When these companies fail to meet the expectation of their customers- they are fair game.
Even when the expectations are unreasonable and/or are not even communicated in the first place.
I do not think the OP was being unreasonable. I've dealt with HRO previously and have gotten a callous attitude from their employees as well.
The OP characterized the communication with a manager as the following: "He basically told me that it did not matter that Atlanta had the expensive meter that I needed, that it was more important for them to make a profit than to keep amateurs happy. "
The OP claims to have bought a number of high dollar items from HRO. He didn't get the service he though was appropriate.
He has every right to complain.
So IF HRO is one of the last brick and mortar ham stores, and IF they want to remain that way, they should conduct themselves in a manner where the customer isn't going to complain publicly on a review forum.
That's pretty simple. The OP isn't crazy- or lying. He didn't get the service he wanted. He's not being unreasonable. He thinks HRO should have accommodated him.
Maybe if HRO would have spent a couple of sheckles to ship priority- they'd still have thousands of dollars in business from that customer.
That's the way the market works. Don't like it... Putin has a home for you.
He got the service he asked for. Look at it this way. Poor planning on the OPs part does not make an emergency on HRO's part. Especially when the OP does not tell HRO it is an emergency.
Sour grapes and excuse hunting because the OP assumed something, and failed to do his homework is all I see here. He didn't get the service he wanted because he did not ask for it. Do you really expect HRO to read the customers mind?
Last time I went to the HRO website, each item I looked at had a little chart that actually told me which store(s) had the item in stock. Out of the 4 items I looked at, only 1 was at the local store. But they had stock somewhere in the group of stores for the other 3 items to be able to ship right away. Isn't that better then getting a message that says it is backordered?
It is a rather simple concept...If you want it the next day, you have to pay for that service. That's how it works no matter how many times it may arrive overnight in normal channels. Every delivery system tells you that. UPS, FedEx, USPS How can it be HRO's fault when the rules are clearly stated by the shipping companies?
And also, since no stock check was done or asked for according to the OPs story, why would it not make sense to ship from a store that had both items? Customer service may have worded their response poorly, but in reality they are correct.
Without a request for added services, they will do their best to fulfill the order in a timely and efficient manner that will cost HRO the least and still serve the customer in a timely manner. That is just good business sense.
BTW without bottom line profit, HRO would cease to exist. That HRO does not care about the Amateur was simply an opinion conjured up by the OP to cover the mistakes made by the OP.
Also sometimes customers expectations are beyond what is normal. Is that the fault of HRO? In a word...NO!