Aircraft Spruce yet another failure

pfarber

pfarber

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pfarber
So I hate, nay loathe A.S.S. Yet my loyalty to a bargain is even more powerful than my hate if this company.

So I find a decent deal on some hardware. I could drive the 45 minutes to pick them up but as I have learned in the past and even this week, that ASS is a garbage company.

Big banner across the home page 'items ordered before 4pm ship same day'.

At 11:00-ish am I place and pay for my order. Get receipt for payment and email confirming order on 2/10.

Parts don't ship until the next day.

It's not a failure of the shipper to pick up, and my order is for 4 items. small bits of hardware.... yet again this company failed on its most basic promise. no notice of delay, nothing.

I remember wwwaaaayyyy back when ASS was the Pinnacle of E/AB builders.... yet in the last four years they have not gotten a single order to me without some sort of f-up on THIER part.

Use the company at your own risk and be prepared to be let down.
 
I've had consistently excellent service from the Chicago branch (although it really ****es me off to pay 9.75% Chicago sales tax). Generally, UPS ground shipments from them arrive next day. USPS takes about a week, which really says something about USPS.

Lately that I've been ordering more homebuilder type stuff, more of that seems to come out of Georgia, which does seems to be slower and a bit sloppier. The California branch also disappointed me fulfillment-speed wise, but I've only gotten one shipment from there.

What competition do they even have on hardware?
 
the've done me solid, i get next day from them even when they say it'll take 2 days. Now amazon, is another story, they seem on a mission to mess up all my orders
 
No complaints from me about ACS. If I need it same day, I'm calling my buddy at the bobcat dealer to see if he's in their west Chicago branch and have him pick up my order. Or I'll drive their on a Saturday morning will call.

Jim K said:
What competition do they even have on hardware?
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Googled "aircraft spruce alternative". An AI miss.

Screenshot_20250211-234221.png
 
I too have had consistently excellent service from ACS.

Racerx said:
Googled "aircraft spruce alternative". An AI miss.
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That's a miss, it's a badly worded query. Put "aircraft spruce" in quotes and ignore the AI, and/or use DuckDuckGo instead of google.
 
pfarber said:
So I hate, nay loathe A.S.S. Yet my loyalty to a bargain is even more powerful than my hate if this company.

So I find a decent deal on some hardware. I could drive the 45 minutes to pick them up but as I have learned in the past and even this week, that ASS is a garbage company.

Big banner across the home page 'items ordered before 4pm ship same day'.

At 11:00-ish am I place and pay for my order. Get receipt for payment and email confirming order on 2/10.

Parts don't ship until the next day.

It's not a failure of the shipper to pick up, and my order is for 4 items. small bits of hardware.... yet again this company failed on its most basic promise. no notice of delay, nothing.

I remember wwwaaaayyyy back when ASS was the Pinnacle of E/AB builders.... yet in the last four years they have not gotten a single order to me without some sort of f-up on THIER part.

Use the company at your own risk and be prepared to be let down.
Click to expand...
Your mileage may vary (and apparently does), but Aircraft Spruce has been fantastic for everything I've ordered. I've bought lots of small dollar and a handful of big dollar parts there, and I've been continually happy. It also might help that I live a 15 minute drive from their midwest warehouse so I've only gotten things shipped 1x.
 
I’ve never had a problem with Aircraft Spruce, and I’ve used them many times in the past year. They always have what I need, and the shipping is prompt, in fact I usually get the stuff before I expect it.
 
I have to pile on.
Aircraft Spruce has provided me with excellent service in the past. If it comes out of their Ill warehouse I get it in one day. Excellent email and tracking service also.
Wish all company's were as good as they are.
 
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Honestly, Spruce is better than Amazon at this point. They compare well to any retailer i can think of these days. Compare them to anyone else in the aviation space and they're incredible. A functional website that actually shows if things are in stock, where they are coming from, what is going to cost to ship them, and when it will (probably) arrive? Show me another one. Almost everyone else you have to call. Or fax. Or telegram.
 
Must be a personal problem.....I get's what I order....and in the expected time. ;)
 
They’re so good I got an AI generated aircraft spruce tattoo, kinda.


f3afab01ac4bbcd9534b08a71d11b2da.jpg
 
Daleandee said:
According to one guy at my airport the competition to Aircraft Spruce on hardware is Tractor Supply ... and he wonders why I refuse to fly his plane. :rofl:
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Pffft... I only shop at the Aviation section of Lowe's and Home Depot. Only the highest quality materials for my work!
 
I haven't had any issued with Aircraft Spruce. I am not far from the PA warehouse, so if it is stock there, I get it next day, even using Ground shipping.

GA warehouse takes a day or two more, but if I need it sooner, they have gotten it to me even next day.
 
I ordered a ton of stuff from Spruce when I restored my Decathlon. Had a few minor misfires, but most orders were timely and correct. Spruce's website is as good as any e-commerce operator out there. The ability to see what is in stock at each warehouse and how long delivery will take is great. IMO they are a case study for a well managed enterprise.

Also, two Spruce employees in a golf cart at Oshkosh picked me up from the side of the road one night, gave me beer, and took me to a party.

But if I ever order something from them and it ships one day late, I'll be sure to post an indignant thread on PoA.
 
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I have always had phenomenal service from Spruce. The shipping has been excellent.
 
Sorry you had a bad experience.
Guess I’ve been lucky, they’ve always served me very well. (for decades, actually)
I can’t believe you can buy one bolt, a handful of washers, 12 screws.
Always had a fear they’d be bought up by an investment group or monster aviation company, and all the good things about the company would poof.
 
Dan Thomas said:
When I was your age I had to drive six hours uphill each way through chest-deep snow, barefoot, to get the stuff I wanted, or pay big shipping costs because the trucking competition was poor and there was a minimum 100-pound shipping charge.
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FIFY.
 
I haven’t had any problems with ACS except for shipping charges. But that can be avoided if near one of their will-call spots.

But there are many alternatives, especially for hardware.

Wicks
McFarlane
Monroe
Chiefs
SkySupply
Plane Parts
Brown Aircraft Supply
 
I've bought tons of stuff through Spruce. Enough that the desk guy in Atlanta recognized my voice and called me by name when I called. Day in and day out, I've received outstanding service from them. Sure, out of the hundred or more orders I've placed, there have been a few oopses (largely on my part), but ACS has always taken care of me. I even had a nightmare of a handheld GPS at one point that they took back many months after I bought it.

They mostly make things easy and I appreciate that.
 
I both like ass and spruce, no issues on ether lol
 
Stewartb said:
The OP is a great example of what I dislike about internet forums. Whiniy we-is-me diatribes aren’t useful or entertaining.
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I am not here to entertain you.

You great example of people who think they need to add their useless comment to a topic they don't care about. LOL its a double failure.

Also the PeachTree City location is the source of every order for me..... maybe that location sucks worse than the others.

Other than ASS owning the rights to a few E/AB plans they don't have anything you can't get elsewhere.... next time I'll spend the literal $2 I saved over an e-bay auction somewhere else.

Also I hope I can make ASS lose at least 1 sale.... the Peachtree City location is absolute garbage for orders.... and yes, I can prove it
 
Racerx said:
Pot calling the kettle black eh
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whut? I pressed some buttons and gave them money. What did I do wrong other than think a garbage company would make good on its main promise:



Capture.PNG
 
kyleb said:
I've bought tons of stuff through Spruce. Enough that the desk guy in Atlanta recognized my voice and called me by name when I called. Day in and day out, I've received outstanding service from them. Sure, out of the hundred or more orders I've placed, there have been a few oopses (largely on my part), but ACS has always taken care of me. I even had a nightmare of a handheld GPS at one point that they took back many months after I bought it.

They mostly make things easy and I appreciate that.
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I had an ASS CS rep call me back and tell me that yes, they had the 3 12ft lengths of tube I wanted to order. That YES, the warehouse picker measured the pipes at 144 inches, all 3. I asked this specifically because the FIRST time I ordered the tubes, paid, and drove to PeachTree City they came out with 12, 1ft tubes, not the 1 12 ft part number I ordered. Yes, they are that stupid.

THE NEXT DAY, on my drive to PeachTree from TN I get a call from PeachTree that 'I'm sorry, we only have ONE tube'. Here is the cancelled order:

Capture.PNG

And this is the ONE tube that those liars actually did have

1739429645616.png

Whats hilarious is that when some higher up called me to fix the 'issue' he refused to listen to the CS recording of the call. Saying that he believed his employee would not lie.... not sure how far that dude has his head in the sand....
 
pfarber said:
I had an ASS CS rep call me back and tell me that yes, they had the 3 12ft lengths of tube I wanted to order. That YES, the warehouse picker measured the pipes at 144 inches, all 3. I asked this specifically because the FIRST time I ordered the tubes, paid, and drove to PeachTree City they came out with 12, 1ft tubes, not the 1 12 ft part number I ordered. Yes, they are that stupid.

THE NEXT DAY, on my drive to PeachTree from TN I get a call from PeachTree that 'I'm sorry, we only have ONE tube'. Here is the cancelled order:

View attachment 138109

And this is the ONE tube that those liars actually did have

View attachment 138110

Whats hilarious is that when some higher up called me to fix the 'issue' he refused to listen to the CS recording of the call. Saying that he believed his employee would not lie.... not sure how far that dude has his head in the sand....
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You created a whole thread back then to complain about. Yep, inconvenient, poor understanding of what you wanted, etc. But its been 3 years. And calling them liars... Really? Do you think they are out to get you? C'mon.
 
pfarber said:
I am not here to entertain you.

You great example of people who think they need to add their useless comment to a topic they don't care about. LOL its a double failure.

Also the PeachTree City location is the source of every order for me..... maybe that location sucks worse than the others.

Other than ASS owning the rights to a few E/AB plans they don't have anything you can't get elsewhere.... next time I'll spend the literal $2 I saved over an e-bay auction somewhere else.

Also I hope I can make ASS lose at least 1 sale.... the Peachtree City location is absolute garbage for orders.... and yes, I can prove it
Click to expand...
You’re a spoiled child. You earn no respect for your public tantrum. I visit here for common interests. One turd spoils a big pot of soup. I hope you’re pleased with yourself. I need a better peer group.
 
I for one empathize with OP. It is frustrating for companies you patronize to not meet their own promises or generally be in decline.

If complaining on the internet is passe, a lot of people didn’t get the memo.
 
I've had in stock items take 4 months to get from Spruce. Of course they called me the day after I ordered to tell me one item I ordered wasn't really in stock.
 
ACS has always been great for me as well. There are some things you get charged a premium on but otherwise consistently excellent service for me.
 
pfarber said:
I am not here to entertain you.
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:) I hate to say it, well not really, but in the mission to not entertain you've failed. I find the thread entertaining.

And I *do* understand the mindset of being the center of the universe, I kinda do that myself more or less, and it's not a bad thing as long as you consider that there are a lot of people with the same mindset.

Pilots and IT people sometimes get a bad rep for having poor social skills, but I think a lot of it is simply having the independence to not be afraid to call out BS when they see it. That's one of the reasons I love this forum. Once in a while I'm the guy that says something that just isn't right and I get called out it. Sucks for a minute, but I learn from it. Otherwise I'm the old guy yelling at people to get off my lawn when it's really the neighbor's lawn.

Anyway...I've had good luck with Spruce over the years. They've always seemed friendlier than the others. Maybe tonight is a good night to do some window shopping on their website.
 
I order from Spruce nearly weekly. They rarely miss. They are human too, but IMX, they always work to make it right.
 
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