"Juan Jimenez" wrote in message
...
I have found over the years that most people who whine about AS&S greatly
exaggerate the stories, and even if the stories were true, they probably
deserved to be treated the way they _claim_ they were treated. Case in
point, "jls". He certainly falls squarely into that category.

The manifest weight of authority gleaned from a study of over 4,700 Google
entries is that Aircraft Spruce and Jim Irwin have been, are, and will
continue to be a shabby and dishonest merchandiser. Most of the complaints
are about abysmal customer service; rudeness: the customer is always wrong;
back-ordering after the customer has been told the merchandise is in stock;
sham overcharges; and slack and erroneous shipments.

Jaun's motives here one can surmise are pecuniary since his narcissistic
boss has been known to funnel off a little loot from Irwin on occasion.

"abripl" wrote in message
oups.com...
I spent $40K buying stuff over 3 years from AS&S, Wicks, Chief,
SacSkyRanch, etc. etc. before finishing my kit. The prices wary
somewhat, but are often slightly lower at AS&S. I got a lot of stuff
from Wicks too because they are closer and shiped faster. Generally
AS&S gave me good service and their terms were up front for me to agree
with or simply go elsewhere. I don't remember any time I could not
resolve a problem by simply calling them. And the "problems" were few
and far in between. At one time I complained about a $30 shipping
charge and they promptly refunded me $10. I find your original
characterizaton of AS&S somewhat unbelievable. I have a stack of bills
proving my dealings with AS&S - items ranging from $0.12 to $1850.00.
-----------------------------------------

I have had good service from them too, and for a period of months received
excellent treatment from them. But for the shifty way they reacted when
notified a CHT Gauge was dead on arrival, I would have continued purchasing
from them. A legitimate merchandiser, like Sears for example, gives
refunds for bad merchandise. If 2 of 3 PMA'd, 1-year-guaranteed Mitchell
CHT gauges are defective right out of the box, I don't want one of them.

Besides that, it's frustrating to install a gauge and all the wiring,
spending an entire afternoon getting the wires all neatly tie-wrapped and
threaded through the firewall and the instrument fastened neatly in the
panel, only to find out your work has been in vain and you will now have to
break in your engine without that soothing assurance there on the dial
telling you that the hottest cylinder of the six new cylinders you paid over
$5,000 for is not overheating. And you also want to know when the
temperature has stabilized and when it drops another 15 or 20 degrees,
indicating the cylinder is now broken in and the rings are seated.

Bet you $100 to a nickel Mitchell does not test their units.

Put yourself into the other guy's shoes.

Then anybody who has had experience with the hurdles you must get over to
get to Spruce's customer service, let that be a lesson to you: it is an
omen of the respect they have for their customers. On the other hand, if
you are happy with their service, good for you. You may be luckier than you
think.

A friend said he would never buy from them again, said he had an awful time
buying composite materials from them and the last time he bought Polytak,
the date was run out. I have had the same trouble from them, and one time
despised them for a year for sticking me with a $15 sham hazmat charge. I
learned not to ever, ever use e-mail to order from them. And when I ordered
I always made notes, so I had the understanding reduced to writing in case
of sticker shock or some other foulup.

If you're building an aircraft you have to buy from someone. Thank
goodness AS&S doesn't yet have a monopoly or you would be at Jim Irwin's
shameless mercy. So I have concluded that Irwin is greedy and unscrupulous
(and will tell you a lie), but you are welcome to conclude as you please.