Maybe the worst is over. I ordered a Precision on June 20, along with a set of TI flats and a Basslines Quarter Pound pickup. The website showed the TIs were on order, and the other items were in stock.
I got the TIs within a week, and received an email notice that the other items were on "30 day back order." I waited a couple of weeks, then called customer service and was told that it would probably be "quite a while" before the rest of the order shipped...everything was, indeed, in stock, but until everything got settled they didn't know where anything was.
I got another email that the QP was sent via US Mail on July 4, but has never made it here. I don't know whether it was actually shipped.
The P was finally shipped on Tuesday, and should be here today.
Personally, living in a small town with a Fender dealer, I'm glad for MF (and the various other online stores). I always go to my local guy first (very importantly, he takes trade-ins), and, if he can't get something, I'll go to MF or whomever. I have a computer-based project recording studio, and 99% of the gear had to ordered online, even though the dealer here runs a digital recording studio as well, and knows the gear. He just can't do enough business to justify carrying the lines, because many of the jobbers or manufacturers have minimum inventory requirements or other policies that make it difficult for him to make a buck off them.
The only problem I ever had with MF was that they shipped me a Tribute L2500 with a rosewood fingerboard, when I had ordered the maple. The customer service rep told me that maple had been discontinued in the finish I wanted, but there was no problem in returning it. This was not really MF's fault, by the way: the factory carton the bass came in said it had a maple fingerboard.
