LoD experience
#12
JK Super Freak
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Middle of no where
Posts: 1,934
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Shit happens, LOD makes great stuff. So it did not get there on time, big deal, that happens. If you have ever worked in a retail you would realize the logistics of shipping a 100lb hunk of metal without it getting damaged. Posting this not going to fix anything, deal with LOD directly and I can almost guarantee they will fix it.
#13
Chris,
thanks for the response. You guys certainly make AMAZING products, and we all know your busy making and improving your great pruducts, i think the Thread Op (and myself) just got a little tired of all our questions going un-answered.
I for one will continue to support LoD, and am still planning on getting the LoD Rear Bumper ASAP because of the quality and your reputation and the quality you guys put into your products. Sometimes we just like to hear back a little more often is all, everyone always has alot of questions i am sure.
Thanks again man
thanks for the response. You guys certainly make AMAZING products, and we all know your busy making and improving your great pruducts, i think the Thread Op (and myself) just got a little tired of all our questions going un-answered.
I for one will continue to support LoD, and am still planning on getting the LoD Rear Bumper ASAP because of the quality and your reputation and the quality you guys put into your products. Sometimes we just like to hear back a little more often is all, everyone always has alot of questions i am sure.
Thanks again man
#14
I had the same experience with Shrockworks, kept promising next week, for over two months after the promise date, so I went with LoD from Northridge and had no issues, got my bumper in 2 weeks, I feel your pain but can tell you their quality is worth the wait, although I know that doesn't help how you feel right now.
I get frustrated when I don't get responses too, almost worse than empty promises, I'm sure if you call during the day you'll get through, I did, and man does their bumper look sweet. I'm waiting for a set of sliders too, can't wait!
I get frustrated when I don't get responses too, almost worse than empty promises, I'm sure if you call during the day you'll get through, I did, and man does their bumper look sweet. I'm waiting for a set of sliders too, can't wait!
#15
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Posts: 383
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I See Both Sides...
Hi Everyone,
I purchased a front stubbie stinger and the rock rails for my 2-door JK earlier this year.
I wasn't in a hurry for either, so I didn't really have any frustration with the length of time it took for the sliders. (The bumper was done several weeks ahead of the rails.)
I can tell you that Chris was great to work with... at least for me. I made arrangements to pick up the bumper and sliders from Chris. I'm not sure if that made a difference in the payment method; but, I didn't have my credit card charged until I picked the bumper and sliders up on a Saturday. (I believe that I have read on this forum that other fab shops actually charge your credit card for their bumpers or sliders as soon as you order the part even though it may be months before it is shipped. I don't think that is right.)
On the day I picked them up, Chris and his crew had been working in shop getting set up for new fabricating equipment to increase their capacity. I don't remember exactly what he said was going to be installed; but, even at that time (sometime in April, I believe) they were moving to increase capacity.
The one thing I can say about my experience is that Chris always responded to my questions. (I would recommend the phone to emails or questions through their website.) I was particularly impressed that I could call at 8:00 or 9:00 on some evenings and still get in touch with him. Although I think he may have been a little overly optimistic about the actual fab dates for the sliders on those occasions that I called to check on them, I never had feeling that there was anything deceptive about the fab estimates.
I am really glad that I waited. The quality of the front bumper and the rock rails is first class. My intention is to purchase the rear bumper and tire carrier when I upgrade to 35s.
As someone else pointed out, if there is a hard timeline, you might want to make sure Chris is aware of it when you call to place your order. My experience tells me that he will tell you up front whether or not he can meet the deadline... there are generally competitors products on the shelf somewhere, although they may not be what you'd ultimately like to install on your JK.
Jeff
I purchased a front stubbie stinger and the rock rails for my 2-door JK earlier this year.
I wasn't in a hurry for either, so I didn't really have any frustration with the length of time it took for the sliders. (The bumper was done several weeks ahead of the rails.)
I can tell you that Chris was great to work with... at least for me. I made arrangements to pick up the bumper and sliders from Chris. I'm not sure if that made a difference in the payment method; but, I didn't have my credit card charged until I picked the bumper and sliders up on a Saturday. (I believe that I have read on this forum that other fab shops actually charge your credit card for their bumpers or sliders as soon as you order the part even though it may be months before it is shipped. I don't think that is right.)
On the day I picked them up, Chris and his crew had been working in shop getting set up for new fabricating equipment to increase their capacity. I don't remember exactly what he said was going to be installed; but, even at that time (sometime in April, I believe) they were moving to increase capacity.
The one thing I can say about my experience is that Chris always responded to my questions. (I would recommend the phone to emails or questions through their website.) I was particularly impressed that I could call at 8:00 or 9:00 on some evenings and still get in touch with him. Although I think he may have been a little overly optimistic about the actual fab dates for the sliders on those occasions that I called to check on them, I never had feeling that there was anything deceptive about the fab estimates.
I am really glad that I waited. The quality of the front bumper and the rock rails is first class. My intention is to purchase the rear bumper and tire carrier when I upgrade to 35s.
As someone else pointed out, if there is a hard timeline, you might want to make sure Chris is aware of it when you call to place your order. My experience tells me that he will tell you up front whether or not he can meet the deadline... there are generally competitors products on the shelf somewhere, although they may not be what you'd ultimately like to install on your JK.
Jeff
#16
JK Newbie
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Conway, Arkansas
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have the money and they want it, and I am going to spend it on the best parts I can get. What I expect is that, if someone tells me it's going to ship by a certain time, it better ship by a certain time or I'm going with another option.
I emailed LoD a few months ago with the intention of buying something, and never heard back. So my money went to another company.
I won't order from Shrockworks because there is a huge (undetermined) lead on rockers, I went with Purejeep instead because I had them quickly.
I won't order from Evo because I got the run around on an orders ship date. I will go with someone else.
I nearly canceled my OR-Fab order because it kept getting delayed by OR-Fab and they couldn't be clear on a ship date. (not Northridge's fault).
Yeah, some of the companies might be small and have a tough time keeping up. That's fine, things happen. But it shouldn't be MY problem as I am one of the reasons they are in business. Tell me it's going to be a couple of extra weeks, keep me informed, respond to my emails, and maybe I'll have the patience to wait. You don't earn my loyalty by keeping me in the dark.
I emailed LoD a few months ago with the intention of buying something, and never heard back. So my money went to another company.
I won't order from Shrockworks because there is a huge (undetermined) lead on rockers, I went with Purejeep instead because I had them quickly.
I won't order from Evo because I got the run around on an orders ship date. I will go with someone else.
I nearly canceled my OR-Fab order because it kept getting delayed by OR-Fab and they couldn't be clear on a ship date. (not Northridge's fault).
Yeah, some of the companies might be small and have a tough time keeping up. That's fine, things happen. But it shouldn't be MY problem as I am one of the reasons they are in business. Tell me it's going to be a couple of extra weeks, keep me informed, respond to my emails, and maybe I'll have the patience to wait. You don't earn my loyalty by keeping me in the dark.
#17
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Posts: 383
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
jhagerman... In A Perfect World...
I have the money and they want it, and I am going to spend it on the best parts I can get. What I expect is that, if someone tells me it's going to ship by a certain time, it better ship by a certain time or I'm going with another option.
I emailed LoD a few months ago with the intention of buying something, and never heard back. So my money went to another company.
I won't order from Shrockworks because there is a huge (undetermined) lead on rockers, I went with Purejeep instead because I had them quickly.
I won't order from Evo because I got the run around on an orders ship date. I will go with someone else.
I nearly canceled my OR-Fab order because it kept getting delayed by OR-Fab and they couldn't be clear on a ship date. (not Northridge's fault).
Yeah, some of the companies might be small and have a tough time keeping up. That's fine, things happen. But it shouldn't be MY problem as I am one of the reasons they are in business. Tell me it's going to be a couple of extra weeks, keep me informed, respond to my emails, and maybe I'll have the patience to wait. You don't earn my loyalty by keeping me in the dark.
I emailed LoD a few months ago with the intention of buying something, and never heard back. So my money went to another company.
I won't order from Shrockworks because there is a huge (undetermined) lead on rockers, I went with Purejeep instead because I had them quickly.
I won't order from Evo because I got the run around on an orders ship date. I will go with someone else.
I nearly canceled my OR-Fab order because it kept getting delayed by OR-Fab and they couldn't be clear on a ship date. (not Northridge's fault).
Yeah, some of the companies might be small and have a tough time keeping up. That's fine, things happen. But it shouldn't be MY problem as I am one of the reasons they are in business. Tell me it's going to be a couple of extra weeks, keep me informed, respond to my emails, and maybe I'll have the patience to wait. You don't earn my loyalty by keeping me in the dark.
In general I agree with you. In a perfect world, what you describe should work.
One thing I won't tolerate is being lied to by a vendor (or potential vendor). I will walk away from a product even if is the product I really want to buy.
On the other hand, I am pretty sensitive scheduling issues. Personally, I find that I am late on project schedules because I am trying to improve quality. I would rather have a customer upset with me because I have missed a milestone, than because my work wasn't the quality that he expected. A little bit of schedule slippage will be remembered for a short while, whereas the satisfaction with the job will be remembered for the life of the good or service.
Don't get me wrong. I expect vendors to meet all of their performance obligations. A little schedule slippage is the least of my concerns, unless there is a real milestone that must be achieved.
Although LoD may be struggling with schedule issues, I read very few complaints about their design, or their quality. I am very pleased with my purchase, and I would order from them again. Chris has always been honest with me.
I am so used to email and web inquiries that I get a little frustrated with companies that don't respond right away. I guess I just need to realize that the phone is the preferred way to communicate by some other people. I was glad that I got over my personal preference and just called LoD... it was worth the effort to me.
Jeff
#19
JK Freak
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 770
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#20
JK Super Freak
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: RSM CA.
Posts: 1,613
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I had issues with my spare fitting on my bumper due to backspacing, I called Chris and 4 days later I had a new mount at my door and all is well with the world.
Sure I may have waited a few extra weeks for my bumper, but it's a high end after market item that is only built in batches so it was not a big deal.
The quality is there and the customer service is there.
BTW, if everyone calls, emails, telegraphs, sky writes or sends smoke signals how do you expect LOD to get your rails finished?
Sure I may have waited a few extra weeks for my bumper, but it's a high end after market item that is only built in batches so it was not a big deal.
The quality is there and the customer service is there.
BTW, if everyone calls, emails, telegraphs, sky writes or sends smoke signals how do you expect LOD to get your rails finished?