AR 500 Unprofessional Behavior

[cmb41]

I have held off posting this for a couple of months but I really have no choice at this point. I ordered from this company back on December 2, 2015. At that time the website stated there was a 4 week wait on an Escort briefcase carrier and a 4-6 week wait on a XL full plate set with carrier. As of today, March 14, 2016, I have not received anything. I am out over $1000

I have repeatedly emailed this company and received absolutely no response. I did receive a BS general apology email about a week ago about " a new commitment to service" blah blah blah.

I emailed support right after I received that email, mistakenly thinking they would get back to me. Nothing

It is a real shame that I have to resort to flaming these clowns in public- really not my style. They left me no choice. Caveat Emptor

[TKM]

You complain an awful lot for a new guy.

80% of all posts are in this thread. You really complain an awful lot for a new guy.

[357manny]

OP, hope you used a credit card. Go dispute charges, done deal.

[madjack956]

Originally Posted by TKM

You complain an awful lot for a new guy.

LOL!

[kjv146]

That's too bad. Just curious, did you ever try calling them?

[cmb41]

I did try to call them prior to SHOT. Apparently they were too busy to get back to me and I still allowed a month to pass before going this direction.

I received a email today from their shipping department that they were issuing a shipping refund. Not sure what that means. Definitely will not be doing business with these guys again. Its a shame considering they have a good product- I do already own more of there stuff

[Grakken]

Originally Posted by TKM

You complain an awful lot for a new guy.

can you share with us why for this topic thread count matters?

[Tekguy]

Like most companies that have a good following, they have back orders because they offer deals that production can't keep up with demand.

It is normal that the customer has to wait for the product.

Quit *****ing and wait for your order.

If you want next day order from Amazon prime.

[kelvin232]

<3 ar500

[cmb41]

Tekguy. Caveat emptor =Buyer beware. I not *****ing, I'm warning others. As for thread count I've been around since 2009. I read hundreds of posts but only open my mouth when I think I have something helpful to add. You might want to try it

[Grakken]

Originally Posted by Tekguy

Like most companies that have a good following, they have back orders because they offer deals that production can't keep up with demand.

It is normal that the customer has to wait for the product.

Quit *****ing and wait for your order.

If you want next day order from Amazon prime.

Really? Having a great product (which they do) and waiting for it like everyone else is NOT the same as not communicating with a customer, let a lone a client who has PAID. I pay someone a thousand bucks, someone better pick up the phone or answer an email. That's called customer service.

[Calico1404]

I agree with needing positive customer service. $1,000.00 on goods already paid in full. Yes call me back or have my shipment tracking number ready.

For $100 order they should be on point, a $1,000 order should come with a thank you and smile, especially in today's market.

[Win231]

Originally Posted by cmb41

Tekguy. Caveat emptor =Buyer beware. I not *****ing, I'm warning others. As for thread count I've been around since 2009. I read hundreds of posts but only open my mouth when I think I have something helpful to add. You might want to try it

^^^Spot-on response! Some people want to feel they've accomplished something & their only triumph in life is "I got lotsa posts."

[Joseph Lee]

Originally Posted by Win231

^^^Spot-on response! Some people want to feel they've accomplished something & their only triumph in life is "I got lotsa posts."

Then how do you feel about I-trader scores? Huh?
Since I have either bought someone else's used stuff or unloaded my own poor purchasing choices at least 9 times, I'm clearly 9 times better than you. I would have aimed this retort at the other guy but according to his I-trader rating, he's about 4 times the man I am.

[Bailer]

I've placed two orders with AR500. First went through with zero hiccups. Second was identical to the OP, with excuse upon excuse offered by their staff on why they couldn't fulfill the order. I eventually did get a refund.

[Cali-Shooter]

I've only ordered from them once, and I went in knowing that they could be behind/swamped on orders (mine arrived about 1 month later than they stated), but that didn't get to me because they mentioned that it could be the case on their website. That being said, I would definitely buy from them again. Yes they will take care of you, but their customer service can be slow to respond at times, that's my only complaint. Know what you're getting into, people...

[TireIron]

I have to side with the OP on this. If a company gets so swamped with orders that there are huge delays, why not start changing the lead times to something longer?

For instance if you increased the lead time to a certain set of ballistic plates to 16 weeks, as a consumer I would know what I'd be getting into in terms of a long lead time. And if you're able to get those plates to me in in 14 or 15 weeks, I'd be happy to get them early. But if you put on your website that the lead time is 4-6 weeks, and you send them a few weeks late, I'd be upset by that. But the OP's case seems to be the norm in that his lead time has practically doubled, and he still hasn't received his products. $1000 is a lot of money to some people. And that type of misrepresentation of leads time is piss poor. Just put realistic numbers on your website. Under promise. Over deliver. Good businesses do that.

And I get that you're swamped with orders. Some places shut down on taking new orders so that they can fulfill their current ones. I can respect that. And I like that. But if you keep taking new orders, it'll be a vicious cycle of never ending delays that'll cause you to lose repeat and future customers.

Body armor isn't something that a person will buy a lot of. So if you anger a customer after the first set of body armor, he/she will probably not buy any more from you. And eventually you'll run out of people wanting to buy armor because they'll either already have a set from you or someone else, or you pissed them off from the first purchase that they won't buy from you again. So while AR500's business may be booming now, the way they're treating customers isn't setting themselves up for future sales down the line.

I've been seeing more and more reviews online of how upset customers are with their lack of communication and long delays. And because there are other companies out there starting to sell armor, I doubt I'd buy from AR500.

[SchottFamily]

I appreciate info like this. I don't have money to burn, and agonize over my purchases, so I expect customer service just as much as a quality product for my buck. Thank you, OP.

[TheTargetMan]

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to let you know that Spartan Armor Systems/The Target Man may be another option for you. Our website is www.spartanarmorsystems.com and everything usually ships within 3 to 5 business days. If you have any questions feel free to give us a call M - F 9am to 5pm

[cmb41]

Been out of the country on business for the past 3 weeks. Here's the latest update. After my $31.00 shipping charge was refunded I have not heard a peep out of these guys. Tried calling yesterday and did not get through. I am now 17 weeks out from my original order. My order was paid for with PayPal so the refund request goes out tomorrow. I will also be writing a letter to the FTC and may explore further legal action if I find more people who want to participate. For the record, I don't really believe in the whole suing thing ( I'm still a handshake guy) but if enough people have been mistreated I am also not one to take it lying down. Thanks to everyone for your opinions, good and bad. This is what forums are supposed to be about.

[6TSicks]

I ordered from them and received my order almost 8 weeks past the expected ship date. I emailed them and they responded with a few more weeks out etc. They seem to have a high demand product and they are trying to do the best they can with keeping up with orders.

I just received a holster that took 38 weeks to finish as well. I know going in that quality products take time to create and I've grown enough as a person to have a little patience when wanting some of the nicer things in life.

[ambiguous216]

Legal action? Go see Judge Judy. Come on. Dispute it with PayPal and dunzo. No need for FTC and Judge Judy.

Originally Posted by cmb41

Been out of the country on business for the past 3 weeks. Here's the latest update. After my $31.00 shipping charge was refunded I have not heard a peep out of these guys. Tried calling yesterday and did not get through. I am now 17 weeks out from my original order. My order was paid for with PayPal so the refund request goes out tomorrow. I will also be writing a letter to the FTC and may explore further legal action if I find more people who want to participate. For the record, I don't really believe in the whole suing thing ( I'm still a handshake guy) but if enough people have been mistreated I am also not one to take it lying down. Thanks to everyone for your opinions, good and bad. This is what forums are supposed to be about.

[SchottFamily]

Just saw this alert reported on TS

[Foebia]

Avoid these guys like the plague, waited ~ 3 months for stated 4 week lead, only to get baited along. They STILL have 4 week lead on the website, they just couldn't care less about CS
They did refund promptly upon request.

[OCEANCRITTER]

I'm another hopeless customer of ar500. Their cs staff are as useless as tits on a bore. I may have made headway this week. I have the name and email of the cs dept manager. If anyone needs it pm me

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[gesundheit]

Originally Posted by Tekguy

Like most companies that have a good following, they have back orders because they offer deals that production can't keep up with demand.

It is normal that the customer has to wait for the product.

Quit *****ing and wait for your order.

If you want next day order from Amazon prime.

WE don't live in Soviet Russia, Comrade Tekguy, where the plumber comes after 10 years of waiting.

[Crf450rr]

I wish I saw this thread before placing an order with these guys.

[TOM_ONE]

****!

I was about to post a thread and saw this.

I placed an order 2 months ago (back when wait time was 8 weeks) so I checked today, and lo and behold now the wait time is 18 weeks. I'm going to see if they give me a refund. I'm pretty sure I used my CC anyway.

[mossy]

Glad I saw this thread, I will buy my armor from someone else now. Thanks for saving me from a major headache OP.

[Crf450rr]

I take back what I posted in post #28. I placed my order on 5/4 and it was delivered today.

[cbsdd00]

Originally Posted by Joseph Lee

Then how do you feel about I-trader scores? Huh?
Since I have either bought someone else's used stuff or unloaded my own poor purchasing choices at least 9 times, I'm clearly 9 times better than you. I would have aimed this retort at the other guy but according to his I-trader rating, he's about 4 times the man I am.

46/9= 5.11111. He's actually 5 times the man than you.

[WFO_Racer]

I tried calling today, wait time was 55 minutes, no thanks.

Emailed, since homepage says no lead time on plate carrier. Order page says 4 weeks, which is it?

Cheyanne replied saying it was 4 weeks, I replied is this a real 4 weeks or like forum says 12 weeks like I read? No answer.

[mossy]

Has AR500 responded to this thread yet? Just checked their website and everything is listed as 4-18 weeks. I am interested in the carrier that zips up into a bag. I get that they are having issues with a bad batch of steel, but what's with the crazy lead times on carriers?

[WestOfPecos]

Originally Posted by TKM

You complain an awful lot for a new guy.

New guy? His join date is 2009. It's his choice how much he posts.

The question is: does he have a point? Based on what he is writing, I think he does.

[Fern]

Originally Posted by Joseph Lee

Then how do you feel about I-trader scores? Huh?
Since I have either bought someone else's used stuff or unloaded my own poor purchasing choices at least 9 times, I'm clearly 9 times better than you. I would have aimed this retort at the other guy but according to his I-trader rating, he's about 4 times the man I am.

Very useful post. Well played.

[hermosabeach]

Nice bump of an old post....

[EspoMan]

I agree with OP. Avoid this company. I made an order then realized I had made a mistake on plate size. Called the next day and had a 60 min wait time. Called the day after and had an 80 min wait time! E-Mailed them and got no reply. Finally on the third day after waiting 30 min I got a CS rep, I told them I needed to make a change and they said they couldnt find my order. I told them I got a receipt from paypal saying I sent them payment. After being on hold for another 20 mintues they finally found my order, I was fed up and told them to cancel it. They proceeded to put me back on hold for another 15 mintues before they were able to cancel it. The CS rep was very polite but the wait times are insane. Im going with Spartan now.

[Ishooter]

I've been thinking about buying from this company, but it seems it'll be a risk buying from them. It looks like they rely on different sources to get the products done, and they have no control of them. That's why they're slow to fulfill orders and customer services.

[epilepticninja]

Originally Posted by TKM

You complain an awful lot for a new guy.

80% of all posts are in this thread. You really complain an awful lot for a new guy.

If I was out $1,000 I would be *****ing up a storm, new or not. And AR500 does some weird ****, I know. I own three of their plates, and it was a chore getting them.

[okfornow]

bought all mine from ar500-targets.com at a gun show great service and the set from there site shipped same day