EliteFTS Swiss bar weld splatter

[daniel327]

I'm one of the picky people.

Being picky is giving a dud check and then complaining that the goods are substandard.

Paying with perfectly good money and receiving inferior goods is not acceptable.

If the vendor can't see a problem with their product, they have no reason to refuse to take it back.

*This is not a change of mind unless they advertise the welding spatter as a feature prior to purchase.

[Synthetickiller]

Being picky is giving a dud check and then complaining that the goods are substandard.

Paying with perfectly good money and receiving inferior goods is not acceptable.

If the vendor can't see a problem with their product, they have no reason to refuse to take it back.

*This is not a change of mind unless they advertise the welding spatter as a feature prior to purchase.

Bolded portion: This is the problem with how all companies are run these days. Just replace can't with "doesn't want to." That can fit most companies' mode of operandi.

Unless that bar breaks under "normal" use (good luck proving that), they seem to have the ability to reject any claim that the product does not meet the implied standards. It's an uphill battle & seems to be common place now. The only real way to get a vendors attention is to mention that there's a review on a popular forum (hell, link them for all you care) & show just how many people are seeing proof that their product is substandard. The only way to get what you want when you're being screwed is to hit the company in the only place that matters, the wallet.

I'm also curious to see how EFS handles things. Mostly because the few times people have called EFS in the past year (since I've been here, basically), I didn't see too much in the way of EFS extending it's hand to help.

[Cleveland33]

Bolded portion: This is the problem with how all companies are run these days. Just replace can't with "doesn't want to." That can fit most companies' mode of operandi.

Unless that bar breaks under "normal" use (good luck proving that), they seem to have the ability to reject any claim that the product does not meet the implied standards. It's an uphill battle & seems to be common place now. The only real way to get a vendors attention is to mention that there's a review on a popular forum (hell, link them for all you care) & show just how many people are seeing proof that their product is substandard. The only way to get what you want when you're being screwed is to hit the company in the only place that matters, the wallet.

I'm also curious to see how EFS handles things. Mostly because the few times people have called EFS in the past year (since I've been here, basically), I didn't see too much in the way of EFS extending it's hand to help.

Here's the thing though. We see the imperfections people list here and assume that the users are telling the truth. From the companies standpoint - they also have to weed through all the people that take products, abuse them, and then try to get it replaced or refunded. This drives costs up significantly.

[morebarbell]

I may be mistaken but I thought anything paid with a credit card is essentially returnable. Just return it with tracking and if necessary dispute the charge.

[djslik916]

I'm also curious to see how EFS handles things. Mostly because the few times people have called EFS in the past year (since I've been here, basically), I didn't see too much in the way of EFS extending it's hand to help.

EFS seems to have some ***t customer service. I ordered a pair of Eleiko collars on Black Friday, still no shipping confirmation and I have been calling daily since last Monday. All they give me is it's drop shipped from Eleiko and it will be shipping soon. That's BS since I used to work in distribution and I know exactly when my vendors drop ship and have direct access to find out from their warehouse the ETA of my orders even if shipped direct. From my experience I wouldn't buy from Elite again. I looked them up on BBB and they only have 1 formal complaint, but that complaint is very thorough.

[rpark]

Isn't weld splatter just an added grip feature?

I have a triceps attachment from a small vendor, that has weld splatter on it. It's a personal preference, but I chose to ignore it and suck it up. That's everyone's preference and own decision. Like others said, try contacting EFS for a replacement to see if you get anything any better. It wouldn't surprise me if they also used a local vendor for manufacturing small stuff like those bars, but I'm certain they use Williams Strength for at least some of their product manufacturing.

[Cleveland33]

EFS seems to have some ***t customer service. I ordered a pair of Eleiko collars on Black Friday, still no shipping confirmation and I have been calling daily since last Monday. All they give me is it's drop shipped from Eleiko and it will be shipping soon. That's BS since I used to work in distribution and I know exactly when my vendors drop ship and have direct access to find out from their warehouse the ETA of my orders even if shipped direct. From my experience I wouldn't buy from Elite again. I looked them up on BBB and they only have 1 formal complaint, but that complaint is very thorough.

isn't it possible that Eleiko hasn't shipped them yet?

also, not every vendor/distributor is going to have that complex of a system giving that information.

Hell look at Inzer's antiquated system, someone posted here once that they received shipping notification saying delivery in a week a few days AFTER they received the product.

[djslik916]

Like I said I used to work in distribution and I had several hundred vendors. If a customer needed info on orders it was very easy to find out ETA of shipment even if product has not shipped. I ordered from at least 8 vendors on Black Friday, all items have been received or shipped. This order is still in limbo and their customer service is passive at best. Instead of performing their duty and due diligence they give a lazy answer and throw the responsibility to Eleiko even though EFS took the order. My expectation for customer service at the very least is to get a concrete idea from their vendor of when the order should be expected to ship and if it's in stock at their vendor. Those pieces of information are normally available through their electronic ordering system without even a phone call.

[Cleveland33]

Like I said I used to work in distribution and I had several hundred vendors. If a customer needed info on orders it was very easy to find out ETA of shipment even if product has not shipped. I ordered from at least 8 vendors on Black Friday, all items have been received or shipped. This order is still in limbo and their customer service is passive at best. Instead of performing their duty and due diligence they give a lazy answer and throw the responsibility to Eleiko even though EFS took the order. My expectation for customer service at the very least is to get a concrete idea from their vendor of when the order should be expected to ship and if it's in stock at their vendor. Those pieces of information are normally available through their electronic ordering system without even a phone call.

Yea based on a lot of people's experiences with them I don't believe they have that capability.

[RestoringTally]

Here's the thing though. We see the imperfections people list here and assume that the users are telling the truth. From the companies standpoint - they also have to weed through all the people that take products, abuse them, and then try to get it replaced or refunded. This drives costs up significantly.

I don't think I would ever want to buy anything from you if after seeing the pictures here you say that their truth has to be assumed. The problems recently identified with EliteFTS equipment (weld spatter and sleeves welded on crooked) are factory defects and easily verified by the company through pictures. It is foolish for any company to assume EVERY customer is lying and abusing equipment. To do so will drive their sales down, as is likely happening with EliteFTS from these posts.

[GoBigBlue]

I always thought elitefts had suspiciously high shipping costs and for that reason have never done business with them. They attempt to legitimize their high prices with the "exceptional quality" of their products being backed by very respected names in strength. These customer complaints further guarantee I won't be a customer in the near future.

[Cleveland33]

I don't think I would ever want to buy anything from you if after seeing the pictures here you say that their truth has to be assumed. The problems recently identified with EliteFTS equipment (weld spatter and sleeves welded on crooked) are factory defects and easily verified by the company through pictures. It is foolish for any company to assume EVERY customer is lying and abusing equipment. To do so will drive their sales down, as is likely happening with EliteFTS from these posts.

I actually buy things for a living and perhaps that effects my judgement as a consumer because I deal with so many transactions and issues, the variances I see are so much more pronounced.

You're right - these specific issues are clearly from the factory and not an abusive issue.

For me the spatter is a meh issue. The crooked welds, not sure how I would feel if it was mine and spent that money. I have a prototype football bar from CFF that they gave me because the weld on the sleeve was off. I forget how bad it is, enough to see it if you look for it, but it doesn't seem to bother me when using it. Now that was free, but I usually look at how it will affect performance vs how perfect I would expect something to be. For the SSB with so many bends and trying weld a sleeve on straight, I wouldn't expect any of them to "perfect" so I am not sure how far off it would have to be to bother me.

[RestoringTally]

For me the spatter is a meh issue.

I would agree if the spatter were anywhere other than on the handles. The last thing I want when I am lifting is to feel pieces of metal digging into my hands as I am pressing. When I grip a bar I expect to have a good surface, either smooth or evenly knurled, to grip.

[Biggerfoot]

I had a chance to check out my new Swiss Bar. I do not have any spatter on the handles. I do have some on the square tubes but not that much. The welds seem okay.

The spatter that is on my bar would bug me if it was on the handles and lifting without gloves. It is very noticeable to the touch.

[ichthis]

For me the spatter is a meh issue. The crooked welds, not sure how I would feel if it was mine and spent that money. I have a prototype football bar from CFF that they gave me because the weld on the sleeve was off. I forget how bad it is, enough to see it if you look for it, but it doesn't seem to bother me when using it. Now that was free, but I usually look at how it will affect performance vs how perfect I would expect something to be. For the SSB with so many bends and trying weld a sleeve on straight, I wouldn't expect any of them to "perfect" so I am not sure how far off it would have to be to bother me.

I can see both sides of this issue. I've kept some "off" purchases without comment because they didn't really bother me, and I tacitly assumed they wouldn't bother anyone else. On the other hand, I complained to CFF about a frankly minor defect in a tricep rope I bought from them, and once I sent pictures, they immediately sent another without even asking for a return of the original. I think it's kind of a delicate balance in between providing the kind of customer service that brings repeat customers and new clients, with a hardheadedness about realistic expectations. This particular case seems to be a bit in the grey zone, although it looks a bit far on the slop side in my eye.

[Bench905]

Just checked my EFS Swiss Bar. No issues. I like the bar - probably don't use it as much as I should though. I enjoyed the close grip bench presses with it, tricep extensions and even hammer curls.

[skrebs01]

I ordered one on Friday. I am anxiously waiting its arrival. I hope I don't have any of these issues,

[Fs22]

I looked mine over as well. Not perfectly happy with it, but like the previous reviewer mentioned the splatter is not on the handles. Once I beat it up a little myself with use I kind of put my concerns to the side since they didn't interfere with the functionality of the bar. That being said , I also agree with the posters who expect to be perfectly prepared product given what we are paying for the items.

[aclockworkoi]

...I think it's kind of a delicate balance in between providing the kind of customer service that brings repeat customers and new clients...

Well, I need a tricep rope so I will now be buying one from CFF. Not a big purchase by any means. I think I am going to keep an eye on their 12 days of XMas sale to see if anything comes up I need to have and bundle it up.

[Synthetickiller]

Here's the thing though. We see the imperfections people list here and assume that the users are telling the truth. From the companies standpoint - they also have to weed through all the people that take products, abuse them, and then try to get it replaced or refunded. This drives costs up significantly.

Well, between my example & Icey101, your stance doesn't really apply. Neither poorly drilled holes nor spatter could possibly be caused by the customer. I bet if you were to google all of the issues, it would fall into one of two categories: poor finish (this isn't acceptable for the price) or the welds/ holes cut are just shoddy. If this is the argument, they are driving up the cost on lack luster products to cover the replacement costs.

I have the original swiss bar from EFS & the "paint" job on that thing is a joke. It flakes badly. The paint job on the SSB from them is much better & was probably created to address such a poor powder coat. My SSQ from Outlaw Strength, which might as well be a no-name, barely has any wear & was purchased for the same price.

I have no doubt there are jerks out there who abuse bars & want a 100% refund. People like this drive up the cost for everyone. That's not the issue seen in these threads. Heck, look at tombro's thread on the SSB & how it's just off. Someone else replied and their bar is off with the same deviation. This shows a lack of calibration from WS.

I hope krebs01 doesn't have issues. I really hope because I hate having to dispute quality over a functional problem. I think my problem took 2 months to resolve. As djslik916 has stated, dealing with them isn't fun. It was a lot better about a decade ago when every customer made a difference in staying black or going into the red. EFS became to the powerlifting world what Apple became to people who were new to techonolgy: trendy with an ongoingly decline in quality & ever increasing prices. The elitist attitude EFS has to offer makes it difficult to get any headway with a problem; King Dave has stated these products are the best, it must be true. You'd think that with Rogue's strong competition towards EFS due to the Crossfit movement, EFS would humble themselves. We haven't seen too much of that.

[daniel327]

This shows a lack of calibration from WS.

It shows me they don't use a jig to fabricate these bars.

[Cleveland33]

Well, between my example & Icey101, your stance doesn't really apply. Neither poorly drilled holes nor spatter could possibly be caused by the customer. I bet if you were to google all of the issues, it would fall into one of two categories: poor finish (this isn't acceptable for the price) or the welds/ holes cut are just shoddy. If this is the argument, they are driving up the cost on lack luster products to cover the replacement costs.

I have the original swiss bar from EFS & the "paint" job on that thing is a joke. It flakes badly. The paint job on the SSB from them is much better & was probably created to address such a poor powder coat. My SSQ from Outlaw Strength, which might as well be a no-name, barely has any wear & was purchased for the same price.

I have no doubt there are jerks out there who abuse bars & want a 100% refund. People like this drive up the cost for everyone. That's not the issue seen in these threads. Heck, look at tombro's thread on the SSB & how it's just off. Someone else replied and their bar is off with the same deviation. This shows a lack of calibration from WS.

I hope krebs01 doesn't have issues. I really hope because I hate having to dispute quality over a functional problem. I think my problem took 2 months to resolve. As djslik916 has stated, dealing with them isn't fun. It was a lot better about a decade ago when every customer made a difference in staying black or going into the red. EFS became to the powerlifting world what Apple became to people who were new to techonolgy: trendy with an ongoingly decline in quality & ever increasing prices. The elitist attitude EFS has to offer makes it difficult to get any headway with a problem; King Dave has stated these products are the best, it must be true. You'd think that with Rogue's strong competition towards EFS due to the Crossfit movement, EFS would humble themselves. We haven't seen too much of that.

You're right that neither issue is a customer caused one. But I bet the average CS agent isn't well versed enough to recognize that. And they are the ones that are also weeding through the BS ones as well.

It makes it more difficult in the case of Elite that they aren't manufacturing these in house, so they have to arrange something with WS (or whomever is making them) for the return/inspection, contacting the customer, etc.

For as many issues they seem to be having, there have also been a lot of orders going to them that we don't hear issues about.

I don't know, I am probably jaded from having to deal with this type of stuff on a larger scale everyday.

[AttyGuy]

A whole thread devoted to guys complaining about splatter on their shafts. Um, ok. . . . .

[urbanlifter]

Well, on a happy note I just placed another order through EliteFTS for a cable attachment!!! I have been married for almost 10 years now, might as well have at least one shaft around the house with some splatter on it LOL.

[Cleveland33]

it's SPATTER

[Mech6]

it's SPATTER

It's hopeless. Even rogue has that mistake on a product description.

[AttyGuy]

it's SPATTER

Little sensitive about what to call whatever's on some dude's shaft?

[Synthetickiller]

It shows me they don't use a jig to fabricate these bars.

That too.

You're right that neither issue is a customer caused one. But I bet the average CS agent isn't well versed enough to recognize that. And they are the ones that are also weeding through the BS ones as well.

It makes it more difficult in the case of Elite that they aren't manufacturing these in house, so they have to arrange something with WS (or whomever is making them) for the return/inspection, contacting the customer, etc.

For as many issues they seem to be having, there have also been a lot of orders going to them that we don't hear issues about.

I don't know, I am probably jaded from having to deal with this type of stuff on a larger scale everyday.

I don't know first hand, but I can imagine. Sounds like a lack of communication between the companies. I can't speak for EFS, but I would be surprised if they are doing surprise inspections of WS. That would sort most of this BS out.

A whole thread devoted to guys complaining about splatter on their shafts. Um, ok. . . . .

Dat shaft spatter tho....


Ah, skeet skeet skeet!

it's SPATTER

It's hopeless. Even rogue has that mistake on a product description.

This made my morning. I bust out laughing reading this... LOL.

[trimble006]

It's hopeless. Even rogue has that mistake on a product description.

Good old Rouge...

[AttyGuy]

Well-played, trimble old chap! Well-played.