Saturday, April 11, 2009

Cabela's Disappoints


I made an online purchase last month, and I'm still waiting for it to arrive.

My wife told me that I have no room to complain, because I didn't bother to check on Cabela's
shipping methods prior to ordering.

I should have checked. It's been over a month, and I still don't have my lensatic compass that I ordered.

I prefer a lensatic compass, because that's what I was trained with (they're very handy). I can't believe that I still don't have it yet; a month is a long time for the USPS to be dallying around with a box that is probably the size of a coffee cup.

It makes me wonder why Cabela's doesn't use Priority Mail? Why would they send stuff to military addresses using a notoriously slow method? Don't they know that many of their military customers are avid outdoor enthusiasts? I guess I'm accustomed to the businesses I've dealt with in the past that DO use Priority Mail as their default shipping method for FPOs.

Cabela's has lost a customer. I'll use other online venues before I ever dream of shopping with Cabela's again. They have officially let me down, and I should have read the shipping description. Sound like a familiar gripe? How ironic, right?

UPDATE #2: I got a nice email from Ken Steffen, a Cabela's Executive Assistant. He stated that they were told by military postal system representatives that the method of shipping makes no difference once a package is in the military system, and that all packages are expedited by the military. He also stated that comments such as mine indicate otherwise (as would anybody with an FPO/APO address). I hope they do begin using Priority Mail in the future; their military customers will have a much better experience. Oh yeah; he said that they are sending me a replacement unit via Priority Mail, and that I don't need to send the first one back. Hard telling which one will get here first at this point, but my money is on Priority Mail. Thanks Ken; your efforts are appreciated.


UPDATE #1: It looks like an employee of Cabela's stopped by my blog to leave a snarky (and misguided) comment. I'm betting it's one of their IT guys that found my link to their site.

Domain Name
masergy.com ? (Commercial)
IP Address
64.47.54.# (Cabela's)
ISP
Masergy Communications
Location
Continent : North America
Country : United States (Facts)
State : Nebraska
City : Sidney
Lat/Long : 41.148, -103.0633 (Map)
Language
English (U.S.)
en-us

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your complaint about Cabelas shipping is not a valid complaint. Any company uses standard shipping unless you pay for an upgrade. It's up to you to specify which method of shipping you want. Dont blame everyone else for something you should have known. How is Cabelas suppose to know that shipping to military bases takes for ever. You can take your orders somewhere else but you will never find the quality of customer service that you do at Cabelas. Next time just remember to upgrade your shipping.

Just John said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Just John said...

Anon: It would be nice if you at least left a name.

My complaint is no less valid than anyone else's. You will notice, I hope, that I did indeed point the finger squarely at myself for not reading their shipping info. That does not reduce my disappointment.

Contrary to your statement, many companies use Priority Mail as their standard method for shipping to FPO addresses, and I will ensure that I stick with such companies in the future.

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy your future experiences with Cabela's. Sounds like you're a loyal customer/employee.

Hi, My name is: Tim said...

Hey John, I know it doesn't help now, but they've got lensatic compasses at Make Man. Another company, has some stuff anyway, is Sierra Trading Post and they have Priority as their default to FPOs. There's a few of us out here who use them and I don't have a single complaint with them.

Steve King said...

John, I have had all kinds of trouble ordering from overseas. Much of it is security since I'm ordering from an overseas IP address. Most frustrating is when a company declines my order without notifying me. How long until your rotate back to the US?

Just John said...

Tim: Thanks! I'll just keep waiting I suppose. I think I've used Sierra Trading Post before for something; I'll hit them up again in the future (and maybe Bass Pro Shops).

Sumajman: That overseas IP can indeed be a show stopper. My wife couldn't even access the Department of Motor Vehicles back home to apply for her license renewal! I'm here until 2011, but I'm probably heading home for a visit this summer.

Greybeard said...

Ahh...
Not a hunting vest at all!
Thanks for stopping by at "Pitchpull" Gunny.

Just John said...

Howdy Greybeard. Thanks for hitting my little speed bump on the information superhighway.

Gary said...

If Cabela's can't take care of our Military, why the hell should I believe they can take care of me?!

They lost another customer.

And annon, go pound sand!

SF!

SLAPSHOT said...

Online retailers should look to "Zappos.com" for an example of absolutely outstanding customer service. One day shipping is standard, and they have a 365 day return policy. I ordered a pair of shoes that arrived at Kadena in 5 days. Zappos used to sell only shoes, but they offer all sorts of different products now days....even GPS units! :-)

Just John said...

I've heard good things about Zappos from a couple of people now. I'm still amazed that Cabella's doesn't realize how much online shopping the military does from over here.