View Full Version : AAC goes full retard.
I have been a long time AAC owner and supporter. However the last few years since Freedom group purchased them they have been slipping.
A couple blogs have been calling them out on some especially stupid moves and instead of reacting like adults they have decided to act like a bunch of children and resort to name calling.
This is mainly all stemming from a few people they blacklisted at Shot. Frankly it is looking more and more like a dick measuring contest but you would expect batter of a company.
http://www.aacblog.com/the-truth-about-aac/comment-page-1/#comment-56468
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2015
THE TRUTH ABOUT AAC
Having been at SHOT 2015 and hearing some of the wild rumors and unfounded speculation going around about AAC, I felt I needed to step in, clear the air, and set the record straight.
RUMOR: AAC is going out of business.
FACT: AAC is not going out of business. We are, however, moving to a new facility in Huntsville, Alabama, that will include most of the other companies that make up Remington Outdoor Company. The AAC facility in Lawrenceville, GA will cease production in February. The relocation of equipment and personnel will take place between the cessation of production and early May. We are taking steps to minimize any interruptions in communication and customer service during the transition so that the move is as transparent to our customers as possible. We introduced not one, not two, not three, but four new silencers this year. Would we do that if we were going out of business?
RUMOR: They came in and fired everyone.
FACT: No they didn’t. No employee has been fired from AAC in the last three years. This rumor has been spread ad-nauseam by a mouth-breathing oaf that writes for a blog, the title of which begins with a word that rhymes with “douche”. He’s relaying bad intel, spoon fed to him by former AAC personnel. Consider the source.
RUMOR: They ran off all the creative people.
FACT: Again, no, they didn’t. With the exception of one silencer in the current 2015 catalog, the other 30 or so silencers were designed by personnel that are still drawing a paycheck with AAC at the top.
RUMOR: They are merging AAC with TAPCO.
FACT: Um, no. Why would they do that? This is another one of those “douche about guns” rumors. Again, completely baseless tripe passed on by former AAC personnel and regurgitated by an easily manipulated blogger.
To all of you out there that own AAC products, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your patronage. The four products we introduced at SHOT are not the last new products to come from us this year. There are some really interesting new silencers to come that I believe will surprise everyone, and re-establish AAC as the leader in silencer innovation. Please stay tuned!
Thanks for your time,
Mike Smith/AAC
Now a lot of people have been less than happy with their tone over this....
I posted a response to their blog saying the following.
I own a number of AAC suppressors. I have also been an ardent defender of the company. However the last couple years have made it harder and harder to continue supporting the company. Being acquired by freedom group was bad. the lack of recent innovation was bad. Yet I still remained loyal.
But with this I am done with AAC. Mike Smith your lack of professionalism is disturbing. No. It is more than that. You are acting childish. There is a lot of valid concern and criticism leveled at AAC lately. Instead of responding in such a way as to alleviate those concerns you take pot shots at people in the community who are respected.
You have done nothing but further damage the reputation of a company that was already starting to have some problems. If AAC hasn't fired anyone in the last 3 years(which I know for a fact to be a blatant lie). Then they need to start with you. If I acted like this publicly in my companies name I would be out the door so fast my head would spin.
I am not going to make some stupid claim about selling all my AAC suppressors. That is just stupid. However I can say honestly that I am in the market for a .45 can and a can for my .300 Blackout rifle. Before today a TiRant 45 and SDN-6 were the top contenders. As of now any AAC can is off the list for me. Period. Don't believe me? I will gladly give you the number of two class 3 dealers I have been discussing this with. In addition a lot of local people tend to trust me for advice on high end weapons and accessories. Once again guess who I will not be recommending... There are too many good companies on the market now. Our choices are no longer just Gemtech, AAC and Surefire. I think you need to realize this before you dig this hole any deeper.
Within a couple hours it was gone. I am also willing to bet mine is not the only reply deleted. Yet another comapny that seems to forget that we live in a world where people talk.
skijunkie55
02-03-15, 16:53
Surefire is better anyway :D
I read TTAG everyday and the AAC blog post doesn't really bother me. Nick has been publish unsubstantiated rumors for a quite a while now and if its true that they are false, let AAC bitch, they have every right to fight back. Nick's reporting has probably caused a lot of people to not buy AAC cans because of uncertainty.
The lack of professionalism = meh, let him vent. Just my 2 cents
This is easily NOT the worst thing I've ever seen a manufacturer or rep say on the internet. This is so incredibly minor it barely warrants pointing it out.
In fact if this was the worst example of conduct from a manufacturer, we'd be in really good shape. If Colt was willing to sell their products without a bunch of LE qualifiers but they said the word "douche" on the internet I'd be thrilled. If SIG would return to making top quality handguns but said the word "douche" on the internet I'd be thrilled. If Glock would just come up with a standard dealer and retail price for all and quit playing "blue label" pricing games but said "douche" on the internet I'd be thrilled.
Eurodriver
02-03-15, 17:03
I have no problem with his "unprofessionalism"
However, the douche about guns is a complete joke and I wouldn't think he is out of line if he sued them for lost revenue. That guy is a freaking tool.
It is a blog dude, that is where you are supposed to post stuff like this, I can't believe you are so worked up over that post you would even try to respond to it.
Have you ever seen the nonsense coming from the mouth of Mark Cuban, Scott McNealy, Larry Ellison, Donald Trump, to name a few examples...
Don't see anything out of line one has to stand up sometimes :)
I too dont see anything wrong with whats written. Especially if the other guy is lying.
Not even close to going full "retard."
I'm going to side with SA here, there have been manufacturers that have done a hell of a lot more retarded things in regards to posting on public forums. While this may not be a great example, it is far from some of the shit I have read or seen from others and will leave it at that.
I guess this is the way I look at it. If I was to post something about this in my companies name, my broker would cut me loose in a heartbeat. I am not a big TTAG fan either. However they are respected by a large portion of the firearms community.
Maybe I just expect more out of people, or maybe it is my dislike of Freedom group showing though.. But I just see a problem with acting like this under the company name.. Add to that the censoring of people who disagree and it rubbed me the wrong way. Of course I am open to being wrong as well so who the hell knows..
I saw that the other day and thought it was funny. Didn't push me one way or the other, but I wasn't gonna buy an AAC can anyway.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Inkslinger
02-03-15, 18:44
I don't know kwelz, your response to them seems to fit the "full retard" bill better than theirs. Telling them you're not going to buy two cans from them. Local people trust you for advice? Call my dealer and ask! You've got them up against the ropes bud.
I honestly see nothing wrong with their response. I also see nothing wrong with you taking your business elsewhere. Basically I'm looking at this thread like, WTF? It smells of "hey read my snappy retort to what someone wrote on the Internet." You just seem to be over invested emotionally in AAC's business.
Voodoo_Man
02-03-15, 18:57
"douche about guns"
totally accurate.
Eurodriver
02-03-15, 18:58
I guess this is the way I look at it. If I was to post something about this in my companies name, my broker would cut me loose in a heartbeat. I am not a big TTAG fan either. However they are respected by a large portion of the firearms community.
Maybe I just expect more out of people, or maybe it is my dislike of Freedom group showing though.. But I just see a problem with acting like this under the company name.. Add to that the censoring of people who disagree and it rubbed me the wrong way. Of course I am open to being wrong as well so who the hell knows..
Different industries man. I'm not sure what industry you're in, but by "Broker" I'm assuming its financial related (or real estate)
Makes total sense. If you're investing money, or spending hundreds of thousands on a bachelor pad, you want someone with professionalism (or at least big chesticles) You don't want the frat guy "douche" tone.
Gun people are different, and given AAC's business model this blog post summarizes that perfectly.
I mean, look at it this way. I'm pretty sure your broker would kick you in the wiener if you released a "Zombie Apocalypse" product, but even Hornady - a well respected company, did just that.
My point on asking the dealers was just that people make bullshit claims like that all the time. And I was saying that I really am looking at two cans and their attitude was enough that I am looking elsewhere now. Like I said. This just really rubbed me the wrong way. Actions have consequences. And when you speak under the name of a company it can have consequences for the company as well.
For instance there is a local hobby shop I frequent. I like the place and the dude who runs it. However he is a jerk towards a number of other shops in the area and rubs a number of customers the wrong way. Corporate just game in and handed him his ass over it. thankfully he didn't get fired but it was a close thing. This to me came off as the same type of thing.
That being said, I mentioned earlier that maybe I am off base. I don't care if I am wrong and can accept it if I am. So yeah my I have a couple dozen people who usually come to me with gun related questions. they know I tend to prefer better quality stuff. I would prefer they go to someone who knows a lot more but they know me so they keep asking me. And yes I would be a lot more likely to suggest something else now adays. not just for this but for the other reasons as well. Such as newer companies making better products.
Different industries man. I'm not sure what industry you're in, but by "Broker" I'm assuming its financial related (or real estate)
Makes total sense. If you're investing money, or spending hundreds of thousands on a bachelor pad, you want someone with professionalism (or at least big chesticles) You don't want the frat guy "douche" tone.
Gun people are different, and given AAC's business model this blog post summarizes that perfectly.
I mean, look at it this way. I'm pretty sure your broker would kick you in the wiener if you released a "Zombie Apocalypse" product, but even Hornady - a well respected company, did just that.
Real Estate. And true answer all around. Haha!
LowSpeed_HighDrag
02-03-15, 19:21
Color me….confused. Which part was out of line.
If you post on your huge website that I am "this" when I am really "that", and by saying I am "this" you hurt my "that", I might call you a douche too.
I think you're just over sensitive.
I think you're just over sensitive.
DON"T CALL ME SESNSETIVE!! /cries and runs off like a little girl.
Consider me sufficiently chastised guys.
DON"T CALL ME SESNSETIVE!! /cries and runs off like a little girl.
Consider me sufficiently chastised guys.
Ha! Good response.
MountainRaven
02-03-15, 20:57
I'm not especially fond of TTAG and I have a strong dislike of Freedom Group. So I'm naturally biased against Freedom Group and every company under their umbrella - even though I really want to like a couple of them, including AAC. This has rendered me so skeptical of AAC that I do not trust anything that they are saying, nor am I likely to until such time as Freedom Group has finally been cut free from Cerberus and the quality and customer service that dipped so severely in many of the Freedom Group companies (e.g. Remington, Marlin, DPMS, Bushmaster) returns to their previous middling-to-acceptable levels.
If what they are saying is true, then it is interesting. If it is not, then I'm not surprised, and it's just another thing that Freedom Group has ruined.
Either way, I have no intention of purchasing any AAC products so long as they are owned by Cerberus.
Leonidas24
02-03-15, 21:06
I'm not especially fond of TTAG and I have a strong dislike of Freedom Group. So I'm naturally biased against Freedom Group and every company under their umbrella - even though I really want to like a couple of them, including AAC. This has rendered me so skeptical of AAC that I do not trust anything that they are saying, nor am I likely to until such time as Freedom Group has finally been cut free from Cerberus and the quality and customer service that dipped so severely in many of the Freedom Group companies (Remington, Marlin, DPMS, Bushmaster).
If what they are saying is true, then it is interesting. If it is not, then I'm not surprised, and it's just another thing that Freedom Group has ruined.
Either way, I have no intention of purchasing any AAC products so long as they are owned by Cerberus.
That's pretty much it. AAC hasn't put out anything innovative in a few years now, and when they try to, they give unrealistic shipping dates only to pull the product altogether. Look at the Illusion: besides the name, which leads me to expect it will never be released, is an eccentric 9mm suppressor AKA a round Osprey. The Ti-Rant 45M while neat is still just a .45 suppressor that doesn't do anything better than the previous models (forgive me if the logic of a short pistol suppressor is lost on me.) In our testing the SR7 was not hearing safe on a 16" 5.56 gun, and their out of date mounting system is more expensive than their nearest competitor.
All in all I don't see AAC being a major performer in 2015. For new suppressor owners, or current owners looking for the latest and greatest my shop will be pointing people towards Silencerco, Dead Air, and Rugged Suppressors.
For instance there is a local hobby shop I frequent. I like the place and the dude who runs it. However he is a jerk towards a number of other shops in the area and rubs a number of customers the wrong way. Corporate just game in and handed him his ass over it. thankfully he didn't get fired but it was a close thing. This to me came off as the same type of thing.
Wait, so it's ok if someone is a douche if you like them, but not if you don't like them? And you want AAC's corporate to come in and hand Mike's ass too him, but you're ok with this other dude not getting fired?
Maybe I'm just misrememberating here but it seems like you're willing to condone douchebaggery if it benefits you (having a nice hobby shop you can frequent) but condemn douchebaggery if it rubs you the wrong way (as in Mike defending AAC from rampant speculation by a website not unknown to rampantly speculate). Guess it just doesn't make sense to me.
Truth rhymes with douche?
As a representative of a business I don't know that I would call anyone a douche because it looks really childish. Better to let the accuser remain nameless. For the rest of it though, as a representative of a business you have a duty to correct innaccurate information where you can so I don't see anything wrong with it.
In another thread there is mention of former AAC employee's now at SIG?
Can anyone speak to this?
It is my understanding that after the buy out some employee's were unhappy with the new culture and left.
And I don't find fault in Mikes letter
I think the primary thrust of the OP's point is that instead of flatly stating ' We are not closing down ' and then citing evidence, it looks closer to name-calling instead of providing that sort of information - which doesn't seem to remove that much speculation about the long-term viability of AAC as an entity similar to what exists now.
I don't consider it out of line, but I do consider it an extremely ineffective press release that does more to raise eyebrows about how honestly accurate that provided information is going to be a year from now. Releasing four new models is absolutely something a firm that's not running in the black would be doing if they're losing sales on their core and high margin models, relocating facilities in an effort to reduce costs after losing a fair bit of their intellectual capital is exactly the sort of thing Freedom Group is known for doing that causes short term shareholder oriented gains at the expense of long term market share and firm viability/competitiveness, and finally once it's reached the point where press releases are coming out specifically singling out a messenger and resorting to name-calling, then I'm willing to completely classify that entire operation as second-rate also-ran status unless they're producing some really innovative stuff... concerning one's self with the opinion of one blogger as a multi-million dollar manufacturer tells me that small minds are in important places for the firm as a whole. The only honest part of that statement that resonates is the stated goal that they are trying to RE-establish themselves as an industry leaded... while I'm not sure they ever were across the board, at least it's an honest assessment that at the moment they're not.
In another thread there is mention of former AAC employee's now at SIG?
Can anyone speak to this?
It is my understanding that after the buy out some employee's were unhappy with the new culture and left.
And I don't find fault in Mikes letter
Kevin Brittingham and I think The kilt guy.
DreadPirateMoyer
02-04-15, 12:22
I'm actually really surprised at the replies in this thread. That AAC concerns themselves with TTAG is bothersome in general, but even if that's OK with everyone, that blog reply was just childish and unprofessional. It shines poorly on the company and reflects on their quality of work and reputation, which namecalling and internet catfights wouldn't be required to prop up if they weren't in the gutter.
Really disappointed in AAC's handling of this and of the M4C willingness to condone it. How anyone sees this as anything but full retard is beyond me.
Glad I stuck with Surefire and Silencerco products after this petulant rant. They make better products anyway.
Maybe one guy wanted to hear another one say that he's really not a douche, and that's the reason that the first guy called the second guy a douche. When I was teaching, a female employee--upon being fired--filed a complaint against the principal. She wrote that during their closed door conference, he stood up, pulled out his penis, and shook it at her. The principal had to respond in writing that it was not true that he pulled it out and shook it at the employee. This farce then became part of the principal's employee file.
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