Aac customer service experience

7magsavage

7magsavage

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Aug 9, 2012
426
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48
#1
So after deciding I just had to have a 300 Blackout, I began doing my homework and trying to decide what would be the best upper for me to purchase to play around with the caliber. I really like shooting sub sonics in my 308 and figured a light weight AR configuration with 30 rounds of subs would be much better carrying on the farm to dispatch a few groundhogs than my 18lb 308 match rifle. I looked at uppers at local gun shows and read forums trying to educate myself. I was just looking at sales on Midway a couple weeks ago and found an AAC upper on sale for $599, which regularly sells for $950. I figured I couldn't go wrong on this deal, I mean hell, the 300 AAC Blackout was their baby right?

So I get the upper and take it out with plans for only using BUIS on the rifle since I will likely shoot subsonics through a suppressor the vast majority of the time. I went to zero the iron sights and couldn't figure out why I couldn't get the windage to correct. Even with the rear peep sight all the way adjusted I was still WAAAY right. Then I noticed the Knights Armament hand guard was not correctly timed with the receiver rail. I didn't measure it, but it was enough that I couldn't correct it with the peep adjusted as far as it would go.

I figured I would call AAC and see if I could send it in for them to time it correctly since I don't have the AR15 armor's tools and the $110+ Knights Armament barrel nut wrench to correct it myself. I spoke to a gentleman on the phone and explained to him my dilemma. At first he told my that that I could adjust it myself. I explained to him that I didn't have the tools to do such and I didn't want to invest in tools that I would only use once. Then he tells me to call Knights Armament and get one of their tools. I told him it wasn't an issue with the hand guard that it was timed incorrectly from AAC. He then gives me a number to a gunsmith that they use and if I sent it to him then he would determine if it was something that AAC would cover the cost of correcting.

Granted, its not a huge deal, but I don't want to send my rifle to someone I don't know and have no idea if I will be responsible for the bill even though its an almost $1000 piece of equipment that came to me assembled in a way that I can't use iron sights. So, I will live with it and put an optic on it at some point but for now, the iron sights are useless. I truly thought that they would tell me to send it to them and they would time it correctly and be on my way. I mean hell, even the $300 uppers I see at local gun shows are straight and in time.

Maybe Im a whiny bitch but I was amazed to be honest. That is until I googled "AAC customer service" and I see that I probably should have read those folks' experience first.
 
#2
AAC strung me along over several years on a defective suppressor that was sent back to them 3 times and unrepaired each time. They finally told me they couldn't fix it after I put them on blast and basically told me to get fucked on about a $900 purchase between original cost and tax stamp. Their resolution was to give me a suppressor that didn't have the feature I bought mine for and MSRP was less that what I paid for mine, plus I'd get to pay the $200 tax stamp again and transfer fee at my SOT.

As far as I'm concerned they can go dry hump a fucking cactus. They're a joke. I fail to see why anyone would do business with a company that just shits on its customers repeatedly when other companies make better stuff and actually stand behind their products.
 
#5
You said it way better than me Redneck. I won't give my money to people who act like they don't really want it in the first place. My money will never make it to the pockets of AAC again.

As as far as calling Midway, I can't see where it's their problem first of all. Second, I don't see Miway repairing anything. If it were anything other than a firearm then I'm sure they would replace it. Not sure if they can do that though, but what the hell, I'll call them anyway and see what they say.

 
#6
7magsavage said:
You said it way better than me Redneck. I won't give my money to people who act like they don't really want it in the first place. My money will never make it to the pockets of AAC again.

As as far as calling Midway, I can't see where it's their problem first of all. Second, I don't see Miway repairing anything. If it were anything other than a firearm then I'm sure they would replace it. Not sure if they can do that though, but what the hell, I'll call them anyway and see what they say.
Click to expand...

The funny part is that the reason for me contacting them again earlier this year was to see if maybe they finally straightened their shit out. I know there has been some changes there which I was hoping was for the better but apparently it's the opposite. I was getting ready to order several new suppressors and the Tirant 9M and the Element 2 were at the top of my list for 22 and 9mm cans and I just wanted to see if they'd repair them if there was an issue. That was a giant waste of time though so TBAC got my money for a 22 and Surefire got my money for the 9mm. I also bought two Benelli shotguns over the two Remington versamax that I preferred, and they also lost nearly $2K in sales for a bunch of Pelican cases after I found out Freedom group now owns Pelican too. I still don't know who I'm going to get them from but it sure as hell won't be any company under Pelican.
 
#7
You absolutely can't go wrong with TBAC imo. I have a 30p-1 and should I ever need or want another can, Thunderbeast will get my money.
 
#8
Man, that really sucks... and is 180 degrees out of the customer service that I experienced with AAC most recently. I sent in a can (SDN-6) that had had a slight baffle/moderate endcap strike. The customer service rep that I spoke to on the phone when opening my claim couldn't have been more helpful, and once it was sent in, it was repaired and refinished within a couple of weeks. They sent it back to me looking good as new, at no cost to me (other than shipping to send it in).

It seems like it's luck of the draw when it comes to their CSRs...
 
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#10
redneckbmxer24 said:
they also lost nearly $2K in sales for a bunch of Pelican cases after I found out Freedom group now owns Pelican too. I still don't know who I'm going to get them from but it sure as hell won't be any company under Pelican.
Click to expand...

Pelican and Hardigg are both owned by Behrman Capital, a VC firm that has nothing to do with Remington / Freedom Group / Cerburus / Soros....at least as far as my research goes.
 
#11
In addition to a 300BO SBR I own several AAC suppressors. Over the last eight years or so I have found their customer service to have greatly diminished, as has the quality of their products. I had exactly the same issue with the crooked hand guard. AAC was unresponsive to my requests for service. Shortly thereafter I spoke with a guy who had just left the employment of AAC and he laughed when inspecting the rifle saying pretty all of them left AAC just like that. Once upon a time, I thought highly of them. Today, redneckbmxer24's sentiments reflect my own.

I have had two professional encounters with Cerberus and found them to be an extraordinary gaggle of magna-douchebags that leak their rancid douche fluid all over every firm they acquire.
 
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#12
I have all the proper KAC tools for working on both mod1 and the new Mod2 rifles. Both SR15s and SR25s systems. Including your standard AR15 and 10 platforms. I will align it for you and send it back. No cost for repair. I am a lot more present over on M4Carbine.net if you need references, I can supply those. Just figured I would throw it out there as a helping hand.

I agree that AAC customer service has declined. Sending a few suppressors to them a few years back for latch repair only was a few weeks door to door. No complaints. Now, not so much.
 
#13
OP read on, lots of info for you.

Saker is a better can with a better mount and it's just as tough (if not tougher, it's built of fucking stellite the shit they line BMG barrels with). Now I have four AAC cans (one is my wife's and two I got for $500 ea., so give me a break) and a shit load of mounts. I have a bunch of TBAC and some Sico stuff too along with others. Of them all, AAC has caused the most problems, I have nothing bad to say about Sico or TBAC or any of the others, actually the opposite. AAC's problems all stem from a decade of poor mount designs (their "R&D" guy had accounts online and appeared to ALWAYS be online, I confronted him with a better design and he dismissed it offhand). Most of these mounts I could fix by lapping. Some lock on tight now. Some I left a bit of "wiggle" like on my rack grade M4's.

Now there are two distinct periods to discuss AAC's deplorable CS. One is prior to Remington buying them out and moving to AL, the other after. Prior, I waited for TWO YEARS to get them to replace a 51T mount for an FAL that simply didn't work. Wobble isn't the same as wiggle. This thing wobbled. First they blamed everyone else, then wanted the rifle (I refused to send them the rifle, it wasn't necessary) then played "call back later" or "we'll call you back" which of course is a nice way of saying "fuck off". Their CS was noted as being one of the worst in the industry and it all hinged on that goddamn 51T they invested in (and the 90T showed me they don't learn, so I moved on).

Remington buys out AAC. I figure now is the time to unfuck this. So I call 'em, one call, had an RMA and it was off. It DID take them a few weeks to get me a new one (considering the deplorable track record of the 51T they should send anyone who asks at least 1 replacement no questions asked per can owned). I must say everything went pretty well.

Okay, so you have a KAC tube is that right? What model? If it's a URX4 let me know and I'll loan you a wrench for it. You can lock the upper in a vice using blocks of wood (it goes in sideways when doing it this way, one block between the takedown pins, the other on the rail --I use leather on the blocks). You don't need the special barrel bar for that, I know what you mean, I don't have that damn tool either and don't want to have to buy it. I have a regular reaction rod and that works fine for all other barrels including .300BLK and 6.5G --the locking lugs are the same. KAC uses proprietary stuff.

The torque on the URX4 is MASSIVE compared to some others... I've had 'em lock on at 80ft. lbs. but the URX4 can go past 120 to line up. They are damn nice and damn simple, but can be a motherfucker to work on without the know how or tools.

If it's a URX2 (and I'm afraid it probably is if it's an AAC upper) then I have the wrench for that too and you are welcome to borrow it but I haven't had good luck removing those aluminum nuts. I usually end up using the wrench to put them on and vice grips to remove them --I have extra nuts, I consider them to be one use only. Even at $49. Damn. URX4 was a godsend for those of us that use KAC shit and work on those rifles.

Let me know what tube you have, may be able to work something out if you want to trade for a URX4. And I can unfuck that barrel nut for 'ya. If you are in WA, you are welcome to come by.

As far as the cans go though, they do the job and I don't really have complaints in that area. If I'm to be honest. Still an AAC hater.

BTW, whoever assembled that rifle is the one responsible for unfucking any problems and that'd be AAC, not KAC. And yes, an improperly timed tube is part of it as it renders the rifle half-useless. I bet asshole wasn't paying attention, just watching the torque dial while talking, and that's how your rifle ended up that way. No QC is apparent as it would have been caught first thing. Don't feel bad, I have an AAC upper too, I rebuilt it for TBAC cans and put a full length FF KAC rail on it instead, how I found out how hard URX2's are to work on.
 
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