What Others Are Saying About Aircraft Spruce

Just a sampling. There's volumes more in Google, enough to make a stout
hog retch:



Amen to HBW's comments. I've had the same problems with Spruce;
screwed up orders and no one who gives a damn. The fact that they got
so big so quickly is not an excuse for ****ty service. Unfortunately,
they don't accept blame.
GWJ

Recently, however, in the last 5 months, the pleasure has gone out of our
very
expensive relationship. It started with an order for a radio, transponder,
airspeed, vario, altimiter, electric horizon, vacuum directional gyro,
artificial horizon, vacuum pump, and a bunch of misc things to finish out
the
panel. I asked for a quote, got one. I was overcharged $1*00, and will not
win the argument with your service people. It was all "in stock", except for
the radio system, when I ordered it. Took over six shipments to date, and it
is still not complete. I was charged over $2300 when the radio was shipped,
without the tray or transponder. I am still waiting on the transponder.


wrote:
On page 217 of the 1998-1999 catalog A/C Spruce advertises* "NEW BENDIX
MAGNETOS (outright purchase)". I went to order a mag from *these thieves
and they told me there is always a core charge on magnetos*. I replied
"not on new mags there ain't". Well it turns out these are* not new mags
they are rebuilt. I did some checking and it would seem th*ey are rebuilt
by a disreputable rebuilder of A/C parts and may not even *be legal for
use on certificated aircraft. They are selling them as NEW* and they are
not.BEWARE!!! If they are doing this with mags what else a*re they doing?
In the course of this fiasco they also burned me on a wind*shield. Ended
me up with an AOG for about a month and cost me a hell


After placing the order [with AS&S], I sat down on the couch (with a
medicinal beer)
and picked up a SacSkyRanch flyer. As I browsed through, I *started
seeing some big price differences. Not just on one item, but EVERY item
was priced lower at SacSkyRanch. I got out my pad & paper, *and on my
$250 order the difference was over $60!


Whatever you do, don't ship with UPS. The synergy of incompetence with
AS&S and UPS working together is amazing.

My experiences, as well as everyone I know personally that has dealt with
A.S.S. have been negative ( to one degree or another ). Late orders, wrong
orders, incomplete orders, overcharging and horrible customer service seem
to
be the norm rather than the exception. The topper for me though was the
fraudulent "design contest" they held last year in which prizes were not
awarded as promised. They never did award all of the prizes. They justified
this by reinventing the rules after the fact. They still owe someone $10,000
in building materials. By the way, did they award the final $5000 owed from
the contest at Oshkosh this year? They do some good things, but overall they
are scoundrels. Reading these threads reminded me of why I* will never do
business with them again. I say "Starve the *******s!".

I spent $40K buying stuff over 3 years from AS&S, Wicks, Chief,
SacSkyRanch, etc. etc. before finishing my kit. The prices wary
somewhat, but are often slightly lower at AS&S. I got a lot of stuff
from Wicks too because they are closer and shiped faster. Generally
AS&S gave me good service and their terms were up front for me to agree
with or simply go elsewhere. I don't remember any time I could not
resolve a problem by simply calling them. And the "problems" were few
and far in between. At one time I complained about a $30 shipping
charge and they promptly refunded me $10. I find your original
characterizaton of AS&S somewhat unbelievable. I have a stack of bills
proving my dealings with AS&S - items ranging from $0.12 to $1850.00.
-----------------------------------------
SQ2000 canard: http://www.abri.com/sq2000

I have found over the years that most people who whine about AS&S greatly
exaggerate the stories, and even if the stories were true, they probably
deserved to be treated the way they _claim_ they were treated. Case in
point, "jls". He certainly falls squarely into that category.

"abripl" wrote in message
oups.com...
I spent $40K buying stuff over 3 years from AS&S, Wicks, Chief,
SacSkyRanch, etc. etc. before finishing my kit. The prices wary
somewhat, but are often slightly lower at AS&S. I got a lot of stuff
from Wicks too because they are closer and shiped faster. Generally
AS&S gave me good service and their terms were up front for me to agree
with or simply go elsewhere. I don't remember any time I could not
resolve a problem by simply calling them. And the "problems" were few
and far in between. At one time I complained about a $30 shipping
charge and they promptly refunded me $10. I find your original
characterizaton of AS&S somewhat unbelievable. I have a stack of bills
proving my dealings with AS&S - items ranging from $0.12 to $1850.00.
-----------------------------------------
SQ2000 canard: http://www.abri.com/sq2000

"Juan Jimenez" wrote in message
...
I have found over the years that most people who whine about AS&S greatly
exaggerate the stories, and even if the stories were true, they probably
deserved to be treated the way they _claim_ they were treated. Case in
point, "jls". He certainly falls squarely into that category.

The manifest weight of authority gleaned from a study of over 4,700 Google
entries is that Aircraft Spruce and Jim Irwin have been, are, and will
continue to be a shabby and dishonest merchandiser. Most of the complaints
are about abysmal customer service; rudeness: the customer is always wrong;
back-ordering after the customer has been told the merchandise is in stock;
sham overcharges; and slack and erroneous shipments.

Jaun's motives here one can surmise are pecuniary since his narcissistic
boss has been known to funnel off a little loot from Irwin on occasion.

"abripl" wrote in message
oups.com...
I spent $40K buying stuff over 3 years from AS&S, Wicks, Chief,
SacSkyRanch, etc. etc. before finishing my kit. The prices wary
somewhat, but are often slightly lower at AS&S. I got a lot of stuff
from Wicks too because they are closer and shiped faster. Generally
AS&S gave me good service and their terms were up front for me to agree
with or simply go elsewhere. I don't remember any time I could not
resolve a problem by simply calling them. And the "problems" were few
and far in between. At one time I complained about a $30 shipping
charge and they promptly refunded me $10. I find your original
characterizaton of AS&S somewhat unbelievable. I have a stack of bills
proving my dealings with AS&S - items ranging from $0.12 to $1850.00.
-----------------------------------------

I have had good service from them too, and for a period of months received
excellent treatment from them. But for the shifty way they reacted when
notified a CHT Gauge was dead on arrival, I would have continued purchasing
from them. A legitimate merchandiser, like Sears for example, gives
refunds for bad merchandise. If 2 of 3 PMA'd, 1-year-guaranteed Mitchell
CHT gauges are defective right out of the box, I don't want one of them.

Besides that, it's frustrating to install a gauge and all the wiring,
spending an entire afternoon getting the wires all neatly tie-wrapped and
threaded through the firewall and the instrument fastened neatly in the
panel, only to find out your work has been in vain and you will now have to
break in your engine without that soothing assurance there on the dial
telling you that the hottest cylinder of the six new cylinders you paid over
$5,000 for is not overheating. And you also want to know when the
temperature has stabilized and when it drops another 15 or 20 degrees,
indicating the cylinder is now broken in and the rings are seated.

Bet you $100 to a nickel Mitchell does not test their units.

Put yourself into the other guy's shoes.

Then anybody who has had experience with the hurdles you must get over to
get to Spruce's customer service, let that be a lesson to you: it is an
omen of the respect they have for their customers. On the other hand, if
you are happy with their service, good for you. You may be luckier than you
think.

A friend said he would never buy from them again, said he had an awful time
buying composite materials from them and the last time he bought Polytak,
the date was run out. I have had the same trouble from them, and one time
despised them for a year for sticking me with a $15 sham hazmat charge. I
learned not to ever, ever use e-mail to order from them. And when I ordered
I always made notes, so I had the understanding reduced to writing in case
of sticker shock or some other foulup.

If you're building an aircraft you have to buy from someone. Thank
goodness AS&S doesn't yet have a monopoly or you would be at Jim Irwin's
shameless mercy. So I have concluded that Irwin is greedy and unscrupulous
(and will tell you a lie), but you are welcome to conclude as you please.

" jls" wrote

So I have concluded that Irwin is greedy and unscrupulous
(and will tell you a lie), but you are welcome to conclude as you please.


*That* looks close enough to slander, that I hope he sues your silly little
arse out of existence.
--
Jim in NC

From: "abripl"
Date: 2/2/2005 17:29 Central Standard Time
Message-id: .com

I spent $40K buying stuff over 3 years from AS&S, Wicks, Chief,
SacSkyRanch, etc. etc. before finishing my kit. The prices wary
somewhat, but are often slightly lower at AS&S. I got a lot of stuff
from Wicks too because they are closer and shiped faster.

I prefer AS&S for small orders or those I want fast simply because I get 2 day
service without paying for it due to being close to AS&S. As a benefit of being
a night person I have placed orders at 3am and gotten the shipment the next
day.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

On Wed, 2 Feb 2005 19:42:37 -0500, " jls"
wrote:


Bull****, bluster, wishful thinking hacked.

Maybe someday something that even skirts the truth will come out of
the turd latchless larry, but then, maybe we'll all live forever, too.

Greybeard.

I spent $40K buying stuff over 3 years from AS&S, Wicks, Chief,
SacSkyRanch, etc. etc. before finishing my kit. The prices wary
somewhat, but are often slightly lower at AS&S. I got a lot of stuff
from Wicks too because they are closer and shiped faster. Generally
AS&S gave me good service and their terms were up front for me to agree
with or simply go elsewhere. I don't remember any time I could not
resolve a problem by simply calling them. And the "problems" were few
and far in between. At one time I complained about a $30 shipping
charge and they promptly refunded me $10. I find your original
characterizaton of AS&S somewhat unbelievable. I have a stack of bills
proving my dealings with AS&S - items ranging from $0.12 to $1850.00.
-----------------------------------------
SQ2000 canard: http://www.abri.com/sq2000



My experience with AS&S would be about the same. Had some problems years ago
but even those were quickly resolved.


Bob Reed
www.kisbuild.r-a-reed-assoc.com (KIS Builders Site)
KIS Cruiser in progress...Slow but steady progress....

"Ladies and Gentlemen, take my advice,
pull down your pants and Slide on the Ice!"
(M.A.S.H. Sidney Freedman)

Juan Jimenez wrote:
I have found over the years that most people who whine about AS&S greatly
exaggerate the stories, and even if the stories were true, they probably
deserved to be treated the way they _claim_ they were treated. Case in
point, "jls". He certainly falls squarely into that category.


I have to say that in the years I've dealt with them, they have
much improved. Years ago (long before they acquired Alexander)
a large percentage of my orders got screwed up. Not out of dishonesty,
just stupidity. Typical would be that they'd not tell you things
were backordered until you were sitting around wondering if it was
ever going to arrive. Another event was when their computer said
they had a part in stock, but the order pullers couldn't find it and
nobody did anything (call me, order some more inventory, etc...).
That and in those days, they wouldn't take customer service inquiries
on the 800 number.

Times pass. The last bunch of orders we made not only were dealt with
promptly and accurately, but they were even cheaper than the price we
got from the catalog. The 800 number now takes any call. Jerry
Aguilar even gave me my $5 credit that I got screwed out of back when
they used to make you pay for their catalog (refunable on your next
order, but in practice impossible to do).

Ron Natalie wrote:


I have to say that in the years I've dealt with them, they have
much improved.

snipped...

I sure hope so. The only order I placed
with them some years ago, for their
catalogue, they bungled royally. Having
just ordered AeroCanard plans from
Aerocad, I'll have to rely on AS for
many parts.
Kumaros
It's all Greek to me