The Relentless Fab lowdown thread: whats new, current builds, FAQ’s, etc.

So ive seen a lot of questions going un-answered by the Relentless fab guys and i figure i will share some of my experience.

First of all, i will never buy anything from them again. Back in May i was in the market for some sliders and i did a lot of looking around at all of the fabricators on this site and on others and i settled on buying a set from Relentless. they had great reviews people seemed to love the customer service and the product looked bad ass. so i dropped some money and ordered a set, knowing full well it could take 3-5 months before they would ship. so i waited about six weeks and decided i might as well order a DIY bumper too. so i emailed their site. PMd Nathan and Eric. and called and never got a response. i had to go on this forum, post a little about my frustrations with them and less than 20 mins later i have a phone call from Eric apologizing. so i ordered the bumper and asked them to ship it with the sliders when everything was ready so that i could save a hundred bucks on shipping, Eric agreed.

Flash forward to month 4 (September)
At the four month mark i contacted relentless to ask for an update, they said a couple more weeks until 5 months so it wont be ready until then. i said fine, they did say between 3-5 months so i guess i was just a little impatient, i did just drop damn near $1200 so i was a little anxious to get my stuff. at the the 5 month mark (October)i contacted them again and was told "its being welded now just on more week". i had waited 5 months i can wait another week. so i called them a week later "one more week" this went on for 2 full months. Sometimes i would call or PM or drop a post here but the answer was always the same one more week.

December

i got an Auto status update email from the relentless site saying my sliders had shipped, but the bumper was still being processed. i called Eric and he said that he had brought the Sliders to Fastnel Frieght for shipping, but didn't bring the bumper. he said that the sliders were going to be on hold at Fastnel for a day or two until he brought the bumper over then i should see a refund for partial shipping to my paypal account. Great i now i am finally getting my stuff 2 months over due but at least its getting here. One week goes by and on December 12th i received a phone call from Fastnel saying that there should be a delivery in a week or so i called a week later, no status (they don't have tracking like ups or fedex). i just got off the phone with them before typing this post and they still have no idea where the items are.

Im done, i am contacting Paypal and asking them for a refund, then its off to the Better Business Bureau to file a complaint. i dont even want this stuff any more. Im tired of having to fight to contact a business that i paid $1200 for a product.
While i cant speak for their product i can say that their Customer service is utter garbage, i dont appreciate being lied to for months and then getting nothing in return. I will never purchase anything from them again.

 

Ryan, resend. I never got one. Thanks

Ryan, PM me your information if you need to pursue a refund, no need to go to paypal or credit card companies.
If someone is upset about their wait, message me and ask to be refunded before 'going to the top'. I'm not trying to screw anyone out of their money.

I'm calling Fastenal now to check on things, dont know what happened with them.....
Edit: Fastenal shows I was charged for the shipping 12/1 and the items left sometime after, and are mid-route in Indianapolis as of now. Requested fastenal call you.

 

@PC, Ryan. Skid's been here waiting on the bumper, so as soon as I get it it's going on a pallet. I'll help you out there for the long bumper wait.

PM me if you need something, dont seem to see any nor recall any calls. You can call me direct at 775-200-0544. If I cant answer leave a message and I'll return it ASAP.

 

i was on the Phone with Paypal filing a complaint when i got a call from Fastnel in Reno. they said the last they heard, the products were in a distribution center in Indianapolis. the guy gave me the # to the Center as well a the pallets "licence plate" number. i called the center but i got an after hours message. i will try again tomorrow. i am still very upset at this whole situation. i think its BS that im going on 8 months for a product that should have taken 5. i also this its messed up that for over a month people have been asking you open questions on YOUR thread, and you only respond when someone threatens to file complaints and against you. thirdly where the F is my shipping refund for combining both items into one shipment?

 

I don't blame you for being upset; Though I had no idea that the shipment hadnt been delivered weeks ago. Usually fastenal is much more timely. If I had known 2 weeks ago you had not received it I would have looked into it then and pressured Fastenal but I was not contacted or notified regarding the non received shipment.
While it looks like I haven't been talking to anyone for a while on this thread, that does not mean I havent talked over PM behind the scenes or received a phone call from them.
Once again, anyone who needs to speak with me give me a call. I cannot always answer the phone but call back phone messages ASAP and it's probably the best method aside from texting me (that can be done as well).

 

Eric,
Please provide me with an update on my aluminum bumper, skids and lights!
Arrowshot

 

Don't know about your AL bumper Arrowshot but Eric told me today that my AL bumper was at PC and should be done this week and then shipped. I hope yours is with mine.....

 

FWIW I posted on here a few days after I ordered, it looked like mostly people that have bought post on this thread anyway, the next day I pm'd him. I think it was the same day or maybe the next he pm'd me back. It wasn't long at all. And since then we've exchanged pm's, he always answered in a timely manner. And the hold up for my order was the powder coater like someone said earlier. We got it squared away now, and can't wait for my mounts to get here.

 

My bumper is not being powder coated. Do have skids that are being powder coated though. Want to see a response from Eric in regards to status but glad to know yours is almost done. How long ago did you order your bumper (PM with that please)?

 

Called Eric and he answered right away. He said he was waiting on a replacement Rigid light and bumper was pretty much finished. Skids are ready to go also. Asked him to send me some pictures and he said he would so I will post them once I get them. He said everything should be ready to go by Friday if the lights from Rigid arrive soon.

 

Sucks to hear you guys complain about Relentless. I have always had my PM's answered quickly. Ive ordered many times and currently have 2 orders I dont expect to be done for awhile but quality fab work takes time. Remember guys this is just a thread. It's not a direct line to relentless like a phone call, PM, or email. Thanks Eric for all your hard work.

 

This is the crap I always hear from Eric's fanboys.

"Good work takes time, quit complaining."

Its a load of crap. Good work doesn't require poor communication, and being constantly lied to about lead times. I canceled my order after 10 months of waiting on a 5 month lead time, and it was still a pile of parts in the corner. It was ordered about the same time Arrowshot's was, and It would be 15 months if I hadn't canceled. I have a nearly identical bumper being shipped in the next two weeks that I only ordered it two months ago.

I never had a terrible time getting a hold or Eric. Some times it took persistence, but I got a hold of him. He was also fair about giving me a refund. There isn't anyone here who uses this thread solely as their point of communication with Eric. I am tire of hearing that this is simply what you have to deal with to get quality work done.

I wish Eric the best of luck, and I hope he gets whatever issues are forcing these delays sorted out.

 

Eric runs a small shop. I doubt at anytime he meant to deceive you with a lead time. I truly believe he tried to give you and the rest of us his best estimate. Im sorry your experience sucked but I ordered a complete set of armor off the shelves at allpro and wasnt happy. Now im the process of replacing it all with relentless. Id rather buy quality products and wait then have to replace products I got right away. Sounds like it all worked out for you in the end.

But maybe Im just a FANBOY

 

If their was anyone else out there making the type of aluminum bumper that Relentless does I likely would have bailed also. I really like the products that he has put out there but the wait times are atrocious. With a bit better organization and some other hires he could be putting out a lot more than he is now but sometimes quality does suffer a bit and Eric would have to give up being a worker bee and become a manager (I personally hate having to worry about other peoples problems which is what happens when you do). On the other hand he just might want to keep his business at the size that it is, especially if you are making a good living and there are fewer headaches doing so. He does need to work harder to meet the deadlines he advertises though, integrity and reputation can take a hit when you don't. If my bumper comes out like I hope it does then it will have been worth the wait but it sure has been a long one.

 

Alright so after my posts the other day i received a couple of PMs from other members here stating that they had similar problems, and i would like to give a little update to my situation.

I was called by Fastenel in Reno (very soon after i posted) who said that my bumper and sliders were sent to Indiana, and they gave me the number to the Distribution center. i called the distribution center several times over two days and never got past voice mail boxes. So i called Eric on Tuesday and told him that i was tired of trying to deal with this freight company my self, and that by Friday i either wanted a bumper at my door, or a full refund in my paypal account.(also he was very quick about refunding the combined shipping after i asked) He agreed, and went on to deal with Fastenel himself. I got a call from him yesterday saying that the items had moved out of the warehouse and are on the way. Today there is a Relentless Fab Aluminum bumper and set of sliders sitting in my garage. The local Fastenel GM delivered them, and apologized profusely about them sitting in a warehouse for over a month.

Finally.

The slider welds look great, as do the welds on the base of the Aluminum bumper. the parts were secured tightly to the pallet and everything seems very well done.

I will still not order from them again, they need to update their wait times, 2 extra months on a 5 month wait is a huge delay. i find that unacceptable, i don't mind waiting 7 months for something, as long as they tell me its going to be that long from the beginning. Saying its 5 months and then delaying every week is not good customer service.

Maybe a weekly mass email to all current work orders with an updated status, and estimated time of completion would solve all of Eric's' problems. That way people wouldn't be slamming this thread with update requests, and it would be kind of professional, and people can get their weekly fix of "where is that sweet piece of truck porn i ordered 6 months ago and paid a grand for and and haven't heard about in 2 months"

 

Eric was keeping us all informed before and would be a great idea if he can find the time to get back to it.

 

Not to be a tool, but to me good communication is very important in business. Good communication with some and not so good with others is a problem. Strive for consistency and organization. Don't get me wrong I've spoken to Eric a couple of times and hes a nice guy. But no offence ... I've known a bunch of Eddie Haskell's in my life (not a dig, just an impression.)

 

Eric sent me a picture. I think my patience is going to be rewarded.



This is what I asked Eric to replicate. Photo is flipped to really get the perspective. Meets all expectations!!!



Eric,

SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! SHIP IT!!!!! Please.

If you get it to me soon enough I might be able to get it painted and installed on my truck before my wife gets back from the Philippines. She might not notice then.

Arrowshot

 

That looks awesome.

 

Right hand drive taco. Sweet.