Possible bad Vendor Report - fredsm14stocks.com

[tonb]

Well after seeing how fast a response was received in the other similar thread I thought I'd give it shot since I've been having trouble with Fred's.

I ordered a few stocks on July 21st, 4 months went by. I couldn't reach anyone by phone, their email was bouncing back and they had no voice mail service. More or less I thought my money just went into thin air.

Eventually their email stopped bouncing and I sent them a message that I was going to be moving in a few weeks as well as my new address.

Well, they shipped to my old address anyway and by the time the postal service forwarded me the note from UPS that said I needed to sign, UPS had already shipped my stocks back. Emails to them asking for status are bouncing again and as no one answers their phone I'm at a loss. Just the same, I still call randomly and send emails from time to time to see if I can reach anyone, all to no avail.

Definitely my worst online shopping experience ever. Not a huge loss, just under a hundred bucks, but hey... that's my hard earned money.

[jtv3062]

I never have ordered anything from Fred before. he's a one man operation. but if you ask over at http://www.m-14forum.com/upload/ they probley could help you. alot of those guys orders from him. from what I understand it's hit or miss with him

[toolman9000]

Don't pick on Fred, He is a great guy and a one man show... not a amazon.com operation by any means - I have bought many stocks from him and I expect a three month turnaround minimum, once I got a stock in a month and was shocked by the speedy delivery. He is very busy with Appleseed shoots across the country.

Fred will take care of your problem eventually, try contacting him in a month. He is not a bad vendor just a busy guy helping fellow shooters become better rifleman and selling stuff we all want at awesome prices.

Take a deep breath, it's okay. He is on our team.

-toolman9000

[tonb]

Fair enough

I've updated this thread to reflect the word "possible" pending final outcome.

[metalhead357]

Sorry....But I gotta side with fred; he's pretty swamped and IT SPECIFICALLY SAYS ON HIS WEBSITE--DONT ORDER FROM HIM IF YOU'RE IN A HURRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dondo]

Well it is funny that it also says he ships NEXT day. If you are in business you should be able to call people back and return emails within a reasonable amount of time. 4 months? Thats a joke and completely unprofessional. Also, if you run an online business..your goddamn email better work. I'd be pretty pissed.

[retired]

IT SPECIFICALLY SAYS ON HIS WEBSITE--DONT ORDER FROM HIM IF YOU'RE IN A HURRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know Fred and don't know the OP, but he ordered them in JULY of 2006! It is almost 6 MONTHS; I don't think that is being in a hurry guys.

Thanks for the info tonb. Fred may be a really nice guy and want to help fellow shooters become better riflemen, but this is a curious way to run a business.

Just my 2 cents since we are stating opinions.

[chickenfried]

You roll the dice with Fred. Sure he says to be patient. But he loses track of a lot of orders, he lost mine. But I was being patient so I didn't contact them. When I did they acted like it was my fault for not contacting them sooner.

Holding the appleseed shoots is a lame excuse for poor customer service. In my opinion they're just teaching the same things you'd learn going to high power matches.

[metalhead357]

6 months IS a little on the long side in comparison to most people's accounts.....but to be fair here, straight from his FAQ

Fred's FAQ

Fred, Why Does It Take So Long to Get My Blasted Order?

The main reason is that about all our stuff - stocks, slings, handguards, and cleaning kits - has to be hand-selected, and it takes time!
If all you order is books or the AQT targets or the Rifleman Package, your order usually ships pretty quickly, because they are all OFF-THE-SHELF items. All brand-new, no need to select this one or that one, the first one off the shelf is always acceptable, no difference from one to the other - no wonder they ship quicker. We actually had an email saying how surprised the customer was - he ordered Friday, and the targets arrived MONDAY! Now that is fast, and he just happened to hit the cycle right - usually even with targets it is about a week or so in processing and shipping...
So if it takes a while for your stock to come, just be patient, it will come. One way to know, since we are not computerized and cannot readily track in-house processing of orders, is to periodically check your CC. Once the charge appears, shipping is only a few days away (we try not to charge until we have your stock picked). STOCKS ARE ALL HAND-SELECT AND TAKE A LONG TIME TO SHIP - IF YOU ARE AN IMPATIENT PERSON, PLEASE DO NOT ORDER - THANKS

[Blue]

Over the years I've read a few (maybe 2 or 3) posts similar to this. The general outcome is always Fred is a great guy, but slow at shipping because he's A: a 1 man operation and B: busy with countrywide shooting activities. I'd be willing to bet he'll take care of you, it'll just take time.

[dondo]

Moral of the story: Buy from someone who gives a sh(oo)t about his business. You will enjoy the rewards of customer service, an email response, a call back and most importantly..the product you ordered. Usually in a week or two. That internet is a crazy thing y'all.

[Addax]

I once ordered a Premium Grade stock and parts from Freds and I called my order in, and I was lucky to catch Fred at the store.

Even with my order called in, it still took over 3 months for me to receive the order, but at least he told me it would take at least 3-4 months for him to get my order processed.

Nice old guy, but very slow in order fulfillment.

Excellent Stock and parts were shipped as promised.

[dixieD]

I've bought stocks from Fred's and had to wait about 1.5 months, but I was very happy with the stocks. Fred is involved in countrywide shooting clinics and this schedule probably affects his responsiveness. One additional thing to try is to PM him from the Appleseed site. He is quite active on the site.

[Lon Moer]

I'm sure he's busy writing another one of his full page diatribe's for Shot Gun News!

[ivanimal]

Fred is a nice guy and a friend of CA. He will make it right.