On 26 Jun 2018 I placed an order with the Rustic Flag Company. I felt that they were a reputable company based on the dozens of posts with pictures of their products from people who ordered them, posted on Facebook profiles.
The confirmation email I received stated
Thank you for your order! As each flag is built by hand, please allow the full lead time for your item to ship. Some specialty flags and custom orders may require up to 16 weeks to complete custom artwork (American/Gadsden, custom military artwork, split flags, etc.) All sales are final on custom orders. We are a small business in Tennessee, but we have hired all the necessary individuals and have expanded to be able to catch up and meet customer demand. We appreciate your patience and the final product will absolutely be worth the wait! Thank you!
Then on 10 Jul 2018 I received the following email
We are currently at week 2 of the projected lead time. If you have any questions or concerns during your wait, please reply to this email, and someone will get back with you as soon as possible to address that with you. We would also like to express our appreciation for your support and patronage of veteran owned business.
Then on 24 Jul 2018 I received the following email
We are currently at week 4 of the lead time projected for your order. We have 40 veterans, Reserves members, and patriots that work diligently to craft these one of a kind pieces of heritage for you and your family to enjoy for a lifetime. Our team takes great pride in each flag they build. You can rest assured the flag you receive will be of incomparable quality. We appreciate your patience with us during our meticulous process.
On 28 Aug 2018 I sent the following email
Hi there – have not had an update since this email. Can you provide me any news of my order?
On 31 Aug 2018 they responded with
I am sorry to say, We are behind on our regular lead times. With these delays taken into consideration, we can not give any definite ship dates at this time and we will not be able to expedite any orders. We understand that this can be frustrating and very complicating but please know, we are working diligently to ensure every item is top quality. The nature of handcrafted production is full of variables and delays are sometimes inevitable. This is not an excuse, it is simply fact. The lead times are extensive and it can be very irritating, especially when these items are important gifts for your home, business, or close friends and family. We are going to caught up with these delays within a short amount of time. We apologize for these delays and we thank you for your support. We also apologize for any lack of communication regarding these delays. Please let us know if you have any questions (updating shipping information, cancellation, etc.) but know, we can not give any definite ship dates at this time and we will not be able to expedite any orders. When your order has shipped, you will receive an email with UPS tracking information. Once again, we apologize for all of the troubles. Thank you for your patience with us.
On 04 Sep 2018 I received the following email
We have reached week 10 of the estimated lead time for your order. Currently the production floor is behind on our regular lead times. With these delays taken into consideration, we can not give any definite ship dates at this time. We understand that this can be frustrating and very complicating but please know, we are working diligently to ensure every item is beautifully handcrafted. We understand that these flags are important gifts as well as pieces for your home or business. This is why we will not compromise quality when creating these pieces. The nature of handcrafted production is full of variables, and delays are sometimes inevitable. Your patience and support of our business is appreciated. Once again, we apologize for these delays and we thank you for your support! We assure you that when you open your box, your first thought will be, "It was worth the wait!" If you have any questions regarding these delays, please contact us.
On 18 Sep 2018 I received the following email
We are now at 12 weeks since you placed your order with us. From time to time we do get behind due to order volume as well as other unforeseen instances. Rest assured your order is at the top of our priority list, and our dedicated team is working around the clock to craft something for you that is truly amazing. Once your order is complete and ready for shipping, an email with UPS tracking information will be sent. Please allow us to again express our appreciation for your patience as well as your support and patronage of veteran owned business.
On 15 Oct 2018 they posted the following @ https://www.facebook.com/therusticflag/
Please pardon the name change. We were very close to selling this following over to another company this week in order to finance some additional staff. We are doing our very best to fulfill all orders in our system, before we ever pursue selling more flags.
We have guys working very hard every day to get these out. We made the mistake last week of using our customer service staff ( who are very capable flag builders) to build extra flags for us in the shop and shut down the phones and email. I am sorry for the communication issues this past week and we will be answering emails all week in order to get back on track. We are very, very behind and are willing to give refunds to anyone who doesn't wish to wait. We have always been good moral people and would never intentionally hurt anyone for any reason. For these things, we are very sorry. We have had something special for a long time here and we would rather fulfill everyone's orders and make sure that we follow through rather than giving up. Please understand that you will receive your items you've ordered and we will stand behind our product
On 22 Oct 2018 I sent the following email
Can I get an update please?
On 29 Oct 2018 I sent the following email
Still waiting for a response. My order was placed over 16 weeks ago.
On 07 Nov 2018 I sent the following email
Still waiting on a response. From one veteran to another, your lack of communication is very unprofessional.
We are now 134 days, or 4 months – 12 days, or 19 weeks – 1 day, since I placed my order and you took my money. Please, give me an exact date when I will receive my order.
If you can not give me an honest answer, then regretfully, refund the full amount of which I paid.
I expect a response on this quickly.
That was the last communication I have had with the company. They have since shut down all phone numbers associated with their company, stopped responding to emails and posts on their Facebook page. The Facebook page remains open and accepting comments, although it is obvious that the harshest posts are being deleted by the company
The company maybe veteran owned, but they are clearly using that to take advantage of people who have to pre-pay for the products that order and are never recieved.
The owner of the company, Justin Scott, also has another business where he has a federal firearms permit. The numbers to that business no longer work either.
I will be contacting the TN Attorney Generals office, his local police department, his web hosting company, and Facebook, to ensure that he does not rip-off anymore people.
RFC Tactical Reviews
Rip off
They take the money and run. Never deliver the product. Avoid them at all cost, unless of course, you like giving money away.
On 26 Jun 2018 I placed an order with the Rustic Flag Company. I felt that they were a reputable company based on the dozens of posts with pictures of their products from people who ordered them, posted on Facebook profiles.
The confirmation email I received stated
Thank you for your order! As each flag is built by hand, please allow the full lead time for your item to ship. Some specialty flags and custom orders may require up to 16 weeks to complete custom artwork (American/Gadsden, custom military artwork, split flags, etc.) All sales are final on custom orders. We are a small business in Tennessee, but we have hired all the necessary individuals and have expanded to be able to catch up and meet customer demand. We appreciate your patience and the final product will absolutely be worth the wait! Thank you!
Then on 10 Jul 2018 I received the following email
We are currently at week 2 of the projected lead time. If you have any questions or concerns during your wait, please reply to this email, and someone will get back with you as soon as possible to address that with you. We would also like to express our appreciation for your support and patronage of veteran owned business.
Then on 24 Jul 2018 I received the following email
We are currently at week 4 of the lead time projected for your order. We have 40 veterans, Reserves members, and patriots that work diligently to craft these one of a kind pieces of heritage for you and your family to enjoy for a lifetime. Our team takes great pride in each flag they build. You can rest assured the flag you receive will be of incomparable quality. We appreciate your patience with us during our meticulous process.
On 28 Aug 2018 I sent the following email
Hi there – have not had an update since this email. Can you provide me any news of my order?
On 31 Aug 2018 they responded with
I am sorry to say, We are behind on our regular lead times. With these delays taken into consideration, we can not give any definite ship dates at this time and we will not be able to expedite any orders. We understand that this can be frustrating and very complicating but please know, we are working diligently to ensure every item is top quality. The nature of handcrafted production is full of variables and delays are sometimes inevitable. This is not an excuse, it is simply fact. The lead times are extensive and it can be very irritating, especially when these items are important gifts for your home, business, or close friends and family. We are going to caught up with these delays within a short amount of time. We apologize for these delays and we thank you for your support. We also apologize for any lack of communication regarding these delays. Please let us know if you have any questions (updating shipping information, cancellation, etc.) but know, we can not give any definite ship dates at this time and we will not be able to expedite any orders. When your order has shipped, you will receive an email with UPS tracking information. Once again, we apologize for all of the troubles. Thank you for your patience with us.
On 04 Sep 2018 I received the following email
We have reached week 10 of the estimated lead time for your order. Currently the production floor is behind on our regular lead times. With these delays taken into consideration, we can not give any definite ship dates at this time. We understand that this can be frustrating and very complicating but please know, we are working diligently to ensure every item is beautifully handcrafted. We understand that these flags are important gifts as well as pieces for your home or business. This is why we will not compromise quality when creating these pieces. The nature of handcrafted production is full of variables, and delays are sometimes inevitable. Your patience and support of our business is appreciated. Once again, we apologize for these delays and we thank you for your support! We assure you that when you open your box, your first thought will be, "It was worth the wait!" If you have any questions regarding these delays, please contact us.
On 18 Sep 2018 I received the following email
We are now at 12 weeks since you placed your order with us. From time to time we do get behind due to order volume as well as other unforeseen instances. Rest assured your order is at the top of our priority list, and our dedicated team is working around the clock to craft something for you that is truly amazing. Once your order is complete and ready for shipping, an email with UPS tracking information will be sent. Please allow us to again express our appreciation for your patience as well as your support and patronage of veteran owned business.
On 15 Oct 2018 they posted the following @ https://www.facebook.com/therusticflag/
Please pardon the name change. We were very close to selling this following over to another company this week in order to finance some additional staff. We are doing our very best to fulfill all orders in our system, before we ever pursue selling more flags.
We have guys working very hard every day to get these out. We made the mistake last week of using our customer service staff ( who are very capable flag builders) to build extra flags for us in the shop and shut down the phones and email. I am sorry for the communication issues this past week and we will be answering emails all week in order to get back on track. We are very, very behind and are willing to give refunds to anyone who doesn't wish to wait. We have always been good moral people and would never intentionally hurt anyone for any reason. For these things, we are very sorry. We have had something special for a long time here and we would rather fulfill everyone's orders and make sure that we follow through rather than giving up. Please understand that you will receive your items you've ordered and we will stand behind our product
On 22 Oct 2018 I sent the following email
Can I get an update please?
On 29 Oct 2018 I sent the following email
Still waiting for a response. My order was placed over 16 weeks ago.
On 07 Nov 2018 I sent the following email
Still waiting on a response. From one veteran to another, your lack of communication is very unprofessional.
We are now 134 days, or 4 months – 12 days, or 19 weeks – 1 day, since I placed my order and you took my money. Please, give me an exact date when I will receive my order.
If you can not give me an honest answer, then regretfully, refund the full amount of which I paid.
I expect a response on this quickly.
That was the last communication I have had with the company. They have since shut down all phone numbers associated with their company, stopped responding to emails and posts on their Facebook page. The Facebook page remains open and accepting comments, although it is obvious that the harshest posts are being deleted by the company
The company maybe veteran owned, but they are clearly using that to take advantage of people who have to pre-pay for the products that order and are never recieved.
The owner of the company, Justin Scott, also has another business where he has a federal firearms permit. The numbers to that business no longer work either.
I will be contacting the TN Attorney Generals office, his local police department, his web hosting company, and Facebook, to ensure that he does not rip-off anymore people.