ARB spare backup - useless

As do Mazda

Love the FBH (very starts with 'F' now??). I am going to tie it to a tree and try and jerk it into shape. Thanks David.

Insurance company would have to buy in pairs as well and they would supply a pair to be fitted.... they would have no use for one side step.

Hi Peter, my excess is $450, new steps $765 so a good option, I am going to have a crack at straightening it myself, plus I have a mate with a workshop. As a retiree cost minimisation is vital.

Yes, but in an ideal world where a company wanted to do the right thing, all they had to do next run was to do 50 RH ones and 51 LH ones ..

Only a click away on a computer !!!

And where in the world would they store this single left over sidestep? The poor old retiree would be wingeing if he had to pay to have a single step delivered from Melbourne next. I'm with olcoolone - not an ARB problem. When you're chasing margin like these volume parts sellers, stuffing about with strange requests kills your profit on the next three units - not worth it - cheaper to offend strange requester straight up and get on with it.

So would you bitch if you couldn't buy one shoe?

Richard (olcoolone), I love you but....I disagree with you here. This is a matter of customer service. You are a business man. You do good work RHS and LHS, you don't discriminate and you deliver! The 4x4 market that ARB play in dictates that people will have special needs. A case in point is all those mad bastards that decide they want to go out and 'slide' over rocks (Our own Crown Prince is one of those). Common sense would dictate that a need for this scenerio would arise! You (ARB) are in the market, in fact you are one of the biggest producers IN THE MARKET,....why wouldn't you cater for it?

This is typical ARB. Their customer service is crap. There Back-up is crap. Yes their product is good and cheap, state of the art and mega-marketed...their inability to provide back up service is just bull bleep ! If it's a modicum outside standard, ARB will not help you, even if their own products fail! Volume sales rule!

My recommendation to the postee....go and see someone who can do something about it. Brown Davis in Bayswater (Vic) is one example. They fix other manufacturers bleep ty problems everyday. Kevin Sharp is the man to talk to!

My 2c worth based on my own dealing with "keen to sell it to you but buggered if I'm gonna back it up" ARB!


Mick

I would bitch if I couldnt buy one shoe if I only had 1 leg.

Mick I can see you point and agree but the down side it this is how things are done and I would say it is the same for TJM, Opposite Lock, Powerfull 4X4 and Tigerz 11 and any other manufacture who mass manufactures or masss purchase their products.

There are many other low volume Australian based manufactures and 4x4 specialists who would be able to supply individually BUT the chances are the price you would pay for one from a specialist manufacturer would be close to the price of two from ARB.

These parts are more then likely manufactured in batches and trying to get an extra left hand side one made in their run would be a nightmare and impossible.

As said above try buying a replacement shoe or if you have two left feet like me (LOL) two left shoes.

Most of the larger 4X4 shops supply for the masses and are run by brain dead monkeys who only think about making a bonus and hitting his/her/their targets for the month.

I have had a few issues with ARB including a warranty issue with locks on a canopy that they did not want to believe only to be told later they have been having troubles with the canopy locks.



My post wasn't directed at there poor service and after sales service in general but more to do with how most large volume mass manufactured products are produced and procured in the modern world, we see it day in and day out; whereby we need only one part only to find out we have to buy the whole assemble...... whereby years ago we could only buy that one part at a reduced rate.

There are many things we buy where the individual price is higher then the whole assemble

So saying that I don't think ARB are alone on this issues as it is the norm these days and a way of keeping costs down.

Ocoolone

To your point about a whole assembly.

On a recent trip the number plate bracket broke on the 79 Series, which was odds on in hindsight given it has a bend in the bracket to bolt it to the assembly.

It is attached to the spare wheel assembly, Toyota replaced it (and I have now reinforced), but the whole spare wheel assembly was sent, no chance of just getting that small part of it…



Cheers, Baz – The Landy

We see it with many parts and the funny thing is being a Denso service centre we supply to Toyota dealers as we can buy individual parts where the dealers can only by as an assemble.

Yes we are seeing it more and more and somethings we can buy as individual parts it is cheaper to by the whole assembly.

It all comes down to logistics, storage and handling fees.

With you number plate part I would say Toyota would get it from the manufacture as a complete assemble..... By the time they disassembled the assemble and repackaged the part it would work out dearer then the complete assemble.

Unless the insurance company keeps it!