Southern Style Offroad Bumper Experience
- Thread starter Speedsurfer
- Start date
justanothereric
New member
Either you cannot do math or you can't read; most likely the latter. He ordered the original bumper back in January of this year..SIX months ago. Four month wait time for the original/damaged one and two months of waiting on a said replacement that apparently isn't coming.
Please, get your facts straight before you come on strong to legitimate companies and others on the forum.
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YellowSnow
Banned
Right...thanks for proving my point. It isn’t coming. Please don’t flex on me like I’m your little ankle biting lap dog. Who are you anyway, the resident junk yard dog patrolling the chain link fence? Insert internet tough guy_______
Old Tanker
Member
This thread made me an SSO fan. Sure, there are other companies selling cheap junk at such a markup that they can afford to say "keep it, we'll send another". SSO doesn't have the margin, because they offer a competitive product at a fair price. I like that. I also like it when companies stay in business so they can back previous sales and design new products.
I did bare metal and will rattle can it
Got my slimline bumper from SSO a few weeks ago and it arrived in good shape. Still waiting on the Warn winch control box re-locater before I can do the install. Also still waiting on my ARB under-hood pump which is also back ordered from another company. I have the bracket for the pump installed, but no pump. Seems to still be very common for long waits for stuff.
Speedsurfer
New member
Well this thread turned into a real cluster real fast. I just wanted to share my experience since I get a lot out of this forum. I don't blame SSO for the damage and ordered from them for a reason. I like their bumpers. So I'm a perfectionist and don't want a dented brand new bumper after 9 months. When I talked with Lee my understanding was he was sending out a new bumper. Clearly that's not the case as it's now conditional on the Fed Ex report so there was definitely some miscommunication. If that was known upfront it would not be an issue, I might have even accepted a small cost break for the damage. It shouldn't take a forum post to get a response after so many emails and phone calls though.
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YellowSnow
Banned
Stop being soft, just rattle can it! It’s a bumper, it’s going to get banged up on the trails (insert eye roll).
I swear, the flat brimmed trucker hat wearing, monster drinking asshats in here defending SSO and other vendors every time someone shares their experience is ridiculous and pathetic. It’s like if you don’t just spray paint it, you somehow lose street cred with all the posers, acting all hard like they’re “real off roaders”. If any of these SR5 driving Chads in here jerking off SSO had a similar experience as the OP, and had to wait 9-10 months for a bumper, they would be *****ing and moaning and calling out SSO....how ironical
I get both sides of it. I’d be upset it wasn’t perfect but at the same time I would understand it was the shipping company that screwed it up and I’d be making some calls to them personally. For as my story goes with SSO I ordered a slimline bumper from them and it shipped to me just fine then they also installed it. Had it shipped cause shipping was cheaper than paying the tax to pick it up at the shop.
Life’s short crap happens, install it and move on its just stuff.
Life’s short crap happens, install it and move on its just stuff.
LeekT4R
New member
That damage is not worth being returned or receiving a replacement. Straighten it out, touch up the paint and bolt it on. If you are smart you can probably straighten in in a few minutes without messing up the exterior surface paint.
Its a mass produced steel bumper mig welded together, not a piece of art. You can fix it and nobody will ever notice or care.
Btw, the sso powdercoat looks like garbage. Always buy raw steel.
Its a mass produced steel bumper mig welded together, not a piece of art. You can fix it and nobody will ever notice or care.
Btw, the sso powdercoat looks like garbage. Always buy raw steel.
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bboy626
Member
Whether or not if the damage is acceptable is purely up to the buyer. However, given the images, like many stated, it appears minimal; and perhaps better to work out some minor compensation with vendor vs expecting another bumper, which when shipped, may again incur potential damage. Install and enjoy!
This reminds me of a friend who babies his pistols....owned for years but never bothered getting ammo. WTF...its a "tool" IMO, but to each his own.
This reminds me of a friend who babies his pistols....owned for years but never bothered getting ammo. WTF...its a "tool" IMO, but to each his own.
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sn_85
Senior Member
I'll offer my experience from a previous purchase. I was one of the original adopters of the Rig'd Supply Ultraswings. This was when they were still a nascent company and I purchased their launch edition swing outs. Mine arrived slightly damaged with some scuffs and scratches in the powder coat. No structural damage. Their initial units were missing some packing structures so my wheel plate was just bouncing around during shipping and it caused the scratches.
I emailed them, sent them pictures and they responded promptly. Their response was to 1) offer me $150 credit or 2) offer a replacement unit free of any wait or charge. Since it was really just superficial damage and very slight I took the $150. Their response blew me away considering they were a new company and even though I sold the swing out and moved onto a full rear bumper I am still a fan of Rig'd and can't recommend them enough.
Honestly I think this is how SSO should have handled this. They should have offered $100-$150 in refund and sent the customer a power coat touch up kit free of charge. The bigger issue here and I think many have missed is that when the OP reached out to SSO they told him they'd be sending him a new replacement bumper in 2 weeks and instead it's been 2 months and now they have changed their story/response to say it'll be pending a FedEx claim. To me, that is misleading if not a flat out lie. SSO should have just initially said we're investigating the issue and will be filing a claim with FedEx. Instead they fed the OP a fable and made it worse. I think the OP is more upset about being lied to then the bumper itself being damaged.
I emailed them, sent them pictures and they responded promptly. Their response was to 1) offer me $150 credit or 2) offer a replacement unit free of any wait or charge. Since it was really just superficial damage and very slight I took the $150. Their response blew me away considering they were a new company and even though I sold the swing out and moved onto a full rear bumper I am still a fan of Rig'd and can't recommend them enough.
Honestly I think this is how SSO should have handled this. They should have offered $100-$150 in refund and sent the customer a power coat touch up kit free of charge. The bigger issue here and I think many have missed is that when the OP reached out to SSO they told him they'd be sending him a new replacement bumper in 2 weeks and instead it's been 2 months and now they have changed their story/response to say it'll be pending a FedEx claim. To me, that is misleading if not a flat out lie. SSO should have just initially said we're investigating the issue and will be filing a claim with FedEx. Instead they fed the OP a fable and made it worse. I think the OP is more upset about being lied to then the bumper itself being damaged.
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honda250xtitan
New member
lmaoooo. :flame:
John in NC
Member
What if SSO just gave the OP a $100 refund for his trouble of bending this back to it's mostly OG condition, and spray painting it?
OP I'd be perturbed too so not saying you don't have a legit complaint.
SSO I'd be looking at the shipper to take some responsibility too, but you gotta cut it off and help the customer at some point.
$100 refund? Anyone?
OP I'd be perturbed too so not saying you don't have a legit complaint.
SSO I'd be looking at the shipper to take some responsibility too, but you gotta cut it off and help the customer at some point.
$100 refund? Anyone?
4RunnerAquasport
Senior Member
Some quick observations for those in the future ordering hard to ship items from privately owned vendors.
-To me it is plain to see that the corporate entities in this country (Fed Ex) can operate without a lot of liability in these situations, but I'm sure there have been lots of fraud cases in these situations to warrant certain policies on their part. But 1 - 4 damage claims a week from a shipper is unacceptable imo. Unfortunately these companies have a corner on the market so this is a reality we live with. We all want the cheapest shipping rates, and that is our achilles' heel. Maybe extra insurance is warranted in these situations.
-SSOs Terms of Service concerning damage claims are plainly written and this should be considered by all of us before ordering. A signature is required upon receipt of the shipment, so that a damage inspection can be done by the customer, with the driver as a witness. A quick search on C4s site shows the same policy concerning damaged shipments, this may or may not be an industry standard.
-If at the time of delivery, OP took pictures and did an inspection with the driver to start a claim with Fed Ex, when the damaged carton was noticed, he did not state that in his initial post. If this was not done than how does Fed Ex and SSO know that the damage was incurred during the shipping process.
-Public opinion in these cases do not matter concerning claims that can be brought to litigation. This thread is a perfect example. SSO may or may not have handled this with grace, but imo they were attacked for a credible response almost immediately. Also, just because 1 or 2 dozen people had a better experience with another vendor does not matter in a damage claim, each case is a different situation entirely when it comes to the policies and handling of these cases.
-It is unfortunate that a member got so heated he needed to be banned. I can be partly to blame for this because although I didn't call him out specifically, I did elude to some of his statements. Hopefully cooler heads prevail in the future.
-OP, I hope you can get this resolved to your satisfaction, and SSO can get some resolution from the true offender here in Fed Ex.
-To me it is plain to see that the corporate entities in this country (Fed Ex) can operate without a lot of liability in these situations, but I'm sure there have been lots of fraud cases in these situations to warrant certain policies on their part. But 1 - 4 damage claims a week from a shipper is unacceptable imo. Unfortunately these companies have a corner on the market so this is a reality we live with. We all want the cheapest shipping rates, and that is our achilles' heel. Maybe extra insurance is warranted in these situations.
-SSOs Terms of Service concerning damage claims are plainly written and this should be considered by all of us before ordering. A signature is required upon receipt of the shipment, so that a damage inspection can be done by the customer, with the driver as a witness. A quick search on C4s site shows the same policy concerning damaged shipments, this may or may not be an industry standard.
-If at the time of delivery, OP took pictures and did an inspection with the driver to start a claim with Fed Ex, when the damaged carton was noticed, he did not state that in his initial post. If this was not done than how does Fed Ex and SSO know that the damage was incurred during the shipping process.
-Public opinion in these cases do not matter concerning claims that can be brought to litigation. This thread is a perfect example. SSO may or may not have handled this with grace, but imo they were attacked for a credible response almost immediately. Also, just because 1 or 2 dozen people had a better experience with another vendor does not matter in a damage claim, each case is a different situation entirely when it comes to the policies and handling of these cases.
-It is unfortunate that a member got so heated he needed to be banned. I can be partly to blame for this because although I didn't call him out specifically, I did elude to some of his statements. Hopefully cooler heads prevail in the future.
-OP, I hope you can get this resolved to your satisfaction, and SSO can get some resolution from the true offender here in Fed Ex.
Engineer
New member
Well that was a fun read - sounds like communication/miss understanding more than anything else.
I agree with the OP that it’s sucks to get something damaged that’s $1000+ but I also agree it’s a steel bumper on a 4Runner not a priceless piece of art.
In the end I wouldn’t ask for but would accept a small refund if offered , spray and go.
I love my SSO bumper even though after 4-5years in mid west winters the PC is failing but I don’t blame them ( sliders from another vendor are the same way - welcome to the Midwest) however I do think having 4-6 items damaged in shipping out of 100 is High - not my industry but that kind of failure rate is horrible in mine and if it’s similar damage on similar items - it’s worth tackling because that kind of time suck over months and years is HUGE and it would be worth coming up with some plywood jog etc to make protection BUT as they mentioned they may have no space before shipping costs skyrocket and so what do you do - offer the customer extra protection for the additional shipping cost - how many would bite? I personally think a solution could be crafted but admit it takes time that may not be available.
At the end of the day I hope OP can enjoy the bumper ( one of my favorite mods - having a winch is priceless)
I agree with the OP that it’s sucks to get something damaged that’s $1000+ but I also agree it’s a steel bumper on a 4Runner not a priceless piece of art.
In the end I wouldn’t ask for but would accept a small refund if offered , spray and go.
I love my SSO bumper even though after 4-5years in mid west winters the PC is failing but I don’t blame them ( sliders from another vendor are the same way - welcome to the Midwest) however I do think having 4-6 items damaged in shipping out of 100 is High - not my industry but that kind of failure rate is horrible in mine and if it’s similar damage on similar items - it’s worth tackling because that kind of time suck over months and years is HUGE and it would be worth coming up with some plywood jog etc to make protection BUT as they mentioned they may have no space before shipping costs skyrocket and so what do you do - offer the customer extra protection for the additional shipping cost - how many would bite? I personally think a solution could be crafted but admit it takes time that may not be available.
At the end of the day I hope OP can enjoy the bumper ( one of my favorite mods - having a winch is priceless)
Speedsurfer
New member
Yes, you nailed it on the head with the last paragraph. If I was offered a small discount initially I would have accepted and moved on. Unfortunately they never offered and instead I was told I would be getting sent a new bumper in a few weeks which never showed up. So I've been sitting around waiting for months for something that was never going to ship. I like SSO and think they make quality products. But don't tell me you are sending me a new bumper if that's not the case.
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SouthernSS
New member
Mark,
Your bumper was ordered January 29th, and it shipped April 16th. You received the bumper on April 22nd. Making it less then 12 weeks total turn around for the product. (Our lead times are 10-12 weeks, but they vary due to Covid) So I don't know where the 9 months part comes from.
When we spoke, you mentioned you wanted a new bumper due to the damage shown in the pictures. Our standard policy with this type of damage is either:
A) We send a powder coat touch up kit and refund powder coat
or
B) We offer to file a claim and get you a full replacement but this part requires Fedex to be involved, as we have to make a claim for a product.
You let me know right off the bat you wanted a full replacement (Which I understand). I thought I made it clear on the phone that I was going to get your bumper made, and when the claim was resolved we would release the new bumper, if I did not I apologize if I wasn't clear. We talk to hundreds of customers in a day sometimes, some with damage, some with missing products, everyone wanting to know where their product is, inquiring about new sales, sales people calling us, etc, etc. So forgive me if I didn't completely relay this message, even though I feel like I did, I apologize if I didn't. This is why I had you send pictures to me so I can file the CLAIM with Fedex, without the claim I can't do much. You sent everything I needed to file a claim so thank you for that.
As far as responses, as far as I know we've answered every call as I talked to you right before you posted this post. I don't know about emails as our email app "Front" is having issues with our webserver and some emails are not coming through. This is why I had you email my Gmail account and not [email protected] when you sent the pictures. So as far I know, we've been responding and answering everything you've sent. So I don't feel as though it took a forum post to get a response, you got one on the phone and then made a forum post.
We do not do powder coating in house (Yet), but we are working on this possibility so we have more control of QC. However, the powder coat we use is from Sherwin Williams and is used by a lot of Off Road companies and was suggested to us from Rough Country. It's quite rugged the issue is, who sprays it on what day at the facility we use.
We do offer actually the $150 refund on the powder essentially in these circumstances. OP 100% wanted a new bumper.
We do offer those things, read my response above.
sn_85
Senior Member
To be fair, he was asking for it. Guy has been a forum troll for a while and he will usually resort to his method of childish name calling. I think he was banned for a brief time before as well. The guy is a wannabe [MENTION=81573]Stifler[/MENTION] just not as funny or helpful. If we can all remember those days LOL
4RunnerAquasport
Senior Member
Stiffy!!!
I remember kinder gentler mods with much more tolerance for a good banter. Then Stifler would take it WAY past the bar lol. He definitely set the standard that very few can achieve these days.
I actually figured out who he was when I was still on a Florida 4Runners fb page and got the best of him a couple times. He could take it as well as dish it out though. I do miss the fun.
If this guy was asking for it then I'm glad the mods stepped in.
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