I put down my first $1K deposit in May 2017 without seeing a single drawing. The decision was based on two factors. 1. The quality and finished product of my front bumper and sliders from them. 2nd, and more importantly, I met up with Tyler Pelfrey out at Corral Canyon on an impromptu trail ride with his, my, and another family. We wheeled and camped, talked shop, and just generally had a good time in the heat watching the kids play.
After speaking for a few hours over some quality ale about quality of work and design, and how much time it takes to get something done right, I knew that if he was going to be designing a rear bumper for the 5th gen, that I was going to purchase it. I was very impressed with not only his dedication to the product, but also how he goes about design. As a small business owner myself, I understand the issues surrounding customer expectations, as well as the intricacies of keeping customers satisfied not only with the finished product, but also with the process that wields the product. It’s difficult to keep people amped about something when it takes so long to complete the process. Maybe this is an issue with our current “instant gratification” society, where Amazon can send us some crappy product in 2 days. Real blank slate products take a long time to design, build, and perfect.
Now I totally understand that my situation was unique, and not everyone is going to go on trail rides with vendors before purchasing gear, and talk at length with them about work ethic and quality. I also understand that no one on this forum knows me from Adam, so I don’t expect anyone to trust my judgement. But I just felt compelled to throw this out there, and although Tyler isn’t on this forum or any other social media platform personally, I felt that I should share my experience with the person who is behind the design.
I also know first hand that something as complex as this rear dual swing takes not only time to perfect, but also the first few runs often don’t always go perfectly. I appreciate the fact that if it’s not done right, it doesn’t leave the warehouse, period. And I would rather wait a couple months than have something installed on my rig that I’m not completely satisfied with and have to return it or drive down and have repaired.
I can’t speak on the communication/customer service front, as most of my emails get responded to within a day, at worst a few days.
In the end though, I’m more than happy to wait for what’s been described as an awesome bumper, and one that I plan to have on my rig as long as I have it.
