ANS Gear hates their customers.

[maggot]

This image says it all. You're in the right. Take that RMA offer and spend your money elsewhere.

[DocsMachine]

What have you guys got against Breast Cancer Awareness?

Seriously, just for a clarification: Anodizing basically oxidizes the surface of aluminum. The oxide layer, since you're adding an oxygen molecule to it, "grows out" of the parent metal- the part gets very slightly bigger.

But, the oxide layer also tends to extend below the level of the original parent metal- again, very slightly, but it does.

Stripping the anodizing off- which is very easy, using a bath of something like sodium hydroxide (lye)- strips the entire layer off, which means down to slightly below the level of the original part.

Roughly speaking, if you had a cube of raw aluminum that was exactly 1.000" on a side, after anodizing, it might be 1.002". After stripping, it might be 0.998".

So yes, every time you re-anodize a marker, you're losing metal. A tiny amount, but yes, tolerances grow.

Most markers can easily tolerate at least one reanodizing, often two. By the time you're on your third or fourth, you've lost enough metal that O-rings have a hard time sealing, your .685" barrel is now a .689", and guns with very fine threads- like the older Angel LPR plugs or feed necks- strip out easily because they've lost thread engagement.

Worse is any work that's done to the gun in between. It's of course very common to take the freshly-stripped body and polish it- and polishing, naturally, is basically by definition a metal removal process.

So yeah, too many reanodizing jobs can junk a gun quite easily.

Doc.

[Sdawg]

Unpopular opinion time... I have ordered from ANS a lot and never really had problems? The red acid wash LV1.1 I bought from them looks amazing and has no problems. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This one time they sent me the wrong replacement mask foam for a pro flex, but I called them up and got a RMA.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[William the Third]

Nothing wrong with that, you shouldn't think of that as an unpopular opinion. Statistically speaking, there are going to be those with no, or at least no serious, problems. The friend who bought the green acid wash resurrection at the same time also has had no problems with ANS himself, but knows people, like me, who have. The running joke for the three months I was waiting for this was that ANS was going to screw it up somehow.

[coyote]

If you got the wrong item, which you did, you had a problem.

Glad they took care of the problem, but they made a mistake none the less.

[SignOfZeta]

They don’t have the resources to screw up EVERY order.

[Tarsun2]

be happy you got the RMA and (im assuming) a refund.
Spend the $ elsewhere. i Know you want to save face since you roped your friend into it but this is an easy out and lessen learned, with nothing lost. (again, im assuming). Story told and people warned.

[ChoSanJuan]

While I've not had problems, I'm going to be limiting my use of them from here on out. My nephew (JaggedX5593) ordered a Ninja tank from them back in November. He had it sent to my house because he was in the middle of moving. Guess what showed up this weekend? After many times on the phone and chat with them, the best they could say was, "it's Ninja's fault, not ours." Like what??!?!? How about not putting it up on inventory since you didn't have any?

[sandfreestyle]

My fiancé ordered a Grill from them online and we went to return it in person because we are local and was in the area. When they shipped the mask they stuffed it into a smaller box thus damaging the product box. We returned the item in person no problem but then we get a notice in the mail that our damage claim with USPS has been filled. We never submitted a claim, ANS did to try and recoup their losses on the package they messed up. We notified USPS but never heard anything about it. I do purchase from them once in a while, but only in person now because they really don't care if they damage stuff or scam USPS for their negligence.

[Cunha]

paintball wizard has been pretty good.

[maninblack2k]

paintball wizard has been pretty good.

I've used Paintball Wizard quite a bit and they have been excellent over the past few years I've ordered from them.

[Cunha]

Anyone else have positive experiences with a diferent online retailer?

I was really bummed when ANS bought paintballgear.com (action village) I was really loyal to them.

Compulsivepaintball was good but doesn't carry much anymore.

Really looking for a general purpose all around retailer that isn't ANS.

And sadly paintballgateway fell apart recently too they were a good alternate for a while.

[OdinBuilt]

I had to pour one out for Action Village as well, used to be my go-to online store back in the day. I always had a good experience with them.

Edit: And paintball-online.com before that...

[cfos00]

Yeah, Punisher's Paintball. Bought something, didn't realize that a part was already included with something else in the order, and they actually called me to let me know, took off the charge for the extra part, and then sent the order out. I'll go out of my way now to order from them.

And they're a sponsor of ours, but ordering from Valken's site has always been good to me. Even if you don't use Valken gear, they have been great to us as a distributor. They've hooked me up more than once over there, and our rep Will is a good dude.

[Bulldogr6]

I don't buy a tremendous amount of paintball items online as my local paintball store is really good and very competitive price wise so I like to give him the option. And I seem to spend too much time in the BST section of this site lol

My last online purchases that come to mind have been from

Virtue paintballs Amazon store

https://www.blackfridaypaintball.com/

https://autocockerparts.com/

https://trademygun.com/

https://paintballdna.com

https://undrindustries.com/

All without any issues

Sent from my E6910 using Tapatalk

[BenoitOWN]

Autocockerparts is nice, it get expensive to do small order to get his stuff to Canada but top notch when you receive his parts.

[BenoitOWN]

The Canadian relative to Ans in term of old and new is paintballgear.ca but yea rarely does one shop have the range of ansgear.
the owner will pick up the phone but he doesn’t reply emails at least not to any of mine.

Local field was able to help years ago but he sold off all old inventory at yearly boxing days or clearance bin so I’m the odd guy that buy only common items(swabs, 12ies, tubes, mask lens, air fittings) but since I’m into old gun they can’t do much if something fail. They accepted once my cocker but then that tech left. I will add that some manufacturer make it hard to supply up north, I wanted to special order items in and they too wanted to back them self in new product since others was out and all they sent them was their regular stuff, none of others.

[The Jayster]

Badlands... yeah. They used to be great, now they're struggling. They don't have much in stock and they apply some crazy mark-ups way past beyond what the exchange rate would dictate. I find Impact Pro-Shop has a decent selection at fair prices, with some solid customer service.

But yeah, once a year or so I place an order with ANS Gear for the stuff I just can't get in Canada. It is not about paying less, just getting the stuff I want. Then again, some of the pricing here is SO inflated that even if I get hit with taxes and a small fee, I still end up saving, even when you factor in the exchange rate. So far I've never had any issues, but I mainly order pretty common items.

[BenoitOWN]

If it recent Impact-Proshop is great. They do big orders and supply other proshop. That is where I get my common item. Been buying stuff from Hugo since 2003.

[Cdn_Cuda]

I’ve also had good experiences with Impact Pro-Shop.

[Jonnydread]

Once PBgateway shit the bed I pretty much only use autocockerparts for online retailers. My local proshop doesn't have the best selection, but I use them when possible. Luckily Paintball Wizard is en route to my folks' house in NH so I can get just about anything I need from them. I personally haven't had any issues with ANS, but I avoid them due to everyone else's feedback.

[William the Third]

So I hate when stories are left with a cliffhanger. In the end I got my money, all $588.45 of it, back. Here are the email that transpired since the original post.

Apr 8, 2021, 12:48 AM
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It's been nearly a week. What is ANS's decision? As I've stated before, I must be a masochist, as I am still willing to wait for the correct color. For what it's worth, I actually did try to acquire that proper Purple Acid Wash Empire Sniper that is on eBay. The seller doesn't seem to be interested in selling the marker alone.


Thank you for your time,
William

Apr 8, 2021, 10:16 PM
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Just sending this again, since I have yet to receive a reply.


Thank you for your time,
William

Apr 9, 2021, 7:32 PM
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It's been a week now. Is ANS's plan just to ignore this, and hope it goes away?


William

Apr 12, 2021, 10:53 AM
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Hi William,

This is all we have available.

If you would like to keep the marker you are free to.

If you would like to return it for a refund that is also available.

As for another batch of Purple I do not have a concrete time. Also I can not guarantee that the color will be different.

Let us know what you want to do.

For further assistance please call us direct at 805.522.8700 or join our LiveChat services during normal business hours Monday-Friday 8am-6pm PST.

Thank you,

JG

Apr 13, 2021, 2:34 AM
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Thank you for your reply. It seems that since ANS is unable to supply a proper Purple Acid Wash Empire Resurrection, a return is the only option to move forward. I expect that I will receive a full refund, and that ANS will supply a return label?

Should ANS ever receive a proper Purple Acid Wash Empire Resurrection, or make another Orange Acid Wash Empire Sniper, I'm still interested. Could be persuaded into a proper Purple Acid Wash Empire Sniper too, but maybe I'll finally get the guy on eBay to sell the marker alone.


Thank you for your time,
William

Apr 15, 2021, 2:55 PM
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Just sending this again, since I have yet to receive a reply.


Thank you for your time,
William

Apr 19, 2021, 9:06 PM
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So it's been a week again with no response. I'd really like to get this settled.


Thank you for your time,
William

Apr 20, 2021, 11:54 AM
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Hi William,

I apologize for the delay.

A label can not be provided for the second return.

I have set up the RMA for a refund.

You can send your new and unused item(s) back to us for a proper return/exchange using the information below.

Please ensure that the original packaging is not damaged or taped over when being repackaged. Upon arrival, the package will be inspected by our lead tech and if used will simply be returned to the customer.

RMA #17664

With the RMA number clearly written on the outside of the package, please send your return to:

ANSgear.com
41 Moreland Rd
Simi Valley, CA 93065

Note: Returns take between 3-5 business days for completion.

You are welcome to use any shipping courier that is most cost effective and convenient for you to return the item(s). Once you have tracking information please reach back out with that so we can process your return/exchange in a timely manner.

For further assistance please call us direct at 805.522.8700 or join our LiveChat services during normal business hours Monday-Friday 8am-6pm PST (excluding holidays).

Thank you,

JG

Apr 20, 2021, 1:44 PM
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Then will I be reimbursed for shipping cost? You can't honestly expect that I should lose money because ANS was unable to uphold their side of the contract and supply me with what I ordered. It's already ridiculous that I've lost as much time as I have trying to correct this. I have no problem with going through a chargeback process if that is what it takes. It would be one thing if I were returning something that was correct, and I just didn't want it. However, since this is something I want, only I want it in the color I order, which ANS is apparently unable or unwilling to supply, that is a totally different situation. Of course the marker is unused. Just like the first one, once the box was opened, the incorrect color was found, pictures were immediately taken, and everything boxed back up. I have no interest in something that I didn't order.


Thank you for your time,
William

Apr 21, 2021, 11:51 AM
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Hi William,

I will provide a label as a courtesy.

If you are having an issue William it is better to call in instead of the e-mail back and forth.

As you can see I have tried my best to assist with sending you a label, reshipping your marker overnight and even checking the marker before shipping it out to you.

Currently this will be a return for refund and due to the variance in color from anodizing. I can not assure you we will get a darker color that the one you have now.

For further assistance please call us direct at 805.522.8700 or join our LiveChat services during normal business hours Monday-Friday 8am-6pm PST.

Thank you,

JG

Apr 21, 2021, 6:04 PM
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Don't act as if you are providing me a courtesy by supplying me with a label. The thought that I should have had to pay to ship back ANS's mistake was appalling. Upon ANS receiving the return, I expect a complete refund of $588.45 ($549.95 marker/$38.50 tax), and I would like confirmation that this is what I will receive. There should be no restocking or other BS fees/charges, as again, the thought that I should pay for ANS's mistakes is insulting. It's already insulting enough that ANS was paid in full for the marker back on 2020-11-30, but didn't inform me till 2020-12-02 that the marker was on backorder with an ETA of "Early 2021". But that wouldn't have really bothered me, if I'd gotten what I'd ordered.

Call? So I can sit on hold for ~20 minutes again? Calling demands immediate time and attention, and frankly is better reserved for situations that require immediate action, "emergencies" if you will. Email is better suited to this situation, as it allows one to reply as time allows, to fully think out one's response, and leaves a written record.

If you looked at the second marker before sending it out, then it should have been noticed that the replacement still looked nothing like the purple on the website, or the purple on previous purple acid wash Empire Resurrections/Snipers. It's not a problem of "lightness" or "darkness", it's a problem of color hue. What I received contains far too much red, which makes it a fuschia/magenta that looks strikingly similar to what ANS sells as "pink". You can darken or lighten it all you want, but it will never make purple, only darker or lighter shades of fuschia/magenta. Purple, like the "purple" shown on ANS's website, and on previous purple acid wash Empire Resurrections/Snipers sold by ANS, on the other hand is a fairly balanced mix of red and blue.

Had the second marker actually been purple, then overnighting the second one would have been some great customer service. However, since the second one was the exact same color, which should have been noticed before shipping the second one seeing how the second one wasn't sent out till after the original one was received by ANS, this overnight shipping was just a waste of time and resources. On top of that, I was told that the second one was going to be shipped out as soon as I dropped off the original one with FedEx. I was told to call ANS to let them know once I dropped it off, which I tried, only to be met with a message that everyone was busy and there was a wait time, so I opted to just email you that it had been dropped off. Mind you, this I didn't really care about. I'm actually happy things played out as they did, as it meant ANS was in possession of both markers for a few hours on 2021-03-24. This meant there was plenty of time to compare the two and discover that they are both the same color that isn't purple.

I highly suggest ANS speaks with whoever it is they outsource their anodizing with. Colors may vary slightly between batches, and different alloys in the same batch, but this is a totally different color than in the past. Did ANS switch suppliers? If ANS should ever get a proper purple acid wash Resurrection, or purple or orange acid wash Sniper, I'm still interested.


Thank you for your time,
William

Apr 22, 2021, 1:46 PM
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I would like a confirmation that I will receive a complete refund of $588.45 ($549.95 marker/$38.50 tax) before I send the marker back.


Thank you for your time,
William

Apr 23, 2021, 10:52 AM
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Hello,

This is for a full refund William.

As long as the marker is just how you received it, all good.


For further assistance please call us direct at 805.522.8700 or join our LiveChat services during normal business hours Monday-Friday 8am-6pm PST.

Thank you,

JG

May 3, 2021, 4:30 PM
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I see that the return has been received.


Thank you for your time,
William

May 5, 2021, 2:14 PM
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Ok, so ANS has had the return for a couple of days now. Where are we at with this?


Thank you for your time,
William

May 6, 2021, 7:38 PM
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Hi William,

Since your return has been in our possession for three days now it should be processed soon.

Note: Returns take between 3-5 business days for completion.

For additional info please refer to the return info sent earlier in this email thread or our returns page
Additional info: https://www.ansgear.com/returns.asp

For further assistance please call us direct at 805.522.8700 or join our LiveChat services during normal business hours Monday-Friday 8am-6pm PST (excluding holidays).

Thanks!

[Tonalism]

This entire situation is strange because it seems like a super inordinate waste of everyone's time involved to not just go "Oh yeah that's not purple here's a return shipping label on us, sorry". But I notice this ultra bureaucratic behavior a lot lately. Some people's lives are mired in winning every conflict no matter how small even if it spites sound business practices or how bad of a Pyrrhic victory results.

[SignOfZeta]

Dang, what a bunch of scumbags. Insinuating you have already fired the gun and using it as a threat to screw you.

F these guys for sure. Also, them wanting you to call instead of write is a common thing dirtbags pull. They do it so they can not have a record of the conversation, so they can change their story and make everything into a “he said, she said” situation. Stuck with the email when dealing with dirtbags. If they call you tell them you’re recording it.

[William the Third]

I did record the one phone call I had with them, you know, the one where they admitted it was pink. That's one of the nice advantages of living in a one-party consent state.