Anyone else frustrated waiting for a QB to ship

UnPossible · #1 04-05-2009, 03:04 PM

Hey - anyone else out there getting a bit frustrated waiting for their QB to ship? I ordered my 7A QB in mid-December and was quoted an early April ship date....

Well last week Vans posted a note on their website that the move to a new factory had slowed QB deliveries. Based on their note, I'm not expecting to see my kit until early June at the earliest. I have not received any sort of an update from Vans. Maybe I'm expecting too much, but when I'm spending $20k+ on this one purchase I think they could have called those waiting to give them some sort of an update. I can't imagine that it would have been all that many calls.

So has anyone spoke to Vans recently and received any additional info.

Thanks,
Jason

LifeofReiley · #2 04-05-2009, 04:51 PM

There is a pretty good back log due to the relocation of the QB factory. Here's an idea... Call Van's and have them ship the balance of the QB Wing and Fuse parts to you. They have to be shipped at some point anyway. There is a lot of work (small parts fabrication) etc... that you can be working on while they deal with this delay and you will be really ready for the QB wings and fuse when the Big stuff shows up. If you are using Partain for the QB wings and fuse, the price I would think for shipping would stay about the same.

Ironflight · #3 04-05-2009, 07:35 PM

Like Reilly said - give Van's a call direct. Maybe you have already, in which case, forgive the comment - but lots of folks post on the Internet before calling the person they are trying to deal with directly. I've never had van's people lie to me, and if you think you aren't getting the straight story, ask for someone higher up.

Based on my experience with Van's, I suspect that they are telling the truth with the note on their web site. There may be issues underlying the truth, but it is to no one's advantage for them to not get kits shipped as fast as possible - they don't get paid until they ship the product!

Paul

N395V · #4 04-05-2009, 07:43 PM

Chill,

Once the kit arrives you are at least 2 years away from finishing the project.

You will experience far more delays along the way from mistakes, waiting for parts, or funds insufficiency than Van's wiill ever cause.

Phil · #5 04-05-2009, 07:57 PM

Vans definitely isn't being straight forward with their customers. About the only thing I've heard from them that was accurate is, "We don't know when we're going to ship again."

Everything leading up to that comment has been lip service after lip service.

Yeah, I know I'll rub a few people on the site with that comment. But it's the cold truth.

I brought this up a few months ago and was told I didn't know what I'm talking about and that I could trust an anonymous response by Vans.

Well it's 3-4 month later. I'm still waiting and Vans is still not talking publicly.

They've got a real mess on their hands right now, because they're holding several orders that they can't deliver.

Am I mad at Vans??? No, absolutely not.

But Vans needs to come clean with the story. They need to acknowledge that their QB factory is gone, their workers are gone, they've only got the original 3 owners who started (the now defunct) Bonanza Metalcrafters who are trying to restart a new company with cheaper workers.

Van's will also give you a line about having to lay-off and rehire the employees because of a local law. That's all a line of @#$.

They might have laid them off, but they don't want to hire them back because they're demanding more fair compensation. Not to mention (even if they wanted to re-hire their workers) those workers don't have the money to make a daily commute to a new factory location.

Now that it's been 3-4 months since I warned everyone this day was coming, all I can do is sit back, grin, and say "See!! I told you so!!!" Who looks like they were misinformed now?

My advice is don't listen to lines you're being fed. Do your own research on the subject and you'll begin to see what's really going on over there.

Phil

MNForrest · #6 04-05-2009, 08:17 PM

So order a slow-build and save some dough. What are the odds you could get to QB status before the QB ships? Maybe you're net a few months behind, but at least you've got a bucking bar in your hands and not the telephone. Who wants to sort out the very first "new" QB anyway?

f

UnPossible · #7 04-05-2009, 09:44 PM

Sorry if I wasn't clearer as to the source of my frustration in the initial post. I'm not as annoyed that there is a delay, (it gives me some time to catch up on my honey do list) but how Vans has handled it.

In mid-December I placed an order for a QB kit. A week or so later I received an acknowledgement from Vans with an estimated ship date of April 1-5.

Since then, I have heard absolutely nothing from them. I'm annoyed that they failed to let me know when they realized that they would not be able to meet their shipping estimate. I would have expected a phone call letting me know about the delay, the reasons and a new estimated ship date.... it just seems like it would be the right thing to do.

Jason

Phil · #8 04-05-2009, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNForrest

So order a slow-build and save some dough. What are the odds you could get to QB status before the QB ships? Maybe you're net a few months behind, but at least you've got a bucking bar in your hands and not the telephone. Who wants to sort out the very first "new" QB anyway?

f

You're right. I wish I would have done that. But at this point, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place... I'm not completely convinced I could get a SB built to QB status in the time I have left in the queue.

If I had ordered a SB from the begining, it would be a no brainer.

Catch 22.

Jim P · #9 04-05-2009, 10:17 PM

Granted my wings dragged on for a while on an SB kit, I did do a SB fuse over about 9 months of what I'd consider a pretty moderate pace (kit receipt up to the QB stage). For those considering SB, in the time spent waiting on someone else to build your fuse, you could probably knock it your yourself. Probably too late for this discussion, but for those pondering the question for the future....

sonny junell · #10 04-06-2009, 12:29 PM

4 months is about right for the QB delivery, I received a call two weeks prior to my kit arriving and 3 days before Fed ex Fright showed up> Good luck and you once you receive your QB and realized the amount of work that those wonderful filipinos have saved you. You will wish you had done this years ago. THE QB is the only way to go for me! Those guys do excellent work.

Good luck and Congratulations!