Suppressors AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

[Xtremegunnr]

A month back i had an unfortunate thing happen to say the least. I was on a week long prairie dog hunt in south Dakota with my DTA SRS covert in .308 cleaning up our equipment and firearms when i noticed something strange with my AAC Cyclone suppressor. When i took it off i hear a bit or rattling. No big deal I thought, I can just shake the rock or whatever is in it...out. No matter how hard i shook the thing nothing came out. It really felt like the rattle was coming from a baffle sliding up and down. At the time I was unaware of the internal structure of this device and was simply speculating. When we arrived at our hotel I did a bit more investigating. With a bic pen I could feel that the blast baffle closest to the muzzle of the gun was sliding back and forth with a large bit of pressure applied. Although this meant i was going to have the full recoil of 800 rounds of 308 in the next couple days, I was more worried about getting this problem fixed.

When i arrived home I shot AAC an email about the problem expecting a long reply time. Not the case at all. I have been in contact with Paul in one of their departments for a couple weeks now and I wait no more than a half of a business day for a response no matter how small the question is. I sent in the suppressor (postage paid by AAC) and received a call stating nothing was wrong and it passed QC. Although that is great, i new something was sliding. Paul had the suppressor in his hand and according to him it was doing no such rattling (which i am sure he was not lying). He explained that the tolerances were good and 5 people check it out but they would give it another look.

Today I got another call. The suppressor was test fired for many rounds until it got good and hot. This heat made the movement more evident because of the metal expanding and contracting. I was informed that my suppressor was not able to be fixed because of the solid design, BUT i would be given the 200 dollars or whatever was necessary to complete new paper work and given an upgraded suppressor worth 400 dollars more than mine. I suppose a bit of inconvenience compensation. After a bit more chatting about suppressors and my plans to build a 338 lapua I came out of the conversation with a handbuild TITAN-TI free and clear. I do have to do the form 4 again, but crap, thats a 1K bonus. They informed me that it would be a little wait but they would be as quick as possible. "This should never have left the building but it did and we will make it right" is what one of the employees informed me. I could not be happier with this transaction. Thank you AAC


Disclaimer: I do not think anyone with a broken suppressor gets new equipment, but because this was clearly warranty work and the wait would be a little long, AAC did what they thought would keep me as a customer coming back. It will

 

[KYS]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

They took care of me on a similar situation. They are a good group of people.

 

[sdman11890]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

WOW! That's like a $1000-$1200 worth of upgrade!

 

[Ultraman550]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

Damn. That's really good to hear since I'm waiting on 2. Nothing beats customer service like that.

 

[Conqueror]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

AAC has always taken good care of me. Some have had less positive experiences, though. Then again, I haven't had to deal with AAC customer service very often, which is a good thing, too.

 

[Xtremegunnr]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

Yeah they are a great company and 1200 upgrade is awesome. I think they probably get a bad rap because of the new form 4 people have to do and the time. I dont really care i have more toys to mess with and they didnt do it on purpose. People make mistakes...machines make mistakes...oh well. The silencer was super accurate (didnt detract from accuracy rather...maybe increase). Customer services alone makes me happy to pay a bit more for a product.

 

[Suasponte175]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

That's awesome that they did that for you. They really are a great company to deal with.

 

[beretta989]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

Gotta love free upgrades....I have The AAC 45 Ti Rant

it gets shot alot!!

 

[i_rep]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

What was the first few digits of your SN? Maybe there are more of us with a problem that have not yet been discovered.


I hope not.

 

[FARGO]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

+1 for AAC

 

[xdeano]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

Yep the guys at AAC have really stepped up the CS over the last few months. The new guys that they hired are some knowledable guys. Heck just a couple of weekend ago, i was running to my smith to have a 22-250 barrel threaded and he told me to bring along the drawing for the threads. I looked high and low for the drawings. Nothing. I sent AAC an email asking for the drawings, and i had them back before i even left the computer. FAST!!!

So i went to my smith, had the barrel theaded and i had another question come up. I email AAC again and i got a response back ASAP. Here's the kicker, it was a Sunday! Now that's CS.

Mike over at AAC should be looking at giving those guys a raise for going above and beyond. just my opinion.

xdeano

 

[Xtremegunnr]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

1c1***

 

[m1garand30064]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

That's awesome. I'm glad to see the new customer service people they hired are having an impact.

 

[maclowry]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

great to hear.

my cyclone should be in my hands in a week!!!

 

[STLTACTICAL]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

Same experience here with their customer service, outstanding..

 

[Xtremegunnr]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

I had the cyclone and while it was intact it was a great can. Accuracy was great, finish was nice, and the threads were snug after i had my barrel threaded 5/8x24. Could have shot it half threaded on without baffle strike issues. Now that I have talked to the folks over there I would not hesitate to do business with them again. I have heard many terrible stories regarding their customer service in the past, but hey....if they are getting better no need hold grudges. They have a great product and a reasonable price.

 

[lvmike]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

This is almost the exact same story I had to a T...

My 2008 manufacture cyclone was an amazing can but after a match I noticed it was rattling. Turns out the blast baffle had broken loose at the welds and was floating inside the tube. I made a thread about it a while ago but never updated it.. The result after a call to AAC and talking with Mike Mers was an offer to replace my cyclone (850$ msrp) with a 300SD ti-qd can (1800$ msrp!)!!! I was shocked at the offer and of course took it, especially considering the can arrived at my dealer before SHOT and was marked "mk13"

I can't wait for my form4 to come in so I can play with the mk13.

 

[Xtremegunnr]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

Thats pretty sweet. I told them I was planning on building a 338 lapua...which I am....and they were more than happy to upgrade me to the titan ti because a titan ss was no longer being made.

 

[Twitch2120]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

Drove my element to their facility to get the finish fixed. Someone touched it before the gunkote went on. Started asking about the 300tm. Got to play with the first one off he line. Really great bunch of guys!

 

[Xtremegunnr]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

its always fun to fondle new products

 

[KYS]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: LVMIKE</div><div class="ubbcode-body">This is almost the exact same story I had to a T...

My 2008 manufacture cyclone was an amazing can but after a match I noticed it was rattling. Turns out the blast baffle had broken loose at the welds and was floating inside the tube. I made a thread about it a while ago but never updated it.. The result after a call to AAC and talking with Mike Mers was an offer to replace my cyclone (850$ msrp) with a 300SD ti-qd can (1800$ msrp!)!!! I was shocked at the offer and of course took it, especially considering the can arrived at my dealer before SHOT and was marked "mk13"

I can't wait for my form4 to come in so I can play with the mk13. </div></div>


I got one of the first ten still marked 300SD. Then they changed the name to MK13. Pretty nice can, mine is home on a 284.

 

[xdeano]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

Twitch,
Lucky bastard! I have a 300tm on order. Can't wait.
Xdeano

 

[RollingThunder51]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

"A month back i had an unfortunate thing happen to say the least. I was on a week long prairie dog hunt in south Dakota with my DTA SRS covert in .308 cleaning up our equipment and firearms when i noticed something strange with my AAC Cyclone suppressor. When i took it off i hear a bit or rattling. No big deal I thought, I can just shake the rock or whatever is in it...out. No matter how hard i shook the thing nothing came out. It really felt like the rattle was coming from a baffle sliding up and down. At the time I was unaware of the internal structure of this device and was simply speculating. When we arrived at our hotel I did a bit more investigating. With a bic pen I could feel that the blast baffle closest to the muzzle of the gun was sliding back and forth with a large bit of pressure applied. Although this meant i was going to have the full recoil of 800 rounds of 308 in the next couple days, I was more worried about getting this problem fixed.

When i arrived home I shot AAC an email about the problem expecting a long reply time. Not the case at all. I have been in contact with Paul in one of their departments for a couple weeks now and I wait no more than a half of a business day for a response no matter how small the question is. I sent in the suppressor (postage paid by AAC) and received a call stating nothing was wrong and it passed QC. Although that is great, i new something was sliding. Paul had the suppressor in his hand and according to him it was doing no such rattling (which i am sure he was not lying). He explained that the tolerances were good and 5 people check it out but they would give it another look.

Today I got another call. The suppressor was test fired for many rounds until it got good and hot. This heat made the movement more evident because of the metal expanding and contracting. I was informed that my suppressor was not able to be fixed because of the solid design, BUT i would be given the 200 dollars or whatever was necessary to complete new paper work and given an upgraded suppressor worth 400 dollars more than mine. I suppose a bit of inconvenience compensation. After a bit more chatting about suppressors and my plans to build a 338 lapua I came out of the conversation with a handbuild TITAN-TI free and clear. I do have to do the form 4 again, but crap, thats a 1K bonus. They informed me that it would be a little wait but they would be as quick as possible. "This should never have left the building but it did and we will make it right" is what one of the employees informed me. I could not be happier with this transaction. Thank you AAC

Disclaimer: I do not think anyone with a broken suppressor gets new equipment, but because this was clearly warranty work and the wait would be a little long, AAC did what they thought would keep me as a customer coming back. It will"




Here I am again, living on planet WTF....

A person gets a can and discovers it rattles.
He can shake the can and hear things move when the can is hot.
With a pen he can move the blast/primary around when it is stone cold.

He contacts the maker.
They get right back to him.
They pay to have the can sent to them.

The person at the factory says:

1. "Nothing is wrong"
2. The Supervisor says "It would do no such rattling"
3. "It passed QC"
4. "The tolerances are good"
5. "5 other people checked it"

They finally fire the can until it is hot:

1. The can is no good, when hot the can "expands" and things do rattle.
2. It cannot be fixed, that design cannot be rebuilt because "it is a solid design."
3. "This should never have left the building but it did and we will make it right" is what one of the employees informed (him)."
4. A new can will be provided, it will be an upgrade.
5. They will pay for it.
6. He will wait 6 months for his new forms.

And the original owner is now a customer "for life." He is, for all intensive purposes "a lucky bastard." Others step in to say they have had "the exact story" and that the maker has hired "some knowledgeable people."

P.S. "Disclaimer: I do not think anyone with a broken suppressor gets new equipment, but because this was clearly warranty work and the wait would be a little long, AAC did what they thought would keep me as a customer coming back. It will"

It is getting lonelier on planet WTF.

 

[KYS]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

Always has to be a party crasher in every crowd. We all understand that nothing can compare to AWC in your eyes. But AAC screwed up and then fixed it, even though it was a slight loss to them.

They did screw up by letting Kevin go, that was a huge mistake.

 

[Strykervet]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

Funny, I've read they have dispicable customer service. But I liked that SDN-6 so I ordered one anyway along with mounts for four or five rifles.

I ordered three Blackout 51T's directly from them and they sent one with the wrong threading --but packaging was marked with the "right" one. When I called 'em about it, they immediately (I got the tracking number an hour later) replaced it with the right one. No questions asked, and they didn't dispute what I said.

They told me to just keep the wrong one, which turns out will work on that 7.62 I'll get sometime in the future. Those things cost $100 too. I would have used it on the .300BLK I was building, but AAC did me right so I bought their .300BLK upper outright --it had the KAC rail and I liked that too, so... Do me right and I'll be back. Do me damn right and I'll be a customer for life.

As for the suppressor, I think they are trying a new welding process? Where they weld the inside from the outside in a circular pattern? I bet that would take a bit of time to perfect and due to the difficulty of inspecting a hidden weld, I bet a few will get by until that gets recified. But that is just my theory. Hell, it could be something entirely different, but not much in there but baffles and welds.

Conversely, Midway screwed up an order so bad three times in a row, and depite their glowing reviews for customer service, they basically told me to take a flying fuck after spending thousands with them that year. And each time they screwed up, they refused to send out the appropriate part until they recieved the wrong one back --despite the fact I needed it for a competition and we were already dealing with the third screw up two months later on the same part. An A2 stock, how hard is that to screw up? But they kept sending me an Airsoft part marked as Milspec! Glock did me well, but I had to know the right questions to ask and demands to make to get what I wanted --they are more than happy leaving you with the return bills for their mistakes.

I've come to realize the companies that strive to make good shit also strive to make sure their customers are happy. Really, you can get by on one or the other, but they seem to be a package deal. Noveske, AAC, LMT, JP Ent., Cammenga, Alexander Arms, KAC have all been STELLAR to me, I can't say enough good about them. Hell, KAC, AAC, AA and Cammenga have all sent me new stuff just from sending a nice email telling them my problem and how impressed I was with their gear. KAC sent me two rail systems, one FF, one not. Cammenga a new tritium compass, AA let me keep an early .50Beo test mule and AAC let me keep that flash hider. Oh, and don't forget S&W. I ran some handloads through the new 340PD's when they came out and ruined the cylinder (N110 and slow burning magnum powders don't work well with titanium cylinders!) I told them about it, sent it on Monday, got it back on Friday, no shit. No charge, though I expected one.

I don't forget this and when I look for new parts I give them first dibs and try to find something in their catalogs first. May be a reason why I have AAC and KAC shit on many of my rifles, and two AA chamberings.

Keep up the yays or nays for these makers and dealers. I'd like to know who to stay away from and who to gravitate to, and you guys on here tend to have some good info to pass on.

 

[xdeano]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

Rt, whats the issue?

Every company that makes a decent product will grow to the point that they will have issues keeping up or cs issues. Aac has combated both of these issues and have grown stronger.
Xdeano

 

[RollingThunder51]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

KYS, everybody makes mistakes, everybody. I think it was you and I that struggled with a similar issue not too long ago. Forget that it was AAC or AWC or ABC...my issue is with the events that unfolded. In other words,imo , its not an individual maker concept here. No doubt they eventually handled the problem and in this case its a vast improvement over a history of abysmal customer service.

Here is the reason I wrote the piece.

At least six (6) people supposedly looked into the issue and green lighted it. THAT is a problem, not just for the OP's individual concern, but for anybody that bought that series can. Setting aside for a moment that the can got made that way, either got inspected or didn't, Quality Control was broken and still may very well be broken. Not only was it a full fledged crash and burn on the original can production and inspection, but when a can comes back with a note that says <span style="color: #FF0000"><span style="font-weight: bold">"this one is broken guys,"</span></span> six more people who are supposed to, when given the <span style="color: #FF0000">"its broken"</span> clue, can't seem to cypher crap from acceptable. If this was back in 1983 with a complex product, I could see it, but in 2012 with this product? Its not about scope, scale, growing, shrinking, its all about process control and statistical verification, its all about quality control. When somebody IN the factory says "this should never have left the factory" and six more people when it comes back in says "Nah....its fine" its time to ask some serious questions.

As a good friend of mine said on this thread. " RT, I think there’s a class of people that you could beat with a stick every single day of their lives and so long as you threw them “freebie” on the way out the door they would keep coming back. It’s a shame but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was most people. With that said, it does appear (the maker) is making an effort to deal with their well deserved reputation for horrible customer service."

That's my view from planet WTF?

 

[KYS]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RollingThunder51</div><div class="ubbcode-body">KYS, everybody makes mistakes, everybody. I think it was you and I that struggled with a similar issue not too long ago. Forget that it was AAC or AWC or ABC...my issue is with the events that unfolded. In other words,imo , its not an individual maker concept here. No doubt they eventually handled the problem and in this case its a vast improvement over a history of abysmal customer service.

Here is the reason I wrote the piece.

At least six (6) people supposedly looked into the issue and green lighted it. THAT is a problem, not just for the OP's individual concern, but for anybody that bought that series can. Setting aside for a moment that the can got made that way, either got inspected or didn't, Quality Control was broken and still may very well be broken. Not only was it a full fledged crash and burn on the original can production and inspection, but when a can comes back with a note that says <span style="color: #FF0000"><span style="font-weight: bold">"this one is broken guys,"</span></span> six more people who are supposed to, when given the <span style="color: #FF0000">"its broken"</span> clue, can't seem to cypher crap from acceptable. If this was back in 1983 with a complex product, I could see it, but in 2012 with this product? Its not about scope, scale, growing, shrinking, its all about process control and statistical verification, its all about quality control. When somebody IN the factory says "this should never have left the factory" and six more people when it comes back in says "Nah....its fine" its time to ask some serious questions.

As a good friend of mine said on this thread. " RT, I think there’s a class of people that you could beat with a stick every single day of their lives and so long as you threw them “freebie” on the way out the door they would keep coming back. It’s a shame but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was most people. With that said, it does appear (the maker) is making an effort to deal with their well deserved reputation for horrible customer service."

That's my view from planet WTF?

</div></div>

So what do you have to say about Larue? They sell over priced mounts and fancy rings for 50% more then most manufacturers and they justify the cost by sending you cooking supplies and a damn hat, with a few stickers of course. AAC is a good company, they have done a lot for the suppressor market, by taking it main stream they have given us a lot of attention and made it popular to own a can. Thus influencing the culture to maybe swing in our favor. I support them. Yes I had a problem with a can once, they took it in for testing said it was their fault and replaced it free of charge AND paid my tax and transfer fees.

 

[jrgfox]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

I have to say there are not many industries in general that take care of their customers the way a lot of manufactures do in this one. I have dealt with several companies for various issues or warranty work and must say they have all gone above and beyond for me. Not to say there aren't some crappy ones out there but i am thankful that the ones I've had to deal with fall in this category.

 

[XxMerlinxX]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RollingThunder51</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Here is the reason I wrote the piece.

At least six (6) people supposedly looked into the issue and green lighted it. THAT is a problem, not just for the OP's individual concern, but for anybody that bought that series can. Setting aside for a moment that the can got made that way, either got inspected or didn't, Quality Control was broken and still may very well be broken. Not only was it a full fledged crash and burn on the original can production and inspection, but when a can comes back with a note that says <span style="color: #FF0000"><span style="font-weight: bold">"this one is broken guys,"</span></span> six more people who are supposed to, when given the <span style="color: #FF0000">"its broken"</span> clue, can't seem to cypher crap from acceptable. If this was back in 1983 with a complex product, I could see it, but in 2012 with this product? Its not about scope, scale, growing, shrinking, its all about process control and statistical verification, its all about quality control. When somebody IN the factory says "this should never have left the factory" and six more people when it comes back in says "Nah....its fine" its time to ask some serious questions. </div></div>

You're making a lot of assumptions for someone who a.) wasn't there and b.) doesn't know what sort of quality control procedures they actually use. Perhaps the can was dirty and the baffle got gunked up to the point of shaking it by hand did not illicit the rattling heard by the OP? Maybe after the OP reaffirmed that there was a rattling, the shooting that followed knocked it loose again so that the rattling could indeed be heard? Which seems to be the most likely case, btw. Not exactly sure how else you'd want them to diagnose it other than possibly x-raying the can to see what's going on inside?

 

[jwp6114]

Re: AAC Customer For life: GREAT customer service

Personally i have read way more articlals on lack of CS than prais.

I have had great experiances with sure fire.

Just my $0.02