Well, here we are, solidly into spring. The grass is once again growing, the birds are chirping...and Lancaster Arms is still the epitome of how NOT to run a business.
Rather than review Lancaster's problems, I'll let you read for yourself.
Here is a thread from AR15.com (the largest firearms-related website in America), where over a period of almost two months various issues with poor Lancaster Arms quality and poor Lancaster Arms customer service are discussed. This 10-page long thread is an insightful read, and should give you a good idea as to why Lancaster Arms has developed such a poor reputation in the AK-owning firearms world:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=4&f=64&t=126813 (Sorry, Google's hot-linking mechanism isn't working at the moment. Just cut-and-paste these links into a new browser window))
Likewise, here is another thread on TheHighRoad.org (another well-known and popular firearms-related website) detailing extensive problems with poor Lancaster Arms quality and customer service:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=491989
Read up, folks. And if after reading all of that you STILL want to do business with Lancaster Arms...well, don't complain that you weren't warned! Lancaster Arms is bad news.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Lancaster Arms Pathetic Mea Culpa (a day late and a dollar short)
So, you recall how Lancaster kept proclaiming that nothing was wrong with its rifles? Well, as of April 10th, Lancaster has posted a "mea culpa" on its website, verifying that yes, in fact, some of its rifles have problems. But even with that admission, Lancaster is still lying. They claim they've retrieved almost all of the problem rifles, when Lancaster's own vendors state that they've sold HUNDREDS with only a few returns. Somebody isn't telling the truth here (cough Chet cough)...
But luckily, I speak Lancastereese, so I have translated their admission right here:
-------------------------------------
"Notice: We Lied Before. Yes, Our AK-74 Rifles DO Suck:
Look, we know that we told several of you that there were no problems with our rifles. And we know that we told a few of you that all the bad things being said about us on the Internet were just "Internet Urban Legends".
But apparently, a few people have called our bluff, as all of the popular AK forums (and gun forums in general) are buzzing about how much Lancaster Arms sucks. And besides, our sales are falling off a cliff! We had better engage in some damage control QUICK so that we can keep our doors open. After all, if I - Chet Durda - can't spend my days lying my ass off to everyone who calls - what in the hell am I going to do with all my time. Kick puppies? (Only in my dreams.)
Yes, we ignored this problem for as long as we could, and pretended as if it didn't exist. But truth be told, we've had so many charge-backs on these (and other) rifles, that we lost our credit card merchant account, and had people complain to the Arizona Attorney General's office. Yeah, we tried to sweep this problem under the rug, and we told several of our customers on the phone that we had no idea what might be causing these problems. But of course, that was just one more lie from us. We knew EXACTLY what was causing these problems. We were just hoping that all you jackasses (oh, excuse me..."customers") wouldn't put two and two together, and figure out that we were full of shit. Apparently we were wrong.
But rest assured, we will fix your broke-ass rifle! Even if it's not convenient for us! Sure, we might just ship another broken-ass rifle right back to you, just as we've done to a few other jackasses (whoops, I mean "customers".) We're classy like that! And when you call, we also might give you some attitude on the phone because, well...we're really stressed out these days that people have FINALLY figured out that all of us here at Lancaster are COMPLETELY FULL OF SHIT!
So if you have a problem, call us. Sure, unless you're buying something, you won't actually be able to talk to me, Chet Durda. I tell my office staff to say "He's in a meeting" anytime someone calls looking for me. And in this regard, I've even been caught red-handed lying before. I don't want to talk to you unless you've got money for me! But if by some stroke of luck you get to talk to me personally, ask me how all those military sales are going! Better yet, ask me if I've ever sold a single AK rifle to the US military! But beware...I might, uh, well, "be less than entirely truthful" when it comes to such things.
In conclusion, yes...we at Lancaster are in a pickle right now. Word has spread (and it's still spreading) that we are bad news. In fact, if you Google "Chet Durda", you will find out that I'm not exactly the most trustworthy guy in the world. But look...I really care about all you jackasses (damn...I mean, "customers"), so please hold your nose, pretend as if you don't care about little things like "honesty, "integrity" and "ethics", and give me your money! I'll make you a REAL nice rifle, and I promise...it'll ship tomorrow! I'm Chet Durda...would I lie to you?!?
My very bestest, bestest most goodest and bestest regards,
Chet Durda
P.S. If you're not interested in one of my crap rifles, can I interest you in a nice car I have for sale? It's a really nice 1985 Yugo, and this baby is CHERRY! I'll even throw in free floor mats! What'll it take to get this in your garage? Oh, those aren't rust holes, they're "air vents". And you've heard of "anti-lock brakes"? Well this gem has "anti-lock doors". It's the latest thing! They aren't building these collector models anymore! Its only got twenty-seven and a few zero miles. And because I like you, I'll let it go for $9,999. I'm Chet Durda...would I lie to you?"
------------------------------
But seriously, this Lancaster admission won't do it. Given that this flaw makes these rifles potentially dangerous, I suspect Lancaster and its distributors have a legal obligation to recall all of them. Certainly, I intend to file a complaint with the BATF myself on Monday morning.
Oh, and others are not impressed by this Lancaster notice either. Here is a post about this on AR15.com, wherein members display their outrage that Lancaster pretended as if there was no problem until they couldn't deny it any longer.
Bring on the lawyers...
But luckily, I speak Lancastereese, so I have translated their admission right here:
-------------------------------------
"Notice: We Lied Before. Yes, Our AK-74 Rifles DO Suck:
Look, we know that we told several of you that there were no problems with our rifles. And we know that we told a few of you that all the bad things being said about us on the Internet were just "Internet Urban Legends".
But apparently, a few people have called our bluff, as all of the popular AK forums (and gun forums in general) are buzzing about how much Lancaster Arms sucks. And besides, our sales are falling off a cliff! We had better engage in some damage control QUICK so that we can keep our doors open. After all, if I - Chet Durda - can't spend my days lying my ass off to everyone who calls - what in the hell am I going to do with all my time. Kick puppies? (Only in my dreams.)
Yes, we ignored this problem for as long as we could, and pretended as if it didn't exist. But truth be told, we've had so many charge-backs on these (and other) rifles, that we lost our credit card merchant account, and had people complain to the Arizona Attorney General's office. Yeah, we tried to sweep this problem under the rug, and we told several of our customers on the phone that we had no idea what might be causing these problems. But of course, that was just one more lie from us. We knew EXACTLY what was causing these problems. We were just hoping that all you jackasses (oh, excuse me..."customers") wouldn't put two and two together, and figure out that we were full of shit. Apparently we were wrong.
But rest assured, we will fix your broke-ass rifle! Even if it's not convenient for us! Sure, we might just ship another broken-ass rifle right back to you, just as we've done to a few other jackasses (whoops, I mean "customers".) We're classy like that! And when you call, we also might give you some attitude on the phone because, well...we're really stressed out these days that people have FINALLY figured out that all of us here at Lancaster are COMPLETELY FULL OF SHIT!
So if you have a problem, call us. Sure, unless you're buying something, you won't actually be able to talk to me, Chet Durda. I tell my office staff to say "He's in a meeting" anytime someone calls looking for me. And in this regard, I've even been caught red-handed lying before. I don't want to talk to you unless you've got money for me! But if by some stroke of luck you get to talk to me personally, ask me how all those military sales are going! Better yet, ask me if I've ever sold a single AK rifle to the US military! But beware...I might, uh, well, "be less than entirely truthful" when it comes to such things.
In conclusion, yes...we at Lancaster are in a pickle right now. Word has spread (and it's still spreading) that we are bad news. In fact, if you Google "Chet Durda", you will find out that I'm not exactly the most trustworthy guy in the world. But look...I really care about all you jackasses (damn...I mean, "customers"), so please hold your nose, pretend as if you don't care about little things like "honesty, "integrity" and "ethics", and give me your money! I'll make you a REAL nice rifle, and I promise...it'll ship tomorrow! I'm Chet Durda...would I lie to you?!?
My very bestest, bestest most goodest and bestest regards,
Chet Durda
P.S. If you're not interested in one of my crap rifles, can I interest you in a nice car I have for sale? It's a really nice 1985 Yugo, and this baby is CHERRY! I'll even throw in free floor mats! What'll it take to get this in your garage? Oh, those aren't rust holes, they're "air vents". And you've heard of "anti-lock brakes"? Well this gem has "anti-lock doors". It's the latest thing! They aren't building these collector models anymore! Its only got twenty-seven and a few zero miles. And because I like you, I'll let it go for $9,999. I'm Chet Durda...would I lie to you?"
------------------------------
But seriously, this Lancaster admission won't do it. Given that this flaw makes these rifles potentially dangerous, I suspect Lancaster and its distributors have a legal obligation to recall all of them. Certainly, I intend to file a complaint with the BATF myself on Monday morning.
Oh, and others are not impressed by this Lancaster notice either. Here is a post about this on AR15.com, wherein members display their outrage that Lancaster pretended as if there was no problem until they couldn't deny it any longer.
Bring on the lawyers...
Friday, April 9, 2010
Lancaster Arms and Chet Durda: Still Bad News
Well, here we are, into April. And Lancaster Arms is – quite remarkably – still in business. Some interesting things going on these days with regard to Lancaster:
1. Problems with Lancaster rifles are STILL cropping up on the various AK message boards on a regular basis. Lancaster has apparently admitted that some of its barrels were out-of-spec, and that some of its rifles have problems. (If you merely call a rifle tearing itself apart in only a couple hundred rounds a “problem”. I call it a “disaster”.) One poster even claimed that his stainless steel barreled Lancaster rifle lasted only 120 rounds. ONLY 120 ROUNDS! Lancaster blamed it on the barrel supplier, which is funny, seeing as how Chet Durda once told me that Lancaster makes all of its own barrels. (You see Chet, this is what happens when you lie all the time. You start contradicting yourself all over the place.) Regardless, if you go to the AR15.com “AK Discussions” or the Akfiles.com board and do a search on “Lancaster”, you will find literally dozens of complaints about the low quality of Lancaster’s most recent rifles. If, after reading all those threads, you STILL want to own a Lancaster rifle, something is wrong with you.
2. Lancaster is STILL well-known for telling people “Your rifle will ship tomorrow, and we’ll email you a tracking number”, when they never ship it that next day nor provide a working tracking number. Hey Lancaster…are you guys TOTALLY and COMPLETELY incapable of telling the truth? Seriously, WTF?!? How hard is it to tell a customer, “It may take several weeks before we get to your rifle?” When you tell a customer “Your rifle is shipping tomorrow”, and they don’t have it a week later, how in the hell do you think that customer is going to react?!? Lancaster has become infamous for its inability to estimate repair and shipping times. (And yes, plenty of their rifles have needed repair lately.)
3. Lancaster’s website says that they are STILL not accepting credit cards. Sorry folks, but anytime a gun dealer doesn’t accept credit cards, that is a HUGE, HUGE red flag. If you think that sending a check or money order to Lancaster is a good idea…you’re more brave than I.
4. Recently, a well-known and highly respected builder in the AK world posted a message on one of the public AK forums. He had some extremely negative things to say about Lancaster, which included calling into question the character, integrity and honesty of Lancaster’s owner, Chet Durda. Read this devastating post here.
5. Recently, Lancaster has advertised that it is selling milled Bulgarian rifles with “original Bulgarian barrels.” Let me just say…I’m suspicious. Original Bulgarian barrels don’t grow on trees, and they tend to be somewhat expensive even when you can find them. So to anyone who has bought one of these, I offer this up: If you bought one of these $688 milled Lancaster rifles, let me know and I will PERSONALLY pay for you to send the rifle to a qualified AK-smith to verify barrel origin. If four or five people take me up on this offer and all barrels come back as genuine Bulgarian, that’ll be that. But if these barrels turn out NOT to be Bulgarian, I will personally write the fraud complaint to the Arizona Attorney Generals Office and the BATF. Sorry, but I know from personal experience that Chet Durda has a habit of lying, so I thus question anything Lancaster is doing that appears suspicious. And selling milled Bulgarian AK’s with original barrels for $688, appears suspicious. Send me an email if you bought one of these rifles, and want to know the TRUE origin of your barrel.
6. Some guys on the Calguns forum are STILL waiting on group buy rifles that they purchased from Lancaster LAST OCTOBER! Yup, going on seven months now and Lancaster can’t fulfill this group buy order. That’s just raw, flat-out incompetence.
1. Problems with Lancaster rifles are STILL cropping up on the various AK message boards on a regular basis. Lancaster has apparently admitted that some of its barrels were out-of-spec, and that some of its rifles have problems. (If you merely call a rifle tearing itself apart in only a couple hundred rounds a “problem”. I call it a “disaster”.) One poster even claimed that his stainless steel barreled Lancaster rifle lasted only 120 rounds. ONLY 120 ROUNDS! Lancaster blamed it on the barrel supplier, which is funny, seeing as how Chet Durda once told me that Lancaster makes all of its own barrels. (You see Chet, this is what happens when you lie all the time. You start contradicting yourself all over the place.) Regardless, if you go to the AR15.com “AK Discussions” or the Akfiles.com board and do a search on “Lancaster”, you will find literally dozens of complaints about the low quality of Lancaster’s most recent rifles. If, after reading all those threads, you STILL want to own a Lancaster rifle, something is wrong with you.
2. Lancaster is STILL well-known for telling people “Your rifle will ship tomorrow, and we’ll email you a tracking number”, when they never ship it that next day nor provide a working tracking number. Hey Lancaster…are you guys TOTALLY and COMPLETELY incapable of telling the truth? Seriously, WTF?!? How hard is it to tell a customer, “It may take several weeks before we get to your rifle?” When you tell a customer “Your rifle is shipping tomorrow”, and they don’t have it a week later, how in the hell do you think that customer is going to react?!? Lancaster has become infamous for its inability to estimate repair and shipping times. (And yes, plenty of their rifles have needed repair lately.)
3. Lancaster’s website says that they are STILL not accepting credit cards. Sorry folks, but anytime a gun dealer doesn’t accept credit cards, that is a HUGE, HUGE red flag. If you think that sending a check or money order to Lancaster is a good idea…you’re more brave than I.
4. Recently, a well-known and highly respected builder in the AK world posted a message on one of the public AK forums. He had some extremely negative things to say about Lancaster, which included calling into question the character, integrity and honesty of Lancaster’s owner, Chet Durda. Read this devastating post here.
5. Recently, Lancaster has advertised that it is selling milled Bulgarian rifles with “original Bulgarian barrels.” Let me just say…I’m suspicious. Original Bulgarian barrels don’t grow on trees, and they tend to be somewhat expensive even when you can find them. So to anyone who has bought one of these, I offer this up: If you bought one of these $688 milled Lancaster rifles, let me know and I will PERSONALLY pay for you to send the rifle to a qualified AK-smith to verify barrel origin. If four or five people take me up on this offer and all barrels come back as genuine Bulgarian, that’ll be that. But if these barrels turn out NOT to be Bulgarian, I will personally write the fraud complaint to the Arizona Attorney Generals Office and the BATF. Sorry, but I know from personal experience that Chet Durda has a habit of lying, so I thus question anything Lancaster is doing that appears suspicious. And selling milled Bulgarian AK’s with original barrels for $688, appears suspicious. Send me an email if you bought one of these rifles, and want to know the TRUE origin of your barrel.
6. Some guys on the Calguns forum are STILL waiting on group buy rifles that they purchased from Lancaster LAST OCTOBER! Yup, going on seven months now and Lancaster can’t fulfill this group buy order. That’s just raw, flat-out incompetence.
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