Originally Posted by
Cory
Two things can be true at the same time.
1) Ernest and Aimee are good people.
2) Their company is changing and capable of fuck ups.
I carry a Langdon M9, got to request a low serial LTT Elite when they first launched, and have been a fan of their stuff for awhile. I say that because I want to be clear that I'm not anti-LTT. I wear one of their shirts a fair amount. But. They aren't some magical company who is always flawless and beyond question. As they have grown it's beyond dispute that things have changed. More products, more employees, more innovation. And it's no longer a 1 man shop. With that there are more things to consider, more to oversee, and more to potentially go wrong.
For example, I think they fucked up with their Aridus Industries relationship. I read the posts Ernest made, I get why the choices were made and the stuff that they had to consider. There were more moving parts, more timelines, and more pressure to put out the product that LTT wanted. I still think it wasn't the way to go, still call it an Aridus 1301. Doesn't mean I'm not still an LTT fan, but I'm not blind either.
Now, it appears a customer had a problem and the employees at LTT stopped talking with him. He made a public post to draw the attention to get his problem solved. Which worked.
Heres the problem I have and it isn't really with Ernest or LTT: When other beloved companies here have an issue (ala JMCK) the community normally says "They'll take care of ya" because the company does that. And then the owner comes in and its over. We don't have a "how dare you" attitude, but rather a "they're good, they will get you sorted out" attitude. The signal to noise ratio here is really high, and I don't think we should be bias blind because of track record. Amazing reputations are built for a reason, and should be respected. But, they should also be re-enforced.
Here, the owner responded defensively as if beyond reproach. And some of the community as acting as if that company is beyond any question. But they aren't. Why is it "how dare you question or publicly say anything" so to speak? The guy wouldn't have posted here if calling and emailing had worked. I don't think acting offended was the best approach, not really my style. But it's also not my company, and my opinion on it is of little value. Les Baer isn't known for having an awesome personality, but he does just fine despite my thoughts.
I like LTT, I've bought from LTT, I will buy from LTT again. I have enormous respect for Ernest and his accomplishments, and the amazing 92 resurgence that I think he is 90% responsible for. He has been an awesome SME here as well. But the days of him being an active participant here are mostly gone. And if something goes wrong with his company and it's questioned (even if not true) it seems like there are better ways to respond. More bothersome to me, is the idea that any company is beyond a mistake. As a forum, we've really espoused the test it yourself and find out if YOUR gun is reliable mentality. Find out for yourself if this technique is viable, and go actually learn to develop skill. I think that is really positive. It's just odd to me that we don't have the same mentality here. I love Beretta guns deeply, but I'm willing to express frustration with the company at times. LTT is no different. Just because we like and respect the owner, like the products, doesn't mean they shouldn't continue to prove why they are a great option, or that they're beyond needing to prove they're the best.