Bruno's shipping Ripoff!

chefcam864

Sergeant
Minuteman
Feb 2, 2013
392
0
43
Spartanburg, SC
So here's the deal, 2 weeks ago I ordered a Jewell trigger from Bruno's and when I checked my bank statement I saw they had charged me $25 for shipping. Well that kind of ticked me off, because I used to handle the shipping and receiving for a regional belting company and I pretty well know what it costs to ship things anywhere in the CONUS. It would cost between $7-$10 to ship that. Maybe $13 with insurance. Fast forward 2 weeks, and I order a bag of heavy sand because Sinclair was out of stock. Guess how much I paid in shipping for a 13lb, $20 bag of sand? Yep, $25! That is BS! Total and complete BS. It is an underhanded way of padding the bottom line, and that's all there is to it. It does not cost them that much to ship, and we all know it. Their prices are not lower than anyone else's, so clearly this goes into the company coffers. If they want to earn these margins that is fine, but it should be reflected in the advertised price of the product, not as a shipping charge that is not even shown to you when you check out. This is what I expect from "as seen on TV" type companies, not those who serve the shooting community.

I just wanted to share my frustration with fellow members, and make everyone aware so they can take it into consideration when making purchasing decisions. I, for one, will not be spending anymore of my money with Bruno's if I can help it.

1 caveat: their customer service was good, and the products arrived quickly. My only beef is with the price they charged me for shipping.
 
No hazmat, it's just sand. They also charged $25 to ship a trigger that will fit in the palm of your hand. They were the only ones that had it in stock, and obviously didn't advertise their shipping prices. Yes it is Bruno's in AZ.
 
Do they not disclose shipping beforehand or something?

Fuck that.

No they do not. The way they're set up, you have no idea what the shipping will be until you're charged. They only tell you that shipping and a $3 handling charge will be added to your order.
The sad thing is I didn't really notice that they charged me $25 on the trigger until I checked my statement today, but yes they got me twice. I assumed (incorrectly) that shipping would be the actual cost, like EVERY OTHER company we deal with does. In either case, they were the only ones that had either item in stock when I ordered. I could have waited on the sand, but my builder has my rifle, and we needed the trigger to finish.
 
I ordered a Protektor Dr. bag and a pillow bag from sinclair today, and the shipping was a whopping $7.95! Surely those two items are heavier and larger than a jewell trigger, but cost 3 times less to ship. Man, screw Bruno's!
 
They got me on the same thing. I will not order anything from them ever again. They could use flat rate box's like everyone else, even midway ships in flat rate box's.
 
ollie,

I've only used Bruno's when I absolutely, positively could not find it anywhere else and needed the item now. They probably have some deal with UPS where they get a cut of the shipping charges.

If you really, really want to piss them off specify USPS shipping. $12 shipping, but they said they ship USPS only once a week and sometimes less often. They still added the bogus shipping materials charge.

DocB
 
Midway does the same thing on orders less than a certain price. I don't mind paying for my hobby but there are plenty other places in the world that sell stuff i need that don't hold me hostage to get it.
 
It wouldn't be quite so bad if they just told you at the end of the ordering process what the shipping charge will be. Instead, they send an email like this:


Thank you for your order.

* Shipping & a $3.00 Handling charge are Additional and will be added to your invoice.
* If your order contains Hazardous Materials (Powders or Primers) an additional fee of $27.50 will apply.
* Powder and Primers CAN be shipped together for one Haz-Mat fee.
* ALL HAZ MAT SHIPMENTS WILL SHIP VIA UPS.
* International orders will be charged an additional 4%.
* Do you Have Questions? Call: 1-800-455-0350


Order Number : 49632
Placed : 11/02/2013 15:04:33 EDT

Ship US

Code Name Quantity Price/Ea. Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAND Heavy Sand Approx. 13lb Bucket 1 $20.00 $20.00
Shipping: UPS Ground: $0.00
Sales Tax: $0.00
----------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------
Total: $20.00
It's a duplicitous business practice. I just wish I had caught it before I made the second order. I will have to be in dire straits to ever spend my money with them again. I mean $45 for a bag of Zircon... Come on!
 
Google Brunos....there are many negative threads.

Wish I had done that before I ordered from these crooks last week.

Just got 8 boxes of 22lr ammo to try out and the shipping was $22 which comes out to an addition of 34% to the cost of my order. Inputting shipping info on ups or FedEx website I get shipping quotes from $8-10 less than I was charged. Their bullshit online system is set up the way it is because I can't imagine anyone would ever hit the buy button if they could see the ridiculous shipping charges before they ordered.

Fuck Bruno's.
 
Midway does the same thing on orders less than a certain price. I don't mind paying for my hobby but there are plenty other places in the world that sell stuff i need that don't hold me hostage to get it.

Midway adds a processing fee to small orders because they can't make enough margin for it to be worth their time, but they leave you the option to order it anyway at an increased cost if you really need it.

It's not a great option for the consumer, but it's an acceptable business practice. Amazon does it too, with 'Add-on' items that don't ship free unless they're part of a larger order. At least you get to see what you're being charged with these companies. When you check out, you know exactly what your final cost is, and you can decide to cancel or commit at that time.

As for Brunos, the unknown shipping is why I've never ordered from places like this, or even Powder Valley. I've seen deals on PV that were good, but add in any significant amount of shipping charge, and it was no longer a deal. I just didn't feel like taking the risk.
 
Midway adds a processing fee to small orders because they can't make enough margin for it to be worth their time, but they leave you the option to order it anyway at an increased cost if you really need it.

It's not a great option for the consumer, but it's an acceptable business practice. Amazon does it too, with 'Add-on' items that don't ship free unless they're part of a larger order. At least you get to see what you're being charged with these companies. When you check out, you know exactly what your final cost is, and you can decide to cancel or commit at that time.

As for Brunos, the unknown shipping is why I've never ordered from places like this, or even Powder Valley. I've seen deals on PV that were good, but add in any significant amount of shipping charge, and it was no longer a deal. I just didn't feel like taking the risk.

I honnestly couldn't care less about the $3 handling fee. It's the $22 they charged me to ship a Jewell trigger that really irked me. I think Midway adds a small fee to orders <$25, which is an understandable practice. What Bruno's does is downright duplicitous..,