For another insight on how Midway operates I present the following series of e-mails. This whole episode is about being shorted two (2) .223 Lapua cases. Some info will be blacked out for security reasons.

Orginal message:
On order XXXXXXX dated 03/08/04 product# 684506 Quantity received was 98 should have been 100. Please complete order, 2 additional cases with same lot numbers (LOCGSP). If same lot number is not available reship 100 qty. and return postage for exchange. Please acknowledge receipt of email. Thank you,

Response:
Dear Mr. XXXXXXX,

Thank you for your recent e-mail. We do apologize that your order was short on brass. Unfortunately, because Lapua Brass is packaged before it reaches Midway, there is no way we can ship the two spare peices to you. Once you
have returned the items you are unsatisfied with, we would be happy to process your request. Please include the following information:

1. A brief note explaining the reason for the return.
2. Your Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) # is 2389524
3. Please indicate whether you would like a refund (credit back to card),
store credit (Midway Money), or an exchange (provide new product number).
4. On the back side of your invoice there is a return label provided, just
include the RMA #XXXXXXX.

There will be a 15% restock fee on all non-defective merchandise, unless returned for a credit in Midway Money. Please include the following information on the outside of the package. This will enable your return to
be processed quickly and efficiently:

Midway USA
RMA #2389524
5875 W. Van Horn Tavern Rd.
Columbia, MO 65203

We are sorry this product did not meet your expectations. We appreciate your feedback, as it will ensure a higher level of quality for future customers.

If you have any further questions or comments feel free to contact us at 1-800-243-3220. Our office hours are Monday through Friday 8 am - 8 pm and Saturday and Sunday 9 am - 5:30 pm (CST). You can also visit us anytime atMidwayUSA.com.

My response
Jake,
I am sorry, but your response is not acceptable. The options outlined in my original e-mail are the only ones I will accept. I will not pay postage for your error nor wait to for you to receive shipment and then reship at your
convience. In short I contracted for an item, paid for item, and then did not receive item contracted for as specified. We also have a version of your restocking fee, we charge 20% for verifying and handling all
defective/short product plus postage. Please include this amount in your credit as you seem not to be able to ship complete order. Total credit should be $39.79 +7.95 for a total of 47.74. If you want item returned please credit additional funds for return shipping, any excess will returned to you. In 5 days all correspondence will be forwarded to CC co. for resolution and backcharge. Thank you for your prompt attention to this minor matter.
Sincerely
L C XXXXXXX

Folks, this is insanity, not to mention poor business practice, all I want is 2 cases that I already paid for. Why can't they simply open a box remove 2 cases and ship them, they will get compensated by Lapua for the shortage. If you think dealers get better service from Midway, this should put pause to that thought. Just in case your interested I refunded my customer and gave him the brass @ NC until the missing brass showed up, total amount will be due upon complete delivery. Why make such a deal of this, well, simply, I will not be defecated upon by anyone, anytime, for any reason, least of all $.80. It is the principal you know, let small things slide, the next issue may not be so small. By the way did you ever notice there is no cents key on your keyboard, the little c with a slash, I never noticed it before.

On the Midway note, I'm just delighted that all of you are shopping somewhere else, that way when I order from Midway, they can ship my order complete the same day.
Granted, I usually buy only their sale items, but Midway is my first choice anytime.

Brownells is equally great on service, and I do like their "one price" shipping.

i usually place 4 $200.00 reloading orders per year. midway got the last 1 because they carry winchester 257 brass but shockingly they also had the lowest prices. i usually just do an excel spread sheet on cabelas, midway and midsouth and right now midway is cheepest on what i need but i much prefer midsouth's service. my few incounters with midway, a defective shilen trigger were or the the person i talked to was ok for a yankee, but midwesterners are really southerners who talk funny and burned the family farm 140 years ago.

midway's minimum order makes business sence, it cost me about $7.00 to cut an invoice but their return policy and back order policies stink.. i always check stock status before i order.

Tom Ga Hunter is right.

When I mailorder a lot, and it isn't a rush, I add up all the costs and compare. Sometimes Midway is ahead, sometimes it is not. Interestingly, it would be ahead most of the time if they paid for shipping on orders over $100.00, or at least, flat rate it at $5.00.

Sometimes, mailorder is the only option. I bought 100 pcs of French MAS brass a while back. My local dealer wouldn't touch it unless I ordered 500 pcs.

The rest of the time, I buy it locally. This includes all powder and primers, I never mailorder that anymore as it is simply too much hassle when the wrong number comes in. It only takes once to lose any savings I might make on 24 lbs of powder.

The Laupua brass thing is completely inexcusable. Someone there needs to have a long talk with customer service and train them to start using common sense.

RobertD

Not to be the devils advocate here, but Midway DOES generally have alot better inventory than anyone else. That might just be the price you pay for such a high overhead. They are usually the last place I look because of those high prices but I usually wind up buying most of my stuff from them because I use alot of oddball stuff that is hard to find most anywhere else and I do prefer "one stop shopping". But I also do remember when shipping was free (I think on orders over $50)from them and prices were very competitive. Back then, they were the only place I really did mail order shopping, but I'm trying to spread some buisness around as much as possible. One thing I can say in their defense is I've never had service as good as theirs in all my dealings with anyone else. Their packages usually arrive sooner with standard shipping than MOST others with express. And in response to a comment earlier about shopping at local gun shops, I try really hard to buy from anyone in my surrounding area. But here in central Arkansas, the choices are slim and the few dealers that carry any reloading stuff at all are completely outrageous. The closest place to me (30 miles) sells primers for over $3.00 per 100, powder is about $25 per pound and RCBS carbide pistols die (if they have any) come in at 50 bucks before tax. Like I said, I try to keep it local, but with stickers like that i'm really not bothered by shopping online.

Midway shipping was never free, it was built into the price. Order 6 parts that weighed 2oz each and you used to pay for 6 pounds of shipping, now you only pay for the 1 pound (UPS min).
Everyone used to complain about the built in shipping rates and the higher prices it caused, now that it's gone and there prices lowered, your still bitching.

I used Midway a long time ago and found I was always waiting for partial shipments, wrong items delivered and paying for returning stuff. I don't shop with them now at all.
I've been using http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/
and am happy with them. I do buy small quantities locally as shipping doesn't make sense. Powder and primer orders are expensive unless you order a large amount.
If local stores have what I want within a reasonable price difference I will buy. If they seem to be making a huge profit from what I can get elsewhere, I get the whole lot from somewhere else. It would seem they'd profit more by selling at a smaller mark-up, than by loosing an entire sale. I like supporting locals but don't feel the need to make them rich.
My local True Value marks up a bag of concrete mix by nearly a buck a bag, multiply that by the 56 bags I need and it more than paid for the extra fuel to drive into the Home Depot and get a pallet. Free enterprise rules. People don't like to feel like thier being taken advantage of. Think about car dealerships, it's the same. If mark-up is 10% then why not let it go to a local, but when it's 10% at one place and 25% locally, why not save your money?