Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/15/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased an item from Burnells on December 3. I did not receive a tracking number only a receipt that showed item shipped on December 3. I never received the item. I called to ask for an update and was passed around the company directory with no results. I called back and talked to an individual in customer sales, who was rude and inappropriate. I then requested to have my account removed and I would no longer do business with ******** who I have been a customer with for quite a number of years. I still have yet to receive the item and I had to file a dispute with my credit card company. The results of that have not yet been completed

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/15/2023

  We do apologize for this issue.  A Support representative will be reaching out to ******************** today at the telephone number provided to get this resolved.

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/15/2023

   
  Complaint: 21008738
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  I have closed my account and dont expect them to respond as before. I can be reached at:

  ************
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/18/2023

   We do apologize that the initial contact made by ******************** was not responded to.  A support agent did reach out on 12/15 and left a voice message asking ******************** to let us know if he would rather have a replacement or a refund.  Later that day our Accounting team let us know a chargeback had been issued against this order.  As such, ******************** has been refunded for his purchase and no further action will be taken by Brownells.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/13/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I'm reaching out to seek assistance regarding issues Ive been having with Order Number: #**********.This order was originally cancelled on same day it was made due to actually being out of stock. At my request, the representative cancelled my order and stated a refund would be issued; this was placed with a debit card ran as credit, and thus, the funds were immediately deducted.However, almost two weeks had passed and I still hadnt gotten refunded on my account. A subsequent call had a supervisor push this through. However, after multiple attempts at contacting Brownells, the funds have still not hit my account over six months later. As the amount is over $1k, this is extremely frustrating, as Im out both the funds and merchandise. To date, none of their representatives have been able/willing to assist me in resolving this matter.All Im asking for is assistance in assuring that I get back the funds which were originally deducted from my order. My financial institution is also seeking the following to help finalize this transaction: provide information directly from the merchant where they show refund transaction was processed with date, time, authorization number, and card number used for refund.Again, Im trying to do my best in resolving this civilly and professionally with Brownells. I dont believe what Im asking for is unreasonable. Any assistance able to be provided in helping reach that conclusion is greatly appreciated.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/21/2023

  A Brownells representative reached out to ****************** regarding the issue via email.  An explanation was provided regarding how the pre-authorization process works.  ****************** was also supplied with a letter to present to his bank in the event that the pre-authorization was still open on his account.

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/13/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Made an order and received in a timely manner. Shortly after receiving I initiated a return via the website for part of my order. I selected the incorrect portion of my order for return. I boxed up the correct portion for return, with the incorrect return label, and sent back. I realized my mistake after the package was en route. I have attempted to contact the company at least 5 times via the website customer service form, replying to emails received with my order, and calling. When calling, the call queue will state multiple people are waiting ahead of you, your wait time is over 25 min., select an option for call back. When choosing this option the call never comes. I would like the (2) orders of ********* (****** plus tax) refunded as they have already been shipped back.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/13/2023

   I do apologize that ************** was unable to speak to a representative regarding this issue.  When the return is received in for processing the returns agent will compare items received in the package with what is listed on the return paperwork.  If they do not match the returns agent will identify the items they have and then search the customer's order history for those specific items and then will process the return accordingly.   In this instance a return was processed for two *********** on return order number 8000038609.  The refund for this return was issued back to the credit card used on the order  on 11/11/2023.  ************** should have received this email today and should see the credit shortly.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/13/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/18/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was given a $100 gift card from Brownells every time I try and go on line to use it the web site is down. So I figured Id try ******** as they are one and the same. Nope that site is also down. I just want the $100 dollars or they can send a Midway U.S.A. gift card as they are reliable.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/18/2023

  Brownells has had a few days when the website has been down for maintenance.  The site is currently working properly, ************************************** is the appropriate link to the new website any previous links may not work properly as Brownells launched a new website earlier this year.  The gift card can also be used on a phone in order. We would issue a refund to the purchaser if ************** doesn't want this gift card, the purchaser would just have to reach out and let us know how to proceed.

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/13/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered a set of Glock 43 night sights on 06/09/2023. On 06/12/23 I received a phone call from Brownells requesting that I give them a call about my order. I had to call 4 times and each time I got someone to answer and I had to give my order number and name / spell it and I was transferred to another department where I would be on hold in a queue until I was number 1 in the queue. At that point on two occasions the phone would just hang up on me and on another occasion it told me to leave a message then hung up on me. On the 4th attempt I finally got through due to the assistance from a nice customer service rep who didnt send me to the department but stayed on the phone with me until she got through to the department and then patched me in. So they required I verified my order. So I answered all their questions and fully verified my order and then I was asked to send in a copy of the front and back of my ID and my credit card (but they only needed to see the last four of the card! lucky me and so convenient!) So after speaking to half a dozen people from the company across 4 phone calls to a company I have an account with and have ordered plenty of items from in the past, the fact I had to deal with all this made me just request they cancel the order. I would rather pay double for my items then send all this information in for them to have some kind of data breach and now random people would have valid pictures of my ids. Also why do you need a picture of my photo Id, what photo are you going to compare it to? This just seems very strange and in this day and age to request those kinds of items just makes me very uneasy. I will make sure I tell anyone who will listen about the perceived shady practices happening at Brownells Order number - ********** Date placed - 06/09/2023 Also as an aside, one lady I talked to stated I would receive an email about my cancelled order momentarily and it has been over an hour. Are you going to issue my refund of $136.81?

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/11/2023

  Upon looking into this it was discovered that the pre-authorization for order ********** was still open.  This has been closed out and ****************** bank should have released those funds back to him.  

  Brownells does have a verification process in place if orders meet a certain criteria and may request specific documentation from the customer.  The documents are used to verify specific information and then disposed of.  

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/15/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Transaction date: May 12 2023 Order number: ********** Complaint: First time purchasing from this merchant. Brownells charged my account twice for one order, ******, more than twice the amount stated on the invoice. This was explained as a "pre-authorization" charge. Highly alarming, as no other legitimate and reasonable merchant seems to feel the need to take the full amount twice, especially on an order as expensive as this, in order to "authorize" a debit transaction. This practice may cause me a financial hardship if not quickly resolved. Any other solution besides an immediate credit to my account of the funds that were taken without authorization is completely unacceptable.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/26/2023

  After receiving this complaint an investigation was conducted into the issue for ***************  There was a pre-authorization and then a finalized charge in the amount of $675.72.  Brownells does pre-authorize the card to ensure sufficient funds are available. Once the order is processed Brownells will finalize the transaction. Bank Institutions hold this balance as unavailable from the individuals account until either the merchant completes the transaction or the hold falls of. The fall off is when the bank renders the balance available again and can vary based up the type of card. Debit card authorization holds can fall off the account anywhere from 1-5 days after the finalized transaction date depending on the  individual's bank policy. Credit card holds may last as long as 30 days, depending on the issuing bank. The pre-authorization is automatically closed on our end once we finalize the transaction. If you are still seeing it we suggest you reach out to your bank/credit card company to confirm when the pre-authorization will drop. 

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/27/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I made an online purchase with this company and they contacted me to verify the order. Once I verified all the questions they asked I was instructed to send photo copies of my drivers license and credit card to them via email for further verification. I then stated that I was not comfortable providing this information and they are refusing to ship the merchandise that was paid for.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/08/2023

  In response to complaint filed we sent ************************* a letter as his account flagged to have a Fraud Check completed. Likely this was flagged due to different billing and shipping addresses and being a new customer.    ************************* included communication we sent to him regarding this.  He contacted our office through Chat on 4/27/2023 and requested that his order be cancelled.  We cancelled his order at this time.   I have included a copy of the customer's chat.  We will not be refunding or shipping the item as we cancelled the order per his request and did not charge him.  

   

  Thank you 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/09/2023

   
  Complaint: 19986511
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Brownells called me and made me verify all the information on the order. If that was not good enough then the order should have been canceled immediately. Requesting a copy of personal information like an ID and credit card is unethical. When I stated that I was not comfortable providing digital copies of my ID and card then the order should have been canceled then and there. I should not have had to chat in the next day to request the order to be canceled.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/20/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I placed a order on 2/15 for ***** on 2/17 my card was charged ***** both amounts came out. Truist bank has not credited my acct for ***** . I need my money. Order #************* bank and ******** are playing the blame game

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/20/2023

  After looking into this issue, the only charge I found is for $49.74.  There may have been an initial pre -authorization of $49.53 this was voided with a reauthorization of the card in the amount of $49.74 on 2/17/2023 and later that same day the funds were captured. The difference  in the amounts would be due to estimated and applied taxes. Once the funds are captured the pre-authorization or reauthorization funds are released by Brownells.  It is then up to ********************' Bank to release the funds back to her account.  Brownells is not holding any funds from ******************** account.

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/20/2023

   
  Complaint: 19437147
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************************;

  I don't have my ***** refund. I will never order from this business again 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/07/2023

  Upon further research into this issue, I did find where the original preauthorization was for $49.53, however when the order was processed and the charge was completed the correct amount of $49.74 was authorized and then charged.  Brownells released the $49.53 when the $49.74 was authorized.  At this point ********************" Bank is the only one that can release those funds back to her account. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/24/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Ordered an item that needed to be sent to an FFL. First Brownells charges 10 bucks. I sent it to a Featured FFL cause I thought the price would be accurate. Nope they charged 3 times a much. I chatted with an agent and they told me not to worry, that the ffl fee Brownells hit me with was for the transfer. Nope wrong again. Then they basically told me the info on their site was completely inaccurate and to just deal with it. I thought I was saving money, but in the end I was charged more than if I had bought local. Which I should have done. Live and learn.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/16/2023

  After looking into this matter the Brownells website shows the *** transfer fee for the *** the customer chose as $30.  The *** transfer fee is separate from the $10 processing fee that Brownells charges.  The $10 fee collected by Brownells is a processing fee, it is charged on all *** orders and covers the extra processing paperwork that is required for all *** purchases.  I do apologize if **************** misunderstood that the $10 fee was to cover his transfer.  A Support agent will be reaching out to **************** and offering a one time refund of the $30 as compensation for the confusion.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/16/2023

  The site shows the incorrect price as well for the *** in question. The *** stated he's contacted Brownells many times to change this. It appears it's recently been changed though. The screenshot provided shows the fee and transcript from the support agent. You can understand the confusion this would cause. 
  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/27/2023

  Brownells never followed through on the resolution they proposed. Not only did they not issue a refund, they never even tried to contact me and furthermore deleted my account with their business.  Is there a way to re-open this complaint?

  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/07/2023

  I do apologize that this issue was not previously resolved for *****************  I do show that an agent reached out to him via telephone on 2/16, per the notes left they had to leave a message.  I also see that on 2/27 an email from **************** was read regarding this same issue.  We are reaching out to him again today to resolve this issue.

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/27/2022

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 12/7/2022, I ordered Ammo to shoot at the indoor range. Order - *********: 5.56MM **** 62GR FMJ CASE W/ FREE AMMO BOX No where did the product mention Green **** Penetrating Ammo, M855 which are all references to ammo that penetrates steel and is not allowed in indoor ranges.I reached out the ********** and got one response but they have gone silent. Attached are the product descriptions I captured after receiving the wrong ammo. Also my invoice and the email thread with Brownells. I know they can't accept a return. I would be happy to still do that. It might seem unfair for them to just send me a replacement shipment. I would however accept purchasing the proper ammo (M193) at a 50% discount. So I paid $413 for the **** rounds of ammo purchased. I would accept $210 and free shipping, plus tax. I appreciate any consideration. I have bought other things from Brownells and thought their customer service might have taken care of this w/o such an escalation. Best Regards, ****

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/16/2023

  A Brownells' agent has reached out to ************** to let him know that a call tag would be issued to get item *********** returned to Brownells. The product has been received and a credit has been issued to **************. A second credit will be issued today to refund for the shipping and Hazmat fees.  The product description has also been updated to reflect that it is green tipped.