Is Optics Planet a Complete Scam?

[houndog]

Another problem with Optics Planet/DVOR. Placed order for Daniel Defense upper. Before placing order checked for availability and it said would ship in 6-10 days. Placed order. By the end of the day they changed status to shipping mid-April.

But wait, there's more. Ordered Trijicon MRO red dot magnifier from DVOR (division of Optics Planet). Almost immediately after placing order realized magnifier does not work with standard Trijicon MRO red dot, only the HD version (which retails for approx. $1000). Listing on DVOR really didn't make this clear. I contacted DVOR within 5 minutes of placing order to cancel (using chat feature). Was told, you can't cancel today because the order isn't in our system, you need to follow up tomorrow.

First thing this morning receive notice that they're preparing to ship the item. Contact them through e-mail (can't get on chat feature and they're not open yet to call on phone) and again request that they cancel the order.

An hour later receive another e-mail that item has shipped. Call them on the telephone (call center is now open). Sit on hold for 15 minutes and then the call is dropped.

Send them another e-mail saying please cancel order.

We'll see what happens, but this is obviously pretty frustrating.

On a related note - WTF is wrong with Trijicon that they make a magnifier for their red MRO dot that doesn't work with their standard MRO red dot, only an outrageously expensive HD version. And for that matter, who pays $1000 for a red dot?

 

[jeffreybehr]

I've given up on them; NO MORE will they get my orders and money!

 

[FuhQ]

My latest backorder from Optics Planet just came in yesterday. They are definitely not a scam. It may take them a while to get orders fulfilled, or ship items out, but they are legit. I've gotten everything I've ever ordered from them.

 

[Justgoingdownrange87]

I’ve had to cancel two orders from them. They state it’s in stock, then after its ordered you’ll see that its back ordered.

 

[bogey]

They don't seem to have a lot in and a lot of long back orders, yes a few longer just after order placed. But I would say most of the stuff comes in on or before there back order dates

 

[houndog]

Follow up to prior post. So, after contacting them 5 minutes after the order was placed requesting a cancellation and being told I couldn't cancel and had to wait until the next day to cancel, sending them an e-mail the following day before they opened asking them to cancel, trying to phone them and having my call dropped, and then sending them another e-mail asking them to cancel my order ... they shipped it anyway.

Just spoke with them a few minutes ago. Was told that the agent who originally told my I couldn't cancel immediately after it was placed was WRONG and that they have a lot of new hires WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THEIR ORDER SYSTEM WORKS.

Their solution ... I can send the item back and receive a store credit (which I suspect will not include shipping or tax, but we'll see). I just want my money back, but I am now forced to buy some other item from them at a cost of at least $371. Hopefully this credit will last indefinitely, since I suspect it's going to be a long time before I want to buy something else from them.

Or I can keep the Trijicon magnifier and then spend another $1000 to buy the one f*cking red dot that apparently works with this ridiculous product. At least I can now understand why this magnifier is on sale.

 

[Kickin45]

Placed an order for a new scope with Optics Planet on Friday morning.
received scope today. Outstanding service. I’ve ordered many many times from them and every time, I get my items very quickly. Today’s scope was definitely the fastest

 

[Khlit]

Last time I placed an order with them was back in 2019 during black friday. It was mostly AR parts that all said in stock when purchased. I received part of my order in 2-3 weeks then another few parts 3 months later and the final part a vltor a5 buffer kit nearly a year later. Finally, after waiting so long and being told over the phone false waiting times and in stock notices I sent an email basically saying tell me when I can realistically expect the rest of my order so I can decide if I want to cancel or not but don't blow smoke up my ass with false wait times. They apologized and presto my order was shipped out within hour, honestly makes me think that they had it sitting on a shelf somewhere and just lost track of it till I said something 10 months later.
Given the sheer volume of orders they get and the imperfect nature of POS software I can understand stuff saying in stock when its not and I can forgive losing track of long back ordered items when they literally have millions of them but CS telling me false wait times just to get me off the phone pisses me off, If you don't know just say sorry no ETA.
Unfortunately, this an epidemic in the gun industry right now and majority of companies do this not just Optics Planet.
I would probably buy from them again but Id have to take into account market demand for what ever item it is that I am buying e.g, a high dollar scope or spur mount probably isn't flying off the shelves but something like a unity tactical micro hub or pretty much any popular thing that goes on an AR Id have my doubts.

 

[st1650]

There’s no excuse is 2021 running a business of that size and lie about your inventory. Reminds me of Botach.

 

[diggler1833]

Recently took me three weeks to get a handguard and brake that they had listed in stock. At least I got them.

I'll probably shop elsewhere from now on.

 

[Sneu]

Ive ordered a few things from them but never had any issues

 

[houndog]

Just thought I'd give an update on my problems with Optics Planet. Back in early December ordered a upper from them at what was admittedly a pretty good price. I think at the time I placed my order it either showed the item as in stock or said it would be shipped in a couple of days.

Within a few days received an e-mail that the item wouldn't until mid-February. A couple of days before the item was supposed to ship received another notice ... the item would now ship on April 12th. April 12th came and went. Nothing.

Well, just received another e-mail telling me it's going to take "a little longer than we expected" to ship my item. New date ... August 24th. This is on an item that originally showed as either being in stock or ready for shipment in a couple of days.

 

[davsco]

looks like they're finally shipping some handgun ammo i ordered last august. they contacted me to confirm i still wanted it. i said yes and then got a ship notice. when i ordered it i wanted it shipped to a different location, so i just contacted them to ensure it was going to my primary location and they got right back to me confirming that. so some good news regarding getting stuff shipped, and good responses to questions.

 

[houndog]

Just thought I'd give a quick update on my continuing saga with Optics Planet. As above post describes, ordered an upper in early December that showed item as either being in stock or stated it would ship in a few days. Since then, I've been strung along with a new ship date every couple of months. Went to check the status of my order a couple of days ago. Moved back again, for the fourth time. Now they're saying April of 2022. I was 62 when I ordered this. I'll be 64 when this thing arrives ... assuming they don't postpone again.

I actually e-mailed them to try to understand what's going on - particularly since I know this is a discontinued item. Got a meaningless form response back. "We do our best to ship items in a timely manner but sometimes... blah blah blah."

 

[RTH1800]

Get a refund. They seem to issue them no problem. Only thing they do correctly.

 

[Dulo]

I think the rule of thumb with optics planet is to order only items that are in stock, if it shows ships in xx days/months just skip it.
I have several orders with them ranging from $30-$40 up to $2k and I haven't got any issues.

 

[Dildobaggins]

I ordered from them once, about a year ago. Ordered an aero adjustable gas block. Took 4 months before I canceled my order.

 

[houndog]

I've thought about cancelling, which I know I can do. However:

1. I have some experience with Sig 516 uppers and really like them (even though I know they use proprietary parts and have been discontinued by Sig).

2. It is a really good price and the few alternatives I can still find for sale cost twice as much.

3. Back when they were saying it would ship in February I bought a stripped receiver and lower parts kit, so I have an extra lower waiting for this upper.

4. Also purchased a red dot and magnifier and until I get another upper I have nothing to put it on.

5. I do have other AR's to shoot, so I can in theory wait another three years if I have to.

What I don't want to happen is to keep waiting, have Optics Planet string me along for another 2 years, and then send me an e-mail saying "Gee, it looks like we can't fill this order. Sorry." As I said to them in my e-mail, if this is vaporware let me know now, so I can start looking for another upper, which is why their canned response was annoying.

 

[AndyCDFW]

I'll never order from OpticsPlanet - they're just too inconsistent.

 

[hlee]

Just thought I'd give a quick update on my continuing saga with Optics Planet. As above post describes, ordered an upper in early December that showed item as either being in stock or stated it would ship in a few days. Since then, I've been strung along with a new ship date every couple of months. Went to check the status of my order a couple of days ago. Moved back again, for the fourth time. Now they're saying April of 2022. I was 62 when I ordered this. I'll be 64 when this thing arrives ... assuming they don't postpone again.

I actually e-mailed them to try to understand what's going on - particularly since I know this is a discontinued item. Got a meaningless form response back. "We do our best to ship items in a timely manner but sometimes... blah blah blah."

Wait, wait, wait. Hold the bus. You ordered an item you knew was discontinued, have seen the projected ship date move 4 times, and you still think you will receive the item? Cancel the order and move on.

 

[RTH1800]

Cannot help those who refuse to help themselves.

 

[loveha]

Your order will never ship. It's not made by Sig anymore. What are you hoping, Optics Planet to shit you one? They are a trash company with no idea what's going on.

 

[RTH1800]

But he has that lower and loves the non standard parts. The price is so good...

 

[loveha]

But he has that lower and loves the non standard parts. The price is so good...

Sunk cost fallacy.

 

[Fx51LP308]

I, personally, have always had good service with Optics Planet. Fast shipping. And I had two returns with them, recently. And when I confirmed with them that the store credit received did not match what I paid for the product, they made those adjustments quickly. No complaints from me.

 

[westsidecamper]

I think the rule of thumb with optics planet is to order only items that are in stock, if it shows ships in xx days/months just skip it.
I have several orders with them ranging from $30-$40 up to $2k and I haven't got any issues.

Good rule of thumb, but I want to add that being in stock can also mean they're drop shipping it. I would say not to order from them if you need something quickly, even if it says it's in stock. Additionally do not pay for expedited shipping. I paid 23 dollars for expedited shipping on 2 spuhr accessories on 12/13. The items didn't ship until 12/30. What's the point of paying for fast shipping if it doesn't ship for over 2 weeks?

 

[RTH1800]

We all have our own system of chosing who we deal with. I do not do business with folks who engage in crooked activity when I have a choice.
OP takes folks money on items they misrepresent as in stock and keep it for years at times. They are on my no fly list.

 

[houndog]

IDK - best case scenario, I get an upper I actually want at a very competitive price, but have to wait 8 more months to get it. In the meantime I shoot the other AR's, pistols, bolt guns and shotguns I own. Worst case scenario, I feel like a schmuck for waiting 8 months or a year only to have OP tell me they can't fill the order. I then either sell the lower and optic or end up paying twice the price for some other upper that catches my fancy. No matter how things turn out, it's really not the end of the world. Just annoying and a little frustrating.

As to likelihood that I eventually get the upper. I'm somewhat skeptical, but reading through this thread it sounds like most of the time OP does eventually fill the order, it just ends up taking a looooong time. And right now the only other places I can find that still have them in stock want literally twice as much for them - which is approx. twice as much as I'm willing to pay.

 

[RTH1800]

They don’t fill orders on items no longer being made.
Did you read above comment about “ shitting you one?”

 

[srt-4_uk]

They will buy it from another retailer for 2x as much to fill his order. Duh

 

[308pirate]

But he has that lower and loves the non standard parts. The price is so good...

it's like "me so horny, me love you long time GI"

 

[Fx51LP308]

Good rule of thumb, but I want to add that being in stock can also mean they're drop shipping it. I would say not to order from them if you need something quickly, even if it says it's in stock. Additionally do not pay for expedited shipping. I paid 23 dollars for expedited shipping on 2 spuhr accessories on 12/13. The items didn't ship until 12/30. What's the point of paying for fast shipping if it doesn't ship for over 2 weeks?

As they did with me on the last order. It was for some Lapua Secnar-L .308 win. It was drop shipped from Salt Lake City, but already received by the carrier (within 1-2 days of ordering). Expected arrival on Wed. 07/28.

 

[Bullfrog08]

They are a POS company. Anybody that reads these OP threads and then receives the POS services they read about, because they ordered from OP.....hahahahahahaha.

You've been warned!

To those vicitims of OP, please warn others.

 

[houndog]

Just wanted to give a quick update. As you will see from some of the above posts, I got a sh*t ton of grief for thinking I would eventually get the Sig 516 upper I ordered from Optics Planet - I'm looking at you hlee, rth1800, lovehr, srt and 308Pirate.

It took a LONG time, but just received notice from OP that they it shipped. I guess they "sh*t one out" just for me.

Moral of the story - it may take a really long time for them to ship you an item, which can be incredibly frustrating when they show the item as being in stock when you order it, but it will eventually ship out.

 

[Animal357]

They finally F’ed me. Back ordered ammo months ago. They canceled my order yet it’s available for back order at twice the price. They are dead to me

 

[FjallJager]

Everything you guys have said has happened to me with Cabela’s lately.

I don’t know what my total volume of things from Optix planet is but I’ve ordered a lot of stuff. Yes they are slow and they are bullshit on inventory.

Concur that Euro optics has been way better and I regularly order from them. The only time I do not order from euro optics is if they do not have it in stock or the price is ridiculously cheaper through someone else.

 

[FjallJager]

They finally F’ed me. Back ordered ammo months ago. They canceled my order yet it’s available for back order at twice the price. They are dead to me

No one ne is honoring ammo prices. Nor have they in 18 months.

 

[BLKWLFK9]

Ordered 1k rounds of 9mm.. in Oct 2020. Here is when my ammo is suppose to ship

 

[Hobbes442]

They cancelled my order from last august today. Now they can sell it at2.5x what I had it bought at. Never again deal with a company that won’t honor sales. Other companies did not cancel my orders

 

[Animal357]

No one ne is honoring ammo prices. Nor have they in 18 months.

They canceled by back order so they can offer it for twice the price

 

[Thermalplume]

My experience. yes. Everytime !

 

[FjallJager]

They canceled by back order so they can offer it for twice the price

I don't think of a backorder as a contract, unless I have actually been charged and are sitting and waiting.

I have yet to have a back order come through since Covid, and while it is very annoying unless you had money tied up I don't see the problem.

Especially if their jobber or other middle man, or even the ammunition manufacturer could have been the one that raised the price.

Certain SKU's are 3 times as expensive if not more than they were 20 months ago. Hornady Precision hunter is somewhere between 4 and 15 times more for 300 Win , 300 PRC, 6.5 CM, 28 Nosler, 6.5 PRC and other "hot" cartridges.

Other SKU's are only 20% more expensive. I have seen 6.5 CM Hornady Match for $37 recently.

So used to the green weenie on ammo right now that I don't even get upset about it anymore. I am just happy if I can find what I need.

But because all the 75 year old men who hoard 8pound cans of H1000 and Varget and are sitting on enought to destroy their city block keep buying it, I am stuck buying ammo if I want to BANG.

Moved back from overseas a couple of years ago, and I had always done a just in time reloading stuff buy, instead of a hoarder like everyone else has done. So shooting factory to keep shooting sucks.

But I am sitting on 1500 pieces of 6.5 CM brass, and a couple of thousands primers, and enough powder to fill them all once. Just scared to go through it thanks to Dementia Joe. Maybe I am not alone.

 

[GTOJOSH]

Cool story bro.
Wish they could do the same for me, but it only took over a year for them to figure it out and send me the email.

Moral of the story- optics planet is like watching your drunk neighbors play russian roulette with a california compliant mk II gyrojet handgun. Stupid, Might be nothing, might piss you off, might just blow your mind.
If I ever order from them again, it will be for something I can live without, and I don't care if it arrives or not- just like optics planet themselves.

 

[NavyshooterM40]

The SIG 516 upper I ordered back in Feb, showed up this week. It was new in a box from SIG. They did not charge my credit card until it shipped. If you are not in a hurry for the item they have some good deals. Still wonder where they got the upper. Since SIG no longer manufacture them.

 

[AlphaThree]

I have never had a bad experience with OP. I seem to find myself ordering from there often because they have what I’m looking for in stock

 

[TheGerman]

With the 'economy slowdowns' I've always been curious how it translated over to them as they are mostly purveyors of china made garbage.

If I've ever been looking for someone (non china garbage related) and they come up in the search, they 100% do not have it listed as in stock on the site. The furthest estimate I've seen so far was 14-18 months lol

 

[Zak Smith]

For success @ Optics Planet:

1. Order ONLY things that are in stock. Not 3-7 days out or whatever. IN STOCK.
2. Order ONLY that SKU on your order.
3. Check out quickly so your stock doesn't get sold out from under you.

#2* - the fewer things in your order the quicker it will be fulfilled and less chance for you to "lose" something that was in stock when you submitted

 

[TheOE800]

For success @ Optics Planet:

1. Order ONLY things that are in stock. Not 3-7 days out or whatever. IN STOCK.
2. Order ONLY that SKU on your order.
3. Check out quickly so your stock doesn't get sold out from under you.

#2* - the fewer things in your order the quicker it will be fulfilled and less chance for you to "lose" something that was in stock when you submitted

Limit coupon usage as well.

 

[Deleted member 181377]

I've added Natchez to the no-go list with Optics Planet for not supporting the 2nd Amendment. If you will not ship to areas where its legal to purchase ammunition, where in fact purchasing ammunition online is the only option to procure it, you do not deserve any business whatsoever.

 

[hlee]

I've added Natchez to the no-go list with Optics Planet for not supporting the 2nd Amendment. If you will not ship to areas where its legal to purchase ammunition, where in fact purchasing ammunition online is the only option to procure it, you do not deserve any business whatsoever.

While it could be argued that the point of these laws is to make it sufficiently painful for all parties that ammunition sources dry up, I don’t fault any online ammo business for looking at CA, MA, NJ, etc and saying “Naw dog, we’re good.”