The Sure-Pak case was delivered in its original Sopakco cardboard box with no outer covering...wasn't damaged during shipping so no big deal. The Sure-Pak case was factory sealed (glue on cardboard box still intact), and the individual MRE meals were still in good condition with what I believe is a date code of 9065. Also, looks like Sure-Pak stopped using the dark brown military style spoons...it now has an off-white spoon, but it still seems pretty sturdy. Good start.
Now for the bad part. The aPack case was packed inside another plain cardboard box (which I usually prefer), but upon further inspection, I found out that the factory sealed aPack cardboard box inside had previously been opened (i.e. the glue seal on the aPack cardboard box was already torn open and was resealed using regular packing tape). When I opened the aPack box, I found the aPack meals consisted of individual MREs packed in a combination of blue and clear packaging (see photo). I'm pretty sure the blue packaging (correct me if I'm wrong) is the latest offering by aPack. Only 2 of the aPack MREs were packaged in the blue packaging, while the remaining 10 aPack MREs were packaged in the clear packaging. Additionally, the aPack meals had different date codes on them. So, I thought 'what the hell?' Different color packaging and different date codes in a full case?...must've been re-packaged.
- Individual aPack MREs I received from Epicenter on 04/16/2009
- Epicenter website photo of aPack MREs
- aPack2[1].gif (19.22 KiB) Viewed 6779 times
- older aPack box I received from Epicenter on 04/16/2009
I sent Epicenter an e-mail asking for an explanation why I received a repackaged case of aPacks, especially when I ordered and paid for a full unopened case. I'll post any replies I get from Epicenter.
Anyways...I just wanted to let everyone know and put a cautionary warning out there that if you order a full case of aPacks from Epicenter, you run the risk of getting a repackaged case of aPack MREs. Hope this post helps out...
***UPDATE***
I received the following 2 e-mails from TheEpicenter.com in response to e-mail I sent regarding the repackaged aPack MREs that I received:
***1st e-mail from TheEpicenter.com***
"All of our current stock of aPacks is lot number 9013.
I have attached 3 photos as we opened a case for you. You will see that
inside the factory case there are both meals in blue bags, and meals in
clear bags. This is exactly as we received them.
As far as why your case was taped closed:
We may have opened it in response to a question from a customer, like we
did to take photos for you.
We may have opened it to verify it contained 12 meals, and not 11 if there
was an unexpected variation in case weight.
We may have opened it thinking an optional item (like a 4 pack of hot
sauce, or 12 pack of heater bags) needed to be added.
We may have opened it to place a free goodie bag inside or other
promotional material.
Generally, we don't open cases but it does happen for various reasons.
If the order is just cases, we generally put the invoice in a pouch on the
outside, but I guess it's possible we ran out of pouches and had to open
your case to put your invoice inside. Was there anything extra inside the box?
What ever the exact circumstance as to why your case had been resealed, I
can assure you we never mess with the meals.
You may also have noticed both your aPack and SurePak were taped together
and mechanically strapped with dual bands of 1/2" strapping material. If
those were intact, no one in route could have opened your case."
***2nd e-mail from TheEpicenter.com***
"After a long chat with our packing guy, we figured out what happened.
The Sopakco case size in this last batch has changed slightly and an aPack
and a Surepak can't be taped and strapped together easily.
Our packing guy was going to place the Sopakco cases in a box and then take
the aPack meals out of the case and put the loose aPack meals in the same
box. He we told not to do that. People like to have original boxes for
their MRE's, and we like to have them have the lot number for their case.
So, he sealed the aPack back up, put the whole aPack box inside another 17
1/4" x 11 1/4" x 10" box and then strap that box (with the aPack case
inside) to the SurePak case.
Again, we don't normally open cases."
******************************************************
**********UPDATE 04/18/2009 SITUATION RESOLVED***************
After several e-mails, the folks (specifically Bryan N.) at TheEpicenter.com have completely redeemed themselves. After hearing my complaints, not only did they offer to send me a new case of aPack MREs, they also informed me that they would be sending me a Pre-paid return shipping label so I could return the original repackaged case back to them. So, no out-of-pocket costs for the exchange...now that's going above and beyond.
In this day and age where customer service in the retail industry pretty much means nothing, I was pleasantly surprised and completely satisfied with TheEpicenter's eventual handling of this situation. There are a ton of places to buy MREs on the web and probably some places that are cheaper, but Epicenter rectified this situation completely to my satisfaction. I'm pretty sure I couldn't expect this kind of customer service if I bought these MREs off ebay, especially the pre-paid return shipping.
As a first time customer of TheEpicenter.com, my initial disappointment has been completely reversed. So, I can honestly say that I am completely satisfied with Epicenter's customer service from what appears to have been a fluke situation in their shipping dept, and I can now confidently recommend them to others.
***********FINAL UPDATE 04/23/2009 REPLACEMENT CASE OF APACKS RECEIVED************
Not only did Epicenter send me a new case of aPack MREs and a pre-paid return shipping label to return the other case, they also included a bag of free goodies (FRH, beverage heater, coffee packet, drink packet, fuel gel packet and a small screwdriver). This time the case of aPacks was shipped inside another outer cardboard box and further protected with styrofoam peanuts. Now that's what I'm talking about. Great job to Epicenter, and many thanks to Bryan N. (the owner) for his patience and great customer service.
- Replacement case of aPack MREs from Epicenter
