Quote from: Exchange on February 28, 2018, 09:44:06 PM
I would like to forward this to our buyer to assist in locating it for you. Could you please send me an email @ CustomerRelations@aafes.com with your contact information?
Thank you for your service!
Quote from: Exchange on February 28, 2018, 09:44:06 PM
I would like to forward this to our buyer to assist in locating it for you. Could you please send me an email @ CustomerRelations@aafes.com with your contact information?
Thank you for your service!
Today marked the second time someone purporting to be from AAFES has suggested a poster contact them for
help in procuring uniform items.
Has something changed?
As of the last time I checked, there is
no mechanism for CAP members who are not also in the military
to purchase anything from AAFES. CAP members cannot use the website, nor can they place phone orders.
So the point of contacting the above email is what, exactly?
Great question and I feel the same way. If this is real then AAFES is showing for support here than they do to the military community from what I have seen. There are no email addresses listed on their website, only a form to fill out if you want to email them.
Quote from: Eclipse on March 16, 2018, 10:42:29 PM
Quote from: Exchange on February 28, 2018, 09:44:06 PM
I would like to forward this to our buyer to assist in locating it for you. Could you please send me an email @ CustomerRelations@aafes.com with your contact information?
Thank you for your service!
Quote from: Exchange on February 28, 2018, 09:44:06 PM
I would like to forward this to our buyer to assist in locating it for you. Could you please send me an email @ CustomerRelations@aafes.com with your contact information?
Thank you for your service!
Today marked the second time someone purporting to be from AAFES has suggested a poster contact them for
help in procuring uniform items.
Has something changed?
As of the last time I checked, there is no mechanism for CAP members who are not also in the military
to purchase anything from AAFES. CAP members cannot use the website, nor can they place phone orders.
So the point of contacting the above email is what, exactly?
Yeah, you
might want to check CAPR 147-1.
Just FYI, those posts *definitely* came from AAFES.
Quote from: PHall on March 17, 2018, 05:04:01 PM
Yeah, you might want to check CAPR 147-1.
You might want to check the practical reality of the new phone center no longer
accepting CAP member orders, not to mention about 3+ years of discussion of
it here.
We all know exactly what it says. Doesn't change that that CAP members
...cannot...
...place...
...orders...
online or via phone.
MCSS store are irreverent to this discussion as the majority of the membership
is nowhere near one.
Quote from: NIN on March 17, 2018, 05:08:46 PM
Just FYI, those posts *definitely* came from AAFES.
OK, I'l bite. Why?
Or is one section of AAFES still under the impression the organization supports the
AFI mandates, while a vendor refuses to?
Why not shoot them an email or PM and ask them what's up in case something changed?
Quote from: Eclipse on March 17, 2018, 05:57:01 PM
Quote from: NIN on March 17, 2018, 05:08:46 PM
Just FYI, those posts *definitely* came from AAFES.
OK, I'l bite. Why?
The IP address of the post is AAFES's IP. Pretty simple there (I'm cognizant of weird phishing situations.. Not that I thought anybody was phishing us with aafes.com, but you know, due diligence and all)
Quote
Or is one section of AAFES still under the impression the organization supports the AFI mandates, while a vendor refuses to?
Which vendor would that be?
The third party call center we were told would no longer process CAP phone orders.
It used to be indicated as such in a KB article.
That's when Rosie stopped answering her phone
Quote from: Eclipse on March 17, 2018, 08:46:42 PM
The third party call center we were told would no longer process CAP phone orders.
It used to be indicated as such in a KB article.
That's when Rosie stopped answering her phone
I could very well be that AAFES has a different mechanism / interest / direction in assisting CAP members.
I say "Awesome!"
So it's a secret then?
One that doesn't even come to light until random people ask questions about uniform parts
on an unofficial forum?
If AAFES is going to start supporting CAP members again, then it should be something that
comes down from NHQ in some official form, not all of a sudden suggesting that people
it can't even confirm are members contact their CS email.
Seriously, what professional organization or vendor would operate this way?
An official supplier on a whim is able to discontinue supporting one of it's member organizations
and then one day on a whim decides it kinda sorta can?
Why can't we just be happy that they are offering assistance? Why do we have to gripe? Why do we have to look a gift horse in the mouth?
Eclipse is our horse's mouth expert. There's no mouth too big or too small to look at. ;)
Oh, Eclipse is far from the only one. ;)
AAFES now lets veterans buy online. So, if you are a member who served in the military, open an account. If you wish to order for others, that's your option...
Quote from: FW on March 18, 2018, 03:32:17 AM
AAFES now lets veterans buy online. So, if you are a member who served in the military, open an account. If you wish to order for others, that's your option...
Except.....the online ordering for vets specifically excludes uniform items.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This is what pops up when you attempt to use the "Uniform Builder" on the home AAFES page. The full site lets me order uniform items...
Profile Validation
The Exchange Uniform Builder is available for Active and Reserve Army and Air Force members and based on profile validation. Other military customers such as Retired, ROTC, CAP or other Sister Service members may shop our regular full online site
Quote from: Eclipse on March 17, 2018, 10:00:22 PM
So it's a secret then?
One that doesn't even come to light until random people ask questions about uniform parts
on an unofficial forum?
If AAFES is going to start supporting CAP members again, then it should be something that
comes down from NHQ in some official form, not all of a sudden suggesting that people
it can't even confirm are members contact their CS email.
Seriously, what professional organization or vendor would operate this way?
An official supplier on a whim is able to discontinue supporting one of it's member organizations
and then one day on a whim decides it kinda sorta can?
I don't know. Its not in my lane.
Who knows? Maybe someone at AAFES finally said "Hey, whoa, wait a second.."
Maybe someone at HAF said "What do you mean you haven't been able to sell uniforms to our CAP guys?"
Maybe something is about to come out via channels, but it hasn't yet.
No idea.
But it seems that AAFES reached out here.
And you're
unhappy?
Quote from: NIN on March 18, 2018, 02:59:53 PM
And you're unhappy?
Raising a legitimate question doesn't equal being "unhappy" nor "complaining" - if more
people at the right levels raised necessary questions CAP would be a lot better off.
I can also confirm that veterans and retiress are not allowed to order uniforms items online at
shopmyexchange.com, either. If you have recently, it was likely a fluke the order got through.
A member in a subordinate unit bought some items a few weeks ago with no issue, and
when he went to order pants last week, the sale was blocked as the system showed him as
"honorably discharged". When he questioned why he'd been able to place a sale before, the
rep said it was clearly a mistake, and though they couldn't stop the order that had already shipped,
he couldn't order anything else.
I went on shopmyexchange just now, entered my information (which way back in the day actually worked,
believe it or not), and it sent me to "vetverify" and displayed the below message.
(https://s18.postimg.org/cod3vqoyx/Capture.jpg)
Note in bold the specific prohibition regarding CAP using the site.
I then called the number indicated, and the nice man confirmed that in fact, nothing has changed,
and that despite the AFI, there is no mechanism for CAP to order from AAFES, either online or via phone.
Which again begs the question, what or who is "Exchange" and what's the intention?
Based on the above, and the fact that both messages had exactly the same verbiage, I'm inclined to believe it's either a social media bot
or a real person doing the same job - scraping websites and forums for messages that might need
"customer relating". That email address shows up a lot in the Googlesphere in places complaining about
AAFES for one reason or another.
FWIW, The nice man at SME apologized for anyone misleading members about AAFES access.
Quote from: FW on March 18, 2018, 12:08:11 PM
This is what pops up when you attempt to use the "Uniform Builder" on the home AAFES page. The full site lets me order uniform items...
Profile Validation
The Exchange Uniform Builder is available for Active and Reserve Army and Air Force members and based on profile validation. Other military customers such as Retired, ROTC, CAP or other Sister Service members may shop our regular full online site
Have you tried to actually put something in your cart and purchase it? It will let me buy ribbons but not any other "clothing" type uniform items.
It probably won't let you buy issued uniform items, DLATS stuff with NSNs. Ribbons are considered commercial items (supplied by either Ira Green or Vanguard, but it depends on which store has which vendor as primary).
Quote from: FW on March 18, 2018, 03:32:17 AM
AAFES now lets veterans buy online. So, if you are a member who served in the military, open an account. If you wish to order for others, that's your option...
But you cannot buy uniform items.
edit - Mitchell1969 beat me to it.