Combo kit on 10/25/01 by telephone .
They informed me that it would take 3 to 7
days delivery.All right.... this where things go wrong.Seven days go by,no kit
no nothing,so I call to inquire if my kit
has been sent,(call made on 11/01/01 at end of day)They procide to tell me that it would
take 3to7 days untill he noticed the order
date.Then of coarse he changed his story
and said that they were really busy but not
to worry my combo kit was on the rack ready
to be shipped ,he confirmed my name and
address and said it was on the way.No worries
right.....WRONG..Eight days later no kit
no nothing ,so I call ,they tell me according
to the tracking information , it was delivered at 10.20am that morning by UPS...
WRONG!!!So I ask for the tracking number..
and I call UPS they allso confirmed my name
and address via by tracking number and said
it was delivered and signed by some smuck
who is not my neighbors or anyone I even Know.They procide to tell me the wrong address was most likely marked wrong on the box..(remember both tapco and UPS confirmed
my name and address via tracking #.)UPS tells
me to call tomorrow we will put a trace on it ..Today is tomorrow( 11/10/01 )I call,
they procide to tell me that I am not allow
to put a trace on it ,Tapco must..and they are not open..till monday..SO now I am getting upset..I still after weeks do not have my FAL G1 combo kit, all I got is a troubles .I feel maybe, just maybe if Tapco would have delivered when they promised I would not be going trough this mess...I realize companys get busy and mistakes happen
But I just want my kit I allready have paid for with no missing parts ..(because some smuck is allready unpacked and tampered with it.) Just blowin off steam..
A concearned consumer..

[ November 13, 2001: Message edited by: EMDII ]

[ksuguy]

I'm not sure this is a problem with Tapco. Sounds like it might be a problem with UPS.

[omar]

I am in the same exact situation, as I ordered the combo G1 kit, too. I even ordered on the same day, but by card was not debited until later. I have not called TAPCO, and am just concerned that it may have been swiped off my doorstep. I'm witholding further angst until I discuss it with them. It sounds to me your problem is with UPS and not TAPCO, though.

Good Luck

Jim

[ddworks]

I have ordered stuff from Tapco. Sometimes
it is quick sometime its not so quick. They sometimes get real busy. My god look at there prices. Also it could be a UPS thing.
UPS has messed up all kinds of orders in my computer business.
I figure these days when you order a Kit from any of these guys if it take 2 weeks to get your order you got lucky.
I now you are just blowing off steam everybody does.
And just remember how happy you are going to be when that kit does show up. How big are your eyes going to be then.

[redneck whitesox PBR]

Patience Dude...my G1 kit took a month to get here and except for a badly cracked stock if was Very Nice.

Its worth the wait

[medicmike]

Ordered a G1 kit the same day by internet. Hope it shows up soon. E mailed Cynthia for a tracking number, sounds like they have been pretty busy. Have always had good luck from Tapco but UPS has been terrible lately!

[stephen]

Dear Cynthia,
Thank you for your reply ,Any help is welcome
and grateful for it .I sent the information
to your email .Hope you can help and thanks
again...P.S. all so left message by phone
in case e-mail did not go through...

[DannyBMW]

Get use to it! Or buy from Brad at Gunthings.com or Harlan at Federal Arms Co. I will not buy from T**** again.

Danny

[BlasterLP]

Tapco has given very good service on some returns that were the result of UPS delivery, it did take a little longer than what one would think is reasonable but I know that it was the result of dealing with the UPS shipment and damage claim that resulted. Be patient and keep in contact with Tapco and be glad you aren't waiting on a large refund from the group kit buy.

[Jaeger]

I can only tell you my experiences with Tapco have been very very good, and on the very small percentage of orders have had a problem, they have bent over backwards to make it right. IMHO their customer service is one of their strongest suits and I'm sure that they will make it right.

[Ctrot]

Originally posted by DannyBMW:
<STRONG>Get use to it! Or buy from Brad at Gunthings.com or Harlan at Federal Arms Co. I will not buy from T**** again.

Danny</STRONG>

No, it is not something you have to get used to. Thats because it is not the norm with Tapco, they are a very fine and reputable company. Of course they make mistakes, don't we all?
When you read post after post from those who have had great service from a company, and only the rare (but very vocal) complaint you can pretty well figure that the one complaining so loud just likes to rant.
I'm sure there are those reading this who have had a prob with Tapco, I am also sure that 90+ % of those problems were resolved to your satisfaction. I think you will end up in that 90% Stephen, Cynthia will see to that.
I too waited longer for my G1 kits than I expected, but they did arrive and are great!

[Ctrot]

See, thats what I mean. Theres always gonna be the "I don't care if all of you have had great service,or claim to, I had a bad exsperience and I say they are bad so they are!!" types.

Fine, leaves more for me.

[Regal Beagal]

Man,
I have only had great service from Tapco in my dealings with them. In fact, I emailed Buddie about their L1A kits and the next thing I knew Bill called me personally wanting to my wants and needs. I told him I wanted a hnd picked L1A1 and he said not a problem and he would personally pick one out for me. The kit arrived on my door step in less than 4 days. Everything else I have ordered from them has taken less than 7 days. I've been quite pleased with their customer service. Sorry you had a bad experience but I'm sure that if you let Buddie or Bill know about your delima they would make sure that it would get taken care of. I have to agree with some of the others. It sounds like the shipment may have been a little slow but the real problem is probably with UPS. Just my .02. RB

[MetalKnight]

Nobody leaves with a FAL kit without singin' the blues. :cool:

MK

[cllary]

Just an FYI - If and when you get your kit I would recommend you NOT send it out to a smith for a build. I've always waited a minimum of two or three months and I've had one going now that I haven't heard anything on for four months! I've never been quoted this long upfront but it always happens. FWIW - it was worth the wait everytime. It is just hard for me to get all worked up about a missed 7 - 10 day deadline when no one ever gives me anywhere near that quick of service.

[Bladerunner71]

Just received my 3rd order from Tapco...Always get what I ordered and always on time.And the quality has been great! Thanks Guys ;)

[BKinzey]

This is a problem with UPS, not TAPCO. It's pure speculation as to what would have or could have happened whenever it was shipped. It's just as likely it would have been lost, stolen, or destroyed by UPS when ever it was shipped by TAPCO.

[Radio]

I certainly don't work for TAPCO (heck I live clean across the country from them), but I always feel a bit paternistically defensive when somebody hoses them publicly on the Files, bleating "poor customer service." Folks, this company's customer service is absolutely stellar. The amount of effort, including off-the-clock personal time, the staff puts into making things right is beyond impressive. I would not hesitate a heartbeat to buy from these people and would give any potential customer my highest recommendation of TAPCO.

The same salute to Harlan at Federal Arms (763-780-8780) and Anne at DSA (847-277-7258). I've spent hundreds of dollars with EACH of these companies and have ALWAYS enjoyed wonderful customer service.

If we're going to post threads about bad companies, why don't we post about companies that actually ARE bad?
It sure ain't these folks.

--Radio

(And this should be in Reviews, anyway. Eh?)

[ricochet]

Originally posted by Radio:
<STRONG>
If we're going to post threads about bad companies, why don't we post about companies that actually ARE bad?
It sure ain't these folks.

--Radio

(And this should be in Reviews, anyway. Eh?)</STRONG>

I must agree with this statement. AND, while here I will allow, I have seen others pictures and their results from purchases. I have expected this when I bought and many times received what I considered less, or much less than what I wanted, but I NEVER GOT LESS THAN WHAT I PAID FOR. So I AM A CUSTOMER OF TAPCO, and I want the quality that others receive. My M16 kit sucked compared to every other review I read, but it met their promises. I still got what I payed for, and it shoots great.
Even tho I always want better, I will advise others to buy TAPCO, I have met the folks there, and they are good people. Will you always get everything like you want? NO! And they will make mistakes. But we do too!

Sorry if it sounds like a preacher here. We can spend our money where we want, but Tapco IS a good company with good people (heck, I wish I could work there). They will, and they do make mistakes. But probably 98% of their deals are correct. Perfect, No? But we get more than we pay for many times, in this case.

[ProGunOne]

Having experience in a family small business, I can say that Tapco is extremely customer service oriented. IMHO, they go above and beyond in their attempt to please their customers. Then again, you can't please everybody all the time. Please pass the cheese to go along with the whine.

[CaptainCandy]

Tapco has always done right by me. Currently I am waiting for a backordered FAL Furniture set. To their credit they did not leave me hanging. The day after I placed the order I received an email from Cynthia explaining the situation. My only problem and this is with the whole industry in general is the lack of shipping information. By profession I'm in the computer industry. When an order is placed you receive an email confirming your order. Within a day or two at the most you receive a second email stating that the order has shipped and here is your tracking number. Why don't we have this kind of service from the gun industry?
Just my two cents
Chris

[medicmike]

When an order is placed you receive an email confirming your order. Within a day or two at the most you receive a second email stating that the order has shipped and here is your tracking number. Why don't we have this kind of service from the gun industry?


Brownells does this, it is a great service. I had a G1 kit with some other items delayed a bit from Tapco. Cynthia, to her word, emailed me with the tracking number and now I can get an idea where the shipment is at. Might be something for Tapco to consider automaticaly sending the tracking info as a customer service. Thanks Cynthia!

[skfullgun]

I've always had great service from Tapco. I called a while back and asked to speak to someone who would let me place an order, then place it on hold until I could send in a check. Guess who picked up the phone....Buddie! It was taken care of and I sent the check. I got the stuff about 10 days later, in better than expected condition. Say what you want, but until I hear a LOT more complaints and see it for myself, I'll continue to believe that Tapco has great customer service.

[buckaroo]

Doesn't the fact that someone from TAPCO followed this thread say anything at all to you? They want our business. Running a business is hard, especially when you have to depend on outside entitites such as UPS. If you don't like UPS delivery service, use Fedex.

[GunHo109]

I ordered my FAL G-1 kit on Oct 25. received it on Nov.7. If Tapco gives you a Tracking #. That guarantees it's been sent. Its really up to UPS after that. My wait on my G-1 kit was well worth it. And I should have my receiver by Tommorow according to UPS. Tapco's custermer service is Pretty darn good!. It takes alot of patience to mediate with orders, shipping handlers, and customer complaints. I have an order on backorder now. Sucks! But I will be patient. There prices, and product is well worth the wait. There catalogues keep changeing due to availibility. I noticed the G-1 kit I got for $129.99 is no longer in the new catalogue I got today. Sales must be good. Means my wife will have to spend more on me for X-mas! :D :D

[FAL_FREAK]

On the automatic UPS tracking question, on my recent order it stated that Tapco is working to get a system in place to send out tracking info. Cynthia and or Buddie have even posted here that they are working on it. So in due time, we'll all be just a bit happier knowing where our packages are at.

As for my problem, I'm not sure how to have my paychecks forwarded directly to Tapco. Ever since I found out about them it seems a good portion of my paycheck ends up in their hands every month. :p

And on the side of customer service, Tapco rates as one of the best in my book. I've gotten everything in a very timely manner. That and everything, including used FAL mags that all but 1 or 2 looked almost new, was in as advertised or better condition. My M-16 parts kits was unfortunately one of the more carried ones with most of the anodizing wore through, but the bore is good and that is how they were described so all is happy here.

I'm currently awaiting my first G1 kit and serveral other parts "I could not live without." I have a problem. I wonder if there is anywhere that would help me with my addiction. :D

I'd just like to say thanks to all the fine people at Tapco. They give me an outlet for that money burning holes in my pocket. :D

[bbauer]

I've got to add my kudo's to Tapco after they called and gave me a choice to either go with a 'standard' kit or wait two weeks for the next batch of G1's for a hand-pick I had asked for. this was back when they first started selling the G1 kits, and I was impressed that they took the time during what must have been a very hectic time in both their front office and warehouse/shipping.

my impression is that they may be a little slower in responding/shipping than some of the other vendors, but this may be nothing more than my perception, based on the typical overnight-shipping mode that I'm used to at work.

bottom line: I vote with my wallet, and they'll be getting more of my money.

[B3]

Right now DSArms and Tapco have the kits that u want.Both are great to deal with. I have ordered from both. I have ordered from Tapco several times and spent thousands of dollars over the years. It there is a problem (and I have had some)call their customer service. It might take a while but they will fix it to the best of their ability. AND they have always come through for me. If you want to see how bad it can be try to order something from IO. Then you will be telling people what a great company Tapco really is.