revnitsudyak
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Arizona
Just wanted to share why I personally will NEVER do business with
Rusty's Off Road again. Since they do 80% of their business with XJ
owners, I am sharing this here. You've been warned...
Rusty is a cordial enough guy but lacks ownership and follow-through.
In early March I placed a large order and it took over 2.5 weeks to
arrive (my order was over $2500). I ordered 2 ARBs, 2 master
overhaul kits, two 4.56 R&P sets, an intake kit, a diff guard and a
steering box brace. I was shocked to pay over $500 for shipping at
regular ground rates, especially since it did not arrive in 4-6 days
as promised.
I gave them one week before calling to check on the progress of the
order. The only reason I had to check on it was because I was to be
on vacation the following week so I could not afford to have it
sitting on my porch for a whole week. Pretty high risk. I was just
trying to get an ETA to be sure I could be there.
I asked to change the address they would deliver it to after finding
out they HAD NOT YET EVEN SHIPPED it after almost 5 days! They had a
hard time wrapping their head around this idea but eventually, I was
able to get them to commit to mailing it to my in-laws address. Upon
my return from vacation, the product still had not yet arrived! I
followed up again and they could not figure out the tracking # so I
was left totally in the dark on when it would arrive. Then, Rusty
told me it would be there "tomorrow". When it finally arrived, it
came to my home address, where it should not have gone, and was
sitting on my front porch for 24 hours because we only use the garage
entrance. Good thing they are not timely in their deliveries or this
would have been sitting on my porch the whole week while I was away –
strike one.
So, after taking my rig and all the parts in to Joe at Absolute
Offroad in Phoenix, I get a call on the way home….it's Joe.
"Did you change axles in the back?"
"No, why do you ask?" I inquired.
"Well, you have a 1992, 27 spline 8.25 and Rusty's sent you a 29
spline ARB."
I called Rusty and he told me he would ship it out and it should be
to Joe within 3-4 days. I gave him the benefit of the doubt. This
could be an honest mistake (warehouse mispick or something).I even
asked him if he would put a rush on it since they were the ones who
messed up the order to begin with – strike two. He said OK.
Got a call from Joe 10 days later letting me know he had not yet
received the ARB. I called Rusty again and he said he did not know
the status but that they only fax the orders in, from there it is in
ARBs court- !
When he called me back, he said that he talked to ARB and they were
out of 27 spline lockers and have been for a while. This was why I
did not get the right one in the first place (my conclusion). He said
that they are on a shipping container en route from Australia! I
expressed my frustration with the whole chain of events and asked why
they sent me a 29 Spline to begin with since on their website, you
fill out a vehicle spec sheet and mine is clearly a 1992, never made
with 29 spline. He was back peddling and almost insinuating that some
1992's have 29 splines. I pushed back hard and he then said that….
"Well, so many people are swapping in 29 splines now blah, blah,
blah…." He was making assumptions with my $700 part! He was also
just making excuses for their ineptitude.
I am FURIOUS just writing this. To Joe's point, I should have asked,
why didn't you just send me a Dana 60? Or a Dana 35 for that matter.
After all, you never know, and so many people are swapping different
axles in these days. J
Finally, I asked,
"Since you screwed up the order to begin with, then I find out that I
have the wrong item after 2.5 weeks, don't you think the second time
around you would have followed up with ARB after the order went
through? How about confirmation #? I can't imagine a large company
like ARB not having a confirmation system in place to tell you it is
on the way or that it is on back order."
To this Rusty replied,
"I don't own ARB so I wouldn't know. We just fax in our order." – I
guess they just HOPE the order goes through. What an @$$]-[()[_3!!
Just great.
Obviously he doesn't even "own" his own business in the sense that I
would either. He is clearly a victim and will never take
responsibility for any errors. He did not even validate my concerns;
just that he was frustrated too. Probably because I was calling him
out on this – strike three, you're OUT.
Thanks for not doing Business with Rusty's. Below are examples of
companies/businesses that show true ownership and personal vestment.
Great companies/shops I have worked with (no affiliation):
Absolute Offroad – Phoenix, AZ – Joe is awesome and really a stand up
guy. Honest, very knowledgeable and has a genuine interest in service
(I think he just wants to build up my rig to see me wheel it into the
ground!
He goes out of his way to get the job done – thanks Joe!
AMC 4X4 Salvage – Peoria, AZ – Nacho is very knowledgeable and always
has the parts to keep my heep running. Also, he still charges honest
prices.
Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts – Possibly the best overall service
experience from a specialty parts fabricator/distributor I have ever
had. From the folks who took my order on the phone's service and
informative nature all the way to Tom personally following up with me
to be sure I got what I ordered and that it was the right fit!
Getting a personal call from Tom himself showed 5 Star service!
Baertrax – Dallas, TX – Home of the Buttface diff guard. This diff
guard is the most functional and beefy on the market. It is also the
ugliest! Love it. Russ and Christy provided very personal and
friendly service with great follow up to see if I liked the cover and
if it worked out ok.
From my feedback email to them in which I shared photos of my rig
with the Buttface on and my broken tie rod, here is Christy's
response…
"We just got back from EJS in Moab, hope to make it to AZ for some
wheelin' someday. We have a few customers with XJ's buttfaces, but
not too many. We'd love to have more, send 'em our way!!!! P.S., we
sell a tie-rod too, ha!"
Thanks again,
Christy Baer
UPDATE: After I wrote this, I decided to call ARB direct in Renton,
WA. I was told they have 27 spline lockers in stock and were never
out. Nothing coming in on a container!
THANKS IN ADVANCE TO JOE FOR NOT TAKING A PUBLIC SHOT AT ME!
Rusty's Off Road again. Since they do 80% of their business with XJ
owners, I am sharing this here. You've been warned...
Rusty is a cordial enough guy but lacks ownership and follow-through.
In early March I placed a large order and it took over 2.5 weeks to
arrive (my order was over $2500). I ordered 2 ARBs, 2 master
overhaul kits, two 4.56 R&P sets, an intake kit, a diff guard and a
steering box brace. I was shocked to pay over $500 for shipping at
regular ground rates, especially since it did not arrive in 4-6 days
as promised.
I gave them one week before calling to check on the progress of the
order. The only reason I had to check on it was because I was to be
on vacation the following week so I could not afford to have it
sitting on my porch for a whole week. Pretty high risk. I was just
trying to get an ETA to be sure I could be there.
I asked to change the address they would deliver it to after finding
out they HAD NOT YET EVEN SHIPPED it after almost 5 days! They had a
hard time wrapping their head around this idea but eventually, I was
able to get them to commit to mailing it to my in-laws address. Upon
my return from vacation, the product still had not yet arrived! I
followed up again and they could not figure out the tracking # so I
was left totally in the dark on when it would arrive. Then, Rusty
told me it would be there "tomorrow". When it finally arrived, it
came to my home address, where it should not have gone, and was
sitting on my front porch for 24 hours because we only use the garage
entrance. Good thing they are not timely in their deliveries or this
would have been sitting on my porch the whole week while I was away –
strike one.
So, after taking my rig and all the parts in to Joe at Absolute
Offroad in Phoenix, I get a call on the way home….it's Joe.
"Did you change axles in the back?"
"No, why do you ask?" I inquired.
"Well, you have a 1992, 27 spline 8.25 and Rusty's sent you a 29
spline ARB."
I called Rusty and he told me he would ship it out and it should be
to Joe within 3-4 days. I gave him the benefit of the doubt. This
could be an honest mistake (warehouse mispick or something).I even
asked him if he would put a rush on it since they were the ones who
messed up the order to begin with – strike two. He said OK.
Got a call from Joe 10 days later letting me know he had not yet
received the ARB. I called Rusty again and he said he did not know
the status but that they only fax the orders in, from there it is in
ARBs court- !
When he called me back, he said that he talked to ARB and they were
out of 27 spline lockers and have been for a while. This was why I
did not get the right one in the first place (my conclusion). He said
that they are on a shipping container en route from Australia! I
expressed my frustration with the whole chain of events and asked why
they sent me a 29 Spline to begin with since on their website, you
fill out a vehicle spec sheet and mine is clearly a 1992, never made
with 29 spline. He was back peddling and almost insinuating that some
1992's have 29 splines. I pushed back hard and he then said that….
"Well, so many people are swapping in 29 splines now blah, blah,
blah…." He was making assumptions with my $700 part! He was also
just making excuses for their ineptitude.
I am FURIOUS just writing this. To Joe's point, I should have asked,
why didn't you just send me a Dana 60? Or a Dana 35 for that matter.
After all, you never know, and so many people are swapping different
axles in these days. J
Finally, I asked,
"Since you screwed up the order to begin with, then I find out that I
have the wrong item after 2.5 weeks, don't you think the second time
around you would have followed up with ARB after the order went
through? How about confirmation #? I can't imagine a large company
like ARB not having a confirmation system in place to tell you it is
on the way or that it is on back order."
To this Rusty replied,
"I don't own ARB so I wouldn't know. We just fax in our order." – I
guess they just HOPE the order goes through. What an @$$]-[()[_3!!
Just great.
Obviously he doesn't even "own" his own business in the sense that I
would either. He is clearly a victim and will never take
responsibility for any errors. He did not even validate my concerns;
just that he was frustrated too. Probably because I was calling him
out on this – strike three, you're OUT.
Thanks for not doing Business with Rusty's. Below are examples of
companies/businesses that show true ownership and personal vestment.
Great companies/shops I have worked with (no affiliation):
Absolute Offroad – Phoenix, AZ – Joe is awesome and really a stand up
guy. Honest, very knowledgeable and has a genuine interest in service
(I think he just wants to build up my rig to see me wheel it into the
ground!
He goes out of his way to get the job done – thanks Joe!AMC 4X4 Salvage – Peoria, AZ – Nacho is very knowledgeable and always
has the parts to keep my heep running. Also, he still charges honest
prices.
Tom Wood's Custom Drive Shafts – Possibly the best overall service
experience from a specialty parts fabricator/distributor I have ever
had. From the folks who took my order on the phone's service and
informative nature all the way to Tom personally following up with me
to be sure I got what I ordered and that it was the right fit!
Getting a personal call from Tom himself showed 5 Star service!
Baertrax – Dallas, TX – Home of the Buttface diff guard. This diff
guard is the most functional and beefy on the market. It is also the
ugliest! Love it. Russ and Christy provided very personal and
friendly service with great follow up to see if I liked the cover and
if it worked out ok.
From my feedback email to them in which I shared photos of my rig
with the Buttface on and my broken tie rod, here is Christy's
response…
"We just got back from EJS in Moab, hope to make it to AZ for some
wheelin' someday. We have a few customers with XJ's buttfaces, but
not too many. We'd love to have more, send 'em our way!!!! P.S., we
sell a tie-rod too, ha!"
Thanks again,
Christy Baer
UPDATE: After I wrote this, I decided to call ARB direct in Renton,
WA. I was told they have 27 spline lockers in stock and were never
out. Nothing coming in on a container!
THANKS IN ADVANCE TO JOE FOR NOT TAKING A PUBLIC SHOT AT ME!
and I hope you feel better.
