Are all vendors hopelessly behind?

I ordered CBI rock sliders through my local fab shop just after Christmas and they haven't come in yet. Well, they came in once sometime around March, but they sent someone else's sliders so they had to build the correct set for me. Apparently they aren't making any effort to correct their customer service and quality mistakes as I am still waiting and it is now August.

The season will be over before I get my sliders. I've always wanted a bumper, but I'll probably sell the truck before that would be available so I'm not even gonna try ordering one of those. I don't care to pay for a bumper in 2021 and receive it in 2022. That is just too much money to have sitting in someone else's pocket with me wondering if they will ever deliver a product.

Anyone else having similar struggles?

 

I haven't had a ton of struggles with vendors. The only weird thing that happened was when Morimoto sent me two sets of headlights on accident (one set is like $1400), so that was an interesting experience because I thought they were going to charge me another 1.4K for their own mistake lol. I agree red is the fastest color

 

Common thing with CBI. They're a take the money and run type of shop. I'd request a refund or have the shop you ordered through do a chargeback. 9 months for sliders is a crime.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cbi-offroad-customer-battles-for-product.590996/page-16

Post your experience there so that others can continue to see their running tally of misleading and flat out lying to customers.

 

When were you told you would receive the product you paid for?

I would definitely be doing a credit card chargeback.

 

My softopper is backordered 4-6 weeks.

 

Supply chain issues will continue for a long time.

If we are lucky, this pandemic response will complete late 2022.

FWIW, supply chain is impacting everything. I spent 3 days trying to find a simple electrical box for a remodeling task. Car audio, parts, construction.........you name the industry....they are all fouled up.

The good thing is we are paying high prices for what we can get. Soon, the high prices will be normal when the supply chain is restored.

Inflation is running 5+%.


Hang on, this ride isn't over.

 

This is definitely a variable and it is weak as hell of those companies.

 

Yes, nearly everything is behind. BUT, not that far behind! F them, request refund and be prepared to call CC company for help, if not refunded in a timely matter.

 

Agreed. Start cancelling orders. Delay purchases. Do without. Buy used.

When companies begin seeing a fall in profits, then change will begin.

 

I'm sure there's many companies that have a viable reason. If they sold and committed to production and have to buy materials, then see costs have doubled, they're making less margin. They make up for it by reducing labor to increase margin, but then push lead times way out. Most all of them have increased retail prices, but they can't double prices.

As for the chip shortage, I'll buy into the theory since many have contracts from a chip manufacturer. But, there's many companies that make them and if they didn't write into their contracts that they can buy from another supplier if their current suppier goes out of stock, then they're downright stupid. Although, I'm sure many chips are proprietory that other companies just cannot make profitably or in a reasonable amount of time.

 

To their credit, Caliraised was right on the money with their lead time last year (high of the pandemic). Ordered June 2, ready June 29th. Martin Off Road was also spot on with their lead time (May 5 > May 26).

Seems from that thread CBI is shady...

 

Contact Lexus and see if they can loan you their LX 570 J201.

 

Surprisingly our lead times are the shortest they have been in years with all this crap going on, still a little behind on some items we are feeling the pinch. The lead time on supplies is becoming the issue now example "A mill bundle of DOM 3 to 4 month lead time and 400% up per lb from this time last year" so planning ahead is key here. Finding good people that want to work is becoming extreamly difficult. We have heled out on increasing our prices over all of this but that inflation is not slowing down and it will have to happen with everything rising around us.

 

Yes. Not only is EVERYONE, not just truck vendors, behind, but the price of raw materials has skyrocketed.

 

I'm your Huckleberry if you open up an East Coast facility.

 

I'd call my credit card company and have them credit the charges back. If enough people end up doing that then
the credit card company will black-ball these people.

 

I manage multiple industrial and scientific construction projects worth millions of dollars and supply chains across the board are broken. Materials and equipment I have never had a problem with in 30 years are a now problem and prices are way up across the board. People whine like children because their literally unnecessary trinket is twelve or twenty weeks out but they would have a different perspective if they were trying to source equipment needed to support something that is actually critical.

 

Supply chain is super messed up right now. I work in product design and everything is moving a snails pace waiting for tools and materials to come in, especially from overseas.

Steel is also in short supply right now and the prices are through the roof. I was reading in another armor manufacturer's thread about how the owner had to drive across the state just to pick up a load of DOM tubing he managed to source because it was impossible to find locally.

Also doesn't help that with stuff closed everyone and their sister decided to become overlanders. There has been a pretty substantial increase of truck part orders since the pandemic started so companies that already had long lead times now have insanely long ones.

I had a great experience with CBI about 2 years ago. I ordered an aluminum bumper with just the center grill guard and they called me up that afternoon saying they had exactly what I wanted but with a full brush guard ready to ship that they'd upgrade me to for free to skip the lead time. I probably set a record with receiving a CBI bumper 7 days within ordering it. They're very busy but are good people and by no means crooks like Pelfrybilt was.

 

Almost all of these companies went unprepared when it came to the post-covid overland/camping/4x4 lifestyle hype, in addition to the obvious supply chain issues across almost every industry. Everyone and their grandmother bought a truck to put off-road accessories and "overland essentials" (lol) on it.

While it's true that materials are hard to get and prices are soaring, many of the people running these companies just can't fathom this type of scale and still take on the orders (of course no one wants to turn down money)...some companies are handling it okay while many are just dragging their customers along with excuses and no comprehension of how to conduct a proper backorder.

Just my 2c on how some companies are doing...

 

I find it kind of hard to believe everything is covid related. When I had my first gen and Nissan Xterra I had purchased bumpers and 5-8 years ago the wait was still 3-5 months for a bumper.