Dear ARB!

[Doctor_Jan-itor Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Doctor_Jan-itor]

Earlier this year when i decided to stay with the 120 instead of the 150, i decided to treat myself and put on a colour coordinated deluxe bar on it as it look shits load better than the soveriegn...Big Mistake IMO and below is a letter I sent of to ARB today, what I'm hearing I'm no orphan on this issue...would be keen to hear if anyone else has had problems.

To Whom it may Concern,

I would like to make a complaint about the complaincency your company has towards its customers, i believe that you feel you have a good product so customer service is secondary and we (the customer) will just have to wait or accept near enough is good enough. My complaint is towards your factory/ distribution and not aimed at the actual store who has done everything to try and rectify the situation.

20/Jan/10 - I ordered a deluxe bullbar (colour coordinated) for my prado 120. I was told to expect 4 weeks. After 4 weeks i rang the local store and was told that due to a lack of painters my order was delayed.

11/Mar/10 - After a threat to cancel my order the bullbar was delivered to my local store. Only to find that the bar was painted the wrong white. It was painted 056 (std white) not 070 (Crystal Pearl). My local dealer complained to ARB and they said they'll send the would send a replacement out in the next 4 weeks.

13/July/10 - Finally new bar in, but only after the dealer had rung ARB to find out why he had been invoiced but not had recieved the bar (the bullbar was lost in the system, the invoice wasn't). I took my car in to have the bar put on...GUESS WHAT?...right colour paint but WRONG BAR!!...it was a deluxe bar to suit a 150 series prado not a 120. My local rep rang ARB to tell them and ARB has asked for two days for them to respond!
So I ordered the bar on the 20th Jan '10, paid a deposit. paid for the bar in full on the 11th of March, but as of the 13th of July (and counting) I still don't have what I paid for.

I'll leave to you to decide if that is service or not. From what I'm hearing, this is not an isolated incident but pretty common. I'm also at a lose as why it takes two days before i can have an answer to how they will fix the problem this time.

Look forward to your comments.


Yours Sincerly,

[tassie tiger Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close tassie tiger]

Re: Dear ARB!

I work with customers complaints daily and I actually like the fact that they have asked for a couple of days to sort it out. Much much better than giving you some rubbish excuse that means nothing and achieves nothing.

People are human, people make mistakes. What is important for the customer service people is to follow this up, find out where the system broke down and put in place mechanisms to stop it happening again. Keep in mind the trouble could be with the manufacturer or the dealer or a system problem.

This is not making excuses for them as your treatment has been poor to say the least. I would also follow your letter up with a phone call to head office. Speak with a human and get their name and number. Ask them how together you can solve this problem. Because it is solvable and you will end up with a very high quality product. I would also ask the human what they can offer to make up for the annoyance they have caused.

Good luck

[mudboy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mudboy]

Dear ARB!

That's a bit rough, defiantly a lack of customer service from head office, if you do not get a satisfactory reply contact arb's CEO, let's see if he is aware of the delays. I only waited 5 weeks when I ordered mine last year

Good luck with it

[chugger Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close chugger]

Re: Dear ARB!

I have the same ARB DELUX BULL BAR fitted to my 2004 model , its a great bull bar but it vibrates like hell on corrugations,checked out all the mounts etc everything seems ok,but i am a bit worried about fitting spotties,have a word with them before they fit it

[Doctor_Jan-itor Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Doctor_Jan-itor]

Re: Dear ARB!

I work with customers complaints daily and I actually like the fact that they have asked for a couple of days to sort it out. Much much better than giving you some rubbish excuse that means nothing and achieves nothing.

People are human, people make mistakes. What is important for the customer service people is to follow this up, find out where the system broke down and put in place mechanisms to stop it happening again. Keep in mind the trouble could be with the manufacturer or the dealer or a system problem.

This is not making excuses for them as your treatment has been poor to say the least. I would also follow your letter up with a phone call to head office. Speak with a human and get their name and number. Ask them how together you can solve this problem. Because it is solvable and you will end up with a very high quality product. I would also ask the human what they can offer to make up for the annoyance they have caused.

Good luck

TT I'm a reasonable person and would give ARB the benefit of the doubt but they have just screwed up from the get go and its gone on for nearly six months. I was in the store today when someonelse was complaining about a canopy been delivered (finally) with side windows that lift up instead of slide open as ordered. I run a business too and understand that s&^t happens, but there is a clearly something lacking at ARB.

Regarding the two days, no they don't need it as the answer is simple - "Sorry this is a little embarrising but we'll have you your bar ready for instal the day after next".

It's also a time factor. ARB owe me 6 hours of my life so far.

[Signature035 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Signature035]

Re: Dear ARB!

Hey Doctor_Jan-itor,

You have FAR more patience than I have.
Although I have an ARB Bar and am very happy with it.......... there is no way in $%#@ that I would wait 6 months for a bar that has been in production for over 6 years.

[Doctor_Jan-itor Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Doctor_Jan-itor]

Re: Dear ARB!

Hey Doctor_Jan-itor,

You have FAR more patience than I have.
Although I have an ARB Bar and am very happy with it.......... there is no way in $%#@ that I would wait 6 months for a bar that has been in production for over 6 years.

I must clarify that I do have the wrong (coloured) ARB bar installed on my car now and they will take it back when i get the right one, and look at your sig mate the white prado looks damn fine with a matching ARB bar!

[tassie tiger Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close tassie tiger]

Re: Dear ARB!

[quote=Doctor_Jan-itor]

I work with customers complaints daily and I actually like the fact that they have asked for a couple of days to sort it out. Much much better than giving you some rubbish excuse that means nothing and achieves nothing.

People are human, people make mistakes. What is important for the customer service people is to follow this up, find out where the system broke down and put in place mechanisms to stop it happening again. Keep in mind the trouble could be with the manufacturer or the dealer or a system problem.

This is not making excuses for them as your treatment has been poor to say the least. I would also follow your letter up with a phone call to head office. Speak with a human and get their name and number. Ask them how together you can solve this problem. Because it is solvable and you will end up with a very high quality product. I would also ask the human what they can offer to make up for the annoyance they have caused.

Good luck

Regarding the two days, no they don't need it as the answer is simple - "Sorry this is a little embarrising but we'll have you your bar ready for instal the day after next".

It's also a time factor. ARB owe me 6 hours of my life so far.[/quote:18i9q6qb]

But they wont have it in two days now will they? This is where the customer begins to behave in a silly manner and has expectations that are not reasonable. Okay, you are annoyed. Now if they couldnt get it to you in two days when you ordered it then they aint gunna be able to get it to you in two days now. So now you are cranky and want them to make you happy by promising something that they cant deliver in time and you will get even more annoyed and everyone ends up with reflux. The last thing I ever do when the complaint comes through to me, as a supervisor, is to get to the bottom of the issue and then fix it, fix it once and for all. I guarantee you that if you think your going to get your bar fitted the day after next you will most probably be let down.

Good luck anyway.

[Hubble80 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hubble80]

Re: Dear ARB!

Bad service gets up my goat something chronic. I believe that I would pay a little extra for great service than try to save and be stuffed around.

A restaurant here has a great sticker at the till. "If you a unhappy with the service, please tell us. If you are happy, tell your friends!"

People on average are finding it hard to get money, especially for things like car mods. Companies should be bending over backwards to help to win sales when they can.

[Doctor_Jan-itor Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Doctor_Jan-itor]

Re: Dear ARB!

With all due respect TT I think your missing my point. If i had a situation in my business that i knew was a huge mess and causing customer angst, i would be doing everything to get it fixed ASAP. Especially when it's such a simple answer. I wouldn't need two days to decide that the first available 120 deluxe bar is going to be painted crystal pearl and shipped out to fix the embarissing problem. Why do you need two days to decide the most logical answer?....further more if you do need two days to make a decission then there is some seriously flawed company policy/ procedures in place, and if ARB dont see that asking for two days to give a fundamental answer to a problem unreasonable, then as i said before there is something seriously lacking in ARBs customer service. Even the guy who's fitting the bar for me concedes that he is going to have to hound them in two days if my letter to Melbourne doesn't get things moving.

I respect that you deal with these situations on a daily basis so you may have a differing view, but to me there is no grey to be considered it's all black and white.

BTW I'm not angry about it, but i do get annoyed by what I consider mis-managment, and a hubble80 said it's not exactly a cheap item we are talking about.

[Davros Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Davros]

Re: Dear ARB!

With all due respect TT I think your missing my point. If i had a situation in my business that i knew was a huge mess and causing customer angst, i would be doing everything to get it fixed ASAP. Especially when it's such a simple answer. I wouldn't need two days to decide that the first available 120 deluxe bar is going to be painted crystal pearl and shipped out to fix the embarissing problem. Why do you need two days to decide the most logical answer?....further more if you do need two days to make a decission then there is some seriously flawed company policy/ procedures in place, and if ARB dont see that asking for two days to give a fundamental answer to a problem unreasonable, then as i said before there is something seriously lacking in ARBs customer service. Even the guy who's fitting the bar for me concedes that he is going to have to hound them in two days if my letter to Melbourne doesn't get things moving.

Very good points above Doctor_Jan-itor.

Your patience is a credit to you.

[Doctor_Jan-itor Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Doctor_Jan-itor]

Re: Dear ARB!

***UPDATE***

Appears my email to ARB H/O Melb got things moving. My ARB Supplier called me today saying it had an effect and he recieved a phone call saying that my bar will be in the next 120 deluxe bar run in two weeks.......Seeing will be believing!

[GTX Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close GTX]

Re: Dear ARB!

***UPDATE***

Appears my email to ARB H/O Melb got things moving. My ARB Supplier called me today saying it had an effect and he recieved a phone call saying that my bar will be in the next 120 deluxe bar run in two weeks.......Seeing will be believing!

We have the bar you are hunting, it took 6 weeks, but we were told that at the start, it turned up alledgedly painted 056, but I have pretty damned good eyesight, and whilst they might believe it IS 056 :?: , the paints DO NOT MATCH :!: , but ATM all I need to do is drive down our driveway, and the prado is filthy again, so no-one else can tell anyway :roll:

I hope you get some satisfaction quick smart, 6 months would have killed me, and yes, if I do say so myself, the prado looks SENBLOODYSATIONAL with the white bar (nearly :roll: ) matching the white prado :wink:

I must figure out how to post a pic :lol:
cheers :mrgreen:

[jack0207 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close jack0207]

Re: Dear ARB!

I recently had an ARB deluxe bar fitted, wanted it colour coded and was told genuine arb paint and bar was 3-4 months away so the smash repairs ordered a plain bar in and colour coded it for me themselves - 2 week wait time all up!

[Strider Member Find all posts View Profile Close Strider]

Re: Dear ARB!

***UPDATE***

Appears my email to ARB H/O Melb got things moving. My ARB Supplier called me today saying it had an effect and he recieved a phone call saying that my bar will be in the next 120 deluxe bar run in two weeks.......Seeing will be believing!

Hey Doc, did the bar arrive?