Hmmmm.
Fourth, if you post a bunch of whiny petty negative stuff here or anywhere, I guaranty very slow service. I have made that a policy. Yes, we’ve made lots of mistakes with service but that is behind us.
Whoa…how do they think that policy will play out? What a terrible idea to let your emotions leak out on the internet.
What a tool. You could use that letter to teach MBA students how companies should not interact with their customers. Any desire to ever own an XCR just ended for me.
FWIW there is never any excuse for being rude to someone in customer service but in my experience 90% of the people that are rude are either misinformed or have a legitimate gripe. In both cases it is the companies responsibility to either inform the customer, politely, that they are wrong or address the issue, again politely, quickly. If that customer falls into that 10% that is just being an asshole because it is his nature than you honor your obligations professionally and nothing more. What you don’t do is publish an idiotic missive like this.
FWIW I think it’s ironic that he says that you catch more bees with honey than with vinegar while throwing a bucket full of vinegar in his customers face.
Well I don’t know if I would have posted that, but I have to agree with everything he said.
I can’t imagine what type of douchebags he has to deal with all the time that are too stupid to figure out the gas system, the barrel locking mech, or the stock.
He needs to get the rails in spec and a different stock, and most of the bitching will go away.
Well good luck with that!
This is just so much whining and sour grapes.
I really wish they spent more time bring the price down on their Stoner copies. I am not a big fan of weapons that do not have combat pedigree.
I, for one, have called all these systems ‘vaporwear.’ The Masada is neat but is anyone using it? The SCAR did not fair so well with the Rangers in Afghanistan. National armies are pretty much married to their logistics systems and to their own military-industrial complex. And, while there may be a better mousetrap out there, I really can’t see where the shooting public is clamoring for yet another $1000+ assault rifle.
The point is, any new entry to the market but be SIGNIFICANTLY better than everything else. Given the current level of technology, the two areas where industry could improve is cost and simplicity. Make a rifle with fewer parts, easier to manufacture and maintain, and cheaper than everything else on the market without sacrificing reliability, and giving up very little in the way of ergonomics and accuracy.
In many ways, Kalashnikov already did this trick over 60 years ago. Stoner was on the right track with the AR-18 and I still think their is a market for that rifle! Unfortunately, Armalite didn’t give the rifle the attention it deserved because it made a business decision to go whole hog into AR production.
When your average working man is looking for good rifle he is pretty much stuck with an AK, SKS, or Ruger, and all of these are getting pretty close to an AR in price.
Robinson (and any other manufacturer) would do well to do two things. One, offer AR’s, parts, accessories, and other compatible equipment (like upper conversions). Two, make an improved modern military grade AR-18 type rifle with a price point around $500-600. That would be a game changer.
I would be very interested in someone making a modernized AR-18 type rifle for that price range.
-B
I would certainly buy a modern AR-18.
Though forging the upper and lower would make a lot more sense than stamping and welding these days, but we would still be looking at a $1300 carbine I think
I bought a XCR in 2006. There was a firing pin recall, and then I needed to update the gas block valve. Those were the only issues I really had with it.
Personally, though, I preferred my ARs and sold it. It had great potential, but I felt that some aspects of the design were not catering to a military rifle. For example, the design needs to be more GI(idiot proof) friendly. Bolts tend to walk their way out over time, the barrel has a 1:9 twist, and many of the design materials do not adhere to proven mil spec materials.
In this business, wise customers are more conservative with their equipment and often look to proven materials, designs, and company models. I don’t think that RA has yet developed the right advertizing model to compete with the military track records. They definately need to keep competing for LE/Military contracts to prove themselves.
I think I would only be interested in a more expensive version if it accompanied modernized ambi (XCR/ACR) controls, some sort of free-float rail, and could accept Pmags. A $1300 AR-18 with a forged receiver alone just doesn’t do it for me personally.
Yes, I’m still foolishly clinging to the $1500 Masada pipe dream. :o
-B
ArmaLite is rumored to be working on an updated AR-180.
Responding to rudeness with more rudeness is usually ineffective in resolving conflict.
:eek:
I’ll hold out for the new AR180…
We appreciate those who stand by and support us. They are true patriots. We have to question the motives of those who continue to tear us down on this forum. They cannot stop us. Their petty feeble minds are easily exposed. The XCR will gain momentum until it covers the whole earth. There is no other platform like it and it is the best.
I agree, a modern AR180 would be nice. I had a Armalite AR180B and it was a disappointment. I didn’t mind the polymer lower, except that the butt stock wasn’t foam reenforced, fixed pistol grip and that horrible AR180 type bolt catch. The barrel wasn’t chrome lined and the gas block assy wasn’t pinned. They also kept that crappy dovetail scope mount. I liked their initiative in trying to make a modern AR180, but the rifle they produced was half assed at best.
this is old news from a couple months ago.
There was a long thread on TOS about this and it caused some shit.
Seriously not trying to cause a stink with any LDS people here, but that quote from Alex is straight up old time fundamentalist Mormon doctrine (as is his user name).
Almost messianic/apocalyptic.
“The XCR will gain momentum until it covers the whole earth.”
I’ve been in retail mgmt, and I dealt with angry customers daily, and I strongly disagree with him and his “new” policies. There is only one cure for upset, angry customers; excellent service. The same excellent service you provide your happy customers you must give to those that are upset for whatever reason. That is how you turn angry customers into happy customers, and keep your happy customers happy.
Alex is forgetting that the world does not need him or the rifles he makes. He and his business are completely expendable. No RA? Oh well, somebody goes and buys a SCAR, AR, AK, etc. Without the consumer, there is no producer. It is not vise-versa because there is always a competitor ready to step in and step up.
Instead of writing his poorly written diatribe, perhaps he would’ve been better off doing some product and end user research. Find out why the problems(and there are problems), and correct them. As an owner of two previous RA offerings, and having been given the run around on them, with the XCR issues and this “letter”, you start noticing a trend.
Alex can keep his rifle and his religon.
Also Sherwin-Williams tag line FWIW 
Entrepreneurs are a different breed. He can do what he wants, not saying it is right. I would have gone for a different product offering and engineering, but it ain’t my dime. I say Bravo for trying to bring the rifle to market, and don’t let the bastards let you down.
He won’t get any tears from me. What people involved in sales don’t have to put up with dumb or difficult customers? A lot of my family owns various businesses across the country, and every Christmas and Thanksgiving, I get to hear them rant ad nauseum about the annoyances and aggravations of dealing with the public. But, they’re not about to go rant about these customers on a public forum; it comes with the territory. Whether his complaints were valid or not, I found the post to be very unprofessional. Nothing wrong with asking people to be polite, to actually RTFM, etc. But saying that people posting negative things online will be put on the back burner is asinine.
Get your rifles and company sorted, and I’ll buy one. RA’s image issues have been largely their own fault, and not that of dumb or angry customers trying to topple the company. And please hire poor, hungry, hardworking grad students to handle public relations, for chrissake, so crap like this doesn’t get posted again. To reiterate, I understand his frustration, but his approach is juvenile. Some good, valid content made less effectual by the tone.
We appreciate those who stand by and support us. They are true patriots. We have to question the motives of those who continue to tear us down on this forum. They cannot stop us. Their petty feeble minds are easily exposed. The XCR will gain momentum until it covers the whole earth. There is no other platform like it and it is the best.
I just love it when Alex starts waxing poetic… :rolleyes:
We simply need more men like Paul in the business. People putting out what people are looking for, at a great level of quality, for a great price.
This doesn’t surprise me. If anyone knows Alex, this is how he really is. There has been an XCR sitting at my local shop for going on years now that hasn’t moved. I was going to get it but picked it up and it rattled like a junk wagon.
It’s sad to see that such a promising product was choked by this kind of attitude.
I have great respect for them for thinking out of the box, and going trough the pain of designing a new platform from the ground up, when everyone was busy making AR clones.
It’s sad to see the owner choking the life out of his own product like this. 
After all this years he didn’t learn a thing from his experience with customers. :rolleyes:
His train has passed anyway. Scar and ACR are here already, The new Beretta is being issued as we speak. CZ has a rifle that does everything his rifle does, so his train came and gone, while hew was busy “putting customers on the back burner”.:rolleyes: