Dealing with Seekings

[RTH1800]

After much research, I decided to build an AR. With so many reccomendations on this site and what I saw on thier website, I elected to go with a Seekings upper, quad rail, adj gas block and lower.
Until I tried to buy them. I know we have many Seekings fan boys on this site, so the rants will start, I am sure.
Basically, you cannot buy them. If you call Seekings, you get a line of BS about the great mystery of when they will ship, who they will ship to etc. They will sell direct, but dealears ship first. No one knows when. Then you get a long list of dealers who do not have them. So, you call the dealers, who have no idea when they will ship, will not take orders, but want all your informaton so you can be "notified" when they arrive. If you ask will this be 3 mos or 3 years they get coy. I realize that things are in short supply. It does not excuse poor business practices or refusing to even take an order. I will never buy a Seekings product. I have no interest in how great it all is or how happy the fan boys are, it is poor business to not even take orders. What a bunch of crap.

 

[Papagallos]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

I have dealt with Seekins on numerous occasions, and they have been awesome. It is unfortunate that you experienced what you did.

 

[scullti]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

I'm a little confused why you blame seekins personally for everything being out of stock, particularly right before election time, but anyway. Seekins lowers are still in stock at rainier arms, I would go to them if you want their lower. Their quad rails are also still in stock at rainier, joe bob's, and primary arms. Their adjustable gas block is in stock at rainier. As for their uppers, you may be out of luck, I don't know anywhere that they are in stock. I would cut seekins some slack, especially since this is election time. He has proven again and again that he makes top quality products.
Actually Seekins uppers are in stock at joe bob's, so there ya go, you can get your whole seekins package if you still want to.

 

[coyotekiller]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Go with Mega.

 

[excess]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

I have two used Seek<span style="text-decoration: underline">ins</span> upper receivers I will sell you for $10000 each, since they are unobtainable.

My father in law is the best businessman I have over known and he preaches promise late and deliver early. I don't blame Seek<span style="text-decoration: underline">ins</span> one bit for not committing to a date if they are not in a position to do so.

To get upset about this makes no sense. Try ordering a product, being told it will take six months, and getting it over a year later. That is something to get upset about.

Oh in case you have not figured it out, it's Seek<span style="text-decoration: underline">ins</span> not Seek<span style="text-decoration: underline">ings</span>.

 

[ORD]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Before you go off ranting about Glen, Seekins Precision or their products/business practices, it might help if you at least got the NAME of the company right.


IT IS SEEKINS (not Seekings).


That said, I too have had nothing but stellar service from Glen and all the fine folks at Seekins Precision over the years despite occassionally having to wait for their products to become available (sometimes...for a LONG time). Simply put, their products are in RIDICULOUSLY HIGH DEMAND for what should be obvious reasons and when they do come available, they don't last long. They have, not-to-long-ago, undergone expansion of their facilities to more quickly meet the high demands of customers for their products, but with all good things...it takes time to get everything up and running. I, for one, would much rather be told that I can't order something because of outstanding orders to dealers, unknown wait times, etc., than to be told one thing about expected availability only to have the products come available FAR BEYOND that date while someone else has my hard-earned money. You may not like the policy, but the fact remains that if you don't, you are free to spend your money elsewhere.

If you aren't willing to wait or you otherwise disagree with how they conduct business or how their retailers/dealers dealt with you, then there are AMPLE alternative billet receiver sets on the market that you can opt for, including but not limited to the following:

1) Mega Arms
2) Sun Devil
3) Spike's Tactical
4) POF (if you can find them)
5) etc., etc., etc.

If you can stomach all the BS and nonsense, the Equipment Exchange on BARFCOM routinely has just about every brand/mfg of AR receiver set available at any given time, but be quick on the draw or you'll miss out.

Finally, despite the alleged "much research" on buying Seekins products, if you check with some of Seekins larger retailers (a simple Google search will bring them up, or perhaps a view of the industry/vendor areas on BARFCOM), I think you'll find that all but perhaps the upper receivers are available at this time. i.e. - DSG Arms for example has billet lowers as well as MCSR 12" and 15" rails RIGHT NOW. Similarly, Rainier Arms (lowers, adj gas blocks, BAR rails, etc.) and Joe Bob Outfitters, two other LARGE Seekins dealers, also have several of the products you need in stock and ready to roll.

 

[BLDTYLRY]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Recently installed a MCSR Handguard and had issues with the barrel nut. Emailed Seekins and had a replacement at my door in 3-days at zero cost to me.

I would rather have someone tell me they won't take my order because they don't know when they can deliver than someone who will take an order and sit on it.

 

[trisurvivor]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Don't start crying. I have waited 20 weeks for my pof p308 upper and still have not seen it. Normally the moral of the story is wait and save money, want it now, prepare to be ass-raped.

 

[346ci]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Seekins bases and rings is all I run. If Glen made the AR style QD mounts, I'd gladly sell my Laroos.

I can't say why your experience has went the way it has but they have always been good to me. If waiting on AR parts has made you pissy, you are in for a even longer wait as time goes on. It won't get any better, MFGs are running wide open as it is.

 

[Glen Seekins]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

If you have a better idea to figure out the lead times in the industry right now im all ears. Right now, for some things we feel it’s best to not give a lead time that we have no control over. I’m not sure what you wanted exactly, but we ship fist come first served basis. It doesn’t matter who orders first, that’s who gets shipped first. We are pushing a lot of people off to dealers because they either have the product in stock or have it on order first. It’s the fastest way you are going to get what you are looking for. It’s not because we are too lazy to take your order or don’t want to give you any of our time. We don't figure its right to take your order and say "two weeks" or "three months" whatever it may be because things change so rapidly that we have no control over. If you simply said im happy to wait and want to just order and get in line there is no reason that wouldn't have happened and frankly, i don't believe it did. We have not stopped taking orders.

Ruger laid off all their sales people and stopped taking orders completely, from everyone.. Smith and Wesson are doing the same i hear if they haven't already

Every year we have grown tremendously, this year is insane. Growing and keeping our quality is not something done easily or fast. It starts with training new employees (18 now). We doubled the cnc capacity last September and just got done adding another 1m$ worth of cnc’s doubling again! Not to mention growing our suppliers. We ran the west coast out of 1.5” 7075 aluminum plate last month! Then we have an anodizer that had to put on another shift because of the volume of parts we are sending them. I would rather not make the item if it means the quality goes down and I would rather not tell you how long it’s going to be if it’s going to be over 3-4 weeks because after that, it gets sketchy. Honesty and integrity = good business practice and we have no intention to change it just to tell someone what they want to hear.

 

[JMC]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

^^^^ and that is why when I build a Short Barreled AR it will be on a Seekins Lower.

 

[Hink]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Glen and his crew have never been anything other than honest and upfront with me. The very first purchase I made with him some five years ago Glen told me the same thing - that I may have what I want a little faster if I went with a dealer. I told him the same thing that I'll let on now - I'll wait on quality.

To the OP - if you want 'your' parts RIGHT NOW, then you're going to have to pay for them. Either you pay with money, or you pay with time. There's no other way.

 

[Sowastrong Industries]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

OP, i hope you find what you're looking for. You have lots of options as stated by your fellow hide members. It's great u wanted to support a small American company. Seekins has my support, damn good Idaho company. Hell, they gave away a complete AR at a 3 gun match I was at this month! I only got a Seekins patch

Any chance you'll let us know what you're gonna do?

 

[RTH1800]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Thank you to all who posted helpful suggestions.

Thank you Glen for posting at all. Sorry about the misspelling of your name. Your business model apparently works very well for you.

The statements I made are factaully correct. I was not told that orders shipped as received. I was told dealers were first. I said OK, does that mean I will receive my parts in 3 mos or 3 years. (I am in no hurry but did not want to wait years. I was looking for a window of months, not a date.) I was told "I do not know, dealers ship first". To me that was saying I would never receive my order. Dealers would always be in front of me. So, then the guy goes on by reading a list of dealers, long list. I ask if he knew who had the U&L in stock. He smarted off that was not his business to know.
I did not give up, I waited a few days, thought about about how nice the stuff looked so I called one of the dealers. First I had to go through all the data collection etc. Then I started the order. When I got to the upper, I was told out of stock. I was not suprised so I said fine, back order it. I was told they did not B/O. I would be notified when it arrived and if I got in touch in time, I would get one.

Glen, tell me is this how you would like to be treated?

That is when I posted here. This is the first time I have ever posted about any MFG or dealer in a negative way.
You like your business model,it works for you.
I bought Mega. It will hopefully work for me.
Good luck with your business, I am sure it will go well.

 

[LazyPM]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

rth1800 I apologize that is what you got out of our conversation. I am currently the only person that answers the phone here at Seekins and we do not and have not ever stated that dealers ship first in front of retail customers. We ship to the first person that orders through the last person. When we talked I mentioned who would be receiving product first, and yes they are dealers. Dealers typically put in yearly P.O.'s in January for product and as such receive it more regularly. I apologize that you felt that I "smarted off" to you. I was simply stating that I have absolutely no way of telling what other companies inventory is. I am glad that you have found a billet set and wish you the best of luck with your build!

 

[RTH1800]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Shiloah,

Apology accepted. You have now done all anyone could expect. Good luck to you as well. You have nice products and many supporters.

RTH

 

[chainring]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Dam...now I want a Seekins upper even worse. Good people.

 

[hazlehurst]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Shiloah told me they shipped to whoever ordered first. He then told me who they had shipped to recently. I have bought 3 uppers and lowers, fit and finish is what I have come to expect from Seekins
(which is excellant)

 

[RedGoat]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Patience is a virtue

If you want the best you have to wait for it....

 

[Mthr1]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

I have gotten a few sets of rings from Glen on 2-3 different occasions. All had some degree of wait, and the communication wasn't the quickest (but it was quality communication)...but all my transactions always ended with a happy ending. Great quality.

Sorry to hear that you had a less than enjoyable experience.

 

[Asm1]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Bushmaster called and they want your order..If you had any idea what it takes to make a QUALITY product in america today in mass production at that. make all happy(lol) you would have a diffrent opinion. You cant have what you want now and your upset,I have been there and all I can say is get over it THIS thread will not change anything for the good..

two cheers for Seeekins >! building bars higher than the rest.

 

[SHWILL]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

See Rangerwalker71 here on the hide. He has Seekins inventory in stock. Uppers, rails, and more in stock.

 

[2brothers641]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Just received my first set of Seekins rings. I didn't have to wait where I bought them but after using them, I would gladly wait. Top notch products imo.

 

[mastermason6]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

I have bought two Seekins upper and lower's within the the last two months from Rainier arms. No problems.....

 

[six 4 sure]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

If it were me and I really wanted a Seekins upper, I'd call tomorrow and get on the list. Givin the wait times/backlog I've seen for rifle barrels, stocks, and 1911 builds it sound like Glen is keeping up with things better than many.

In todays market/climate, if you want something specific(quality) it's best to get in line and wait. Either that or spend a ton of time in the classifieds hoping to get lucky.

That's just my opinion and I could be wrong.

 

[smschulz]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

All I ask is don't model your customer service model after Robinson Arms.

 

[Jumper]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ASM1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Bushmaster called and they want your order..If you had any idea what it takes to make a QUALITY product in america today in mass production at that. make all happy(lol) you would have a diffrent opinion. You cant have what you want now and your upset,I have been there and all I can say is get over it THIS thread will not change anything for the good..

two cheers for Seeekins >! building bars higher than the rest. </div></div>

This is so true! There are so many roadblocks to manufacturing in the US today its pathetic. This is relevant but a little off topic so I'll be brief. I work in manufacturing and if we have a critical part we have to keep a spare on hand because the lead time to buy it is 6 MONTHS! Its very rare that a complex part is on hand somewhere and can be shipped overnite. I would think that Glen is probably encountering the same thing ordering tooling, CNC machines, skilled labor etc. This is not the US economy of the 1990's. The world has changed.

 

[SFC Carpentier jr]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

I am sorry to hear that you had some mis communicate as far as ordering from Seekin. I guess I am a fanboy when I say that Seekin has been good to me. I have seen a lot of there products on different prize tables. I myself picked up a gift certificate for some rings from Seekin. Once sent it I got my rings after a couple of months.

It is also good to see that Glen came on to try and answer what the problem might have been.

 

[Rob01]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Another fan boy here I guess. I have known and shot with Glen before there even was a Seekins Precision and he's a stand up guy who runs a great business. It's unfortunate you don't want to wait for his products. They are well worth the wait.

 

[Jim the Plumber]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

I've had Glen drive across state line to hand deliver me rings on a Sunday no less. (Al-tho, he was 3 minutes late damn it)
Doesn't get much better than that.
I was just in a local gun shop and he had Seekins uppers and lowers in stock.
Also Glen was the main sponsor at out Findlay Cup rifle match this year with thousands of $ on the prize table.
Yup, another fan boy.

 

[ranger1183]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Glen has gone the extra mile and done a lot to help me out with bottom metal.

 

[fw707]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

I have no clue about the AR stuff, but I'm definitely a fan boy as far as rings, bases, and DBM's are concerned.

 

[M24_SWS]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

I just got in the mail a seekins long action 0 MOA base and i LOVE the quality.


Heath

 

[dang472]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

I wish you good luck finding an abundance of AR receivers or other related parts from now until November. Depending on the outcome, it could get ridiculously worse. My buddy/FFL just called Rock River Arms to place an order for 40 stripped lowers and boxes full of high-cap mags and they laughed. PISTOL-marked lowers are backordered indefinitely and standard stripped lowers MIGHT be shipped within 3-4 months. RRA had the GI mags in stock but since the company is based in Illinois and well aware of the AWB attempt, they don't plan on having them for long. It's almost impossible for these companies who rely on outside suppliers to give accurate time frames when demand is this high.

 

[Wireman]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

I blame it on his electrician. He's a good looking S.O.B. but a lazy shit.

One time, at band camp, Glen and Shiloah spent the evening building my wife a rifle. Glen did'nt want her shooting my gun which did'nt fit her.

Keep trying, you may become a fan yourself.

Rory

 

[redirt78]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Guess I'll admit it too. I am also a fan of Glen and his gun parts

 

[AtOne]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

Glen not only helps to support competitions but makes a fantastic product so its no wonder he's busy.

 

[coldboremiracle]

Re: Dealing with Seekings

I tried to buy some of Glens products a while back for a build, I waited as long as I could, but Seekins couldn't get them done in time, nor would they take my money and lead me along. I appreciated that then and now. I know his products are good quality and look forward to someday trying again.