Who's Happy with RRA SERVICE

[poortrader]

I ordered a RRA Entry Tactical last week. Entry Tactical with Surefire M73 rails. The price was pretty good except the dealer was not throwing in the chromed-lined barrel. I saw a couple of place that offer the Entry Tactical for about $20 more delivered but with the chrome-lined barrel. The other dealers wanted more for the Surefire rails. So it was 6 and 1/2 dozen another...something like that.

I called back to dealer and told them that I wanted to change the order to a Chrome-lined barrel. The barrel is supposely easier to keep clean, but not as accurate. I called back the following day not one week later. I was told that there would be a $25 additional charge if I want to change the order. This is B.S. I already paying $1000 why should I have to pay this fee. RRA already has a 30-60 day back order. It's not like they can't sell the rifles.

I deceided to call RRA directly today. They told me the same line. I also asked about getting the dominator Eotech handle instead of the ordered tactical handle. The lady told me that I can't swap out the handle. I have to order one on backorder and sell my tactical handle to someone that will lowball me on the price. The best part is that the dealer orginally had told me that they usually keep the dominator handles instock, and it can be swap, but right now they don't have any so I might be out of luck.

Sincerely,
Getting Rocked by Rock River

P.S.
I still can't wait to get the Rifle in and start having fun.

 

[GoRon]

I feel your pain buddy. They have an industry forum at AR15.com you can post on. It is moderated by an employee of RRA.

I am going through an issue with them right now myself. It is resolved but not to my 100% satisfaction. You should post over there. I think they have become a little arrogant in their succes.

ARFCOM Industry forum

I am the only whiner over there at present time

 

[Mr. Chitlin]

Seems like as they have grown from an unknown to a known, their customer service has gotten to be like so many in the industry. Get big and forget about the little guy.

 

[NineHotel]

The problem is you, not them buddy. Make up your mind ahead of time so that you don't waste your dealer's and RRA's time with your whims. You shopped for the best price, therefore making the margin very slim for the dealer you used, then had the nerve to go to his supplier directly. Margins are slim for RRA as well, plus they have grown and grown and grown by supplying the best product in the industry backed by a great warranty and excellent service. Naturally they have some constraints around changes post-order.

RRA offers great service as do many of their stocking dealers. Don't jerk them around and they won't jerk you around.

I have called them directly to make a change post order entry - 1) on something that was not selectable in the order process (front site blade width), and 2) at the direction of my dealer to save his time. RRA gladly accomodated my request for a .060" blade instead of the standard .052" and the order arrived on time with the correct site blade in it.

I had a trigger fail of theirs after over 10,000 cycles. They had me send the lower in, telling me they'd have it 30 days, and 6 days later the lower showed up with a replacement trigger set up per my instructions - 4 3/4 lbs with a heavy first stage and a light second stage.

They are batting 1,000 in my book. They support junior programs, LE programs, the military programs (for mil teams that won't let anything but their match issue ammo go thru issue team rifles), you name it. They are the darlings of the industry right now for good reason.

 

[Jon Coppenbarger]

Did rra's charge you the $25 for the change or did your dealer do it?
Do not have my book in front of me but is the chrom lined barrel extra? or was it a charge to just change it?
Also was the handle actually a option on you model? I guess it is the way you mentioned it for the same price.
Did the dealer ask you to call them because he would not make the handle change?

I just do not understand why the dealer would not make the call for you on the handle or would he of charged you $25 more again for the change?

Who did you talk to at RRA's as I know them all and just curious as man I have made allot of changes for a few folks and NEVER EVER had a problem with something we wanted changed if it was allowed as a option.
Did your dealer do the order on line because if he did he would half to call them on his dime to make a change just like placing a phone order.
I will have to talk to them as I find it hard to believe and it would really tick me off if a cust. was trying to change orders with one of my distributors without my knowladge so I think he must of gave you permission to do it or you acted as he employee when you called RRA's.

 

[GoRon]

The problem is you, not them buddy. Make up your mind ahead of time so that you don't waste your dealer's and RRA's time with your whims. You shopped for the best price, therefore making the margin very slim for the dealer you used, then had the nerve to go to his supplier directly. Margins are slim for RRA as well, plus they have grown and grown and grown by supplying the best product in the industry backed by a great warranty and excellent service. Naturally they have some constraints around changes post-order.

I'll tell ya something. I am in a service industry, I know all about the !@#$% customers.

But when they call I jump. They are the reason I am in business. They pay my bills. They call me because even when they are stupid and know it I bend over backward for them.

The gun industry has some of the most arrogant a$$e$ I have ever met in it. Gun stores up to the factories it amazes me some of them are even in business.

I love my RRA rifle and the people I dealt with were professional but I am not happy. Now hundreds maybe thousands will know it all for $95.00.

After a few days I won't even care to post about this anymore but now my story is out there. How does it protect their margins to have me complaining in front of hundreds maybe thousands of people about their service?

I know your comment wasn't directed at me, but it is their job to make us happy, not the other way around.

 

[JohnBT]

"I know all about the !@#$% customers."

I'm sure they love you too.

John

 

[MM]

Bushmaster is generally a pretty good way to spell "customer service". Apparently they are in business to cater to the "whims" of customers, as I am in my business.
SatCong

 

[poortrader]

My dealer told me that RRA charges extra for additional changes after the order is placed. I didn't believe them so I called RRA myself. My complaint is that if the rifle is going to take 3-4 weeks for delivery, WHY WOULD THERE BE A CHARGE FOR CHANGING THE ORDER. I would assume that there is a backlog of orders, and the rifle has not been made. It's not like they were already shipping the rifle. If that were the case, I wouldn't mind paying the change fee.

I'm not fickled. I did a lot of research before placing the order. I wanted a complete factory fitted rifle.

The whole thing with the dominator handle is what really made me made. Shipment hasn't been made, and they are telling me that I'm SOL, and go and spend more money on a dominator handle instead of getting it swapped out before the rifle leaves the factory.

THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS NUMBER ONE. WHO DO YOU THINK MADE RRA WHAT THEY ARE TODAY. THE CUSTOMER!!!!!!

 

[poortrader]

Did rra's charge you the $25 for the change or did your dealer do it?
Do not have my book in front of me but is the chrom lined barrel extra? or was it a charge to just change it?
Also was the handle actually a option on you model? I guess it is the way you mentioned it for the same price.
Did the dealer ask you to call them because he would not make the handle change?

The dealer told me that RRA charges a change fee of $25, and I didn't believe them so I call RRA and told them that a dealer had order the Entry Tactical with the chrome moly barrel and I wanted the chrome-lined barrel instead. The woman confirmed the charge and told me that my order would get bumped to the end of the line if I decided to change the order.

 

[GoRon]

I'm sure they love you too.

I was being facetious John.

Whenever a customer inconveniences me or has "unrealistic" expectations it is human nature to respond in the spirit of what NineHotel said or as I put it !@#$%.

Then you stand back and look at the big picture and you do your best to take care of them. They can always go elswhere.

 

[ScottsGT]

Basically, it takes time (which is money) to pull the order, make the change (completely write up a new order), refile it back in the order process. And this might even change all the order numbers after yours. I can understand why it is a hassle, and there are probably 10-15 calls a day with people wanting to make changes. They try to discourage them as fast as they can. Have you tried any of the online dealers on AR15.com? There are a LOT of dealers on that forum that stock all the parts and probably can build what you want in half the time RRA can provide it. It will be a RRA rifle, but not put together by RRA.
I ordered a RRA lower, then an upper seperately to get mine. Why? To save on taxes. it was a lot cheaper that way, but after I completed my order, they now come with 2 stage triggers. Now I have to change that out.

 

[Rob1035]

I agree, charging a nominal fee (what's $25 on top of $1000?) to completely change an order already in progress is not necessarily bad customer service.


Here's a hypothetical, if RRA said "sure, whatever you want" and did what you need with no fuss, would you be posting here praising them?


When I make gun purchases, which are big in relation to my budget, I research for weeks, often months in advance, so as the prevent this exact sort of situation. I change my mind dozens of times, but thats before I involve other people.

 

[Rockstar]

I don't think anybody posting the kind of whining that's in this thread will cost RRA anything. Those with any sense will "just consider the source" of the whining and do business with RRA anyway.

 

[ScottsGT]

I don't think anybody posting the kind of whining that's in this thread will cost RRA anything. Those with any sense will "just consider the source" of the whining and do business with RRA anyway.

Don't know if I would go that far, maybe he just doesn't understand how the business world works. He has to remember that he is just one of probably 800 orders pending. Now if we keep catching him whinning as a newby, we'll have to spank him real good!

 

[GoRon]

I don't think anybody posting the kind of whining that's in this thread will cost RRA anything

Interestingly you never used to hear any whining about RRA at all.

With the increase in volume of sales there are more owners out there to whine.

My gun will not shoot Radway British Milsurp without choking. Others guns will, ammo or gun problem? My hammer pin started walking out. The lower reciever broke or was damaged at one point. I had to pay to replace the reciever under the LIMITED lifetime warranty.

I don't want to hijack this thread, what is done is done. But the whining and praise are both important in using the net to help research purchase decisions.

 

[poortrader]

Basically, it takes time (which is money) to pull the order, make the change (completely write up a new order), refile it back in the order process. And this might even change all the order numbers after yours. I can understand why it is a hassle, and there are probably 10-15 calls a day with people wanting to make changes.

I completely understand the manufacturing process. Constantly dealing with changes becomes a hassle and not cost effective. I tried to change my order one business day later, and got this B.S. I don't have a problem with them not changing out the barrel, but the Dominator rail problem is really bothering me because the rifle hasn't even been built and I going to get charged to change something that is a FREE option (exchange).

 

[poortrader]

The problem is you, not them buddy. Make up your mind ahead of time so that you don't waste your dealer's and RRA's time with your whims. RRA offers great service as do many of their stocking dealers. Don't jerk them around and they won't jerk you around.

I have called them directly to make a change post order entry - 1) on something that was not selectable in the order process (front site blade width), and 2) at the direction of my dealer to save his time. RRA gladly accomodated my request for a .060" blade instead of the standard .052" and the order arrived on time with the correct site blade in it.

Sounds like you can't make up your mind either!!!!!

I didn't twist the dealer's arm for his sale price. The sale price was his advertise price. I believe that therefore the price was mutual for the dealer and I.

 

[NineHotel]

Sounds like you can't make up your mind either!!!!!

I didn't twist the dealer's arm for his sale price. The sale price was his advertise price. I believe that therefore the price was mutual for the dealer and I.

Dear Mr. Sour Grapes - please enroll in a "Reading Comprehension 001" class as part of your ongoing GED quest. Upon completion, re-read the same paragraph of mine you quoted.

Here are the Cliff's Notes which may help - the item I called them about was not selectable in the order process. I knew exacty what I wanted - no mind changing involved. I knew they had the part on hand. So the only way to make the change was a special request.

As your original post was your 3rd on this site, I hope you have more to contribute to THR than shown in this thread. Where's that "troll under a bridge" smilie when you need it?

 

[rick_reno]

Well, you made it thru their order process. I was never able to get thru that. I gave up.

 

[c_yeager]

Dear Mr. Sour Grapes - please enroll in a "Reading Comprehension 001" class as part of your ongoing GED quest. Upon completion, re-read the same paragraph of mine you quoted.

As your original post was your 3rd on this site, I hope you have more to contribute to THR than shown in this thread. Where's that "troll under a bridge" smilie when you need it?

The value of a member is measured by the quality of their posting, not the quantity. If your comments in this thread are any indication of the demenor that you intend to bring to this site then you sir are in no position whatsoever to criticize anyone.

Poortrader brought to our attention something that he felt was a noteworthy issue. Those who read it can decide for themselves if it should have an impact on their future purchases. I have a hard time understanding why you feel so personally offended by business dealings that you have no involvment in.

 

[taliv]

this thread sucks. not the high road i used to know. at the least, it's in the wrong forum.

my experience with rra is nothing but positive. i have both a NM and a carbine from them. both are excellent. the carbine came as advertised with a 5.56 chamber and i called their service folks to ask if i could get it rechambered in wylde. they did it for free, even paid shipping, despite my offer to pay.

my suggestion is to take a more tactful approach to vendors in the future. the customer is not always right. in fact, it's been my experience that the customer is usually wrong.

 

[NineHotel]

I have no attachment to his specific transaction - I do however take exception to a 3 post person flaming a maker like RRA for the reasons stated. Didn't check other lists, but suspect a similar post is out there elsewhere.

Why someone cannot understand that additional costs and/or time are incurred by a maker when changes are made is beyond me. They (RRA) have a system for delivering quality product in a mass-customizable fashion and delivering said arms in a timely fashion while also establishing a good record for customer service.

As far as the quality of my posts in this thread, it is unfortunate that things digressed to where they are. Why not chastise Poortrader for his last post? Why single out my response?

Truth is, not much burns me more than posts like the original and posts about gunsmiths by people that have little experience with firearms and immediately start whining in public when things don't do as they expected. This thread most clearly falls into this catagory. Next time I'll pass it by and let the other buzzards hover. I've had my great experiences with people in the industry and I've had my poor ones - very poor ones resulting in damaged firearms, dangerous firearms, and cost to me. Poortrader's experience does not qualify as the latter. Even with my bad experiences, you don't see me WHINING about it here, do you?

There was a thread a few years ago on shooters.com where a guy posted about his complaints about a McMillan stock experience - bad service, slow delivery time, etc. Well one of the McMillan family responded in the thread with all the intricate details from their log of dealing with this gentleman which told a completely different story as to the types and numbers of changes he requested and their efforts to make him a happy customer. The poster back tracked totally and apologized in the thread to McMillan. That thread has stuck with me, and is the reason I get burned about posts like these, particularly when I have spent time in the presence of the RRA principals and have seen first hand that they will bend over backwards whenever possible to help people.

 

[poortrader]

YOU WOULD ALL COMPLAIN IF IT WERE YOU MONEY AND EQUIPMENT ON THE LINE.

 

[poortrader]

To be precise it is CLIFFS NOTES not Cliff's Notes.

And GED stands for Good Enough Dude. I could get into Harvard with GED so there is nothing wrong with a GED. There are many Americans that pride themselves on getting a GED. I have tutored many of them to help pass the test, and that was the best time I've ever spent on someone.