CBI - POOR Experience - Thoughts? (1 Viewer)

[EVOperator]

Wondering of others experiences with CBI Off Road. I ordered a rear bumper December 2020 and was prepared for the 12+ week lead time. After 14 weeks I called to inquire as I had not heard from them and had not yet received shipping information. I provided the order number and was put on hold. A few minutes later I was advised "I need to get an answer on this bumper, there was a meeting last week about this and I have to get some information, can I call you back in an hour?" I asked him if this is why the bumper is no longer listed on their website? The answer was much the same, I have to get some info and call you back, he apologized and we hung up.

No call came within an hour, in fact it took several hours, like early evening. I was advised by the same person "I have bad news were going to have to refund your purchase." I asked why and what had happened that I had to call to inquire and that the long wait to be refunded was a big disappointment. I also asked why it was pulled from their site. I was told "the bumper you ordered has been found to have a manufacturing defect and it has to be redesigned." I was stumped as they still keep popping up on Ed Martin Toyota LC builds.

There was no mention of the ditch light brackets, which were part of the order.

I really have not idea how to feel about this transaction or company at this point. The bumper was needed as I installed a 40gal LRA tank for towing and travel and would REALLY like the tire out of the cargo area before next month. They had what seemed to me to be a solid base of happy customers. The refund followed faster than the return call.

Disappointing for sure!!!

 

[Tex68w]

Im with the others who say screw those guys, sadly it's par for the course for far too many people. I'd look elsewhere.

 

[mcgaskins]

I sent emails to CBI in 2017, 2019, and 2020 to inquire about bumpers for the 200 since I really liked the ones I had from them on my Tacoma and liked what they did on Sampson the XO truck. Each time I got a reply saying they weren't able to produce 200 bumpers, but I figured that would change when they formally listed the 200 parts on their site. My *guess* is they were trying to gauge how many customers would be lining up for 200 products before anything was put into production, and they simply never got the scale they needed to make economic sense.

As others have pointed out, CBI's bread and butter is the Tacoma and 4runner, and it makes sense. In 2020 alone, Toyota sold 238,805 Tacomas, 129,052 4runners, and 3,146 Land Cruisers in the US, so Land Cruisers made up less than 1% sold from the 3 platforms. It is far more dramatic when you zoom out and look at the current generations of the 3 vehicles' sales figures - the 200 series from 2008-2020 only saw 38k sales in the US vs 2.1M for the 3rd gen Tacoma and 5th gen 4runner. Here is a little table I put together with sales volumes of the current generations only, but if you add all of the sales by year from 2008 to current for the Tacoma and 4runner, add another 1.1M units sold for those 2 models. If a vendor is targeting an audience for volume, there is little question the mainstream vehicles like the Tacoma, 4runner, Wrangler, Ram, Colorado, etc. make a lot more sense than the Land Cruiser. That is why we should appreciate vendors like @sleeoffroad @benc @BudBuilt / @Taco2Cruiser and others who are very invested in our tiny slice of the market and do whatever they can to support us.

If you were a vendor selling off road products, which of these would you focus on?

 

[radman]

If they are canceling due to product issues, they should be all over informing the customer, refunding proactively etc. The fact the OP had to push for status is ridiculous.

This.

 

[EVOperator]

I sent emails to CBI in 2017, 2019, and 2020 to inquire about bumpers for the 200 since I really liked the ones I had from them on my Tacoma and liked what they did on Sampson the XO truck. Each time I got a reply saying they weren't able to produce 200 bumpers, but I figured that would change when they formally listed the 200 parts on their site. My *guess* is they were trying to gauge how many customers would be lining up for 200 products before anything was put into production, and they simply never got the scale they needed to make economic sense.

As others have pointed out, CBI's bread and butter is the Tacoma and 4runner, and it makes sense. In 2020 alone, Toyota sold 238,805 Tacomas, 129,052 4runners, and 3,146 Land Cruisers in the US, so Land Cruisers made up less than 1% sold from the 3 platforms. It is far more dramatic when you zoom out and look at the current generations of the 3 vehicles' sales figures - the 200 series from 2008-2020 only saw 38k sales in the US vs 2.1M for the 3rd gen Tacoma and 5th gen 4runner. Here is a little table I put together with sales volumes of the current generations only, but if you add all of the sales by year from 2008 to current for the Tacoma and 4runner, add another 1.1M units sold for those 2 models. If a vendor is targeting an audience for volume, there is little question the mainstream vehicles like the Tacoma, 4runner, Wrangler, Ram, Colorado, etc. make a lot more sense than the Land Cruiser. That is why we should appreciate vendors like @sleeoffroad @benc @BudBuilt / @Taco2Cruiser and others who are very invested in our tiny slice of the market and do whatever they can to support us.

If you were a vendor selling off road products, which of these would you focus on?

I noted in one of my earlier posts that I would understand this. However, as a company that built Samson for X as well as some traction on the Ed Martin builds they were in the market to sell these to customers. I would have appreciated and up front and honest approach. If they built all they intended on stocking and they were motivated to provide a vendor their product then say so. I have no problem with good business - I have a problem with poor business practice. They had to have known between December 2020 and mid march that there was gonna be a problem filling the order. At least I wont know if the one I ordered was never on the table, or worse, sent to another customer. At this point CBI will not be on the 4-runner either for me, just a matter of principal.

 

[mcgaskins]

I noted in one of my earlier posts that I would understand this. However, as a company that built Samson for X as well as some traction on the Ed Martin builds they were in the market to sell these to customers. I would have appreciated and up front and honest approach. If they built all they intended on stocking and they were motivated to provide a vendor their product then say so. I have no problem with good business - I have a problem with poor business practice. They had to have known between December 2020 and mid march that there was gonna be a problem filling the order. At least I wont know if the one I ordered was never on the table, or worse, sent to another customer. At this point CBI will not be on the 4-runner either for me, just a matter of principal.

I agree with you, and the intention of my post was to point out what I believe is the cause of the situation. Like I mentioned, I attempted to get bumpers from them a few times but never got the impression they would get delivered, so I went a different direction and bought bumpers I knew I could source to avoid the risk. Supply chains for 4x4 parts have been constrained for quite a while now, and unfortunately that's put a larger burden on the consumer to read between the lines to determine what is going to be realistically available. I've been sourcing parts for a different build for almost 6 months, and the moment I see something that's available, I buy it even before I have the need because I don't know if/when I will be able to get it in the future. It's a challenging time for both vendors and consumers, but vendors with questionable ability to fulfill orders should do a better job of communicating.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

That's horrible (lack of) service on CBI's part, and unfortunately inline with many similar stories I've read over the years.

 

[DPA200]

You could reach out to James at RLC
Cool guy and great customer service from my experiences.

RLC rear tire carrier / swing out / jerry can / custom fab bumper

Hello, I've been asked by a few to get some information on here about the bumper I had made for my rig. James (owner of) RLC welding and Fabrication here in Louisville KY made it for me. This package includes 22 grade 8 bolts, four brackets, one bumper, one swing out, one jerry can holder, one...

forum.ih8mud.com

No idea currently what his turnaround times look like but pre COVID times his waits times were much less than the competition.

 

[lrowe_csp]

f*** CBI, their ethics, and their customer service. I reached out to them many times in regards to LX parts and could never get a straight answer or any information at all. Not to mention they stood by some tacoma bro while he and his followers defaced a national park - i think his name was tacomabeast

What park and what was that about?

 

[Tex68w]

What park and what was that about?

tacoma-utah-vandalism-tacomabeast

Expedition Portal

Largest and Oldest Overland Forum

expeditionportal.com

TacomaBeast douche bags

https://kutv.com/news/local/instagram-photos-appear-to-show-vandalism-at-san-rafael-swell-in-south-central-utah Way to go assholes

www.tacomaworld.com

 

[EVOperator]

You could reach out to James at RLC
Cool guy and great customer service from my experiences.

RLC rear tire carrier / swing out / jerry can / custom fab bumper

Hello, I've been asked by a few to get some information on here about the bumper I had made for my rig. James (owner of) RLC welding and Fabrication here in Louisville KY made it for me. This package includes 22 grade 8 bolts, four brackets, one bumper, one swing out, one jerry can holder, one...

forum.ih8mud.com

No idea currently what his turnaround times look like but pre COVID times his waits times were much less than the competition.

I did as a result of your other thread. I had requested info from Dissent and was leaning that way but the lead times are way out as well and I see they have traction with Ed Martin as well, which is good for business I bet. Anyways, having lived in KY for a while many moons ago I ordered one up with a couple custom touches so I am looking forward to it arriving before the summer trip. Any idea on how much weight it will take? I am using the area for the fuel can for a plate that I can bolt up a custom Pelican case mount that will allow me to use similar sized cases to mount and use for trip specific gear.

 

[Gazziza]

CBI has a reputation of providing products and support to youtube and social media influencers over regular paying customers. That's their MO. If XO, Swellrunner, TCMBST, Lexus, GXOR needs a bumper then they get a bumper immediately. Those guys to get to cut the line ahead of people waiting 3+ months for products. I'll never support them and have heard more bad things than good lately.

 

[calixto]

I ordered a $1k rack with them literally 12 hours before they started a big sale. I called to see if they would grace period me in to the sale by either refunding me the discount 10% or give me less than that refund amount in their product (grab handles). Guy basically told me to kick rocks & that he couldn't honor the sale. He did offer to cancel my order then run it at the discount price but he warned me they had a whole bunch of orders that morning due to the sale & I would be at the back of the line for shipping & availability. Kinda lame but whatever. My rack arrived & seems nice, install was a little trickier than expected. Few weeks later I ordered their grab handle/rock light combo which was listed as in stock, when I finally got the sales invoice it said shipping would go out two week later...? Two weeks went by & I called about the product to be told it would go out in a few more days time. So looking at about a month processing & shipping time on a small item. Not the best experience in my opinion however I was able to at least get some one on the phone there to help answer a few questions.

 

[Idaho Savage]

I had a bad experience trying to order a front bumper. Guy basically could care less, couldn't answer any questions and didn't know what they're ETA was going to be other than "sometime in the spring, maybe."

Owning a Prinsu, I later ordered an awning mounting kit online. Nothing showed up, but I was traveling and busy. The one day about a month later, it showed up. Then the next day, another showed up. Then another.

They don't appear to be a well managed lot over there in Idaho's Balls.

And FWIW, I manage a pretty sizable online manufacturing/retail business and if you can't actually sell it, you don't list it on the site. And if for some reason we can't execute an existing order, we call (not email) the customer immediately and make concessions for screwing up, to the point where the customer knows how seriously our business takes the error. Anything else is simply bad business and points to poor ethics. Too many online retailers are designed to create sales instead of customers.

 

[sreyes1103]

Wondering of others experiences with CBI Off Road. I ordered a rear bumper December 2020 and was prepared for the 12+ week lead time. After 14 weeks I called to inquire as I had not heard from them and had not yet received shipping information. I provided the order number and was put on hold. A few minutes later I was advised "I need to get an answer on this bumper, there was a meeting last week about this and I have to get some information, can I call you back in an hour?" I asked him if this is why the bumper is no longer listed on their website? The answer was much the same, I have to get some info and call you back, he apologized and we hung up.

No call came within an hour, in fact it took several hours, like early evening. I was advised by the same person "I have bad news were going to have to refund your purchase." I asked why and what had happened that I had to call to inquire and that the long wait to be refunded was a big disappointment. I also asked why it was pulled from their site. I was told "the bumper you ordered has been found to have a manufacturing defect and it has to be redesigned." I was stumped as they still keep popping up on Ed Martin Toyota LC builds.

There was no mention of the ditch light brackets, which were part of the order.

I really have not idea how to feel about this transaction or company at this point. The bumper was needed as I installed a 40gal LRA tank for towing and travel and would REALLY like the tire out of the cargo area before next month. They had what seemed to me to be a solid base of happy customers. The refund followed faster than the return call.

Disappointing for sure!!!

I am also haven’t the worst experience with CBI, 12 week lead time and they hung up on me twice trying to an ETA on when I would receive my order. I order a roof rack which I received several weeks after expected. Now I am waiting on covert front bumper and rock sliders for my LX.

I would not recommend ordering from this company, their Customer Service is terrible and lead times are lies.

 

[sreyes1103]

I am also haven’t the worst experience with CBI, 12 week lead time and they hung up on me twice trying to an ETA on when I would receive my order. I order a roof rack which I received several weeks after expected. Now I am waiting on covert front bumper and rock sliders for my LX.

I would not recommend ordering from this company, their Customer Service is terrible and lead times are lies.

Does anyone make a rear bumper and front bumper for lx570 2021?

I am thinking of canceling my order with CBI if they choose to not provide and ETA

 

[Forerunner]

Does anyone make a rear bumper and front bumper for lx570 2021?

I am thinking of canceling my order with CBI if they choose to not provide and ETA

@benc at Dissent has you covered. They make a very slick front and rear Lx bumper.

Chiming in to this thread- I recently ordered and had installed a Prinsu rack for my Lx. My shop spoke to the tech that did the J201 build and assured them it was a simple bolt on…. Nearly 40hrs of labor later the rack was installed. The headliner had to be dropped to access the OE bolt holes.

I have been woefully unimpressed with CBI/Prinsu’s competence and customer service.

 

[radman]

I have been woefully unimpressed with CBI/Prinsu’s competence and customer service.

I’m about to ditch my prinsu for the Dissent roof rack. The prinsu is sleek and low profile, but the side rails are extremely thin. And if you don’t pay attention when installing, it will be extremely hard to get all the crossbars in the same plane. Run some sewing thread from the front crossbar to the rear and you’ll see what I mean.

 

[benc]

Sorry to hear of all the issues! Unfortunately we have had several customers that had gone through the same thing.
I completely understand the difficulties in manufacturing and long lead times as we are experiencing the same thing. I do not understand releasing a product, taking orders, deciding to not move forward with production and leaving it up to the customer to call and find out they will not receive their bumper. While we do currently have longer lead time I can say personally with confidence if we take an order you will receive it.
I honestly believe from some of the products I have seen from some bigger manufacturers that they are simple not up to the quality and standards that the lc200 deserves and the owners expect.
Once they realize this they move on. We have had just about every option come through our shop and there are several that are really not great quality. The landcruiser market I general i believe is a plenty big market to make sense for any vendor that can produce the quality and customer service that we expect. We even have several other products for Tacoma, 4runner ect that we have discontinued or never pushed to production because we are so busy with the landcruiser. From what we have seen very few can provide that so there are not as much options for the landcruiser. I cannot speak for everyone but I can speak for dissent, we are not going anywhere, we will continue to provide the best products and customer service we are capable of, if you place an order you will receive it, we will continue to innovate in our engineering and design and our products will always be built 100% in house and in the USA!

 

[sreyes1103]

@benc at Dissent has you covered. They make a very slick front and rear Lx bumper.

Chiming in to this thread- I recently ordered and had installed a Prinsu rack for my Lx. My shop spoke to the tech that did the J201 build and assured them it was a simple bolt on…. Nearly 40hrs of labor later the rack was installed. The headliner had to be dropped to access the OE bolt holes.

I have been woefully unimpressed with CBI/Prinsu’s competence and customer service.

Thank you so much! I haven’t installed the Prinsu rack as of yet for that reason. Do you know if the Dissent rack will require the same process of dropping the headliner?

 

[benc]

Thank you so much! I haven’t installed the Prinsu rack as of yet for that reason. Do you know if the Dissent rack will require the same process of dropping the headliner?

It does not.