Placed an order in November with a 4-5 week lead time. After 2 months reached out via email and never got a response. Two weeks later I had to wait on hold for 45 minutes in order to finally get a hold of someone. Spoke with "Eric", and was told that my order would most likely ship in the next 2-3 weeks. I didn't get the feeling that they cared at all about the misrepresented time or the fact that it would take an additional 2-3 weeks for them to just ship the product. As such, I cancelled my order, I'll update this review for how that process works out... read more

I ordered level 3+ plates and a carrier in December 3019. I was told there would be a 6-8 week lead time. It is now late March and I haven't heard anything from them. I've sent multiple emails during the last few months and called a few times but NO answer every time. I am starting to feel like I've been ripped off. Now the boogaloo is starting and I have nothing to protect myself. Maybe, I'll make body armor out of plywood. Very dissatisfied customer and will not be shopping at AR500 ever again. read more

Made an order on 12-12-19 saying 8-10 weeks before I would get it and as of 3-1-19 nothing and when I ask when will it ship I get check lead times, here is what I get-Production: We've added an entire second shift, doubling our production capacity. However, teaching the craftsmen who make our armor takes some time. We're through that ramp up, and now production is moving as quickly as it can. Quality Control: QC is one of the most important areas of our production line, so we've increased our QC staff by 50%, but it still takes time to train them to make sure our products meet our exacting standards. AR500 will never cut corners in production or quality control. Too much rides on it to do any different. And because of this, lead times are still longer than we'd like.How does this tell me when it will ship.And now they are having sales with 7-8 weeks of lead time, can't do it in 11 weeks but going do it in 7-8 weeks. I don't believe them read more

Can't speak about the quality of their armor, since they exceeded the lead time, completely failed to communicate or respond in person and I decided to cancel rather than go through an open-ended waiting period. The only point I have to give them credit for is that their incoming email filter apparently detected "Cancellation" in my last message which triggered an auto-reply with the offer to cancel. Even if their product works I consider both their production planning (and the subsequent projection of lead times) and customer service as a near total failures. I can accept delays, especially in the current political climate, but not responding at all other than with bots is about as low as it gets. read more

After some frustrating initial miscommunications with the company, my Testudo Independence Day package arrived two months after order placement. The materials, stitching, pads & plates and overall construction is first rate. Civilians may need to view videos on youtube to learn how to assemble/adjust their plate carrier and add pouches and the holster. There are no written instructions provided. The AR500 logo shown on their website is not on the actual vest which I prefer. I am still debating the benefits of attaching the sidearm holster and especially the ammo pouches to the front of this plate carrier as this could adversely impact shooting in the prone position. Make no mistake, this is not a light vest...this is serious protection and it is heavy. Apparently the glasses included in the Independence Day package photo are not part of the actual package...or perhaps they just neglected to include them in my order. I don't really care as I have plenty of eye protection for shooting already. I have a couple of dislikes. The adjustable, buckled straps on the sides are virtually impossible to adjust while wearing the vest. I wish they were more like the Kifaru backpack straps for easy adjustment and I will likely remove them from the carrier completely. I don't see the need for them and this should make it more comfortable. The other design feature I dislike are the shoulder straps. If you're a small guy this isn't a problem for but us bigger men, the 6 inches between the straps is inadequate. It rubs against your neck and places a strain on your levator scapulae and scalenes. Another three inches of separation between the shoulder straps (as you find on most high end backpacks) would place the weight firmly on your shoulders and would make this product infinitely more comfortable. It would also make slipping the vest over your head easier. Fortunately I won't likely have to wear this item for days at a time...I purchased it for additional home protection. If I wear it, I'll be more concerned about what's happening on my property than the discomfort on my neck. When I put the vest on a much shorter guy who weighs 165lbs, the straps were not an issue. I'm 6' and 220lbs...the 6" gap is too tight. Disclaimer: I am a civilian and this is my first plate carrier purchase. I bought one to see how it felt and am now looking at other carriers with the intention of buying one for every member of my family. In the year 2020 things are getting weird and now more than ever, personal protection is of greater importance to many people. Failure to prepare is preparing for failure. read more

Armored Republic - 2020 Testudo Independence Day Package - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

10/5 Star, this company knocked it out of the park. I placed an order for a plate carrier and the same day it shipped out. I sent them an email asking if i can get the color changed. they replied with it has already been shipped out and they could file for a return but i agreed to keep the color i ordered no problem. Well about an hour later they gave me a call and said they were able to stop the order and send out the color i wanted instead the same day... I was blown away with the customer service. Like typically if a company can do that they will just do it and not "waste time" contacting the customer but no. These lovely folks care about their customers... I will 10/10 be ordering from them again! read more

Not sure what some of the other reviews are talking about when it comes to customer service, I got quick help and courteous service from Kierstinn Lange. I had some small issues, they were quickly fixed, and I'll remain a loyal customer! read more

Don't do it and look elsewhere. I ordered a vest on 8/31/20 and I have yet to receive it as of this writing. Furthermore, Customer Service has stopped sending updates and responding to inquiries on status. Pretty frustrating after spending $600. Whats really frustrating is seeing all of their social posts and getting their email blasts about Black Friday specials and 2 for 1 offers to drive more orders when they cant process orders from 4 months ago. An absolute f'ing joke and a case study in poor customer service. read more

Worst customer service I have dealt with in a long time. The items came in looking used and some items were missing. After 3 days of sending emails with no response, I decided to call. Rep on the phone is pleasant and says she will take care of it. All good for about an hour, until I get an email from Emmanuel, asking what was missing. I explain what we were missing and get a response back with you misunderstood what you were getting and everything was delivered. I had stated that nothing to do with a target stand was delivered and that there were only 3 plates in the box and those plates were all scuffed and banged up. I don't sell used stuff to my customers. Be cautious what you buy, there are a lot of options out there and I will be looking at those options moving forward. All this from the first order! Horrible representation of the company! read more

This is really sad. I wish I have seen all these reviews before I order. I recently order (I will call it recent) on 07/30/2020. I was told I will received my order by 10/22/2020. It is 10/27/2020 and have received no update, not courtesy email, nothing. And when I emailed the support, I received an automated message. I requested for a refund as I was trying to order the product elsewhere and no response. I have given up now and thank you, AR500 Armor, you made me give up. I will let everyone knows how terrible your customer service and refer them here to see how you treat your customers. read more

I ordered one vest back on the 15th of December, and each up date I get says it will be shipped in 3-4 weeks. Mind you I've gotten that time estimation in different months. Tomorrow I'm going to request a refund and buy elsewhere. read more

If I could give zero stars I would. These clowns will never get another dime of my money. I ordered a carrier package on January 10th with a 8-10 week lead time. 10 weeks came and went with no response. I called them and was on hold for two hours before I spoke to someone. A woman told me that my carrier was in Quality being inspected and that I should get a shipping email within the next week. A week and a half later, nothing. I call again; after a two hour and ten minute wait I talk to Josh I believe. I told him what the previous woman told me and that I would like to know what was going on with my order. He told me that they didn't have a quality department and that it would be at least another 3 weeks. He said that they are backed up because of the pandemic. I ordered my carrier before the pandemic started so my order shouldn't be affected. I think I am just going to cancel my order. I ordered from Spartan Armor and got my carrier in 4 weeks. I was planning on ordering a couple more sets for the kids but I will not be ordering from AR500. No communication and I was lied to. Edit 4/19/20 Received my carrier with on 4/17/20, after 14 weeks. The quality is outstanding for the price. I don't want to see any American company do bad, especially a company of patriots. Having said that, they have to do better with customer service. I understand the situation and would have been more than willing to wait had they communicated and not given me the run-around every time I did get ahold of them. If you're willing to wait, you won't be disappointed in the value of the product. read more

You need to be Very Careful when buying from ar500 armor. If you order something from ar500, you better hope and pray that they send you what you ordered. I didn't!! To say that it has been a Total Nightmare trying to get their error corrected would be a gross understatement! This company is TOTALLY UNRESPONSIVE to customer inquiries!!! I have spent almost two (2) months trying to get through to their customer "non-service" department (This is in addition to the several weeks I waited to receive my order). I have made countless phone calls (the line is eternally busy) and sent countless emails to them. All I ever got was an auto email response saying they are busy and will get back to me. Which of course is a Total Lie; Because they Never do!!! This has been one of the most frustrating experiences of my life! So it looks like I am stuck with something that I didn't order and don't want; And out almost $200 to boot! If I could give them a negative star rating I would! read more

So recently I have purchased close to $1000 worth of product from AR 500 and with that said I am very very very frustrated with this company! Their customer service is the worst I have ever seen in my life!!! I have sent emails and have request an email response back and I've got none in over a month. I've called their phone number and request a call back and when they call you back they either send you straight to voicemail or hang up on you. I called them to upgrade one of my current orders and they tried to talk me out of the upgrade. They just did not want to be bothered. After about four different people I finally found one gal that was very helpful. But all the guys are totally a joke!! On top of all that they recently sent me an email Advertising their new battle belt and on the same email it says 20.12% off "The entire site" for their eight year anniversary. No where on the site does it say promotions are excluded. When I tried to purchase and used the 8years coupon code it didn't work. I called and after about six frustrating phone calls they finally told me it doesn't include promotional items which is false advertisement on their part. I will never ever ever ever use this company again in the future. The worst Customer service ever!!! read more

I placed a review A while back and I'd like to update it.. I received my targets a week ago, and I have to say they are very well made. A lot better than any other target I have purchased... I gave it 4 stars only because of the lack of communication. I had to reach out and chose email both times and waited not that long the first time to be told a couple weeks and the second time over a week to get a response. But when he did respond the second time he took care of me and I am a satisfied customer now. :) read more

I hating writing bad reviews. I ordered my carrier and plates with a 6 week lead time, fine. But then six weeks went by, then 7, then 8. My order finally went through, and I received it. Good carrier, and plates. Im happy with the product.... Now the bad stuff. With my initial order, I was double charged. I had to call and email to fix the problem. I couldn't get through to anyone. It took me 2 weeks before I got ahold of anyone by phone. NO ONE ever returned my emails. Four of them. They did fixed the problem......Eventually. During my 8 week wait time, my item went on sale for several weeks. I called and FINALLY after a few days got hold of someone. They told me they would reimburse the difference in price to match the sale price. I was told they would make it happen. It's been over 10 days. No refund. Im so disappointed in this company. I know covid is happening, but this is not acceptable. read more

I had made an order for a plate carrier that never arrived. Kevin Rowley of their customer support was a HUGE help in figuring out what happened and worked a new order in fast. They were very understanding of my shipment needs as I am currently overseas. Here's hoping this order makes it! 5 stars for great customer service so far. read more

If you're looking for a place with perfect customer service look no more. Their prices are good but what sets them apart is their customer service. I will not but anything armor related [products from anyone else. I have never dealt with a company with such good customer service; Plus their products are top notch. I have made several orders and all I can say is they are a 10 out of 10 when it comes to products and customer service, Not sure where all the haters are coming from but ar500armor is my place to go for carriers and armor. read more

Ordered on November 26th with a 2 week lead time. 8 weeks later, still nothing. Oh and don't bother trying to call customer service because they won't answer. Frustrating to say the least. read more

Placed an order 12 weeks ago when the website said 4 week lead time. 2 months go by I get told my order shipped. I checked the tracking number. The number is invalid. I contacted the company they said they have a system problem and that my order would ship in another 2 to 3 weeks. It is now 4 weeks. No order. No update. No communication. This company also charges your credit card in full at the time you order so they hold your money hostage and get you to place the order under the false pretense of a 4 week delivery time. Unethical. Bad business practice..... read more

Buyers PLEASE Beware!! "Promises...Promises..." Placed an order 12/02/19 (costing $282.62), with stated "lead time" of 4-6 weeks. 4 months and still waiting on a promise..... Unable to communicate with company (number of calls with over 1 hr. wait time no response). Have sent emails no response...(other than an auto response "transparency" statement again about "lead times"). This company should maybe consider producing telephones to respond to its stranded "lead time" customers left in the fog of the "twilight zone". If you are one of those customers unfortunate enough to have purchased a "promise" with a "lead time" from this company, please consider contacting the AZ Better Business Bureau and FTC (for State/Fed. regulatory assistance). Even wrote to the President/CEO (identifying my concerns) and expecting just maybe... a reasonably quick response but shockingly, no response. (maybe there's a "lead time" there too..) Very disheartened and disappointed.... I truly feel this company is capable of doing so much better. read more

These guys are crooks avoid them. I ordered soft armor from them via the site in may of 2018, they still have not shipped me a thing. I was scottsdale on business in June and visited the shop, 90 percent of my order was on the self. The guy behind the desk said I should get my order delivered to me in 2 to 3 week. After I visited the shop I called them 2 to 3 times and was given the same story, you will get it in 2 to 3 weeks. Guess what I still do not have my order, but they charged my card and got the money. Now visa will deal with them. This is a Ponzi scheme, take in more then you send out. To the person from AR 500 who replied , I sent emails to you , your people never replied, I even replied to my paid invoice asking for status, you did not reply. Please search your emails and respond to me, or call me, you have my contact information on my paid bill from may. I also called you two times, and showed up at your door once. I have had Enough of your excuses! I get daily marketing emails with discount codes for the same stuff I ordered. If you do not have it in stock , why do you keep sending out marketing emails to get people to buy. read more

Good service and quality products as always. Shipping speed has improved substantially over my prior orders.

Order placed on December 6 for a 4 target set. Website stated 6-8 weeks. 8 week mark hit and after emailing them they responded 2 weeks later that "hopefully within the next few weeks your order will be getting ready to ship out." Read that quote again. For a company that blasts all over the place they are very transparent about lead times, that quote is very misleading. It does not commit to being ready in the next few weeks, it commits to hopefully being ready. Second, it states ready to ship out NOT shipping out in a few weeks. Words have meaning. They use boiler plate email responses for the most part in response. Anyway we're sitting at 12 weeks for targets that are literally the easiest and least fabrication intensive product they actually make. They are cut by machine, boxed, and shipped; that simple. Yet at 12 weeks they still have no answers. I think rather than calling a credit card company about fraudulent charges maybe people should start copying and calling the AZ state attorney office. Who knows, maybe they are legit, maybe they're not. 12 weeks. read more

Great product exactly what I ordered. Lead times were good compared to other companies. Great customer service, reccomended them to my son who is also looking for body armor. Will definitely buy from them again read more

Ordered a $400 plate carrier from a facebook deal on Dec. 20th 2019, here we are 2 months later, still nothing! Reading the other reviews I'm actually disappointed that I ordered from them now. They say they're working hard to keep up with demand but the customer service is doing a very poor job at keeping everybody patient while they wait! I have not been notified about any progress or order updates on my order. DO NOT buy from this company. read more

Holy cow, what a nightmare of a company. They told me 6-8 week lead time for my order. 10 weeks later and they are saying another "3-4 weeks." (Supposedly). Good luck getting ahold of anyone there. No response to multiple emails. No response to multiple calls. Endless wait times. This place is a travesty of a poorly run organization. Do yourself a favor and order anywhere else. I have wasted so much time on this disaster. read more

I left a Google review and heard nothing about my order so now I'm leaving one here. All I want is to talk to someone and get an answer for when I should expect my order I'm 6 weeks past my original lead time of 4 weeks 3 months is just really long to not get any updates please give me an idea of what's going on for Jacob Nelson. I'll even come pick it up u guys are just up the road from me! read more

Shipping time was as advertised but thats all i can say with my experience with them so far. Dont order BOGO plates because they will not send you your free ones. And when you message them to let them know they forgot to send them they will act like you didn't order the bogo deal. Definitely do not reccomend this company read more

Thus far my experience with AR500 has been superb. I fat-fingered my email address and was not receiving confirmation regarding my purchase. When I reached out, Michael Moon was quick to respond to my inquiry in a professional and friendly manner. Michael worked with me via speedy email replies to endure that my account was updated, and I received all the information I required regarding my purchase. So far, based on the customer service experience, I will continue to use AR500 and recommend that others do too read more

Excellent sale prices, good products and customer service with fair wait times. They delivered on the 12 week lead time and again on the 4 week. So far, I've had a great experience with AR500 and would recommend friends to buy from here. read more

I placed an order (and 2 later in the year) for a plate carrier on October 12, 2020 while deployed, and had it shipped to my stateside address. Fast forward nearly nine months to my return..... Two of three orders were waiting for me, but not the plate carrier. Tracking from my end determined nothing. I contacted a very busy AR500 via email. My concern was handled by Michael Moon. Within a few hours of my reaching out, he researched, corrected, and replied to my request. Apparently my order was prepared to ship but never departed the AR500 facility. Given the volume of sales AR500 has been processing, mistakes are bound to happen. What's important to note is HOW a business handles customers when they reach out for assistance. AR500, and Michael Moon's commitment to customers is well above par for any business operating in today's America. I have purchased from AR500 since 2013 and will continue to do so with confidence. Keep up the good work! read more

A big thanks to Michael Moon in customer service for the prompt response on getting my address change done 2/3 the way through the processing of my order. I wouldn't want my package showing up at an empty house after I've moved at the beginning of next month. read more

They make promises they cannot keep. Ordered in November 2020, As of January 14th only half my order came in. Excuses Excuses Excuses. No response to emails. They simply took peoples money and failed to deliver. They then post a video with a apology, But it's too late. Horrible customer care. Ill wait another week or so then file a changeback. read more

The show room is the BOMB!!! Look, it's bare bones, no frills, but seriously what do you really need? An outstanding product + clear pricing = no wasting time I got what I want and I'm out happy. They have great deals and their price vs. the comp is well above par. You get great quality for what you pay. They have extremely friendly staff (ask for José) with no pressure selling. Just informative and honest people there to help you. Saw their call center and they are busy making it right for the customers. I'd have to say I was extremely impressed overall and would recommend this business and product to everyone. read more

Armored Republic - The showroom!! - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Pretty good place to get what you need and reasonable prices. They don't carry a big selection but great starting point for me and my family. read more

Had to cancel order. Waited 12 weeks on order before I canceled. Lead time was said to be a max of 8 weeks at the time of the order. When I canceled the order the lead time was said to be a max of 10 weeks on their website. Customer service said it would be another 6-8 weeks because they had a rush on the order, glad they put a rush on it. So if 6-8 weeks was a good estimate that be entering week 20. They do have a good website in place and are able to collect their money very efficiently. Part of their business is working just fine. The section that gets you the item that you ordered is not working. Would not be surprised if they are out of business by the end of 2020, funding and/or supply issues will end this company. read more

Absolutely the worst customer service experience I have received in a Long time. Lead times are not accurate and you will only continue to get automated emails when you ask about your order months later. No discounts offered due to lack of communication just more excuses. Highly suggest looking elsewhere even if it's double the cost. At least you will get the merchandise you paid for. read more

Horrible customer service! Over 3 months now on my order and still have not received it. Initial lead time was 4 weeks. Countless emails and phone calls to the company with no responses. Do not buy. read more

The new retail store is awesome and the staff is top notch. I have placed a few orders online but it was fantastic to try on the latest and greatest gear. I was able to try a number of different rigs with different loads from plate Level III to the soft hybrid level IIIA and everything in between. If you are in the Phoenix this is a must stop. BTW - on my original order I had to wait the 4-6 weeks but let me tell you, it's 4:30 on Friday and the team here at AR500 are grinding it out to get orders filled. The passion for what they do here is contagious. read more