Aim Kilns

[mom53]

Has anyone heard form Aim, Are they still working..???

[earlbacher]

setting up a new shop, I think with AIM, you need a lot of patience

[juliesjewelry]

I think that they have gone out of business. I ordered a kiln from them a couple of months ago and was not able to contact them when it didn't arrive on time.

I've been trying to reach them via phone (both voicemail boxes full) and e-mail since the beginning of the year. Last week I sent a registered letter cancelling my order, with no results as of yet.

I happen to be headed to Portland tomorrow and will try to stop by their warehouse on my way...I want to see if there are any signs of life.

There is another thread about AIM on the Tips, Techniques and Questions section.

[mom53]

Thanks for all the info.

[IF-Designs]

All i have heard is that they were bought and they have moved locations and would be up and operating again at the beginning of february. I do think they are going to trim down the the types of kilns they are going to carry.

[juliesjewelry]

Well, I stopped by their Corvallis warehouse the other day. Everything was closed up and a large sign on the side of the building said "FOR SALE OR LEASE."

They told me when I ordered my kiln that they would be moving to Albany, about 10 miles down the road from Corvallis. However, I really don't think that moving justifies being completely unreachable for more than 3 weeks. Plus there is no new Albany address on their website or anywhere else.

My guess is that AIM has quietly gone out of business. :sad:

[gubnavnania]

My guess is that AIM has quietly gone out of business. :sad:

Honestly, it won't surprise me the way they handle their business.

They promised me to send a part since September last year and nothing until now. I rang them every one or two weeks, more than 5 emails... nada... They kept say that they will send the part tomorrow or next week or they are still waiting for the part to arrives.:-k

[evolvingBeau]

Hey all, I saw this and thought I would chime in.. Needless to say the previous owner of AIM kind of got in over his head. He ended up selling the company to a guy I know and has been re-establishing production in a building near here.
I just talked to him a couple days ago and they should be up and running again soon.
I'd suggest that everyone give him some time to build up some product and handle the loose ends left by the old owner. Then try to look at it as a new company altogether. He'll be doing things differently and deserves to be given a second fresh look.
I actually got one of the last kilns (if not the last) made in the old shop. I bought it via this new owner of AIM before the old owner went under. That's the only reason I know any of this. He has distributed them for years and is well aware of the way things were run before so he definitely intends to do things differently.

Anyway, I'll let him know about this thread though I'm sure he's crazy busy right about now.

[Ms.Giggles]

Hmm it will be interesting to know if any of the kilns recently sold will still be under warranty or if everyone that got one just has to hope that nothing goes wrong?

[juliesjewelry]

Instead of the AIM BD 84 I decided to buy a Paragon Caldera from Bullseye. I called them, they had it in stock and I was able to pick it up within a couple of days. No waiting, no hassle, no stress and I got what I needed with good customer service.

Night and day a better experience...and the kiln works great!