A few words from Alex Robinson.
- Thread starter Stevo
- Start date
Robarms is an excellent company.
Years ago I had a problem with my M96 called them up and chatted with "Ted" one of the floor managers/engineers/head honcho's. We spent a good 30 minutes trying to sort out my problem. Lo and behold I had to send it back to Wolverine and they sorted it out for me and all ended well. Quick and painless.
Since day one Robarms has tried to reinvent/improve the M96; an uphill slog the whole way. I think the white noise from the crowd is getting to him
Years ago I had a problem with my M96 called them up and chatted with "Ted" one of the floor managers/engineers/head honcho's. We spent a good 30 minutes trying to sort out my problem. Lo and behold I had to send it back to Wolverine and they sorted it out for me and all ended well. Quick and painless.
Since day one Robarms has tried to reinvent/improve the M96; an uphill slog the whole way. I think the white noise from the crowd is getting to him
Exactly, I want a real gutsy guy who is committed to his product. Not some smooth talking, clean hands, suit.
The best machinist I ever met was an grouchy old prick, but darn, could ever do good work.
It would seem that Alex is more focused on perfecting his product rather than perfecting his public relations with keyboard commandos.
Looking forward to an XCR in 308
Some interesting points, must be a pleasure working for this guy, .... until he blames everything on you and kicks you out.
Wow, and to all those who praise the attitude, wait until you have a problem and actually have to call him.
He will also blame it on you,
Wow, and to all those who praise the attitude, wait until you have a problem and actually have to call him.
He will also blame it on you,
There is no reason to be discourteous or disrespectful to any customer service rep, assuming that they are making a concerted effort to help you.
That said, RobArms has a certain 'reputation' in the industry going back more than a decade. I personally didn't like the way M96 owners were essentially 'strung' along for years with promises of top-feed kits, bbls, etc... Then the entire line was cut entirely, leaving owners holding the bag.
Even so, I thought to give the XCR a chance, but didn't want to act as a 'beta' tester for a rifle priced at $2500.00 after the whole M96 experience, so I opted to wait.
The XCR failed to 'impress' and frankly, they were released too soon with too many bugs or issues. No rifle looking to be taken seriously as a 'battle rifle' should ever need anything on it Loc-tited. Parts should not be falling off and you shouldn't have to shoot hundreds of rounds to 'break in' the rifle.
For what you were getting in the .223 version, there were better alternatives available for not much more money, relatively speaking. I'm glad I went with Swiss Arms.
Given the improvements that RobArms had made to the design and they seemed to be fixing their QC problems, I was again considering taking a look at their .308 version, if/when it hits Canada.
After reading Robinson's tirade above and the distict contempt he has for many of his customers and AR-15 users and his totally unjustified claims that his design reigns supreme as 'superior,' to all others - well, he just lost another sale.
If I'm going to spend close to $3K with a company, I don't need to kiss anyone's arse for the privilege, nor do I have to conform to their particular requirements of 'correct' behaviour as an adult customer.
Respect is a two-way street and it is earned. Tirades such as this and similar ones in the past clearly show that Robinson has little respect for his customers, while having an overly-inflated self-image of his own importance.
If I want another .308 black rifle, I'll be buying a Kel-Tec RFB and the new Swiss Arms SAPR once it becomes available. I can guarantee that I won't be adding anyting with the RobArms logo on it.
That said, RobArms has a certain 'reputation' in the industry going back more than a decade. I personally didn't like the way M96 owners were essentially 'strung' along for years with promises of top-feed kits, bbls, etc... Then the entire line was cut entirely, leaving owners holding the bag.
Even so, I thought to give the XCR a chance, but didn't want to act as a 'beta' tester for a rifle priced at $2500.00 after the whole M96 experience, so I opted to wait.
The XCR failed to 'impress' and frankly, they were released too soon with too many bugs or issues. No rifle looking to be taken seriously as a 'battle rifle' should ever need anything on it Loc-tited. Parts should not be falling off and you shouldn't have to shoot hundreds of rounds to 'break in' the rifle.
For what you were getting in the .223 version, there were better alternatives available for not much more money, relatively speaking. I'm glad I went with Swiss Arms.
Given the improvements that RobArms had made to the design and they seemed to be fixing their QC problems, I was again considering taking a look at their .308 version, if/when it hits Canada.
After reading Robinson's tirade above and the distict contempt he has for many of his customers and AR-15 users and his totally unjustified claims that his design reigns supreme as 'superior,' to all others - well, he just lost another sale.
If I'm going to spend close to $3K with a company, I don't need to kiss anyone's arse for the privilege, nor do I have to conform to their particular requirements of 'correct' behaviour as an adult customer.
Respect is a two-way street and it is earned. Tirades such as this and similar ones in the past clearly show that Robinson has little respect for his customers, while having an overly-inflated self-image of his own importance.
If I want another .308 black rifle, I'll be buying a Kel-Tec RFB and the new Swiss Arms SAPR once it becomes available. I can guarantee that I won't be adding anyting with the RobArms logo on it.
I'll give the mad credit.. He's taken a lot of #### from all sides... He sounds pretty cranky in that letter but I guess he has reason.. He's a perfectionist... (on some things) and he just wants some credit for it.. I like the XCR and when I can afford one I will likely buy one..
I've never met the man , but from that letter I'd let him sit at my table. Give me an arrogant man that knows his sh*t anyday over a "nice" man thats blowing smoke up your a*s trying to sell you something he knows amost nothing about any day. I also respect him for the fact that hes sticking up for his staff, making sure that they get treated like people. Takes a "Big Man" to give someone sh*t over the phone.
plainSight Solutions
Regular
Looks like Alex went to the "BP Oil Tony Hayward School of Public Relations".
He gets a D on the tone of that letter - it was undignified and bordered on puerile/unprofessional.
I like a certain amount of swagger and "Hey, f*ck you! I'll stand my ground." attitude, but his letter will do more harm than good for the company he is running.
He gets a D on the tone of that letter - it was undignified and bordered on puerile/unprofessional.
I like a certain amount of swagger and "Hey, f*ck you! I'll stand my ground." attitude, but his letter will do more harm than good for the company he is running.
shadow sniper
CGN Regular
- Location
- Quebec city.
He gets my respect for telling it straight.
But...nobody's perfect.
The great MDT team should take another step trough rifle making...
Like Robinson !
You guys have an awesome potential !!!!
There is room in the market for a CANADIAN BUILT NON RESTRICTED 5.56 PLATFORM !!!! Who will take Alex Robinson's way our side of the border ????
But...nobody's perfect.
The great MDT team should take another step trough rifle making...
Like Robinson !
You guys have an awesome potential !!!!
There is room in the market for a CANADIAN BUILT NON RESTRICTED 5.56 PLATFORM !!!!
Who will take Alex Robinson's way our side of the border ????
shadow sniper
CGN Regular
- Location
- Quebec city.
Your reply is awesome !!!!
Maybe we can call it the "small peoples rifle ", like Hayward said about the gulf residents....lol !!!!
I know where Alex is coming from. It's hard to deal with the generally low intelligence of the average shooter. How ever, he has a huge ego problem.
This single paragraph sums up his entire nutty mindset:
The XCR is anything but entirely new. AK47 style action, M96 trigger, etc.
This single paragraph sums up his entire nutty mindset:
The XCR is anything but entirely new. AK47 style action, M96 trigger, etc.
Wow.
I've never, ever, ever, seen such polarization on a letter from the CEO of a company.
There seems to be no middle ground - you either like what Robinson says, and by extension, his company and product, or you just hate what he says, and by extension, hate him and his company.
I don't own a RobArms firearm, nor have I in the past.
I have seen a lot of hate on RobArms on the Internet, both from US forums and CGN. Why is that?
RobArms developed something totally new, not a "knockoff" or "improvement" of an already existing firearm. Of course there will be flaws, there will be bugs, there will be areas that need improvement. Show me one product that's been perfect from the start, that hasn't needed some work that was discovered in the testing process.
I see a lot of frustration and annoyance, and yes, anger, in his letter. The man has basically invested his life to produce something new, and he and his employees get sh!t on when something isn't absolutely perfect. I'd be seriously pissed too!!
I understand, although not necessarily agree, with Robinson's stand that "if you treat me like sh!t, I and my employees will back burner your complaint". These people are doing thier best to satisfy the customer, because without happy customers, you don't last long in business (unless you're the government).
I know because I'm the Ops manager of a small shredding company (hence the handle) that has grown from zero into a 2 million dollar a year company, in less than 4 years. I know how nasty customers can be when they "think" they've been screwed or lied to. 99.99% of my customers that "think" they've been screwed or lied to have lied to me first (we quote pricing based on what they tell us they have for material to shred) and it can be straightened out with a phone call or a chat when we're there to shred the paper
RobArms isn't a company that has multi-billion dollar backing like Colt or Winchester. I think they've done a damned good job getting their product out and the fact that they're still in business says the product is good enough to KEEP them in business.
Alex Robinson may not have had a good day when he wrote that letter, but we all have bad days too. Give the guy a chance.
I've never, ever, ever, seen such polarization on a letter from the CEO of a company.
There seems to be no middle ground - you either like what Robinson says, and by extension, his company and product, or you just hate what he says, and by extension, hate him and his company.
I don't own a RobArms firearm, nor have I in the past.
I have seen a lot of hate on RobArms on the Internet, both from US forums and CGN. Why is that?
RobArms developed something totally new, not a "knockoff" or "improvement" of an already existing firearm. Of course there will be flaws, there will be bugs, there will be areas that need improvement. Show me one product that's been perfect from the start, that hasn't needed some work that was discovered in the testing process.
I see a lot of frustration and annoyance, and yes, anger, in his letter. The man has basically invested his life to produce something new, and he and his employees get sh!t on when something isn't absolutely perfect. I'd be seriously pissed too!!
I understand, although not necessarily agree, with Robinson's stand that "if you treat me like sh!t, I and my employees will back burner your complaint". These people are doing thier best to satisfy the customer, because without happy customers, you don't last long in business (unless you're the government
). I know because I'm the Ops manager of a small shredding company (hence the handle) that has grown from zero into a 2 million dollar a year company, in less than 4 years. I know how nasty customers can be when they "think" they've been screwed or lied to. 99.99% of my customers that "think" they've been screwed or lied to have lied to me first (we quote pricing based on what they tell us they have for material to shred) and it can be straightened out with a phone call or a chat when we're there to shred the paper
RobArms isn't a company that has multi-billion dollar backing like Colt or Winchester. I think they've done a damned good job getting their product out and the fact that they're still in business says the product is good enough to KEEP them in business.
Alex Robinson may not have had a good day when he wrote that letter, but we all have bad days too. Give the guy a chance.
So apparently every day is a bad day for Alex.
blaxsun
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
As operations manager, if you wrote a letter like this to your company's customers - can you honestly say you'd still have a job tomorrow? If the answer is no, then you know exactly what's wrong with this letter.
Short of the push back at the interweb #####ing, it would seem that Robarms has spent some time recently attempting to clean up their qc issues, as well as building more part stores before pushing another product out the door. Did Alex get a bit carried away, maybe, but if you look historically he's been #### on from the get go. I like my XCR so far, if I get my reno work done I'm taking it out again hunting tomorrow.
I didn't say I AGREED with it, I said I UNDERSTOOD it. Big difference.
There is much wrong with that letter.
Now here is a guy who knows how to run a company...
...into the ground.
I would tend to echo Armedsask's comments...the average gun owner is, like the average anyone, dumb - in fact probably borderline retarded - and angry. But you do not solve that by being dumber and angrier than your target market.
...into the ground.
I would tend to echo Armedsask's comments...the average gun owner is, like the average anyone, dumb - in fact probably borderline retarded - and angry. But you do not solve that by being dumber and angrier than your target market.
