My Experience With CBI Offroad

Waited 8 weeks for my rock sliders to arrive from CBI Off-road. It was shipped on a pallet so I drove an hour to the shop for install without removing any of the wrapping in order to protect the powder coat therefore I did not notice missing hardware in the plastic bag full of parts wrapped underneath.

The shop had removed some factory parts in order to bolt on the sliders loosely for alignment and discovered the sliders were shipped with missing hardware so the job cannot be finished because the 2 J bolts and 2 stick sliders were missing so they had to remove the sliders and reinstall factory parts to get my truck off the hoist.

Situation was explained to CBI and advised them they should have checked the packing list provided with the instructions before shipping out.

I asked CBI for a small discount on a future order since I still had to pay the shop for labor because it wasn’t the shop’s fault I brought them incomplete kit. The shop said if I had purchased the sliders from them they would be liable however that isn’t the case and they still have to pay their tech for the 1 hour labor.

CBI ignored my request which I don’t understand, they admitted they forgot to ship out the missing parts which is an error on their end. By giving me a small discount on a future order (skid plates + bumpers) they would make back the discounted cost plus profit on the new order especially when the rock sliders are now 10% off after I paid them full price. It’s a drop in the bucket for such a big company to make a customer happy and bring in a new sales order and potential future orders.

So now I am stuck and cannot install the sliders and have to drive an hour back home just to come back a 2nd time when the missing parts arrive.

Has anyone else had a shit experience with their customer service? I’m surprised to be honest for such a big company. Why not make things right with the customer when the customer wants to buy more items? Needless to say I will not be buying their stuff in the future.

The labor cost is not a huge deal, for me it’s more of principle when the company makes a mistake they should make it right when they wasted the customer’s time and money.

EDIT: Turns out the sliders are defective and don't fit due to driver's side hitting the pinch weld so the missing hardware is the least of issues.

 

For reference these were the parts missing which are clearly stated in the checklist on the top left of screenshot. If it was something I could find at the local hardware store then no complaints but these are pretty specific hardware.

 

I'm not going to defend the way millenials run these boutique businesses, but not checking the parts list before even making an appointment for an install? That's on you.

They're sending you the missing parts, problem solved. Learn your lesson and move on.

 

Well to be fair, it's not their fault that you live an hour away from the shop you chose to do the installation.

 

Not everyone lives just down the street from a reputable shop. If I wanted to have an “off-road” shop install something for me, it would be about 2 1/2 hours each way. Hence, why I do my own work.

 

Should not your preferred installation shop check for all necessary parts before their work and YOU . Why didn't you check when delivered ?

 

The appointment was made 2 weeks before the rock sliders even arrived because the shop is very reputable and busy, the day it arrived I loaded the truck and went straight to the shop. As I've stated in my original post, the parts were wrapped and bolted on to a pallet and I didn't cut open the wrapping in order to protect the powder coat for transport on my way to the shop since it's an hour drive. The hardware was hidden in a plastic bag beneath all the foam wrapping so I had no idea.

There are closer shops but I've dealt with this shop for my suspension, CMC and all things truck related since they specialize in Tacomas and have always done stellar work.

 

All you need is a floor jack to install rock sliders… Not that complicated buddy. And if you want a discount just wait for a sale.

 

Nothing wrong with paying a reputable shop an hour or two for a proper peace of mind install which is why I was willing to make the drive because if anything is wrong it's on them and not me, bud. Reason being is I read the instructions and there was mention of bending some sort of metal lines in order to clear some of the bolts which I was iffy about. That's super great you like to work on your truck but it's also great to get it done and not have to worry about it I unfortunately live downtown in a building so a garage is out of the equation for me.

What is wrong though is for a company that's been around since 1998 to ship you incomplete kit and waste your time. I'm pretty sure there is literally a packing department that checks the packing list before wrapping product and bolting it down to a pallet.

 

Okay so you're telling me you would unbolt the sliders off of the wooden pallet. Cut open all wrapping to check all 58 pieces of hardware and then wrap it back up to drive to the shop? Wow if that's really the case then I commend you for your dedication. I live in a downtown building with no personal driveway so leaving a pallet on the floor of the lobby to check for missing hardware wasn't exactly in the cards for me. Regardless, I don't think the initial error was on my end but if you want to defend how these boutique businesses operate then you do you my friend.

 

Another reason to have the shop order the parts, generally they can order at wholesale and it helps them out too.

 

The real unfortunate part is I have a new order with CBI for rear transfer case/gas tank skid plates and bumpers, that isn't a small order. As a business owner myself, if I have to take a loss of $100 for a customer in order to make 10 fold on his next order, I'll probably just give the little guy what he wants ya know? To make him happy especially when he isn't being unreasonable and the mistake was on the sender's end and customer is at loss. Now I'm not sure if I want to even continue with the order since it's another 6-8 weeks lead time but you're right, it's probably better to buy from the shop that is doing the work, even though my shop isn't a CBI dealer I'm sure they could've just ordered it for me.

 

CBI is probably not as big as you think. As with most things aftermarket, especially smaller shops, you have learned a valuable lesson. Sucks but you’ll know for next time, and on here not many will pity you lol.

 

My lesson is to not buy from them again, new order canceled. I assumed they were not a small business after they acquired Prinsu. I have had similar issues with other companies and they have made it right. Not on here to ask for pity, in my original post I asked if anyone else has had a similar customer experience with CBI.

 

This is also poor practice. Should always break down shipping to ensure there is nothing missing or damaged otherwise there isn’t anything you can do after accepting shipment. I accepted a damaged shipment once before and will never do it again ever and 99% of companies will advise that you check the shipment before accepting.

If you don’t want to check because the excuses mentioned above then again, that’s on you. Not checking parts before drop off, that’s on you.

I just received a dual battery box and washer relo from another company for my 80 and first thing I checked was if I had everything, they forgot the battery kit. It happens but you check first.

If they offered discounts to ever irresponsible buyer then they wouldn’t be in business for long. It’s not a charity, be accountable to your own errors.

 

Lol I always check the packing list and parts.
Maybe a lesson?

 

I bought my sliders from @Shmellmopwho with free installation and went off-roading an hour after he was done with it.

But really, sorry you went through such a hassle, OP, but I also always check the packing list and contents of any type of mail order parts before doing anything with them.

 

If course that's the way you see it. On them for fucking up. On you for perpetuating the fuck up. On the shop for continuing to perpetuate the fuck up.
Lol mistakes.
And asking for a discount? Lol that too.

 

I would probably be most aggravated by the shop you took it to. Should you have checked your order before taking for installation? Yeah I think so but I most definitely think the shop should have and not doing so was there mistake. You shouldn’t have been charged for that.