Lead Time on our Tanks

[Rick@Rick's Hot Rod Shop]

I just wanted to get on here to clear up any misunderstanding, and or false assumption regarding our lead time for tank builds. At the current moment and most all the time we are 3-4 weeks from order to ship some will go faster, and as always custom designs take longer. Evermore frequently it seems that we are getting accused of untimely ship/deliver dates when in reality we haven’t even seen a P/O from the dealer.
We appreciate all business from any and all companies in this hobby, but urge you then end customer to be aware of what is going on. We strive for the best customer service possible and urge you to call the shop if you have any questions regarding your order weather you ordered direct, or through a dealer.

Thank You,
Rick and Hector

[MaxHarvard]

Thanks for letting us know!

Can't wait for mine, totally worth the wait!! :thumbsup:

~Eric

[Payton King]

Service from Hector and Rick.

[214Chevy]

Service from Hector and Rick.

X's 2. I called Rick's and spoke to them about a Vapor Worx tank and they explained everything in depth to me and answered all of my questions. Gave me some good one-on-one time and I didn't feel rushed, even thought they were busy. Thanks guys!!

[ironworks]

I just wanted to get on here to clear up any misunderstanding, and or false assumption regarding our lead time for tank builds. At the current moment and most all the time we are 3-4 weeks from order to ship some will go faster, and as always custom designs take longer. Evermore frequently it seems that we are getting accused of untimely ship/deliver dates when in reality we haven’t even seen a P/O from the dealer.
We appreciate all business from any and all companies in this hobby, but urge you then end customer to be aware of what is going on. We strive for the best customer service possible and urge you to call the shop if you have any questions regarding your order weather you ordered direct, or through a dealer.

Thank You,
Rick and Hector


I have a few thoughts for you. I have seen this kinda of drama your describing going on for years. I think it is a sign or people selling the parts too cheap. They have to sell so much volume to make up for cutting their own throat daily. I personally think if everyone was required to sell the parts at retail there would not be all these vendors commiting profit suicide. Apparently some vendors think they would rather make only 1 dollar profit then lose the sale. They don't realize the work they have to do for that one dollar. But if there was no way to get the price any cheaper because you have a strong knowledgeable vendor network of your products, not just some guy with a business license.

I have been thinking alot about this subject as I'm building our product line. If I selected just a few vendors of our product that sold my product and were able to make good money from it and not have to worry about price battles with some other guy trying to sell the product out of his garage on Ebay that has no clue even what a camaro is. I would cut down on the after sale phone calls you guys get because the vendor deals with you or knows enough to handle the issue. But because he is able to make a "PROFIT" on the product he can afford to treat the customer how they want or need to be treated. But when a guy has to sell 3 brake kits to make the profit he should have made from just one kit something has to give.

[Rick@Rick's Hot Rod Shop]

Thanks for the kind words guys, and the continued support of our product.

Rodger- In response to your topic i couldn't agree more. I know this is an area we have touched on in conversation on several occasions. At the current moment we are working on a new strategy for 2012. In dealing with a couple of our larger re-sellers they now require any price increase 90 days prior to it taking effect. As you know in manufacturing typically there is a yearly increase of 2-3% for finished goods as it accommodates any shift in the market especially in these times where costs are rising as our dollar depreciates.

For 2012 we are going to make M.A.P. pricing mandatory from anyone who wants to sell our product. Meaning nobody can sell BELOW what our price list says. Weather the reseller wants to offer any further incentive such as free shipping, discount on other items would be up to them.

In regards to people selling things, and turning 0 profit this is something i have seen for a long time as well. Back when we were doing a lot of industrial machining, and fab locally i would see companies from across the border (Mexico) come in and undercut our pricing just to keep a cash flow. In times where money is scarce i can see it feasible for someone to take a cash payment, receive money, order a part, pay using a form of credit differing the final payment in the mean while using the initial form of payment to take care of other obligations. While this strategy works it eventually catches up and most of the time is a huge hole to fill.

All we are trying to do is:
1) protect our end customer
2) level the playing field from a dealer standpoint

[wellis77]

I have been studying up on your tanks and weighing all the options I will need and will be ordering a custom tank within the next 4 months or so. I have read multiple times that custom tanks "take longer". Is it possible for you to give an idea of what that is, roughly, 2 months, 3 months? Thank you, I'm looking forward to your product in my build.

[camcojb]

thanks Rick. This is unfortunately becoming very common with a vendor or two, and you the manufacturer is taking the blame. The reality is the vendor never even placed the order, using the customers money for something else.

Back orders and delays happen, but at this point my advice would be that if you order parts from someone other than the manufacturer and are told they are on back order, call the manufacturer directly to confirm.

[Rick@Rick's Hot Rod Shop]

I have been studying up on your tanks and weighing all the options I will need and will be ordering a custom tank within the next 4 months or so. I have read multiple times that custom tanks "take longer". Is it possible for you to give an idea of what that is, roughly, 2 months, 3 months? Thank you, I'm looking forward to your product in my build.

Will- Typically on a custom build we ask for 4-6 Weeks. We do our best to keep lead times down across the board, but at the end of the day it is merely dependent on current work load. There are 2 times a year when time seems to be more available 1: March & April and 2: Sept & Oct. Typically things slow slightly and our turnaround is much faster. I am not going to say there has never been a customer wait longer for a tank, but i can count on one hand the times it has occurred.

[4mm]

I've ordered three tanks from Ricks and never had an issue, in fact I am getting ready to order my fourth one. Thanks Rick and Hector!

[ErikLS2]

I ordered a Vaporworx tank from a former sponsor of this site sometime last year. After 3 months or more and nothing I finally called Hector direct. He didn't have any record of the order. He knocked that tank out for me in a couple weeks even though I was not in a rush for it and was super to deal with. Thank you Hector and Rick's!

[DRJDVM's '69]

As Jody and Erik mentioned... I think these vendors are to blame the majority of the time. They juggle the money on the order and then point the finger at the supplier when the customer calls to find out where the parts are. It's easy for them to pass the buck. Then the manufacturer looks like the problem when they really arent

Unless I can get it cheaper somewhere, I try to go straight to the manufacturer of the part. Fewer middle men means fewer places to screw up and blame someone else

[ItDoRun]

Call Hector direct...He's the man!!!! Awesome customer service!

[Rick@Rick's Hot Rod Shop]

We encourage people to support their local speed shop, and or companies whom you feel comfortable dealing with. In the end i just wanted to set the record straight for the people who are expecting a box from us, and why it hasn't shown up yet.

[fesler]

The problem here will never go away because some idot on a computer thinks he can sell from his house and has no clue what it takes to really run a business. Promises the world and delivers 0. There are even a few vendors on thiese sites that have no clue what they are doing and really hurt our businesses as a whole. These guys are only getting worse as the economy goes down and if the guy buying the products don’t care then it will never get any better. Guys that want cheap dont care where they buy guys that want quality will pay for what they want. There is a difference

I agree with you Rodger you have to come out with a product and price it where you need to make money what happens from it on the other end there is not much you can do about it. If you worry about being the cheap guy you won’t stay in business you have to make so many points to make it worth your time. This is something we deal with daily and that is the fun part about running a company and if you have any questions about getting it set up with dealers shoot me an email.

I have been doing this for too long now and still learn things every day. Buy from people you trust and support the vendors and dealers of those products you trust. If you are dealing with a good dealer they will know all there is to know about the products and not run around trying to sound like they do. After a few minutes on the phone you know if you are at a place you can trust or not just by talking to them.

Rick and Hector are great guys and we have been buying tanks from them for a long time and will continue to buy tanks from them because they have something that works and they should be proud of what they have built Ricks into. All of our large builds have their tanks and we carry them because they understand what it takes to build good quality American parts.

[Rick@Rick's Hot Rod Shop]

Thank You Chris!

[The WidowMaker]

i bought a semi custom tank from hector as well. what amazes the hell out of me is that i called months before the purchase to discuss the tank, but when i called to order he remembered my name and the details without me saying a word. it didnt feel like the normal customer to salesman conversation, but rather like he actually cared. the only thing i slightly regret is ordering before the vaporworx tank came out. although not on the road yet, im still confident that the design of my tank will work.

tim

[camcojb]

One other thing I'll add for Rick, and the other manufacturers on these boards. Once you run into one of your dealers pulling these games you need to either fix it or remove them as a dealer. Protect your reputation, and also you are protecting your customers.

[carbuff]

I ordered a Vaporworx tank from a former sponsor of this site sometime last year. After 3 months or more and nothing I finally called Hector direct. He didn't have any record of the order. He knocked that tank out for me in a couple weeks even though I was not in a rush for it and was super to deal with. Thank you Hector and Rick's!

One more positive experience with Rick's from me. I had the exact experience as Erik. I finally called Hector directly, and he was very apologetic and helpful (particularly given that it wasn't his fault for the delay). Once he actually received my order, I had the tank in-hand in less than 4 weeks, and I received an great looking product! Unfortunately I can't comment on the performance yet, but I expect it will be excellent from all that I hear...

:cheers:

[JMitch19]

Below is the same thing I posted over at pt.com funny thing is I'm the only one to reply over there...

I received my tank in 9 business days. It wasn't an off the shelf tank either. It was pretty much the same tank that went into the 48 hour Camaro. Hector was a big help and I owe him some pictures. Next time I can throw my car on my buddies lift I'll get some good shots.

[56pickup]

Hector,

Cant wait to order my tank!

:thumbsup:

[ALLSPEED01]

Nothing but great products from Hector! These are the only tanks we use on our high end builds. I also agree that pricing is one of the hardest things to do in business. Many people struggle with the question high volume low margin or lower volume higher margin...its a fine line. But in this business there is a huge difference in quality, you get what you pay for! And many times you are paying for the years of knowledge the builder has. A lot of times just because the parts look cool in a catalog it doesn't mean they work well together.

[Stuart Adams]

One other thing I'll add for Rick, and the other manufacturers on these boards. Once you run into one of your dealers pulling these games you need to either fix it or remove them as a dealer. Protect your reputation, and also you are protecting your customers.

Probably the best advice I've ever heard on this site. :hail:

[tech@scotts]

As a new Dealer for Rick I called and verified if it was ok for me to run a promo with a small and I mean small discount and free shipping... I don't see the sense in whoring a product to make or I mean lose a few dollars I refuse... the other day I had a customer laugh at the price I gave him over the phone he then told me the price anouther dealer had given him this said dealer made a whole $50.00 on a 1800.00 sale :wow: I dont get it of course I was that guy and reported him for selling dramatically under retail

[elitecustombody]

This is against the grain, but why not lower the prices to slightly above dealer wholesale prices and cut out the middle man? This will allow you to hire additional tech support and you eliminate all the negative rumors:_paranoid

[Steve68]

I will say I ordered my tank from a sponser on here, it was placed in the 4th week in february, I was told two weeks buy the sponser, I thought that was fast, I expected a month or longer,

I didnt see the tank till the the 3rd week of April, I even called Hector, to see what was going on,

I'm not bitchen about the time it took, just that there was NO communication between anybody to me on the progress of the tank, and that seems to be the norm between vendors to sponser, sponser to customer,

If I was a vendor and a guy placed a order with me, say Fikse, for 5K worth of wheels, I would have a phone number or email and I let them know some kind of progress, and I understand that not everyone can spend all day on the computer, Time is Money,

and I don't see the sponser on here anymore and no it's not the usual one,

[ironworks]

If I was a vendor and a guy placed a order with me, say Fikse, for 5K worth of wheels, I would have a phone number or email and I let them know some kind of progress, and I understand that not everyone can spend all day on the computer, Time is Money,

and I don't see the sponser on here anymore and no it's not the usual one,

The problem is if you sell the parts too cheap just to land the sale and do this over and over all day long. You will never make enough money to be able to stay on top of your orders you have already taken. The vendor needs to make sure the orders get ordered from the MFG, filled by the MFG, drop shipped from the MFG, and arrive at the customer house near the estimated time quoted by the MFG. If the MFG forces his vendors to sell his parts at retail all he is doing is making sure his vendor has no excuses to sell and service the original manufacturers products properly. The only exceptions are product lines that have a much wider margin then 20-25%. But this industry has a pretty low mark up standard.

There are 3 pillars of business
Price
Service
Quality - In this case the Quality is set by the Manufacturer. So you really only have 2 options after that.

Pick 2. You cannot have all 3. Most people care about price first, and wonder why the service is not there after the sale. Can you imagine how hard it would be to find an employee at Walmart that knew anything about any of Walmart's products. Impossible. But the price is cheap.

[Moose]

mine took a little longer then 3 weeks, but I had no problems waiting. And boy am i glad I did. The customer service I got from hector is top notch.

I was having a problem with the fuel level float, and spent some time on the phone with me getting it straight.

On my next car, I know exactly where I'm buying my tank from. So far, its been worth every penny.:thumbsup:

[randy]

Im ready to order a tank for my ls2 67 camaro build. Ive heard from a local guy he had some problems with running your tank. I just want to know that you have a tank for my ls2 67 camaro with the dse quadralink that will work without any hiccups. If thats the case who wants to sell me one?

[Rick@Rick's Hot Rod Shop]

Sorry guys been out of town in the sticks getting our new shop test car...

This is against the grain, but why not lower the prices to slightly above dealer wholesale prices and cut out the middle man? This will allow you to hire additional tech support and you eliminate all the negative rumors:_paranoid

Selling wholesale to the general population would put most companies out of buisness relying on the once in a wile home builder to purchase 1 maybe 2 items in his or her lifetime. The reason dealers get wholesale pricing is because they order in volume and repeatedly week in and week out. They create a form of advertising for your product. Think of how many Jegs, Summit, Year1, Classic Industries etc... books are sitting around all over the country. Yes alot are in bathrooms but they still sell, and at the end of the day people that never knew about your product will find about it.

[Rick@Rick's Hot Rod Shop]

Im ready to order a tank for my ls2 67 camaro build. Ive heard from a local guy he had some problems with running your tank. I just want to know that you have a tank for my ls2 67 camaro with the dse quadralink that will work without any hiccups. If thats the case who wants to sell me one?


If he had problems and is no longer then that means we resolved the issue, if he is still having issues has he notified us? anyone who has an issue with our product that voices it to us gets it resolved.

In referring to hiccups do you mean starvation? We have made many, many tanks for Quadralink setups and have a new feed system that will let you corner all the way to empty :)
Either which way we have what you need. You're welcome to order direct, or through one of our dealers.

[elitecustombody]

Sorry guys been out of town in the sticks getting our new shop test car...



Selling wholesale to the general population would put most companies out of buisness relying on the once in a wile home builder to purchase 1 maybe 2 items in his or her lifetime. The reason dealers get wholesale pricing is because they order in volume and repeatedly week in and week out. They create a form of advertising for your product. Think of how many Jegs, Summit, Year1, Classic Industries etc... books are sitting around all over the country. Yes alot are in bathrooms but they still sell, and at the end of the day people that never knew about your product will find about it.

I said "slightly higher than wholesale prices". The dealers order not just to sit on the product,but for the end user, the actual customer,who could have ordered the product directly from you,in the end there are no rumors or and you have happy customers.Of course some dealers are builders,but most tanks will end up on customer's cars.

[DriverzInc]

I have a few thoughts for you. I have seen this kinda of drama your describing going on for years. I think it is a sign or people selling the parts too cheap. They have to sell so much volume to make up for cutting their own throat daily. I personally think if everyone was required to sell the parts at retail there would not be all these vendors commiting profit suicide. Apparently some vendors think they would rather make only 1 dollar profit then lose the sale. They don't realize the work they have to do for that one dollar. But if there was no way to get the price any cheaper because you have a strong knowledgeable vendor network of your products, not just some guy with a business license.

I have been thinking alot about this subject as I'm building our product line. If I selected just a few vendors of our product that sold my product and were able to make good money from it and not have to worry about price battles with some other guy trying to sell the product out of his garage on Ebay that has no clue even what a camaro is. I would cut down on the after sale phone calls you guys get because the vendor deals with you or knows enough to handle the issue. But because he is able to make a "PROFIT" on the product he can afford to treat the customer how they want or need to be treated. But when a guy has to sell 3 brake kits to make the profit he should have made from just one kit something has to give.

Roger,
This has been my number one gripe over the past year. Nobody has a shop anymore, just a website, and a business license. Meanwhile, we're paying rent, liability insurance, payroll, and a light bill on a real brick and mortar location. So meanwhile, my competition just pays his mortgage on his house, and sells a product for 5% over cost. What good does that do anybody? Then, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place, when every arm chair warrior with a computer will buy from a guy, who doesn't know anything about the product, or the customers car, and I have to price match him to stay in business?

I've actually written a 3 page essay about the problem, and I'm about to post it to google here in the next week. I'm sure it won't be popular with some people, but bottom line, is people need to know, that what your paying for is somebody's knowledge, and you cant call a guy like you, pick your brain several times for hours at a time, and then call www.(blank) because they sell that product for 25 bucks less than you do.

Oh, and then call you and ask you to trouble shoot a problem with said product. That's always a good one too.

We're making some huge changes around here at my shop too. We're not discounting to match these guys anymore. And we're pushing more of our own products, and products where there is some sort of dealer protection. We're just wasting time with everything else.... I have a huge problem with this over at Pro-T, but we're dealing with it.

[Flash68]

I'd like to read that Jon. Please post about it when you are ready.

[70rs]

I'd like to read that Jon. Please post about it when you are ready.

X2! Even though I am on a tight budget, I really see the value, and don't mind paying for that knowledge and customer service.
I would much rather deal with a live person who has a clear understanding of my project needs than some DB hiding behind his keyboard who has little to no understanding of what they just sold.

[Flash68]

X2! Even though I am on a tight budget, I really see the value, and don't mind paying for that knowledge and customer service.
I would much rather deal with a live person who has a clear understanding of my project needs than some DB hiding behind his keyboard who has little to no understanding of what they just sold.

Not to get too far off topic here -- as I do think this is relevant to the originally posted discussion -- but I think there is a time and a place for the internet sellers of good where no support or service is needed. Plenty of products like that out there that we all use and need. But then there are specialty items, like these tanks, and other custom pieces that do require service and support. As a buyer, those orders should be placed ONLY with the manufacturers or its competent and educated dealer network.

In the end, the buyers have to make the conscientious buying decision and not just consider the price.

[ironworks]

Roger,
This has been my number one gripe over the past year. Nobody has a shop anymore, just a website, and a business license. Meanwhile, we're paying rent, liability insurance, payroll, and a light bill on a real brick and mortar location. So meanwhile, my competition just pays his mortgage on his house, and sells a product for 5% over cost. What good does that do anybody? Then, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place, when every arm chair warrior with a computer will buy from a guy, who doesn't know anything about the product, or the customers car, and I have to price match him to stay in business?

I've actually written a 3 page essay about the problem, and I'm about to post it to google here in the next week. I'm sure it won't be popular with some people, but bottom line, is people need to know, that what your paying for is somebody's knowledge, and you cant call a guy like you, pick your brain several times for hours at a time, and then call www.(blank) because they sell that product for 25 bucks less than you do.

Oh, and then call you and ask you to trouble shoot a problem with said product. That's always a good one too.

We're making some huge changes around here at my shop too. We're not discounting to match these guys anymore. And we're pushing more of our own products, and products where there is some sort of dealer protection. We're just wasting time with everything else.... I have a huge problem with this over at Pro-T, but we're dealing with it.

That is the exact reason I don't push much of anything like Wilwood and other stuff like I used to. There is always another guy who will go ten bucks cheaper on Wilwood. Or wait for 10 more orders so they can get an even deeper deal but not tell you or pass on the discount for waiting. I tell you hay I need one more kit and with that kit I have the buying power to give you so much more off. But now I just order parts for cars we are building and a select few who think I know what I'm talking about...... YEAH RIGHT. Corbeau sells average seats, I will not ever put their seat in a car we build, But they will drop you like a rock if you sell their seats at anything but retail. But I sell more seats for them from referrals then I do from my own means.

We are slowing coming out with various brackets and parts to help the home builder and shops with simple fixes in the build process. I'm working on raising the price to a point where the vendor can make a nice spread on the parts. But I will require the bracket be sold at a certain price. Not a Minimum Advertised Price, but an always retail price and only to real shops. Same with our frames. But the shop better know all about my products. I want them to want to study up on my product and want to push my product, because at the end of the day we are all here for a profit.

[70rs]

Not to get too far off topic here -- as I do think this is relevant to the originally posted discussion -- but I think there is a time and a place for the internet sellers of good where no support or service is needed. Plenty of products like that out there that we all use and need. But then there are specialty items, like these tanks, and other custom pieces that do require service and support. As a buyer, those orders should be placed ONLY with the manufacturers or its competent and educated dealer network.

In the end, the buyers have to make the conscientious buying decision and not just consider the price.

I agree 100% with you Dave.
I meant regarding products like these tanks, and other specialty products.

If I am ordering something as simple as gaskets for a smalk block chevy, I don't need to waste anyones time on the phone.

After this thread was started I sent Rick a email with questions about my current and future needs in a fuel system. He got right back to me answered all of my questions and suggested a solution. When I am ready to install my system I will order the tank from Ricks set up just how he told me. It will take care of my current carb needs and future EFI swap all with one tank, designed correctly the first time.

I can't get that on ebay. I can't get that without the specific knowledge of a pro in that field.