I'm done with Cabelas

[Lovesbeer99]

Cabelas has been great in the past but I had it after tonight. They have had their primers listed as backorder, but will ship for 0-2 weeks. So I placed an order and added some powder to level the hazmat and shipping charge. I got half the order (the powder) and was emailed that the primers would be mailed in 2 weeks. Then 2 weeks later I got an email that the primers would mail in 4 weeks. 4 weeks later I got an email that the primers were not recieved by the supplier and I would get them in another 4 weeks. All this time they were still advertising that the primers were only 1-2 weeks out for new orders.

Ok, I understand back orders and I understand everyone has had an issue with supply or primers, but today Cabela's sent me an email that since my back order was over 90 days, they would auto cancel my order unless they heard from me. Honestly, I don't think that's resonable. The 0-2 week back order advertisement was just to get orders. They had this advertised for over 3 months. With 3 months of back order, even if you recieved a supply you would have to fill your backorders first so how can you advertise that the items are only 1 week out. Also, how can you charge a haz mat and shipping fee than auto cancel my remaining items? There is more to it then this, but this is the bottom line.

I'm disappointed cause I liked Cabelas, but I don't need this. This is just not how you should treat customers who have been around for over 20 years.


It's a bad day when you just can't trust Cabelas anymore.

 

[mp510]

hey have had their primers listed as backorder, but will ship for 0-2 weeks. So I placed an order and added some powder to level the hazmat and shipping charge.

IIRC, Powders and Primers technically aren't supposed to ship in the same package. Resultantly, most places will end up charging seperate HAZMAT fees for each.

Ok, I understand back orders and I understand everyone has had an issue with supply or primers, but today Cabela's sent me an email that since my back order was over 90 days, they would auto cancel my order unless they heard from me.

They are attempting to comply with FTC requirements, which (again IIRC) require a mail order vendor to notify customers if a backorder is going to be more than 30 days out (or 30+ days beyond a delay that the buyer was already aware of), particularly if they already have given an expected ship date and need to revise it. The same FTC regulations require the vendor to seek the buyers consent for the unanticipated (additional) delay. If the vendor does not recieve that consent, they are supposed to cancel the order. Similarly, if the vendor is given consent and they determine that they will not be able to fill the order or that they will not be able to ship when promised (both presuming that additional consent has not been received from the buyer for further delay), the vendor is again in a position to cancel the order. (This is way over simplified, and from memory...take it at that)

 

[Quilbilly]

Cabelas has been going down hill for awhile now. Its sad really. The only place I like to shop anymore is at Sport Co.

 

[Erik M]

I visited the 'gun library' one time, thats thats all I'll ever need to see it. Ill stick to the local shops.

 

[larry_minn]

Would you rather they charge your account? They gave you the option to back out if you wanted. They did not (IF I understand post) cancel it but gave YOU the option.

 

[Boba Fett]

My experiences with Cabela's has always been good.


From my own experiences, mp510 is correct about Cabela's handling of the backorder. *EDIT*

Here's the thing about backorders in the current climate:
Suppliers will tell a company like Cabela's they will have something to them on a certain date, but something happens (a machine breaks, the governments needs them more, a shipment is damaged, a shipment is lost, etc. etc.) and they are not able to supply it. Sometimes the suppliers simply lie about their delivery date. Trust me, I work in project management/expediting and I have seen it many many times. Sometimes the suppliers simply underestimate. But they assure Cabela's that it will be there in another 2 weeks.

So you end up with an email saying it has been pushed back 2 weeks while their website ad still says that delivery it 2 weeks...which is what they were told by their supplier. And this can happen more than once.

Given the current situation with firearms and supplies, if this lone incident is enough to push you over the edge, well...not much anyone can do for you. I didn't see anything saying you tried to call them up and work it out. Simply that they crossed you and you'll never shop there again.

Now, don't get me wrong. I completely understand the frustration you're going through. I have had an order with F&M Reloading since about January of this year. I still haven't received it. I'm a tad upset about some of the reasons it has been delayed (e.g. my credit card number changed during the backorder period and when they had the parts for my order and attempted to run the card and it was declined; they never called me...tried to email me, but they typed my email in wrong...so they sent my order to someone else).

But they have provided pretty good customer service. Rather than wait for my reloading kit to arrive, they are pulling the individual parts from their inventory to make the same kit for me.

So on the whole, I can forgive them for some of the mishaps as long as they will work with me.


Now, they are a smaller store than Cabela's. Cabela's has to content with way more customers and inventory than F&M. But at least they have kept in touch with you and let you know the situation so you haven't just been hanging out with no word on what is going on.

Given the current firearms climate, if it says backordered, I wouldn't order it from anywhere unless you are willing to wait longer than they tell you. Not because they are trying to be bad or misleading about it, but because there are often things beyond their control.

Even your local shops will run into this trouble. Only difference is you can have them tell you face to face that it has been delayed another two weeks rather than receive an email saying the same thing.

 

[LoneStarWings]

I've had large rifle primers backordered from cabelas for at least 4 months now. I've really stopped counting. Maybe they'll get here someday.

 

[Kindrox]

Boba is most likely correct, BS is rolling down hill. We get it from our suppliers too, most likely because they are getting it from someone they rely on. Annoying but it happens.

 

[evan price]

I'm sure Cabela's will miss your business. The fact that the powder/primer and reloading world is still in turmoil following the election of the Socialist-In-Chief has nothing to do with their problems- they are doing it to screw you over. Good riddance to Cabelas! Now we need to do the same thing to Powder Valley, Grafs, Wideners, Midway, and everybody else who is not shipping backordered stuff fast enough.

 

[bigeye]

I stopped at Cabela's in Mitchell SD and purchased some reloading supplies. (great way to use up points from their card) Anyhow, I also asked about primers. The retail guys literally laughed. They advised that they do not expect to see a primer in their retail stores for at least a year and probably more. The MAIL order does back order, and they were very open about how long it takes to get the back orders done. Their is no limit to how many you can order. Twenty thousand will sit on back order until that many come in and they fill your order. THEN the next one in line is filled. It might only be a box of 100. They can not fill it until the guy ahead gets his order. They also said that the twenty thousand is NOT over stating the orders they get. Only a few are getting them all it seems, and there is not much you can do about it. Leader Hardware in Mitchell SD is also a gun store. I went there before heading home. He had fifty thousand of the one I wanted. He limits EVERY customer to ONE thousand. That way his customers all get what they NEED, not enough to start a war. An interesting note is that his back wall is literally SOLID with every brand of 'black' gun and in every caliber you can imagine. Seriously. He must have 80 on his wall. When I asked him about it, he said he has another 50 locked away and fills his wall every time he sells a gun. He also had me note the quarter million rounds of .223 he has sitting in a huge pile inside his front door. That place is absolutely a diamond in the rough. If he does not have it, he gets it and calls you. (And he does follow through) Something I never expected in a hardware store. Also, his prices are still exactly where everyone else is, except for the fact they have NO weapons and no idea when or if they ever will. Check it out. One of those places not many know about, and a midwest private owner out to be fair and honest. Lots of people are not exactly described that way. Good luck.

 

[Oyeboten]

I'd say...be patient with 'Cabelas'...


They're caught in the middle, and, they've always been a first class outfit with good ethics, great Customer Service, and no BS.


They are loosing lots of money by shipping parts of Orders soon as supplies come in, which often means, the one Haz-Mat the Customer paid, only covers one parcel...and in my case, I'd Ordered several kinds of Primers, and Powders, and Percussion Caps all staggering in over months, and, every parcel having had a seperate Haz-Mat fee paid by them.


Many people ARE being 'Pigs' about Ordering HUGE numbers of Primers, which also screws things up for everyone, including themselves, for a time-line occuring in their creating market shortages they then bitch about.


As others have mentioned, Cabelas' Suppliers promise them delivery dates which do not come true.


So, I'd say...they deserve our Business, our understanding, and, our continued patience...and, hopefully, less greedy HUGE Primer Orders memssing it up for everyone.

 

[doc2rn]

I walked into the one in KC and he was selling primers with a 3 pad limit to ensure everyone can get some. Fair is fair, I like the guys who limit to a thousand! I think anyone who orders more needs to go to the back of the line and wait until there is a surplus to fill the order. If everyone just bought what they need we wouldnt be in such a pickle.

 

[SuperNaut]

The Cabelas in Utah had large rifle and pistol primers in stock last week for cheaper than Wideners.

 

[jakemccoy]

I've always had a good experience with Cabela's. One complaint, I bought some Wolf .308 ammo once. It was delayed by a few months. I found out that somebody entered something wrong on a form somewhere, and it was not really back ordered. Mistakes happen.

 

[Lovesbeer99]

I appreciate the replies, but to be clear this is not about how long I'm willing to wait for back orders. Go back and read it again. I understand the current climent and I know everyone is having issues with supply of primers. All the sites have them listed as back order, I get it. My back order is actually already over 90 days and I was still willing to wait. If there is a 30 day rule, why wait 90 days to cancel my order? So the letter I got states that the item is back ordered and order is canceled as there is no stock.

FYI - as of today Cabelas is still advertising that primers are only on back order for 2-3 weeks. So they are over 3 months behind on orders they still have to fill, but are claiming that they will get enough in 2 weeks to fill all the back orders, and still get your new order out.

My gripe is with customer service. I've never had a problem with Cabelas before and like I said, I've been doing business with them for 20 years (or so).

I actually shortened my entire experience with how they treated me, and yes I did call them, and write them to work it out and I'm still not happy. I understand that not everyone will agree with me but that's my position. They could have handeled this better especially after I called them, and wrote them and called them again.


I'll stick with other places like Midway, Wideners, TNT etc.

 

[Sav .250]

Your the consumer. Your call. I`m thinking even the best of them fail
every now and again.

 

[jn1965]

I have a funny Cabelas story. I ordered some 7.62x25 ammo in the Hamburg, Pa store as they were out of stock. Two weeks went by and since I was driving past the store on my way from DC to NY I stopped in. The lady at the Customer Service counter looked in the 'puter and did not see my order. She then went in the back room and could not find my order. I said that was Ok and left the store. I was on the ENTRANCE RAMP of I-78 just outside the store when my phone rang. It was another girl at Cabelas telling me my order was in! I did a one exit loop and ran back to the store. To make along story short, The other girl was unpacking a shipping box and had logged my order into the store inventory.They kept apologizing, which I said was not necessary and to make things 'right' for my inconvenience,they took $10 off my cost!

Maybe my experience is not typical, but I just ordered more ammo from them.
I will let you know when I pick it up.

 

[mcdonl]

I loved Cabela's until a week or so ago.

I had one of those Marlin XL7's I believe it was on layaway... only $25 more to pay on it, plus I had $250 in my pocket.

I showed up at lunch, the only customer at the counter. I stood there 2 or 3 minutes, and one of the staff called over to me from the pistol display and asked if I was being helped... I said I need to pick up a gun, and purchase a second that was being held for me. I called the day before and had them put a Hi-Point 995 on hold as it was $175 and I wanted a 9mm carbine. Upon hearing what I wanted he said... "oh" and stayed where he was and continued looking down at the pistols. It appears as though if you are not a woman, you cannot actually do anything there that requires paperwork and the woman was on lunch break. So waited more...

About 2 or 3 minutes later two employees came over to the register I was standing at and were looking something up on the computer and talking about when they will get their lunch break. They were there for 2 or 3 minutes, never acknowledged I was there... 3 feet from them, clearly waiting. They then walked away. When one of them... the younger one came back and was heading out back I said, in a slightly aggravated voice... "Can I get some help please...." he said.... "Geeze, don't take my head off... thats what people do on that side of the counter... they wait...."

Well, I left the store with my money back from the gun I had on lay-a-way, purchased a 1965 Model 95 in 30/30 from a private sale and pretty much got screwed as I cannot find the 995 anywhere else.

I did go to the front desk and they were very upset about what happened and the manager gave me her card and said when I want to come back, call her and she will give me $50 off my first purchase but I cannot bring myself to go back there.

 

[Just One Shot]

I stopped at Cabellas in Dundee Mi. for the first time last Monday on my way back from a funeral. I don't know what all the hype is as all the prices I saw were over inflated.

Ex: They had PMC .223 on the shelf listed as $10.99 a 20rd. box. This is the same ammo I can get at my local sporting goods store for $7.99 per box.

One would think that with their buying power they could offer the customer a decent deal on ammo that is readily available around the country. :banghead:

Their firearms were also marked up 15-30% higher than what I consider fair market value.

I know it's a free market but this seems to be price gouging in my eyes.

 

[atomd]

I've had nothing but good experiences with their customer service. I don't buy much in the way of firearms from them but their ammo prices on some types of ammo are fair. I've been finding things in stock there sometimes when others are sold out. Every now and then I also get some good deals on archery accessories and clothing too.

As far as the primers go, I have been talking to a local shop and they have been given the same type of runaround on availability...and they're a store! He said he has 100,000 on order and has only seen a few thousand in the last few months.

 

[GBExpat]

Lovesbeer99,

Your experience sounds like the same kind of episode(s) that finally pushed me to stop shopping at Sportsmans Guide a few years ago.

 

[Kingcreek]

Cabela's is big, really big. When businesses get that big there is bound to be some dead weight in there somewhere.
Customer service has always been a priority with corporate Cabela's. My experiences have been excellent when resolving those rare problems.

 

[JimmyN]

It wouldn't happen to be Winchester primers you're waiting on would it?
They seem to have had a lot of problem getting those in, or the demand is higher for Winchester so the shipments they receive don't go as far.

I had an order for Winchester SPP that continued for two months on backorder, so I ordered 3,000 Magtech and had them in two weeks. Two weeks after that I ordered 5,000 Remington primers and had them in 2.5 weeks, and was still waiting on the Winchester. I finally canceled my Winchester primer backorder after all those months, but I didn't need them at that point anyway since I had enough to last me for a while.

 

[oneounceload]

IIRC, Powders and Primers technically aren't supposed to ship in the same package. Resultantly, most places will end up charging seperate HAZMAT fees for each.

You can have (2) 8# jugs of powder and 25,000 primers ship in one box for one hazmat fee - makes the cost per round go way down that way

 

[ljnowell]

IIRC, Powders and Primers technically aren't supposed to ship in the same package. Resultantly, most places will end up charging seperate HAZMAT fees for each.

Thats not true at all. They can most certainly be combined. Most companies either charge a second fee and put them in the same box or they drop ship one or the other and dont tell you.