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Ames on vacation/out of business?

3K views 25 replies 19 participants last post by  Jetzster 
#1 ·
Hi,
I had ordered with Ames before and need to get some more spare parts. But as I need some advise on some parts I tried to contact them...three times in the last 2-3 weeks, not even a receipt notification back....

Anyone from Ames around here?

Cheers!
 
#10 ·
I've had zero luck with calling or emailing Butler. Ive been trying to spend $3000 with them, for the last 3 weeks. So, now Im just going to use Summit. I simply don't buy all of the "covid excuse" crap. If they have people filling orders and shipping, then they should have phone support... and if the sales employees arent showing up, then the owners should extend business hours and answer the calls themselves. I treid to call last night, one minute before they closed, and I got a message that it was outside hours.

Same with Holley, same with Edelbrock. I get it... Covid... all your employees are sick, pretending to be sick, or are quitting and getting govt bucks... so you can no longer take my calls or answer my emails... yet you continue to post on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube... and are prominent in all of the magazines and Hot Rod shows. It doesnt take Sherlock Holmes to see whats going on.

IMO, it isnt that they cant survive, it's that theyre not willing to do what it takes to survive, and Americans have long forgotten about loyalty and patronage, so were enabling these companies to ride high on the hog, while we eat the crap down below. When these companies have to fight to keep their boats and vacation homes, then you watch how quick they answer the phone and lower their prices.
 
#13 ·
Glad that worked for you. They may just be short staffed now. I've had great luck with them. Other than the big components. most of my engine build came from them.

That being said, Summit is great too. I've been buying through them since I had my Camaro 20 years ago.

I'll be following your fuel injection project close. That's on my list too. Maybe for this winter. I went with a Torquer II intake on mine so that I wouldn't have to buy a different one should I swap over the FI.
 
#12 ·
I will add on to the pro Butler update. They treated me well and were fully up front about potential delays with my short block. I am very pleased with the work they did and plan to buy from them again. On a shipping issue, not their fault at all, but a Fed Ex invoice that showed up about a year late. They absorbed most of the cost on that instead of sticking me with the late bill. I respect them for having integrity. There is a lot of nonsense going on with the plandemic but some people really are losing friends and family so I give them extra slack.

I love Ames too. Been buying from them since 1985 I think? Always been honest and responsive with me.
 
#17 ·
Thanks to you guys here in the forum I could spot what I need to order, and there is response to an online order. However, a reply to multiple EMail inquiries would have been appreciated as well...
 
#18 ·
I've talked to them 5 or 6 times and placed 5 orders through them in the past few weeks. They are open and still doing a great job, but a bit old school as the website ordering doesn't work well and I don't email, so always call and wait on hold which is usually only a few minutes.
 
#21 ·
When calling Ames, I usually have about a 5 minute wait, not bad, but their website is a different story, it needs some work. The search feature is too selective, I have to get every space and or word to match up to their part titles. Also, when an item is placed in your shopping cart and want to read the part description again, you can't just click on the item, you have to re enter the part # in the search feature, kind of frustrating, but I have my trusty catalog, which is what I normally use.
 
#24 ·
I haven't Used Ames since 1993, when I re-did the interior on my '67. Because it still looks like new. And I've put 100,000 miles on it, too. The interior parts I bought ten years before that, in 1983, for my '65, still look great too....armrest bases, headliner, etc. Funny how the original stuff turned to crap in 10-12 years, and 39 years later, the AMES plastic chrome still looks good. If I do another one, it's AMEs for me 100%.
 
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