CBi Offroad... customer battles for product

I called one CBI employee two weeks and he was kind enough to look up my order even though I ordered it through a vendor and said it was in with the next production and that the parts were ready just needed to get welded up and sent to powder looking at about two weeks out. I called again the next week the person I spoke with told me to go through my vendor. I mentioned that some one the previous week was able to track down my order he said they aren’t supposed to do that. All he could tell me is they are a couple weeks behind schedule which wasn’t super helpful. I called my vendor and got pretty much the same thing that they are behind schedule. It looks like if you get in touch with Kenny all is well and you can find out where your stuff is. I don’t really think blaming it on the vendor for quoting certain lead times or lack of communication is fair. When I ordered my stuff I checked the CBI website for lead times on everything which was 10-12 weeks which is what I was quoted from my vendor. I personally called CBI and seems like I got the same answers as them. When your putting out $4k for parts and it’s been almost a month after that I think it’s fair to be concerned. I purchased a Prinsu rack through the same vendor and it was actually sitting at my door a few weeks before the estimated time. I was really happy with this and it was a great product obviously. I just wish the communication was a little better on CBIs end. I’m still really excited to get my CBI stuff, but waiting 17 weeks without any real clarity on what’s going on is a little frustrating.

 

I too, had a similar issue with my experience with CBI.

I placed an order through a local retailer of CBI. I am going to withhold their name, out of respect for them. Now the dates are not exact, as i do not have the information in front of me.

I placed an order with CBI through a local retailer/shop. The ONLY reason I did this was because shipping was offered to me free by the retailer. He had already placed an order with CBI, for an aluminum front and rear bumper, and bed rack. He called CBI in front of me and they said they would throw the sliders on a pallet when they shipped the other items, including it in the order, due to the shop being the order. They said the items would be completed in 6-8 weeks, so my sliders would be shipped as if they were ordered kinda normally. Sweet deal right? I even ordered them with NO Powder Coat. Just so then the sliders would ship on time.

-Be me
-Wait 10 weeks.
-Go to shop
-talk to manager (the stuff ordered with my sliders is his personal stuff)
-Yo, you heard anything about my sliders, or your stuff
-No, let me call
-Calls
-Sliders haven't been built.
-WTF
- Quotes-2 weeks till build
-Cool


-Be me
-waited 2 weeks
-goes to shop
-Hey bud you heard if my sliders have shipped
-No bro
-calls CBI
-Sliders will be ready for shipping next week
-ok.

Call frendo
-frendo says he is staring at his stuff.
-No sliders
- Calls CBI. Also spoke with kenny. Kenny says that they didnt ship my sliders. Get told Sliders shipped. Received initial shipping paper. Wait a week.

No updates. Go to shop, speak to manager. Where the hell is my shit at? Let me call. Speaks with kenny, who says that shipping needs to be paid for before the sliders ship out. Refuses to eat cost on shipping. Manager at CBI offers 50 percent shipping. Shop eats part of it. Parts ship.Get quoted a week. At this point i was pissed.
7 days later-Where are my sliders? They are in BFE (not near my bfe). Tell shop manager friend, tell them (CBI) to keep the motherfuckers, i haven't received them, i dont want them, i want my money back. Fuck CBI. He calls CBI, CBI wants to charge me to take back the product, or if i dont want them they will "help" me by offering to sell them on their Facebook page.
I received my sliders from CBI begrudgingly 4 days after the qouted week.

Almost 4 months for sliders that I was quoted 6-8 weeks for.


I will NEVER buy another product from CBI.
I will never

 

Ive been waiting since October of Last year for a Steel icon hoop front end with PC to arrive at my door from Demello.

I still dont have shipping info, so I dont know about this 6 week lead time you are talking about personally.

 

I had my 4xinnovations sliders in 4 weeks and I actually asked them to hold shipment due to me being at sea. I was planning to order a dual swing out rear bumper from @CBI Offroad Fab
Hopefully they get whatever needs fixin’ Fixed

 

CBI is not small by any means compared to other vendors.

 

And just got shipping info from demello. Awesome

 

Compared to other two or three man shops, garage built stuff, no, they are not that small. But compared to the likes of mass production vendors like ARB, Fab Four, Road Armor, and chinese built "protection/bumper" companies, they are extremely small. At least when you call them, you get a human to answer the phone and you can ask for a specific person. And if you have anything other than a billing issue you will be talking to one of three people.

 

everyone is small compared to ARB. IIRC CBI has 2 separate locations.

Comparing them to pretty much every other fab shop on here that isn't industrial, they have an air to them of " here at CBI, we are better than you, and we know it"

 

One location in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Started in a garage like the other small fab shops. And they still make all of there own stuff. So the air you are getting is probably meant to be "here at CBI, we make some of the best stuff money can buy, and build it all here in Idaho." I would call it pride. Every fab shop that has made it for 20 years and not sold out to have there stuff built in china out of stamped steel should be that proud.

 

CBI hasnt even posted here on TW since Nov 18’. Just pointing that out.

 

but every fab shop out there doesnt stiff the customer with longer than stated wait times, horrible CS. Im not saying CBI has ever been the only shop to do this. But ive heard it more than enough and experienced it myself, from them. So, you can continue to shill for them, its cool, buy their products. Im not saying dont. Im not saying their products are sub par by any means. Everything ive seen from them is very well constructed, and designed.

So, consumers are going to have to make that decision, and based on my experience and others, i wont recommend them. Ever.

 

They don’t post much, period. They do, however, frequent the forum.

Again, call them if you need something. Lead times are also lead times. My sliders went over a little through BAMF.. guess what? Big deal. They’re awesome and good stuff takes time. It’s generally a testament to the demand, not their inability.

Bottom line - if you want someone else’s product and not to deal with longer lead times, go with it. I like my CBI stuff, and my BAMF stuff. Hell, I like my Pelfreybilt stuff, too. All of it took longer than projected because they’re not massive shows, and I’m fine with it because quality > quantity.

 

Ive never heard anything negative with RCI.

 

Then order their stuff?

 

Maybe because they are busy? Do they have to post on here? I did not post on here to try and start a fight. Just to try and clear the air that they are not intentionally trying to not send out products. And to help reassure people that do have orders already that their investment is safe and they are not going to get screwed. And hopefully people are not scared to place future orders. Because unfortunately, the way the world is today, people spread more bad news than good news. And CBI has thousands of happy customers. But a few bad threads can spread like wildfire on the internet. I was trying to spread some positivity.

 

i guess. I already have CBI sliders, and Bed rack. Mobtown skids, demello icon front bumper.

I always like the idea of companies holding up to promised lead times. I understand things happen. But in the regular world, when a contract for goods or services is made, a company is supposed to uphold its end of the deal. The only place ive ever encountered people being ok with this is in the armor/ fab world. But if i pay a company to put in a new kitchen, and they say 5 days, they give themselves enough time to finish and clear out in case of anything.

 

Oh, I didnt mean to intend that they dont put out good products, or with hold products.

 

It’s not a contracted time. It’s an estimated lead time. You’re comparing apples to oranges, but I see where you’re trying to go. It’s annoying, but look at the size of the community compared to the size of the operation.

 

You sir, are a hard customer. Shit happens in every business. If we branch this out to more than bumpers, I can honestly say that more often than not, if it is being built it will extend past the lead time. If you want it built expect to wait. If you have to have it now, buy what is on the shelf.

 

And maybe I am just soft. I just went through waiting for a house to be built and it so did not follow the timeline. We closed just over a year ago and I still have stuff that I am waiting to have finished and fixed.