Check your Midway USA order carefully...

[tex_n_cal]

A few weeks ago I was looking to buy some odd parts, like a .303 British headspace gauge and some Forster Dies, and went to Midway USA's website. I entered my order, and was just about to hit the "confirm" button when I noticed an incorrect address. Huh? How did I do that? My street is 1XX MXXXXXX, and the order showed 1XX MYYYYYYYY.

I re-entered the correct address again, and got the same result. Finally I noticed a FAQ link, which stated that Midway uses a U.S. Postal Service "address recognition" software, and it was automatically changing my address to what it thought "I meant". The site cheerfully said, "contact us if you have any problems". I emailed them and got no response, so I placed my order with Mid-south Shooters instead.

I know why I had problems - my subdivision is new, and it can't be found on Mapquest or any of the other online mapping software. I guess if you live in a new subdivision, you can't order online from Midway

 

[Ala Dan]

Hello! and many thanks for the heads-up on Midway.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Valkman]

Weird - I love Midway and have never had any sort of problems. If you want to talk to someone at Midway just call them - they have excellent customer service.

 

[mete]

You think just new housing is a problem ? I placed an order recently on the web. The company called and said I gave the wrong address .My house has been here 150 years but never had an official address. But that changed 15 years ago for 911 compliance. But this company had some computer program that was 15 years obsolete !!! And never trust online map systems ,they're terrible.

 

[George S.]

When I worked in state government, our agency's computer system and ourt mailroom used a USPS-supplied software package that looked at mailing address data records and converted them to what the USPS wanted in terms of a proper format for optical scanning to include the full 11-character ZIP code for barcoding.

Turned out that there were some errors in the USPS software that resulted in mail being delivered across town or sometimes across the street. Updates to the software and the database were received monthly, but when a error is discovered, it took a couple of months to get things corrected.

Midway probably uses a similar package that is provided to them by USPS and UPS for shipping orders. The software usually looks at the street address and the ZIP code to come up with the full "corrected" address and when you have the same street names with NW, SE or such and a ZIP code that covers large areas it can be easy for these packages to be wrong especially if the developments are new.

One thing you could do is to mail in your order or use a FAX. I've even called an order in with no problems. Just let them know to use the specific address you give them because it's new.

 

[mcmoyer]

I placed an order recently on the web. The company called and said I gave the wrong address.

I had that happen to me once...drove me NUTS!

 

[Standing Wolf]

Midway's customer service has fallen through the floor in the past year.

 

[bpisler]

Their customer service did good by me earlier this year.I had ordered some hardcast bullets and other stuff.When the order arrived i checked the hardcast bullets first,i had not used this brand before.I found most of them was missing pieces of lube and some had casting flaws in the base.I notified midwayusa and they said to return them at their cost,plus they would send me another box at no cost.

 

[rick_reno]

They'll fix this when one of their bean counters notices it's iimpacting the bottom line (and it sounds like it is).

 

[Swamprabbit]

I've done quite a bit of business with MidwayUSA over the past two years and they have been GREAT to work with. No problems at all. I had to make a return one time but it wasn't their fault - I just ordered the wrong thing. The return worked as great as I could have hoped for.

 

[Poodleshooter]

Midway's done ok sending stuff to me, but I've had troubles recently with the woodwork/tool seller Grizzly. They refused to send anything to my home address.
These USPS address verification systems are ridiculous.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Automation will spell the death of the USA.

t one time I lived in a New England town that has been in existence since before the Revolution. It's a small town, and when I was a child our mail was delivered from the post office by a "rural route carrier" operating out of the post office of an adjacent small -- but not AS small -- town. Later the mail delivery was shifted to a branch post office in a nearby city with (GASP!) multiple zip codes. My town had its own zip code, but the post office servicing that zip code was physically located in the nearby city.

Guess what address innumerable on-line ordering systems "correct" my little town to.

 

[Okiecruffler]

I can go you one better than that.

When I recieved my C&R after my most recent move the street address was right, but the city was wrong. I called to inform them, but they assured me that I was totally daft and didin't know where I lived. Strange, the postman, the utility companies and the IRS seem to think I live here too. But try to argue with the BATF :banghead: . So far it hasn't caused a problem so I'm leaving it alone.

FWIW, I order monthy from Midway and have never had so much as a mistake in my order.

 

[STW]

All these street/map programs are based on the tiger street file, developed and updated by the Feds. (I don't recall the department.) I haven't used it regularly for a couple of years but at that time the last update was 1997. Rural areas are almost impossible; New urban, no better.

I once, over a fair piece of time, geocoded over 2 million addresses. I felt successful on any one batch if I matched 90% on the first pass. Of course I couldn't tell if they were accurate or not.