Vanguard - ouch!

[dwb]

$7.00 shipping for a $12.00 order consisting of patches that, in total, probably weigh less than 1 lb.    I mean, really, this could be sent USPS for under $2.00.

In the CAPMart days, you used to be able to call and dicker the shipping price.  Has anyone tried this with Vanguard?

[Chris Jacobs]

I am just avoiding them.

[fyrfitrmedic]

Vanguard's CAP 'store' website still borders on gibberish; phone calls made by some of my home unit's members to Vanguard have been considerably less than productive.

Their shipping rates border on rape.

[chadderby]

 
Vanguard Sucks!, they always get my order wrong, not enough pictures on there website, everything is back ordered.
They are just as back as CapMart was

[Psicorp]

$7.00 shipping for a $12.00 order consisting of patches that, in total, probably weigh less than 1 lb.    I mean, really, this could be sent USPS for under $2.00.

In the CAPMart days, you used to be able to call and dicker the shipping price.  Has anyone tried this with Vanguard?

Personally, I place all orders through www.thehock.com.  I figure if I'm going to line someone's pockets, it might as well be a CAP member's.  So far I've only had one order screw up...items left out of an order, no big deal since it was two items just to round out the order.   

Paying shipping always grates on my nerves whether it's CAP stuff or stuff I buy on Ebay.  I always pay more than the actual shipping plus packaging costs.

[MIKE]

Personally, I place all orders through www.thehock.com.  I figure if I'm going to line someone's pockets, it might as well be a CAP member's.  So far I've only had one order screw up...items left out of an order, no big deal since it was two items just to round out the order.

Don't care for the quality of some of the stuff from The Hock, other stuff is better... My preference is to shop around.  I'm willing to pay more or shop elsewhere including shopping at civilairpatrolstore.com if it means I get better stuff, but not necessarily better service.

My unit uses the package deals for BDUs and Field Uniforms from The Hock a lot... You get what you pay for quality wise though.

[Psicorp]

Personally, I place all orders through www.thehock.com.  I figure if I'm going to line someone's pockets, it might as well be a CAP member's.  So far I've only had one order screw up...items left out of an order, no big deal since it was two items just to round out the order.

Don't care for the quality of some of the stuff from The Hock, other stuff is better... My preference is to shop around.  I'm willing to pay more or shop elsewhere including shopping at civilairpatrolstore.com if it means I get better stuff, but not necessarily better service.

My unit uses the package deals for BDUs and Field Uniforms from The Hock a lot... You get what you pay for quality wise though.

That is normally the case in regards to quality, Sir, you do generally get what you pay for.

But I can't really believe that the Wal-CAP store is much better.

[MIKE]

But I can't really believe that the Wal-CAP store is much better.

For white on blue cloth grade insignia and badges and wings, I think civilairpatrolstore.com is better.  The Hock has their stuff on a thicker backing that I find hard to work with and sometimes the color is a bit off... purplish.

Tapes I get from 1800nametape.com.

[Pylon]

But I can't really believe that the Wal-CAP store is much better.

Tapes I get from 1800nametape.com.

I always got very quick service, good quality, and very reasonable prices from nametape.com (8th street tailor).

A buck fifty for shipping, no matter how many nametapes you order?  And no minimum order?  That's gotta be a pretty good deal, especially when you compare it to Vanguard on that service.

I agree with Mike in that I don't think any one vendor corners the market for CAP supplies, insignia, and whatnot.  Different vendors have their pluses and drawbacks, and it's up to the individual shopper to figure out what to buy from which vendor.  In the end, it's probably a near wash anyways.

  *shrug*

[Xeno]

I have tried to avoid Vanguard as best as possible. I order everything I can from alternate sources nowadays.

[afgeo4]

I've placed a handful of orders from Vanguard and their merchandise is of much better quality than the Hock's, but... and this is a BIG but...

It takes these guys 4 to 6 business days to pull the items and get them shipped.  Then , since they've wasted almost two weeks of their time they feel obligated to send everything FedEx overnight at a cost of $7 even if you're just ordering one ribbon!  Come on folk!  We're volunteers, not Microsoft executives!  Just imagine if military personnel (who get allowances for uniforms) had to deal with that type of service.  There's a reason why AAFES doesn't charge for shipping.  It's an outrage!  Frankly, I'm seeing less items (try ordering a US flag w/ velcro for your flightsuit) and less pictures at Vanguard, not to mention the fact that items seem to appear in weird categories (try finding the senior rating denoting bronze star for cadet programs badge).  I never thought I'd say this, but I miss CAPMart.  At least I knew I could count on them to supply me with what I need in a reasonable amount of time.

By the way, my last order was placed on the 22Sep06 and is yet to be confirmed to be shipped.

[Smokey]

I too miss Capmart.  I always had good luck with them.  They knew the 39-1, quickly answered questions, had reasonable shipping charges and most orders were shipped with a day or so.  It was easy to order items and the catalog you could hold in your hands was a big plus.

I've placed one order with Vanguard.  It did arrive in a reasonable time, but the shipping for mostly patches and ribbons was outrageous. However, a few days after I placed the order, I checked on line my order status and it still was pending.   Then the package arrived two days later, but the online status still showed it was pending!!!

[jacklumanog]

I always got very quick service, good quality, and very reasonable prices from nametape.com (8th street tailor).

Thanks for the lead on this!  Never heard of this website before you mentioned it here.  The shipping cost makes this a steal!

[mawr]

Though Vanguard is far from perfect, my last order with them was shipped with some ribbons and a shirt back ordered.  Vanguard shipped the items as they became available at no additional charge for shipping.  I recieved the initial shipment in about 3 weeks.  The second in another week and the final in about another 2 weeks.

Timely? No, but I did recieve the additional shipments without me have to harrass them and all for $7.00 shipping.  A fair deal.

I now need a fight cap device and I'm hesitant to order until I need enough to justify the seven bucks.

[afgeo4]

CapMart never had problems with shipping partial orders if some things were backordered.  They too never charged additional shipping charges.  The charges were just a lot smaller to begin with.  I think this is another government type business deal where the lowest bidder became the biggest gainer.

[flyguy06]

I miss the days when I could just hop on I-85 south and 2 hours later I am at Maxwell shopping at the CAP Bookstore

[Psicorp]

I miss the days when I could just hop on I-85 south and 2 hours later I am at Maxwell shopping at the CAP Bookstore

*grin*  I've made quite a few of those pilgrimages to CAP Mecca myself, usually with a car load of cadets.  *sigh* Why does that make me feel old?

[flyguy06]

I live in Atlanta so its not that long of a drive. Havent done it in a while. I will make another trip down there to visit HQ soon

[CAP006]

Chadderby, That is so true! CAPMart has everything you need for cheaper. 

[SarDragon]

Chadderby, That is so true! CAPMart has everything you need for cheaper. 

? ? ? ? ?

CAPMart is dead. Hadn't you heard? 

Did I miss something here? Please enlighten me. 

[flyguy06]

Man, I just ordered some stuff from Vanguard. What a rip off. $7.00 S&H. WOW.

[Psicorp]

yeah, I think $7 is their standard fee.  I put together an order for myself recently and went around collecting item lists from my squadron just to make it worth it. $7 shipping on $100 worth of stuff seems a little more reasonable.

[Camas]

I now need a flight cap device and I'm hesitant to order until I need enough to justify the seven bucks.

Some time ago I ordered both a flight and service cap device from The Hock.  These were the shiny ones unlike the ones from CAPMart which tended to be quite dull.  Again, this has been some months ago.

[BillB]

The reason they were shiney was CAP switched from the dull oxidized finish to silver finish in the new 39-1.

[Psicorp]

Just an interesting note:

The order I placed on the 12th arrived today.  Vanguard sent it priority mail and certified mail.  The postage is marked as being $8.30, so actually the $7 shipping I paid wasn't enough.  That doesn't even count the box and all the plastic baggies they put every item in.  I gotta hand it to them, the order was well organized and the process from order to delivery was quick.   This is my first experience with Vanguard, and if that's business as usual for them, I'm impressed.

[afgeo4]

UPDATE -----

The order finally arrived a week ago.  I was shipped the reverse US flag vs. the standard one (for flightsuits) that I ordered and one of the ribbons (out of 7) was missing. They re-shipped the flags to me at no charge, but the ribbon I don't even care about anymore.  I give up. I can't deal with them anymore.

[Pylon]

UPDATE -----

The order finally arrived a week ago.  I was shipped the reverse US flag vs. the standard one (for flightsuits) that I ordered and one of the ribbons (out of 7) was missing. They re-shipped the flags to me at no charge, but the ribbon I don't even care about anymore.  I give up. I can't deal with them anymore.

Well, last order from Vanguard I got a C/Lt Col embroidered insignia that I didn't order.  Anybody missing a set of diamonds they should have received in their order? 

[SARChick]

  i miss CAPMART 

[Pylon]

i miss CAPMART 

You do?   

I know many others here wouldn't share the same sentiments.  CAPMart certainly had their share of problems, as well!

[SARChick]

i miss CAPMART 

You do?   

I know many others here wouldn't share the same sentiments.  CAPMart certainly had their share of problems, as well!

well i didnt exactly say that CAPMART was perfect..just easier i guess. but i must go with the times. change happens all the time! vanguard it is. 

[afgeo4]

Yes...  Vanguard and Pineda... I wonder if the future will label our generation that way.

[capcadet101]

Vanguard sucks in my squadron we have cadets that ordered stuff like six months ago and still have not got anything from vanguard. They change more than capmart ever did and the people that work there are petty rude  I do  not like them at all.

[JohnKachenmeister]

As far as rudeness, I encountered it once.  I called back the next day and got it straightened out with the girl in charge of handling the CAP account.  Quality is OK, they are shipping a LOT faster than they used to, but I still hate paying $7 for S&H on a small order.

For flight suits though, go to www.BDU.com and order a Nomex flight suit, chubby guys' sizes IN STOCK, for $129 and shipped to your door in 3-4 days.  Already has the velcro on the chest and both sleeves, ready to stick on your NEW "Not Really The Air Force" MAJCOM patch!

[RiverAux]

For very small orders, the Hock Shop is probably a better deal from a S&H point of view -- $5 standard rather than $7. 

CAPMART had been good to me the last 4-5 years, but back further than that they were TERRIBLE?  Anyone else have 45 minute wait times to actually talk to a person back then?  They improved quite a bit right up until they got axed. 

Haven't had any severe problems with Vanguard. 

[mdickinson]

Here is an idea for those who have received substandard service from Vanguard. Rather than complaining to Vanguard, try this method.

Quoting from the CAP Knowledgebase:

Rita LaBarre, formerly of CAPMart, is here at national headquarters as our Vanguard liaison and is available to assist you with any special orders or problems. She can be reached by e-mail at rlabarre@cap.gov or toll-free at 877-227-9142, ext. 205 if you need assistance.

(end quote)
Perhaps Ms. LaBarre has access to those at CAP HQ who can get results. At the very least, by reporting problems to her you will be helping other members by logging in a complaint. When/if the complaints reach a critical mass, the folks at CAP HQ will then be able to elevate to someone high enough up at Vanguard to actually institute a substantive change.

[RogueLeader]

The only problem that I had was that I had to call three times to get them to get me the right item, then they sent the shirt that I canceled in less than a week. go figure.  I should have called and ask why they didn't refund my money for the shirt, but integrity has a cost;)

[fyrfitrmedic]

Here is an idea for those who have received substandard service from Vanguard. Rather than complaining to Vanguard, try this method.

Quoting from the CAP Knowledgebase:

Rita LaBarre, formerly of CAPMart, is here at national headquarters as our Vanguard liaison and is available to assist you with any special orders or problems. She can be reached by e-mail at rlabarre@cap.gov or toll-free at 877-227-9142, ext. 205 if you need assistance.

(end quote)
Perhaps Ms. LaBarre has access to those at CAP HQ who can get results. At the very least, by reporting problems to her you will be helping other members by logging in a complaint. When/if the complaints reach a critical mass, the folks at CAP HQ will then be able to elevate to someone high enough up at Vanguard to actually institute a substantive change.

I followed this course of action a little wihle back and await a response.