Has it occurred to anyone that the owner of AR isn't "artistic" but is just plain cheap? He buys good equipment but minimal staff. Customer service is unnecessary when people continue to purchase product regardless of such factors.
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Archetype customer service
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The ends of the mount are stuck down with 3M tape………….
Throw my 2 cents in here.
Have ordered 2 products from AR. Very pleased with both. Had an issue with one after several months and it was resolved promptly. I would order from them again without a doubt
As an anecdote... Have been into 'custom' build parts for a long time and don't feel there service is any better or worse than most companies making high quality in-house bespoke parts. I've spent a lot more on parts and gotten a lot less communication before shit showed up on my doorstep.
I'm not defending it one way or another, just saying pretty common for small shops to spend more time making stuff and less time communicating stuff. They typically don't have any customer service, they have a machinist that answers the phone if they hear it ring.
Truly think it comes down to if it bothers you or not, if it does just don't shop with them, but long lead times and minimal communication is not at all uncommon in high quality inhouse part space... Or maybe I'm just indifferent lol
Have ordered 2 products from AR. Very pleased with both. Had an issue with one after several months and it was resolved promptly. I would order from them again without a doubt
As an anecdote... Have been into 'custom' build parts for a long time and don't feel there service is any better or worse than most companies making high quality in-house bespoke parts. I've spent a lot more on parts and gotten a lot less communication before shit showed up on my doorstep.
I'm not defending it one way or another, just saying pretty common for small shops to spend more time making stuff and less time communicating stuff. They typically don't have any customer service, they have a machinist that answers the phone if they hear it ring.
Truly think it comes down to if it bothers you or not, if it does just don't shop with them, but long lead times and minimal communication is not at all uncommon in high quality inhouse part space... Or maybe I'm just indifferent lol
When I have had a problem with their parts, I have experienced great service with quick response. Expect that if you order from them it will take some time and you aren't going to get a ton of communication. For me, the quality of their stuff is worth it.
Here's my take, AR is a relatively new company that has hit the gold mine but can't/won't make the necessary changes to survive long term.
I hope they do, and I hope they hire just 1 dedicated person, even part time, for customer support. But who knows. Maybe with the upfront cost of machinery they can't afford that right now.
If they want to continue to grow/thrive that is the piece they are missing.
I own a small business. The best custom made things are from very very small operations pertaining to custom work. The quality is there because they have the owner doing the work or directly over seeing it. Often times those are guys that just kinda fell into it without much customer relations or business experience. I get it 100%.
I would have no problem ordering from them again, I waited like 5 months for badges. It is extremely rare to find shit that is built well and built to last like AR shit is.
There is plenty, PLENTY, of threads and posts on ARs wait time. Be a good consumer, not an Amazon one. Do your own research. If you want things like Amazon, instant, cool. But they won't buy in the same league of quality as AR.
If you want very high quality, are ok with waiting and being patient, and arent going to throw a hissy fit because your not being "heard" from the owner. AR is good.
Seriously, the owner most likely is just trying to keep things moving along and afloat, and catering to every single "when is my xxxxxx going to here" question is very very very very low on his to do list
I hope they do, and I hope they hire just 1 dedicated person, even part time, for customer support. But who knows. Maybe with the upfront cost of machinery they can't afford that right now.
If they want to continue to grow/thrive that is the piece they are missing.
I own a small business. The best custom made things are from very very small operations pertaining to custom work. The quality is there because they have the owner doing the work or directly over seeing it. Often times those are guys that just kinda fell into it without much customer relations or business experience. I get it 100%.
I would have no problem ordering from them again, I waited like 5 months for badges. It is extremely rare to find shit that is built well and built to last like AR shit is.
There is plenty, PLENTY, of threads and posts on ARs wait time. Be a good consumer, not an Amazon one. Do your own research. If you want things like Amazon, instant, cool. But they won't buy in the same league of quality as AR.
If you want very high quality, are ok with waiting and being patient, and arent going to throw a hissy fit because your not being "heard" from the owner. AR is good.
Seriously, the owner most likely is just trying to keep things moving along and afloat, and catering to every single "when is my xxxxxx going to here" question is very very very very low on his to do list
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They’re not honest about their lead times because they know they wouldn’t get a considerable number of orders. So, they mislead their customers with lead times they know they can’t meet. For me, it’s as simple as that. I don’t care how shiny or what the price is. That’s just dishonest, and why I don’t choose to do business with them. I don’t see how this is much different than a certain hard top marketer. Sure they deliver eventually, but they’re misleading people until they do, until they don’t.
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Ordered badges back on 12/3/2023...still waiting. Not going to cancel my order as I want a good product. They have been good with response just not that good on time estimates haha. Sometimes you have to wait for the good stuff. Don't like waiting this long haha but here we are.
I myself have also had a not so pleasant experience with this company. I ordered their magnum side steps 11/25/23 and to date, I still have not yet received my order and the last update I got was 6 weeks ago telling me "the steps are done we're just waiting for the clamps that should be 3 more weeks." The fact that I constantly have to reach out because they fail to communicate with their customer base is actually the most disappointing part, not the long lead time. If they were open and honest, I'd completely understand. It's okay to ask for patience. It's not okay to ask your customer to wait an extraordinary amount of time while giving them generic responses (if any response at all) with lead times you know you want be able to achieve.
While most of us seem to understand they are a small (and fairly new) business that make their products in-house with care and quality, what most seem to fail to understand is that customer service and communication with your customers is just as important to your brand as a quality product. It doesn't matter how detailed and high quality your product is if you cannot deliver said product(s) and fail to communicate appropriately when you can't. That's the anthesis of building brand loyalty.
I do think it is very telling how much they aggressively market their products, knowing how insanely back-logged they are and the trouble they're having fulfilling orders in a reasonable amount of time.
Stop taking the full amount up front. Instead, figure out how much it costs you in overhead and materials and instead take that amount in a non-refundable deposit. That way, the customer can decide whether or not they want to take the risk of losing the deposit if they cancel and you can avoid the risk of the loss of production time and material if the customer does cancel. This would alleviate so many of their current issues.
Also, some of you need a reality check with this constant harping about how the products are "quality" and "made in America." Yes, we know. That's why we chose to pay the premium price. No one here is complaining about quality or pricing. No one. You're using logical fallacies to argue about things that don't exist. There's more to doing business than providing a quality product; the experience of buying is just as relevant and important, especially to a small business trying to grow.
While most of us seem to understand they are a small (and fairly new) business that make their products in-house with care and quality, what most seem to fail to understand is that customer service and communication with your customers is just as important to your brand as a quality product. It doesn't matter how detailed and high quality your product is if you cannot deliver said product(s) and fail to communicate appropriately when you can't. That's the anthesis of building brand loyalty.
I do think it is very telling how much they aggressively market their products, knowing how insanely back-logged they are and the trouble they're having fulfilling orders in a reasonable amount of time.
Stop taking the full amount up front. Instead, figure out how much it costs you in overhead and materials and instead take that amount in a non-refundable deposit. That way, the customer can decide whether or not they want to take the risk of losing the deposit if they cancel and you can avoid the risk of the loss of production time and material if the customer does cancel. This would alleviate so many of their current issues.
Also, some of you need a reality check with this constant harping about how the products are "quality" and "made in America." Yes, we know. That's why we chose to pay the premium price. No one here is complaining about quality or pricing. No one. You're using logical fallacies to argue about things that don't exist. There's more to doing business than providing a quality product; the experience of buying is just as relevant and important, especially to a small business trying to grow.
It's incredibly disingenuous to dismiss people's valid complaints about this company as "drama." Especially when the majority of your comments are only here to serve one purpose and that's stir the pot.
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No joining in on the lynch mob isn't a dismissal of complaints.
I'm sorry you're no open to another viewpoint. That's not a ME problem though.
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