If an item is purported to be currently in stock and there's no statement found within that site declaring that their shipping dept. sucks or not to expect delivery in less than a week, I would fully expect such an item to be delivered within one week.
I can't remember when something that I had ordered necessarily needed to be in my possession within a week or absolutely had to be delivered within that timeframe, for whatever reason, but that doesn't mean that the shipping end of my transaction should feel the same way. Not is it only good business practice and prudent and very reasonable customer service to do so, it serves to quell what many of these previous posts have mentioned. "Where's my order, it's been a full week?", which crosses our minds quite naturally when the item was in stock when ordered, I paid my $ up front and immediately (therefore satisfying completely and expeditiously, my end of the deal) and one week later, I have nothing to show for it and the item wasn't ordered from SE Asia, India or Mars. Again, quite naturally, one begins to wonder, "what's wrong?" and given our different personalities, past experiences and current perspective on such things, we all start drawing possible conclusions which only become less positive with each passing day where our porch, PO Box or mailbox doesn't hold or contain said item(s). Human nature......IMHO.
Unless the shipment happens to be the size of the well-cap used to seal the infamous BP well fiasco of years past or other unwieldly items where delivery times are expected to run longer than 'normal', one week is a very reasonable amount of time to expect delivery of a 'paid for', 'average' item. If my experience with a particular company proves otherwise and their price for that particular item is not so different from others, I'll gladly do business with another company. Most items, those which most here might purchase quite frequently from an on-line site, are priced closely enough to stay competitively in business. That being said, what then differentiates one business from another? I would suggest that customer service, shipping times, method of shipment, reading reviews of a company's past business practices and other personally important qualities/limitations play a part.
Given that there are generally many companies, on-line and brick and mortar, that offer the same or similar products, I would certainly choose to deal with a company that has less negative reviews than a company with none or very few. The length of time that it takes an item to get to me is no less important to me than most other of the important intracacies involved in every transaction.
To expect an item to be delivered within one full week is a very reasonable expectation, barring any infrequent, unforseeable and mitigating circumstances.....IMHO.
As far as 'entitlement' goes...........you bet! If one does his/her due diligence prior to making a purchase (including payment), the buyer should be entitled or expect to receive the same amount of effort and energy put forth by the business owner. If one seems to have more time on their hands to spend on such issues than others deem reasonable or average and/or have themselves to spend, it is quite possible/likely that they do. It is also quite possible that they do because they have prioritized what is and what is not important to them and likely have done so long ago. Dealing with responsible, customer service oriented business owners results in much less, if anytime time at all, in having to be embroiled in PP disputes, banking disputes, BBB intervention,.........what have you. Having more time than another to choose what you would rather be doing is certainly more of an enviable position to be in rather than complaining about the former for your own reasons......IMHO.
As to how some here choose to respond to totally honest, impersonal, thought provoking, polite, reasonable and intelligent posts..........they are nothing else if not consistent. Everytime I see that they've posted, I am assured that a less than subtle, personal attack is forth coming. I have yet to be dissappointed.
