CBi Offroad... customer battles for product

I’m not saying it’s not shitty. It definitely is, but let them respond publicly. Chances are they are getting hammered with orders now, and if some machinery did go down (and that shit isn’t cheap), it makes sense why it’s delayed.

They aren’t shutting their doors anytime soon and are answering calls, so at least there’s that.

 

What island you on?

 

Good point someone made about the new entries to the midsize market. Still no excuse to not come through.

I guess it's possible the machinery is broken, but that's cost of doing business and makes no sense if they're targeting other markets.

 

R&D is separate from production in any business model. They’re not gonna shelf a whole market because of some hardware going down when they’ve been planning on entry for months.

 

CBI just got crossed off my list of reputable vendors. I've heard three shitty customer service stories this month (offline). When are these fab shops gonna figure it out? Just seems like rampant greed to me.

 

Running a (successful) business isn't as much about having a product you're in love with.....nor having customers backed out the door as it is having the dedication and knowledge of how to run a reputable business the right way. Two different concepts... and failing at the later usually runs off the customers...

 

I really wish they would... But anything other than 20-30min on the phones, only to get different promises really gets under my skin after a while. This all could have been solved with a quick e-mail. Through their IG I have had multiple people comment with the same issues. How hard is it to send a quick e-mail to a distro list of current orders saying 'Machinery is down...expect ____ delay" it's super easy, would help all of us rest easy handing over our money. I love supporting U.S. Companies, especially from a rad little town I head down to often (Like CBi in Twin Falls)... I wish I could get some leave to haul my ass down there and gawk at the sliders on the wall and those being built while mine are delayed for lord-knows what reason...

 

About 6 months apart, I ordered my prinsu rack and CBI front bumper. They both came in on time, but both orders came without the proper hardware to install. For the roofrack order, they overnighted hardware and I got it the next day. For the bumper, I had to call them 3 different days because they kept saying "it will be shipped tomorrow." Finally somebody who cared answered on the third day and took care of it on the spot while I was on the phone. I'm not saying don't buy from CBI/prinsu as they have good products, but their customer service is extremely inconsistent and is one of the reasons I will not be ordering a rear bumper from them when I am ready.

 

Same experience with hardware (bag opened up in shipping). I had a new bag two days later.

Issue with fabricators is that the market is bigger than their business model.

For sales, I’ve always talked to Kenny over the phone and he’s been immediately helpful. Not sure if that’s who you’ve talked to, but he’s always been on the spot for me (hardware and, on another call, an installation video).

 

OP's problems aren't anything new. CBI had these issues even before they decided to grow some. Their lack of customer service and failure to respond in a timely manner or even at all was all I needed to not make any further purchases from them back when I had 2nd gens. They are a big name, but there are far better people to deal with for products. SOS FTMFW because Eddy is one of us and is quite active on this forum.

 

That’s why I echoed support for Mobtown as well. YMMV with vendors, but some vendors are constantly on these forums and are exceptionally transparent. If/when I do a bumper, I’ll be driving over to Delaware.

 

That flat out sucks.
I ordered my sliders from RCI and got them in less than 3 weeks.
I've been trying to decide between a Demello or a CBI front bumper and your experience with CBI is making my decision easier.

 

CBI is in Idaho Falls...yeah I hope they get their shit together on the customer relations side.

 

I did speak to Kenny, and he was very apologetic, although he is also the one that told me mine would be built that day I will be receiving the notice before two weeks of nothing, and talked to a different guy and he told me I "am first in line on the next production run. Should be built in two weeks, and I con't know why Kenny told you that." So... there is that.

 

..talking to Kenny as we speak. Lets see these updates!

 

I placed my

 

Haven't really followed but are you still going to waste your money with this place? I would be getting full refund and moving on.

 

From my observations when I was ordering parts to build my truck; It's all a matter of timing. If the brand you pick is in the midst of a production run of your chosen parts, you might get them almost overnight. If they're wrapped up on your parts for the time being, and building parts that aren't what you are ordering, it may take some time. With that, it's also a matter of how excuse oriented your vendor is.... AllPro's methods became a laughing stock....Yet I got my sliders in less than 1/10th the time they were telling customers. By the time I went to order rear leaf pack from them, they weren't even answering their phones.

But...There is NO excuse for deceptive practices. I'd rather hear bad news than to hear lies. It takes YEARS to build a solid reputation. It takes about 30 seconds to tear one down.

 

CBI is ridiculous.. their T3 front bumper is running 10-14 weeks lead time plus an additional 2 weeks for the powder coating. And they want 100% up-front -- are they insane?!

 

Especially when people generally only come online to complain. I ignore Yelp reviews like the plague when picking new places to eat because they’re overwhelmingly negative for no reason.

Not that the OP here doesn’t have a reason. Certainly does.