Rimmer Bros - frustration

[terryjm1]

I placed an order last week and paid extra for faster shipping. I went to the website to check the tracking to find it hadn’t yet shipped. Based on the 2-5 day delivery I paid extra for I expected to have the parts at latest Wednesday of this week. I checked different suppliers, both overseas and a well known US supplier, before the order was placed and Rimmers was the only one to have all the small bits I need, mainly brake pipe clips.

I contacted customer service and was told they were holding the order as 2 of the 43 items were not in stock in spite of the website showing everything in stock. The 2 items were things I didn’t need for a while. Everything else is needed to get the truck off the lift.

I understand website stock is sometimes not accurate and that is understandable. However, they could have reached out to me when they tried to fill the order and let me know. I would have told them to ship what they had and would have had what I needed tomorrow or Wednesday.

In the bigger picture it isn’t a big deal. However, I recommend if you are counting on their shipping speed, certainly if you choose to pay extra for faster shipping, check in with them the day after you order to confirm it will indeed be shipped when promised.

 

[lunchbox]

They are trash. I’m pretty sure they still owe me a few parts that don’t even exist anymore. LRD is the only way to go from UK

 

[DiscoHasBeen]

This shit is all over. Lots of small businesses/mom and pop vendors being hit hard by supply chain/staffing problems and doing anything to hold on. I recently bought a Tacoma and have been modding it. Never thought I'd see a vehicle with more aftermarket options than a Wrangler but this may be it. But you have to be really careful who you order from, and even then it can be frustrating.

The funny thing is on the Tacoma forum I visit you'd be raked over the coals for a post like this. I complained about a vendor who hadn't shipped for almost a month even with me emailing to check stock beforehand. People were like "I ordered 11 months ago and paid in full and haven't received my "whatever" and I'm not complaining". Even though I don't own a Rover can't blame me for coming back here to check with the sane from time to time....

 

[terryjm1]

While I am frustrated and cancelled the order, I will almost certainly order from them again. They are one of just a few vendors that support old Triumphs. My bigger concern is if we simply accept this sort of “behavior” it will become standard. It only takes a few minutes to send an email to advise something is out of stock.

 

[joneschris]

I had the same with John Craddock a few weeks ago, then DHL lost the order for 3 days. Was pissed that it took 10 days vs 3

 

[Tugela]

If it's any consolation, I ordered something from the UK on January 8 and it took 7 weeks to arrive. Strike at the Royal Mail, Brexit bollocks, bottleneck at US customs. If the vendor is not communicating or meeting expectations that's on them. Private international couriers should be able to deliver on time, that's the sole purpose of their existence. But in cases like mine where so many links are in the chain and they are all rusty, this is the result. I've also ordered stuff from the UK and had it arrive in four or five days.

 

[terryjm1]

If it's any consolation, I ordered something from the UK on January 8 and it took 7 weeks to arrive. Strike at the Royal Mail, Brexit bollocks, bottleneck at US customs. If the vendor is not communicating or meeting expectations that's on them. Private international couriers should be able to deliver on time, that's the sole purpose of their existence. But in cases like mine where so many links are in the chain and they are all rusty, this is the result. I've also ordered stuff from the UK and had it arrive in four or five days.

I placed another order from Rimmers today for the stuff I couldn’t find anywhere else. Within a few hours I received an email it had shipped. We will see…

Before I cancelled the first order, I asked when I would receive the out of stock items. They said it would be 5 to 50 working days after they come in stock as it would have to go Royal Mail. They may as well have said they have no idea.

On a related note, the US postal service hasn’t been kind to me since around mid 2020. Even my for many years very friendly local postal clerk developed an attitude about that time and her attitude persists to the present day. The last trip to the post office she wasn’t there. I had valentines cards I was sending to family members. I asked to buy stamps for them. He took the cards and literally repeatedly squeezed and felt all over them. He then informed me since they were not completely flat they had to have special handling and charged about $1.50 per card. Never had that happen before.

 

[rovercanus]

I ordered a differential skid plate for the Outback from Primitive Racing in Oregon. Shipped on the 29th and it's been bouncing up and down the western states for several days. Now it's stuck in Rolla MO for the last 3 days.It was originally scheduled for last Monday, then they changed it to Saturday saying it would be early. Then they changed it to Thursday and now it's "Look, you'll get it when we feel like it".
This was shipped before snowmaggedon.
I also like how we are still using covid as an excuse.

 

[ERover82]

With many of these sites, when they show a part as "In stock" or "Available", it means it was in stock last time they checked. They don't actually know if JLR or another vendor still has it in stock until the get an order for it.

Throughout the pandemic I placed dozens of orders from LRDirect and they arrived within 4-7 days. They were really good about immediately letting me know if something was NLA or backordered and asked if I'd like to wait or remove it.

 

[terryjm1]

“Now it's stuck in Rolla MO for the last 3 days”

My Dad grew up there… but he didn’t get stuck. Great Engineering school there. He and all his brothers and sisters left long ago.

 

[rovercanus]

“Now it's stuck in Rolla MO for the last 3 days”

My Dad grew up there… but he didn’t get stuck. Great Engineering school there. He and all his brothers and sisters left long ago.

My dad went there.
I used to spend summers in that area at my grand parents house when I was young. Beautiful area and great fishing.

 

[DiscoHasBeen]

I also like how we are still using covid as an excuse.

IDK what line of work you are in, but most people don't really know how broken things are. We try to order parts for our equipment and ask for a delivery date and basically are laughed at. Shit we really need and the answer is "maybe tomorrow, maybe three months from now". We have had 800k worth of new equipment on order since last winter. Had been given three different delivery dates. Now are told don't hold your breath. Ever listen to a comerical for one of those survivalist meal kits and roll your eyes? Instead you might want to get the card out.

I bought a Tacoma, so am on a Tacoma forum. About once a week or two someone will post their truck got hit with pictures and ask if it is totaled, like the site is full of insurance adjusters. Anyway, the responses are quite often is it's totaled. Not because of the cost of repairs but because of a lack of parts to repair it, leading to untenable rental times.

 

[terryjm1]

A local shop has been trying to find a v6 Tacoma head for over a month,. Only 70,000 miles and it dropped a valve. So, even Toyotas have problems.

On blaming COVID, it is truly sad our economy is so dependent on foreign nations. But, in a free market economy, nobody can tell the corporations where to set up shop. Over dependence on anything is a bad idea. But, here we are.

Speaking of over dependence, diesel is down to $3.50 gallon here. Good news for me and my TDI Discovery. I really enjoy driving it on the mountain.

 

[rovercanus]

IDK what line of work you are in, but most people don't really know how broken things are. We try to order parts for our equipment and ask for a delivery date and basically are laughed at. Shit we really need and the answer is "maybe tomorrow, maybe three months from now". We have had 800k worth of new equipment on order since last winter. Had been given three different delivery dates. Now are told don't hold your breath. Ever listen to a comerical for one of those survivalist meal kits and roll your eyes? Instead you might want to get the card out.

I bought a Tacoma, so am on a Tacoma forum. About once a week or two someone will post their truck got hit with pictures and ask if it is totaled, like the site is full of insurance adjusters. Anyway, the responses are quite often is it's totaled. Not because of the cost of repairs but because of a lack of parts to repair it, leading to untenable rental times.

I am well aware of supply issues in my line of work.
Maybe our current administration should consider de-escalation instead of escalation in our foreign policies.
Factory skid plates for the Outback Wilderness were made in Russia so are now unattainable.

 

[German Gruner]

Throughout the pandemic I placed dozens of orders from LRDirect and they arrived within 4-7 days. They were really good about immediately letting me know if something was NLA or backordered and asked if I'd like to wait or remove it.

I placed orders to different UK shops, but the best by far is LRDirect, letting to know if some item is still not ready to ship, and taking less to a week to arrive (here in the south of the south).
Regards

 

[StangGT5]

For what it's worth, I have had good experiences with John Craddock, Rimmer Bros, and Island 4x4, all during COVID. JC was the only one to take months to send me something they said they could get in a few days (reman P38 viscous coupler, which ended up coming from Ashcroft).

I wish vendors would do a better job of telling customers something they've order is not going to be available for a while. LK8 does a good job of that. AB does okay.

All these physical businesses are still struggling to get bodies in the door though, so I am not sure it is a matter of accepting excuses. I work in white collar finance in the south, and my office floors are still mostly ghost towns. Factories and warehouses paying basic wages aren't going to fare better. At least with white collar people still work, they just grew accustomed to working from home.

I am from FL and spend time in ATL, so the coof was never really a thing outside small areas that lock-step vote a certain way. All of this stems from general degradation of already decaying, lazy western society scared of its own shadows. Of course, that's just, like, my opinion man.

You can still get things out of Russia through Kazakhstan and China, but it takes a long time. These supply chain issues, inflamed by needless escalation, will not be a thing of past any time soon. The funniest thing to me is this already unrealistic EV push amid rising tensions with countries that export most of the rare metals.

 

[terryjm1]

I guess the label “Beijing Joe” was wrong. I cant imagine there is a more hated person by the Chinese government. Im stopping now as this is turning political. Lots of other forums for that,

I did just get my reduced Rimmers order. It was all there and shipped quickly. Regretfully, my brake pad retainer pins are too long. Must be for a Defender with vented brakes. I will see if I can drill new holes for the clips.

 

[Blue]

Rimmer Bros has always been good for me, surprisingly fast delivery. But of course my parts were in stock.

 

[jymmiejamz]

This is why i primarily buy from Rovers North

 

[Flyfish]

Regretfully, my brake pad retainer pins are too long. Must be for a Defender with vented brakes. I will see if I can drill new holes for the clips.

Unless they could possibly make contact with the wheel or something, it doesn’t matter if they are a little long.