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Old January 19, 2000, 08:06 PM   #1
bullseye
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Join Date: August 14, 1999
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Botach Tactical

I've heard a lot of bad things about this company over at AR15.com. Now I see why. They had their Aimpoint Comp sights on sale. Duration of sale was advertised as 1/6 thru 1/31. I called to order one and they said they were no longer on sale. I referenced the dates they advertised for their sale. They put me on hold, came back to the phone and said they were sold out of the product. I said fine, how about a raincheck or backordering me one at the sale price. They said they would not do that. I hung up, enough said. This just does not seem like good business practice to me.
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Old January 19, 2000, 09:15 PM   #2
Pilate
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I got two sets of Trijicons and ten spare batteries for my Sure-Fire from them a year ago. The prices, especially for the night sights were right. I requested two day shipping but in error, they shipped by UPS ground. I called an complained and they refunded the difference. Not the worst experience, but I, as you have, have heard alot of negative reports.
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Old January 21, 2000, 11:39 PM   #3
jthuang
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bullseye,

I saw that sale too -- they originally posted that the sale would run from 1/6 to 1/31 but then they changed it to end on 1/13.

Botach can be tricky to deal with, it seems. Do a search for Botach on glocktalk.com and you'll hear some real horror stories. The real problem is if something is out of stock -- they'll charge your credit card the same day and make you wait for weeks until the product arrives. Or sometimes they just botch your order and send you a holster for a HK USP when you wanted a holster for your Glock 23.

I have ordered from Botach twice (including during their most recent Millennium sale) and have found the following "trick" to be the most effective way of ordering items from them, hassle-free.

Call them first, to make sure the item is in stock. Notice that their "Millennium sale" was only on "in-stock" items. Once they confirm that the items you want (specifically) are in stock, order via their web site. Ordering via the web site reduces the chance that they'll screw things up, since all the specs are laid out for you.

Lastly, a day later, you should call and make sure they got your order and that they got it correctly. One guy on glocktalk waited for weeks before finding out that they "never received his order".

I hate to admit this, but I may have contributed to your problem with Botach. I ordered an Aimpoint Comp M and Aimpont quick release mount during their Millennium sale. But since two other people on AR15-L mentioned that they too had ordered Aimpoints and mounts during their sale, there's less than a 33% chance it was me who caused your scope to be out of stock.

Justin
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Old January 22, 2000, 12:59 AM   #4
bullseye
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Justin, I don't hold you responsible for my scope being out of stock
I think Botach is a substandard company. Their advertising trickery and lack of customer service leaves a lot to be desired. But they do have killer prices and one just needs to consider the tradeoffs.
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Old January 23, 2000, 10:50 AM   #5
Aerodog
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I have ordered quite a few things from Botach and received everything I ordered. BUT you get what you pay for. Low prices are not free, especially in this case. My orders have been screwed up and it has taken phone calls and aggrevation to sort out. I no longer order from their web site. I make the trek down to their South Central Los Angeles location and pick up stuff in person.
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Old January 24, 2000, 12:40 AM   #6
cruiserman
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"The real problem is if something is out of stock -- they'll charge your credit card the same day and make you wait for weeks until the product arrives. Or sometimes they just botch your order and send you a holster for a HK USP when you wanted a holster for your Glock 23. "

This is me right now, except I WANT that HK USP compact holster . The first time I ordered from them on their website, everything went great. 2nd time, they charged my card, and 4 weeks later I'm still waiting for my HK holster.
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Old January 24, 2000, 10:49 AM   #7
jfrancis
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I'll never order from these people again. I ordered a Surefire light system for the Benelli M1S90 and a Giles sling. They assured me the stuff was in stock when I called.

After a couple of weeks they told me the light was being drop shipped from the manufacturer. After another week, they denied having got the order. Then it was being drop shipped again. Yes, they had the slings - no idea why it hadn't shipped. Two weeks later the light arrived - then the sling - then another sling...... In the end, I came out on top by one sling, but it wasn't worth the aggravation. Oh, and did I mention I had paid for express shipping? And they charged my credit card on day 1.

A friend of mine ordered the same light system a week after I did. Three weeks later he called to be told they had no record of his order. That's two customers they've lost.

John Francis
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Old January 24, 2000, 11:56 AM   #8
jthuang
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Yeah, I think I'm going to forego ordering from Botach from now on -- I think I have pushed the envelope far enough. Two orders, both received within one week of placing the order on their web site, but it looks like the trick of "call first to make sure it's in stock" is not foolproof. I'd much rather deal with Lagger Professional for Surefire products and the like.

Aerodog, would you please confirm that Botach is indeed a small pawnshop type operation? I've heard that rumor many times but being over here in Pennsylvania it's a bit hard to drop by for a visit.

------------------
Justin T. Huang, Esq.
late of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
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Old January 24, 2000, 10:57 PM   #9
actionshooter
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I called about there sale and was told it was internet only.When I told them I didn't have a CC, I got the run around. In the meantime they raised there prices.
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Old January 25, 2000, 03:09 AM   #10
Aerodog
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Justin,
Now you got me started... The place looks like a Sanford and Son of Blackhawk gear, tactical boots, tac lights, etc. The crap is all over the place, on the walls, floor, shelves, etc. Oh yeah, and their are 5-10 year old TVs, stereos, and even a set of old truck tires on a shelf. I was last there 3 months ago and it still said PAWN SHOP on the outside. I had to go a couple times around the block before I looked at my directions again and it said IN the PAWN SHOP not next to the PAWN SHOP! Its in the poorer part of South Central Los Angeles. Did you see Boyz in the Hood? Some of the guys that work there do not have english as their first language. They got a hellva lot of phone calls when I was there and they always needed to defer to the "boss" which I believe was Botach himself! If I saw the place, I NEVER would've ordered from them. I have ordered and have saved a good deal of money but needed to keep a close tab on my order or just go down and pick it up myself.
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Old January 25, 2000, 10:00 AM   #11
jthuang
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Aerodog, thanks for the first-hand report and a good chuckle. I watch Sanford & Son on TV Land (right before the A-Team) and I don't think I'll ever look at Botach's web site the same way ....

Justin

------------------
Justin T. Huang, Esq.
late of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
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Old January 25, 2000, 02:00 PM   #12
Sea Bass
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Join Date: December 11, 1999
Location: CA
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I've also had mixed experiences w/Botach.
They have screwed up my order on some Blackhawk pistol cases. When I ordered them
they told me the items we're in stock and will ship next day. After a week of not receiving it, I called back and got a different answer from 3 different people. Eventually got the pistol cases, but am very
hesitant to do business with them again ever
regardless of price.
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Old January 26, 2000, 06:15 AM   #13
Geared Up!
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Hello all...
Just a quick note, I'm sure this has been mentioned before.

When a mail order/Internet merchant receives a sale, they are allowed to charge your card if they expect to ship within a *reasonable* amount of time. Reasonable, as defined by my merchant account bank, is 30 days or less. If your card has been charged and you do not receive product within that time, call your bank and demand a charge back. If you receive a confirmation that an order will ship by a certain date and you do not receive it, call your bank and demand a charge back. Charge backs are a nightmare for merchants. Fines and higher processing rates are the result.

One final note (especially with Internet merchants), sometimes what you may see as a charge is actually just an authorization of your card. The bank *puts aside* the funds waiting for the final charge to go through. You can clarify this with your bank when you see any action on your account. If the sale is not completed within a set period of time (10 days in most cases) the funds are returned to the account.

You might want to call a merchant before placing an Internet order, as many merchants use 'real time' card processing which charges your card regardless of when (if ever) the order is completed. We elect not to use this method for two reasons... it's more expensive for the merchant to process the transactions, and we only charge a cc when an order ships. Consider faxing in an order if available, and be sure to write in BIG bold letters, "You have authorization to apply charges to my account ONLY when order ships", and sign it. That way, if they charge your card prior you can inform your bank.

Hope this helps.

Geri Weaver
Geared Up!
www.geared-up.com
New look... same great service.

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Old February 3, 2000, 05:33 PM   #14
CAK
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Location: Seattle
Posts: 77
Another lost customer-

At the end of December '99 I placed an internet order for a flashlight and Walther P99 Trijicons. Two days later I received an e-mail which said that the invoice had been canceled (no other explanation given). I left two or three messages on their answering machine and sent an e-mail but received no response. They finally responded to a fax and the order was recreated on the phone. The order arrived one week later and my credit card was charged immediately. The flashlight was fine but the sights were for a Colt AR-15 (the packing list had the order listed correctly however.)

Once again, the only way I received a response was after I faxed them. Due to a language barrier, I was unable to understand the service rep and had to be forwarded to another operator. They agreed to send me the correct night sights overnight(they promised they were in stock) as soon as I returned the Colt sights. I sent the sights back to L.A. from Seattle via priority mail THREE WEEKS AGO.

Botach failed to respond to my fax on Monday 1/31/00 and my fax from earlier this morning. I will contact the credit card company to do a charge back tomorrow. I don't think that they ever had the P99 sights in stock and don't have the guts to admit to that or even respond to my faxes. I hate being lied to. I guess I got lucky on my two earlier orders from them six months ago.

P.S. - Can someone refer me to an internet supplier of Trijicon sights at a fair price? (Botach was asking approx. $80 for theirs).

------------------
El Cid '89

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Old February 3, 2000, 07:31 PM   #15
Brainiac
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Join Date: January 31, 2000
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They already lost me as a customer before I ever became one.

Called up to inquire about the Aimpoint Comp M XD that was on sale, was put on hold for more than six minutes. Hell! may time and patience are worth far more than $45.00. ( the difference between their price and other vendors).
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Old February 4, 2000, 04:44 AM   #16
Bender
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I'm not the the complaining type but Botach has gone to extremes. I've ordered a couple of times from them and now will no longer do business with them!

First Botach order: Aimpoint Comp ML was defective. Any slight jarring such as releasing the charging handle would immediately send the Aimpoint into the brightess setting. Had to drive down there to exchange the Aimpoint. The second Comp they showed me had brassy scratches on the adjustment caps. But finally found one that worked.

Second Botach Order: This one was during the Millenium sale. Recieved partial shipment two and a half weeks after internet order was placed. Mine you, I live in the same state. Ordered a Giles Sling with Tri-Glide, recieved the wrong Giles Sling no Tri-Glide. Also, ordered some cuffs that came scratched up and lightly dented causing the mechanism to function too roughly. Finally cancelled the remaining order from Botach and instead ordered with Laggers Pro. All items ordered from Laggers were correct and shipped promptly. Also found Laggers to be polite and knowledgable about his products.
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Old December 28, 2005, 05:41 PM   #17
hooduvm
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A pleasant experience

I have made three orders from this company and each time my order shipped out the same day. They have the best prices, and I called them before I ordered the first time and their customer service was able to answer my questions. I see that some of you have had bad experiences with this company, but from my personal experience they are as good as any other company I have ordered from online. Maybe they have gotten there act together since the last time you ordered from them? Either way, I have no issues with this company. A++
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Old December 28, 2005, 07:49 PM   #18
Double Naught Spy
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I was probably into 8 or 9 orders before Botach starting screwing around. I phone ordered 3 items, all of which were supposedly in stock. One item was $400, and the other two less than $3 each. I ended up paying something like $7 S&H for one of my $3 items with a note saying they didn't charge me for the other items because they weren't in stock.

The never credited a return I made.

The last time was when I purchased a TA01 ACOG, once again, supposedly in stock. They didn't bill me, but didn't ship either. After 3 months or so of getting the run around, I called and cancelled the order. My ACOG came 4 or 5 months after that. I had already purchased another elsewhere. The only good thing that came of the transaction was that when it finally did arrive, the price I paid was a little over $100 less than the current market price at the time and a buddy of mine gladly took it off my hands.

If you order from Botach, don't order anything you need by a particular date. They do tend to have great prices, but are a pain in the arse to deal with when things don't go right.
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Old December 28, 2005, 07:56 PM   #19
Tim Burke
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My experience mirrors DNS's.
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Old December 28, 2005, 10:55 PM   #20
raydoctor
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I've had simliar spotty service from Botach.
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Old December 29, 2005, 03:42 AM   #21
Optical Serenity
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I've found that if I call them in advance and make sure something is in stock and verify price, they are great...but I would not recommend blindly ordering off their website.
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