In the five years I have been writing I have never come out against a company per se. Even Gerber has received good review scores from me. But after some incredibly deceptive business practices I have decided that I need to warn people about Optics Planet.

In the past they have been one of my go to site for flashlights, both personal and review samples, but over the past 24 hours they have behaved so poorly that I am tempted to call the authorities in their home state. The funds have been returned, so its not worth my time, but notifying you all is clearly worth my time.

Here is what happened.

I have been waiting for the Surefire Titan Plus for release for a long time. I would search once a week and nothing came up as a hit. Then, suddenly, yesterday, March 11, 2015, I found a place that had the ability to sell the light--Optics Planet. I added the light to my cart and then paid for it. Strangely, they were the only site to have the light available for purchase. Everyone else listed it as out of stock. The light was $99.95. I paid and received a confirmation email.

Then a few hours later I found a price listing on LA Police Gear for $89.95 (with an out of stock listing). I grumbled about the price difference, but oh well.

Then I waited for my ship email. It never came. I called Optics Planet and they said that they would check on the order. Only then did they tell me that the wait was 2-4 months. They did not say that on the product listing page or the confirmation email. If you checked through on a link labeled "Availability" it was listed as shipping in 2-4 months. The site still lists the product as being able to add to the cart.

I explained to Mike, the guy on the line, that I would have liked to know that the product wasn't shipping and he told me that it was on the product listing page. I went to the page with him on the phone and told him it wasn't there. He then directed me to the link about availability. I told him that the ability to add to the cart, typically means that the item was in stock.

At this point I am pissed, but there has been nothing deceptive here. Its just a poorly designed website.

Then I noticed on the product page as of today it was listed at $89.95. My bill was for $99.95 (compare below). I asked Mike why there was a difference. He demurred and asked if I was, for sure, cancelling the order. I confirmed that I was and then when I said yes, he hung up in mid-sentence.

Here is the screen cap from Optics Planet:

Here is the data from my order confirmation email:

Make sure you get our emails! Add sales@email.opticsplanet.com to your address book.
Opticsplanet.com
800-504-5897
7AM - 8PM CST Mon - Fri
9AM - 5PM CST Sat - Sun
Your Order Confirmation
Dear Mr. Sculimbrene,

Thank you for ordering from OpticsPlanet.com! We're sending this email to confirm your order. We'll start working on getting it out to you as soon as possible!

Reference #:

Order Date: Mar 11, 2015

Description    Qty    Price    Item Total
SureFire Titan Plus Ultra-Compact Dual Output LED 300 Lumen MaxVision Beam, Nickel-Plated Brass Titan-B    SureFire Titan Plus Ultra-Compact Dual Output LED 300 Lumen MaxVision Beam, Nickel-Plated Brass Titan-B
FS-FL-Titan-B
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1    $99.79    $99.79
Subtotal    $99.79
Value Shipping    FREE

Grand Total    $99.79

Suffice to say, the price difference and the misleading inventory information makes Optics Planet a place to avoid.