Rickson Truck Wheels - Bad Vendor

[morbius]

Here is a little history ...



1. October of 2010, I place a $5,400. 00 order for 19. 5 rims, wheels, and trim for a dually setup. Was told that they where at least 30 days back ordered, no problems for good service and merchandise.

2. Never got my invoice, had to call couple times to finally get my invoice, sales person had excuses.

3. 30 days comes and goes, no updates. Call and find out still back logged, ok, not a problem. However my card is charged the full amount, that is a problem.

4. Couple weeks later, contact them for a status, still no word ... .

5. 60 days later, contact them, order is shipping, why no update and where is my shipment tracking info ?

6. Have several times to get my shipment tracking number, finally get it.

7. Order arrives ... . Great !

8. Trim rings on back order still ... card still charged in full, no refund for missing parts.

9. Install the wheels, power coating coming off already !

10. February of 2011, contact on status of missing trim rings, response " still

waiting for my boss to get a ship date from the manufacturer" Took several days to get that response.

11. May of 2011, send email for status update, nothing ... ...



My mail servers I run have special features to them, I know when you get my email and how, when you view it on your computer, details about your computer and what you do with the mail after wards. Helps to be software developer for LOTS of years.



12. More emails, still no responses.

13. Last week called, asked for the owner or management and their "new controller" said she or management would get right back to me ..... A week later nothing. No call back. How sad.

14. Called today, no answer, left a message, still no call back.



Ok, I am patient person, but this is wrong ! They sell on their site the trim rings for $150. 00 a set. If they are still back ordered for so long, one would think they would stop advertising them for sale. Are others still waiting ??



15. Called the credit card company today and filed a dispute and had the charges suspended and my card credited the money for the outstanding balance. I am fair, only want what is mine that I paid for. Even though we are well past typical 30-60 days, helps to be a valued customer for over 30 years.



The powder coating that was done was poor ! The steel was not cleaned and rust was already forming in those places. When I rotated my tires at the 5K mark, more and more coating came off. On the factory dually rims, had no problems with the coating.



If the more of the coating continues to come off, I will have the entire of amount of the order reversed and they can come and pickup their merchandise.



I went with Rickson because they where highly recommended by TDR members and members have had glowing reviews ... ... I guess times have changed and so have the people there because this was the worst service I have ever gotten. I am very disappointed in them, their business and how I was treated. I would not recommend currently to ANYONE ! I have instead been recommending people to another company that has made in the USA 19. 5 rims DOT certified and higher weight rating for less money. They also do the same balancing method as Rickson.



If I treated my customers of my business like they treated me, I would not have been in business for 30+ years and still have a waiting list for our services in this poor economic times.



Those of you thinking purchasing from them, BEWARE !!

 

[The patriot]

That level of service is not acceptable.

Who is the other company?

 

[morbius]

Absolutely amazing, after all the emails and calls, finally got a response from them when the credit card company took over !

 

[SRath]

Morbius,



I have been desperately wanting a set of 19. 5 ricksons for a long time, but they are very pricey for steel wheels. Trying to find a good used set has been futile; whenever i do locate any, they are over 1000 miles away and still have tires mounted to them (usually the wrong size & worn out) and the seller wants almost what new ones cost, so freight shipping is out.



I like to buy American whenever possible, but the cost of Ricksons vs. Vision 81 heavy hauler cast aluminum rims, which Rickson also sells, but for far more than other vendors, is quite a bit less than Rickson wheels; like $80 per wheel. Then there is my worry about steel wheels where I live. My factory steel spare did not survive the salt and corrosion from Iowa winters very long at all.



But reading about your experience with Rickson makes me feel less unsure about buying the off-shore made Visions. They will not rust, look much nicer, and are rated at 4500 lbs each vs 5000 for the Ricksons. Close enough. Plus the unsprung weight difference will mean better mileage and less wear and tear on brakes, shocks, etc.



You mentioned there is another company in the USA that makes 19. 5 8-lug wheels; do they make them for single-rear-wheel trucks and who are they? I have found Rickson and various Vision dealers to be the only choices, unfortunately, and I think the other wheel companies are really missing a market opportunity. They are apparently too busy making ugly huge wheels for pimpmobiles.



Sorry for your troubles; we buy American from established companies with good reputations and pay a premium price for it for a reason. They clearly let you down and don't deserve your money. Mine either, if that's how they are.

 

[morbius]

SRath,

I might be reading something wrong here, but none of Rickson rims have a 4500 or 5000 lbs rim load rating. The highest they have is 3500 lbs. Their ali rims are 3K rated. If you are talking tire rating, then that explains it.

Sorry to say, if it was me, I would go with the vision rims. The way I feel, it will be a very long time before I buy an American made wheel again. Just not worth the extra cost and hassles.

 

[SRath]

SRath,



I might be reading something wrong here, but none of Rickson rims have a 4500 or 5000 lbs rim load rating. The highest they have is 3500 lbs. Their ali rims are 3K rated. If you are talking tire rating, then that explains it.



Sorry to say, if it was me, I would go with the vision rims. The way I feel, it will be a very long time before I buy an American made wheel again. Just not worth the extra cost and hassles.

Check the 4th column from the right here on Rickson's own website. They give the ratings for both their own steel wheels and the Visions as I stated.



Rickson Wheel Manufacturing



Oh, and two of us are stil wanting to know who the other American manufacturuer of 19. 5 wheels for our trucks is? Or were you referring to the many different sellers of the off-shore-made Visions?

 

[morbius]

Thanks for the link, sorry, I have been focusing on the dually spec pages. Another vendor to look is American Force Wheels ( American Force Wheels ).

 

[Schumacher]

SRath I'm selling my Vision 81's with toyo drive tires, because I whiched to a dually. Dependind where you live the visions will corrode. Mine are being warrantied for corrosion under the clear coat. If you run the visions year around don't use the center cap and wash them at least once a week.

 

[SRath]

Thanks for the American Force link, morbius. We have been talking red vs. yellow apples here, though, haven't we? Dually 19. 5's are much easier to find than single-rear-wheel 19. 5's. Different weight ratings, too, due to the severe offset on dually wheels, especially when singled in front.



Schumacher, I appreciate the corrosion tip. Is it a cosmetic or structural problem? Also, please pm me with your asking price for the Visions if they will fit a '96 srw.



I will have lockouts up front soon and will not be able to use center caps, so that should help. And appearances rate low on my reasons for switching to 19. 5 list. I prefer the much more agressive tread of BFG Mud Terrains, but what I give up in available tread patterns in 16" tires I willl make up in so many other ways with 19. 5 stability and durability it is well worth it.

 

[SRath]

It appears to be as I suspected, American force does not offer single rear wheel 19. 5" wheels for heavy duty use. They offer 20, 22, and 24 inch pimpmobile wheels only; nothing for a commercial rated real truck tire.



What a shame that so many companies do that and ignore the 19. 5 inch light truck market.

 

[morbius]

I strongly recommend that you call Vision and American and tell them your needs. Get a hold of the corporate office and product management team. I will make some phone calls next weeks and drop some ideas into my contacts.



This is the greatness of the internet age, greater communication and understanding customer needs easier. When enough people call and they understand that there is need for a product, you will be amazed at what can come about. I have done this many many times and batting 100 to date. If there is a company currently in place that is 60 days back logged on orders, 1 of 2 things is happening. 1. there is a consumer driven need for the product or 2. the manufacturing process is so horribly wrong they do not know what they are doing. With 19. 5 factory lug spacing rims, I am sure #1 is the answer. On the dually side, they used to be hard to find, now rather easy depending on what you are willing to settle for.



Since there seems to be a limited list of suppliers, I guess this allows some company to not treat their customers right once the sale is done. Gotta love competition when in place.



One suggestion I would make if someone does decide to purchase Rickson wheels, buy the rims ONLY. Have a proper local tire shop with the right equipment do the install, match mounting and balancing. You or they can add the equal then or later. That way if dealing with warranty issues on the rim, you are not shipping whole wheel assemblies back and forth (if you get a spare, you are covered on a single rim issue). I should have listened to my friends this !

 

[DennyDay]

Kinda' sounds like Rickson isn't paying its bills and their suppliers have cut them off, so they can't get product to ship - - one of the members probably has the ability to check their current credit and let those who want wheels know the results.

 

[SRath]

They could certainly increase sales if they could or would price more competitively. Just comparing their prices on the Visions they sell with many other Vision dealers shows they price very high.



But there is also a pattern in the "no longer available" items and options. First they stop carrying forged aluminum wheels, which were made by someone else for them. Then they stop offering various colors of powdercoating, which is probably done elsewhere. Now they are having trouble filling orders with the wheels they make themselves. Couple that with suddenly poor quality powdercoating and it makes me wonder if they aren't having to do their own powdercoating in more limited colors and of lesser quality. . ?



And if you have ever been with or around a company that is going downhill fast financially, you know that the employees on the phone become harder to deal with because they have to lie and run so much interference all the time that they soon hate every phone call and it shows.



And I feel confident in guessing the huge delay isn't because they are overwhelmed with orders. It is more likely due to their prices and the more and more limited disposable incomes of consumers. So I tend to agree Denny may be in the right neighborhood with his evaluation.

 

[BGlidewell]

Wow, glad I read this. I was going to order from them and don't need this headache.

 

[morbius]

Finally got an email from the owner ..... wow, not what I expected !!



My impression from the email:

1. its my fault and miss understood everything ...

2. I got a discount being a TDR member, so whats the issue ...

3. got copies of invoices (after the fact) I never got to show its my mis-understanding ...

4. they are dealing with under staffing ...

5. its economic hard times ... .



Then at the end of the email, I get a how to we make it better moving forward .....





My response back ... . Its all excuses !



1. That is why I want things in writing !

2. Getting a discount does not mean shut up and go away. This is one of the reasons I became a TDR member. Might have to re-think at renewal time.

3. Should have gotten copies of the invoices at the time of order, not nearly 1 year later !! Anyone can generate invoices after the fact if no one gets to see them.

4. Staff up !!

5. No excuse to treat your customer like I was treated, ESPECIALLY in these economic hard times !!



How do we make it better moving forward ?? Too late now !



They say their contacting me was not due to me contacting my credit card company ..... So I asked, it takes 3 months to get back to your customer ? I called, left messages, promised a call back and nothing ! I sent emails in May, June and July and now just getting back to me ?? Just not right.



Now when I remove the rims, I have to wire brush the hubs clean and make sure no powder coating is left, clean the hub part of the rim and wire brush the thrust was section of the lug nuts to get a clean tight seal. If I do not, rust appears quickly and you can see rust runs down the rims ..... It is very obvious that the metal was not properly cleaned and prepped before the coating was applied and not cured completely either. The shipping cardboard leave score marks on the rim when I got it was a first clue.



They claim to have a 1 year warranty on the coating ... . Any one tried calling them on that ? Spend $700. 00 in shipping to send the wheels back, wait forever with most likely no response, get something back and unsure if they where rebalanced like original and reinstall ... ... . All the time either the truck is down for no wheels or put the original back on and purchase new tires for it. I see a no win situation here with their warranty work. This is what I had to weight out and prevented me from calling them about it. Never thought powder coating was going to be a concern. Have tons of stuff powder coated, beat to death and still looking like new. I even use powder coating as a protective base and paint over it.



Bottom line, if I did mis-understood something, copies of my invoices in a prompt fashion could have cleared that up the ASAP. They would have good but slow in my book. Waiting nearly a year to provide them is BS. An email from the owner saying we screwed up and sorry, How can we help would have been something to work with.



These are my experiences with them. Next time, I will do what is right for my pocket book and NOT be concern where its made, just that it is DOT approved. Just because its expensive truly does not make it better !

 

[SRath]

I hope this case was an anomoly and lesson learned for the company, not just morbius. Rickson has enjoyed a good reputation as far as it's products and I hope to see them regain that and some customer satisfaction and confidence. They make a product that could fill a real need in my world.



Everyone and every company makes mistakes; it's how you deal with them that matters. How they dealt with morbius doesn't sound very reassuring from his one standpoint, and I'm sure Rickson may have their own. But morbius' standpoint as the consumer is the one I must relate to as a potential customer.



I can get foreign-made Visions with a 4500 lb rating from a company I don't know, shipped to my door for $230 apiece. Or I can pay about $282 apiece plus unknown shipping (pushing the price to easily over $300 each) for 5000 lb rated steel Ricksons and risk morbius' experience. Talk about a rock & a hard place...



That $300 savings is something I have to really look hard at even if I had no worries about current Rickson quality and service. Add those factors and the choice becomes easier.



Further adding to what Ricksons would cost me is what they charge for trim rings and what 32 factory style lug nuts and 4 centercaps would cost (all extra). The Visions need nothing but lugnuts and there's a pretty good chance my current mag wheel lugnuts will work just fine.

 

[SRath]

I actually spoke with Rickson customer service today on a different matter. I had to leave a message at first, but they did indeed call me back promptly. Even though I was asking technical questions about used Ricksons I am considering buying from a private party and was not placing an order, the representative was extremely helpful and friendly. So something here does not quite add up.



Prompt, friendly customer service (even non-customer service) and excellent knowledge of these Dodge trucks, as well as of TDR, does not sound like a company having problems or out to cause headaches and unhappiness.



I'm not saying morbius is telling us wrong about his experience, but my own personal, though brief, experience today instilled great confidence about Rickson, not doubt.

 

[morbius]

Take my experience with a grain a salt and do what you feel comfortable with, choice is completely up to you. Consider me wrong, not a problem. My initials calls where great also, that is why I placed the order. If my post made them wake up, great, then mission accomplished. Would I do it again, no.

 

[SRath]

There's a big difference between calling for information and spending thousands of dollars, morbius, and it sure sounds like you had a bad experience. But there are many, many Rickson customers here who have not reported a similar experience, so you can understand why it is worth trying to get to the bottom of this. As I said earlier, Ricksons have always been high on my wishlist. Maybe you'll get some satisfaction yet, too.

 

[Wertles]

My experience with Rickson was nothing but positive this year. I did have to wait on tires but the ones I wanted were on national back order and no one had them. I got frequent updates and all email or calls were answered promptly. I couldn't be happier with the customer service or product. I have no problems recommending them to anyone based on my experience. I do hope that your encounter is the odd ball one and not the norm as all those guys drive Rams and are TDR members.