I sent them an email on their contact-us page form to ask if they really were "billet" for the price of forged lowers, it got bounced back to my inbox.  I'm hesitant to buy from a company that doesn't show live inventory, probably mislabels their product as one costing twice as much, and can't be contacted.

It may just be because I'm getting burned so badly by Ares, but I look carefully at retailers now.

This is what I'm looking at right now.  Since orders have been placed with this company in many states, I think a federal consumer affairs bureau has to be used so that they understand just how many people have been defrauded.

If you decide to file a complaint, note Ares' Facebook page, where the consumer unrest is inarguably and clearly shown.

http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

Oh, finally got my jig today.  Glad I am now done with this company. Order for "in stock" items on 12-15-12.  But hey they only left me in the dark for 2-3 months.

The TM or their one use?

TM jig, I've got 4 lowers plus more planned in the future, so I didn't want a throw away jig.  

Here is a pic, so people won't say it didn't happen.

I ordered a blue collar rifle kit and jig on 12/31/12, and got a partial fulfillment on Saturday. The only parts missing were the upper and lower receivers. Unfortunately, the two large plates of the jig, and the barrel, were not adequately packaged and protected. They dinged each other up a bit. The jig is perfectly useable that way, but the ding in the barrel will be visable and kinda pisses me off. Im planning on sending it back.... If i can reach someone

See photo here:

That's just from shipping?  That's more than a bit of a ding.  Good luck making contact.

Glad to see someone get a jig hopefully mines on the way.

Just got word from the Mrs. at home, that my jig has arrived. Can't wait to get my hands on it.  

For those receiving jigs - What was your order date?  Also, did the Ares Armor site show updated shipping information?
I have 4 lowers, waiting on my jig ordered Dec 21.

I ordered Dec 17th, and this past Friday sent a polite but strongly worded email to every email address listed on their website. Within 15 min of hitting send I had a reply, and within 30 min I had a tracking number.

Short apology note from Ares.  Does not say a lot, but looks like they will try to get everything filled by July 8th.

http://aresarmor.com/store/index.php?app=cms&ns=xmodnewsrss_detail&ref=Letter&sid=u600869fr0pt4a5rv922943e281d7v47

I called and they actually answered the phone.
Apologized and admitted they were overwhelmed with orders.
They are supposed to have more jigs in the next 10 days.
I was told mine would ship as soon as they get them in.
We'll see....

at least now they have a live update on what is and isn't in stock.

Well, i returned the damaged barrel, and received an email yesterday and a tracking number for a replacement, as well as news that my lower is coming too.  They also said hat my upper should be coming soon as they are currently en route to them.

Well it's both comforting and irritating that more people are having the same issue I have. I'm out of the country right now so I'm not exactly fuming yet, but I was told I would get mine first week in April - I ordered mid February. I know, I'm late to the game, as some have been waiting much longer. But oh well, I'll wait with the rest.

Waiting on a Jig myself...

Order Date and Time
01/28/2013 09:17:40 AM

Well I have emailed them several times explaining that I am moving soon and that I need my part before i move and I HAVE NOT GOTTEN AN ANSWER! This really sucks because Im trying to move out of california and these stupid pointless unconstitutional gun laws that they keep passing without any voter approval!

This makes me feel a little better about the order I placed in March, it appears they just aren't the most communicative people. I think they should at least send out emails every month or so to let you know they are still alive and haven't forgot about you...

Waiting on my jig since December...

I see a notice on their website posted today:

"Jigs
We are in the process of alternative solutions and are considering the production of our own Jigs."

You've got to be kidding me.

Wow, just......wow. Not to rub it in to those who are still waiting, but I'm glad I ordered as soon as I did back in Dec. Their stock update reads as follows;

Stock Update

All of our 80 percent products and 1/4 our nylon products are out of stock. We are doing everything we can to reduce lead times on our out of stock products. We have hired additional people to help. Please bear with us through this stage as we grow to better serve our customers. PLEASE place your order only if you are willing to wait for your product(s). We are spending large amounts of money to drastically reduce lead times. We do NOT want you to place an order if you are NOT 100 PERCENT SURE that you are willing to wait!

We are one of the few companies that refuse to price gouge. Please be aware that several of our distributors are already gouging us. There are more than a few products that we are now selling below our cost. If this continues, we will be forced to raise prices.

Customer Service is doing their best to reply to emails. You can contact Customer Service directly at:  [email protected]

Apologies, we have so many phone messages that we are no longer returning calls; but hope to remedy this soon. If you really need to get a hold of us, emailing Customer Service is the quickest means.



AR-15 RAW Lowers
We are shipping orders listed in our system on 30th of December. Expect progress to slow for RAW Lowers temporarily. We will only be receiving Anodized Lowers for the next week. Progress to resume the following week for RAW Lowers.


AR-15 Anodized Lowers
We are shipping orders listed in our system on 24th of December. For the next week we will be receiving anodized lowers, so expect progress to continue.

AR-10
To date we have not received new information. Manufacturer is currently only producing AR-15 since December 2012 due to the high demand.


Jigs
We are in the process of alternative solutions and are considering the production of our own Jigs.

Rudius
To date we have not received new information. Grips were produced out of specification and were rejected due to quality control issues. The past 3 samples have been rejected primarily due to the following: (1) Magazine does NOT fit and (2) Severe warping.




The best of luck to those still waiting.

Just got off the phone with them trying to get a refund for my jig ordered dec 22. The TM's are still on backorder and two to three weeks out(heard that before) They started manufacturing their own jig, from what the lady said was basically a tm with the depths milled into the side.  Who knows what I'm actually going to get and when, she took my info for the refund but stuck to her guns about the policy and wait time mentioned. This really pisses me off considering TM has them instock currently.

What does that mean?

The depth of the rear shelf and fcg pocket will be stamped or milled into the side of the jig so you don't have to have prints.

So after sending many emails inquiring about my order for a 80% raw lower and getting no response for almost a month I have had it. I told them i wanted a full refund and I had a reply from them 10 hrs later. they tried to offer me a in stock billet lower but i would still have had to pay them extra.. wtf?? I once again told them that I want my money or my part asap and I got a message saying how they can really be jerks about this whole thing and instead of being jerks they said you ship tomorrow. Results

I, like many people reading and posting to this forum, have been sitting on my hands waiting for a couple of orders from Ares Armor (raw lowers, jig, barrelled uppers, bolt carrier assemblies, charging handles, parts kits, etc).  I have been reasonably patient about them (I read the disclaimer when I made the purchases).  I spoke with the once- and now-again-CEO of Ares Armor today about these orders that I placed in the beginning of January and mid- to late-February.  I received a call from him after expressing concerns over the lack of communication (I have sent 5 or 6 emails to different people in the last few months without a response) and the bad press that I have seen on this forum.  I was especially concerned when I noticed that several individuals who have posted on this forum placed their orders for the same parts after I did, but received them a month ago, while I have yet to see mine…not to mention the fact that I have already paid the $4,000+ for the parts that I have yet to see.  After a long conversation with him, my confidence has been restored.  Let me fill you in a bit:

Dimitri, the CEO, resigned back in December to spend time with his family.  He just resumed the position again after the company got in over its head with taking orders for 80% lowers and parts.  And all of a sudden, I have noticed a drastic change in inventory management (now displayed on the website in real time) and in the customer service communication (my latest email yesterday was automatically assigned a case number and I received an email response and a phonecall in less than a day…I actually just received another phonecall while writing this post from a rep who saw that I had called but missed him this morning [didn't leave a message or anything, he just saw it on his call history]).  I spoke with Dimitri at length about some of the challenges Ares Armor has faced in the last couple of months.  The main challenge for the company involved one supplier signed all kinds of guarantees and contracts to provide 20,000 raw lowers.  The supplier delivered 400 (instead of 20,000) and they were all out of spec/tolerance.  This obviously put a kink in the company's ability to fulfill orders and explains some of the moving estimates that some people have been given.  Aside from the expected inventory from that supplier, they receive a couple hundred per day from their other suppliers, combined.  They were counting on the 20,000 piece order to satisfy all outstanding orders and provide a surplus of inventory for new orders.  Without enough in-spec units from that supplier, they are trying to fill many thousands of orders with a trickle supply of parts.  Dimitri indicated that the main supplier has promised to have the manufacturing problems fixed and have the lowers flowing in by mid July, but he did express some concern over the reliability of this particular supplier…the supplier will eventually deliver, but 'when' is the unknown.  Ares Armor is approached daily by new suppliers and they are constantly evaluating them for quality of work and ability to supply.  At the top of the company's priorities is quality.  Ares Armor will not ship bad merchandise.  From what I have discussed with the CEO today, Ares Armor is working diligently and tirelessly to fulfill the outstanding orders.  Dimitri is committed to fixing all of the issues that have arisen since he left in December.  In fact, he has refused compensation until that happens.  For those of you still waiting for your order, rest assured that this company is not trying to swindle anyone out of money.  They are working on getting everyone's orders filled as quickly as possible and, now, in the order that they were received (there were a couple of instances in his absence where this didn't happen…the whole "squeeky wheel" scenario...these 'problems' have been eliminated).

As I mentioned, my confidence in this company is restored.  I have upgraded my lowers to an in stock part and have arranged to have my barrelled uppers shipped disassembled, as the parts are available (I'll end up pulling them apart later anyway).  I expect to see them very soon and I look forward to beginning my builds.  I am sure that this will not be the last business that I do with Ares Armor.  I wish you all luck and urge patience while you wait.

silvajus, you wouldn't happen to be Dmitri would you...? For I seriously doubt someone who has been waiting half a year, with $4k tied up, would go into such detail writing about how much you trust Ares Armor.

I wish I could forego compensation like he is

Besides, the commute from PA to CA would be a little time consuming...

I read the "be prepared to wait or don't order" disclaimer when I placed both orders. I was and am willing to wait for a quality product. I think Ares Armor did the right thing by ensuring quality. Now that they are under a different watch, I foresee the communication issues and customer service (at the very least) getting better.

And you really can't fault them too much for being screwed over the way they were...

Saw this note from new CEO on their website. Thought I would share.

http://aresarmor.com/store/index.php?app=cms&ns=xmodnewsrss_detail&ref=AresArmorCEO&sid=evka54o9v6dvs04qx53s1zo5ju05064j

I also saw where they are 1/2 way through production of a large run of 80% jigs. Since they sell Tactical Machining jigs, I thought they would buy them from Tactical Machining.  And according to Tactical Machining, they use to order from them.  But they do not have any on order at this time. So, I am not sure what the TM AR15 80% jig will be when they are shipped.  

Just now, browsing ar15.com I find this thread (which I have posted in previously) I have become aware, again, that I have been waiting on my 80%lower from Ares Armour for roughly seven months.

I forgot I even ordered one.

I placed my order for the anodized version and am just wondering how long this waiting game will continue to be played.

I'm going to bet it'll be another two months at minimum.

I'll might even forget again.

Well I hate to give up on them. But I bought a finished lower today local... Sigh.. I know that some things are out of their hands. But I just can't wait any longer.

It's a bit absurd really... ordered 2 anodized in late November @ like 95 bucks a piece after shipping i believe...Price and wait of course substantially higher and longer since. If thinking of ordering one now.and the elevated price and wait hasn't deterred you, expect to wait at least 1/2 year... I went through the email games, trying to get someone on the line...they finally came in early July after calling and leaving a few nasty messages and emails bright and early one morning with promise to take legal action if things don't get resolved in a timely manner... i get a call back, and they of course at this point want to cooperate.. :\  Companies that need to be threatened with legal action before you get treated like a paying customer will receive no future business from me for sure.  Seems about what... a year ago roughly  60$ 80%'rs from order to doorstep within a week.. My advice...order elsewhere...

And the quality wasn't great..area where the web of your hand rests between the buffer tube and pistol grip, left with a 1/4 inch or more (wide) raised material and tool marks needing to be taken down to be smooth.. totally defeating the purpose of having it anodized, small scrapes and imperfections throughout the finish at that... yeah, it'l still go bang once you have the shelf and fcg milled without issue but there's better 80%'rs out there. A few like "stealth arms" even that have the shelf milled to spec leaving only the fcg to hassle with. But yeah happy hunting people. Hope this rant saves someone some time...lol

I am very happy with the finish of my lower(raw) Would buy another one of those, but seems to be variances in the way they are finished, mine has a flared magwell.

you be the judge...   http://imageshack.us/f/18/yntv.jpg/    http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/301/cwoq.jpg

New here to arfcom, imageshack popped into mind as a way i could post here, saw no options for uploading pics... apologies if posting links requires some sort of advanced member permissions ect. This one is the worst of the 2, thus will become an fde... ;]

Note the difference in thickness of material on the one side of the trigger guard's "dog ears"(iv'e heard them called), as opposed to the other and continues throughout the magazine well. Though apparently not a huge issue as iv'e seen other higher priced forged lowers such as the Adcor Defense B.E.A.R. line with the same inconsistencies.>>>>>http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/593/gvpf.jpg

speaking of one of the better 80%'r manufacturers... billet style trigger guards anyone?

+1 They have a good product and you won't wait a year to see it after ordering.

I sent an e-mail asking them to change my order (from early January) from an anodized lower + jig to the "kit". I asked them to toss in a t-shirt or hat to round out the price difference, or optionally to toss in one of the blems so that I could practice anodizing. They sent the blem. The kit looks pretty nice. The blem... not so much. But still interesting. And, it was delivered pretty quickly after the change was made.

If careful with the jig, it should be very re-usable.

What I got in my email. I understand this position. But now I don't need a 80% ( my order was Jan 16th )

We are currently shipping raw lower receivers from the 2nd of Jan. and are doing our best to get them out as quickly as possible. There was an enormous influx in orders from the December/January time period so it is difficult to gauge an exact time frame, but I can tell you we are receiving lowers daily and are fulfilling orders. We were recently supposed to receive 20,000 lowers that would complete our back order in its entirety and then some, but the company really fell through. They sent us a lower that is the same material used to make hot wheel cars and was completely out of spec. It failed 13 different tests and is nowhere near the quality of product we would provide to our customers. In order to resolve this, one of our owners went out to Indiana to pay this company a surprise visit. This company has two and a half weeks to provide us with the products we ordered, but seeing how they already fell through once, we are not expecting them to come through. But, as I said, we are still receiving daily shipments from our other suppliers.

I'm sorry for the wait and I want to thank you for being patient with us as we work to get your products out to you. With our management switch over and new tools to provide stronger communications with our customers; we hope to better serve you and your needs in the future. We are thankful for you business and are doing the best we can to get these out to you.

You are looking at 3-4 weeks till you would receive this order.

That funny because I ordered my lowers (2 AR15 and 1 AR10) on Jan 23rd.

I apologize for the delay and would like to let you know for the AR-10 lowers they are 30-55 days from being completed also for the AR-15's we are at the 5th of January.

This is interesting because they told you 3 weeks ago that they were on Jan 2nd orders and would have yours (Jan 16th) shipped in 3-4 weeks. As in turns out 3 weeks later they are now on Jan 5th orders (currently) meaning they are moving about a days worth of orders every week - thats a helluva back log.

Contact [email protected] if you want to advertise here - Eric802

I ordered just one 80% lower on January 3rd, and I received an email notification on July 3st (2013) saying they mailed it out via USPS.  Sure enough, two days later it arrived.  

FINALLY!

I did a charge back on my CC. I'm not upset at the company, I know its the factory they use. But I simply don't need the item now. Hope everyone gets these soon.

I ordered 2x 80x raw forged lowers from Ares on 4/4/13.
I emailed last week asking for a status and asked to  be upgraded to their Billet 80% and I received them on Sat.
They are very nice and appear to be of a high quality.
There are a few sharp edges, but I'll smooth it before the final finishing.
It mounted to an existing upper, perfectly.
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj66/4runnerFreak/Snapbucket/IMG_1638_zps6d445e4a.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj66/4runnerFreak/Snapbucket/IMG_1623_zps798bac3f.jpg

Ares eventually shipped me 2 signature III anodized 80% billet lowers instead of the 2 80% forged lowers I ordered back in Jan at no additional cost. Only after I sent one final customer service contact to them in early Sept requesting a refund or alternate product. Seems like they are willing to make good on peoples orders even if it's chewing up their own machine time.

http://i.imgur.com/0OrCFXwm.jpg

Is that their jig with the alternate steel top plates?  I ordered an anodized 80% lower and a jig in mid-Jan.  At that time they listed the jig as a Tactical Machining jig. Who knows where they are getting them now. Does the billet fit in the jig?
Please post more pictures if you can.
Wish I knew what Ares was doing. Their updates seem to be going backwards. ( ie: "all backorders will be filled by July 8th".  Well that did not happen!)