Rickson "Simulator Rocket Science" Eliminated

[MrPhelps]

I have steel Rickson Wheels on my dually. Over 5 months ago, I lost one rear simulator and wanted to order a replacement not only for the dual back wheel but also for one slightly damaged front wheels

My wife thinks the truck looks a little to "Mad Max bada$$" especially when driving with just one missing, so I was motivated for a more finished look. On July 15 of this year, I placed the order and got confirmation. I tried to check after about six weeks on the status. It turned out the owner never even started the order internally.

After getting a direct number to the owner, I sent photos of the wheels so he could make a determination of the type and he said it would be a "few weeks" for manufacturing. About 8 weeks later around Nov 10, I requested status and couldn't even get response via text so I left a voicemail, still no response. .. with the owner!! .

Last week, on December 8, I called REAL WHEELS, who does the manufacturing for Rickson. They told me to send photos and within 3 hours they told me they had the solution. I sent an Email to Rickson's customer service and direct to owner canceling my order.

I got the NEW product YESTERDAY, in less than 1 week!! from REAL WHEELS!!



After looking back at all the effort to stay with Rickson, I must have communicated 12-15 times trying to get a status just to find out Real Wheels had them in stock!! the only difference is the logo!!

I was beginning to think this simulator stuff was complex, Rocket Science !! Alas it was not.. just really bad customer service or pure incompetence ...

[mlts22]

Thanks for the tip, I didn't know any other name to call them, other than DRW to SRW conversions, and they are not that much, all things considered.

[jimh406]

mlts22 wrote:
Is there another source for DRW to SRW conversion wheels, or is that a Rickson exclusive?

You just need to put wider tires/wheels with a more backspacing since the axles are just a few inches (3-4) more narrow. You should also search for super singles as an option like these http://1stattack.com/super-single-wheels-2/

[mlts22]

Is there another source for DRW to SRW conversion wheels, or is that a Rickson exclusive?

[Ski_Pro_3]

MrPhelps wrote:

The ones I ordered as replacements are Stainless. If you are referring to Rickson and the "stainless rings" you describe are in fact "simulators", you might try calling Real Wheels (Rickson's manufacturer) and send photo's of your wheels and information about your truck.

As stated earlier in this post, I received mine 6 days after my call to Real Wheels, after 5 months of frustration with Rickson.

Real Wheels

Thanks for the info!!

Here's photos of what I'm looking for. As you can see on the box, they are made in R.O.C. I think that stands for Republic Of China, AKA; Taiwan.

[MrPhelps]

skipro3 wrote:
I've been trying to get the single wheel stainless steel rings since last March. They returned my initial call back then, thinking I was going to make a big order. They did put me on the waiting list, said July they would be in. I have called dozens of times since August, never get anything but the answering machine and never get a call back. I finally e-mailed them and got a e-mail reply. I was able to send e-mails back and forth inquiring about the rings. They are now due in March; a year after I was put on a list for them.

If anyone knows of another source for the SS trim rings, please pass that along.

The ones I ordered as replacements are Stainless. If you are referring to Rickson and the "stainless rings" you describe are in fact "simulators", you might try calling Real Wheels (Rickson's manufacturer) and send photo's of your wheels and information about your truck.

As stated earlier in this post, I received mine 6 days after my call to Real Wheels, after 5 months of frustration with Rickson.

Real Wheels

[Ski_Pro_3]

I've been trying to get the single wheel stainless steel rings since last March. They returned my initial call back then, thinking I was going to make a big order. They did put me on the waiting list, said July they would be in. I have called dozens of times since August, never get anything but the answering machine and never get a call back. I finally e-mailed them and got a e-mail reply. I was able to send e-mails back and forth inquiring about the rings. They are now due in March; a year after I was put on a list for them.

If anyone knows of another source for the SS trim rings, please pass that along.

[K_Mac]

My tire guy says he stopped dealing with them because of time issues also. Waiting for my present tires too wear out before I have to spend big $ on 19.5's.

[Powerdude]

There is no excuse (except maybe a health problem or death in the family) for not communicating with a customer, especially one who has tried to contact you numerous times.

Period. End of story.

In this day and age of hyper-connectivity, that's just non-existent customer service.

Thank you for the info. I will be avoiding this vendor in the future.

[jimh406]

Lost wheels is interesting. How? Or, did you mean you lost the hub cap/simulator.

I'm not a hub cap/simulator fan, and didn't even know Rickson made those.

In any case, all this time, I thought the Rickson's excuse was they couldn't build the wheels fast enough. If Real Wheels is their manufacturer, this doesn't make any sense. Of course, if Real Wheels is producing Rickson's designs without approval from Rickson, that could be bad news for Real Wheels if Rickson sues.

Then again, I don't think I've heard anyone else talk about hub caps/simulators here, so I don't know how popular they are.

[Reddog1]

ISBRAM wrote:

Reddog1 wrote:
I think it could be great to have a business with a 6 to 8 month back log for several years. Lots of opportunity to increase business.

Wayne

The sad truth is they sell a very good product but run the business like it's a hobby.

It could very well be they simply have more business than they want. If so, I am happy for them. Personally, I would not recommend them due to their lack of service and lack of communication. I base this on members posts.

Wayne

[ISBRAM]

Reddog1 wrote:
I think it could be great to have a business with a 6 to 8 month back log for several years. Lots of opportunity to increase business.

Wayne

The sad truth is they sell a very good product but run the business like it's a hobby.

[Glacier_D]

I've read numerous reports on this forum about Rickson Wheels, mostly about the length of time to obtain wheels and tires from them. Granted people will more likely post negative experiences over positive experiences, however, long delivery times and poor followup seems to be a common problem with Rickson.

[MrPhelps]

The simulators are outsourced to Real Wheel's, not manufactured in house, or perhaps some reason for the delay could be rationalized. 5 months is being patient and it appears from an earlier post it might have been much longer had something different not been done.

How hard is an order to fill if the only change is your company's name plate on an existing supplier's product ?

[Reddog1]

I think it could be great to have a business with a 6 to 8 month back log for several years. Lots of opportunity to increase business.

Wayne