Give us a break (brake?) Fran.........and anything else ya got for us

[frank beuker]

I once did order a armandosump , it took nine months to get to me
in that time it has seen the postal office in the states about four times,has been send to holland and back to the states once and when it finaly got to me was held by customs three weeks.
Luckely I've got a friend who brought some stuff from the states to holland last time.
But i know what a pain it can be when you are waiting on stuff .
By the way.... Fran I did my saving and are ready to order the fuelcaps .
Frank

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Anytime Frank....

 

[john]

Wow!! just got back to read the forum. Fran...I did not know so many folks are waiting for parts!!! Now I feel bad that the black guy in previous post I hammered was correct!! I understand that sometimes parts delivery are on back order.. a year??? What's up! Is this a hand to mouth issue? Do customers pay in full when the car is delivered even though that all the parts are not included? I was at run and gun and was very pleased at your product. However, if I had to wait a year for parts is not acceptable. Unless it was truly not your fault. There should be a disclaimer in your advertisement regarding parts delay. Regardless,,, Your product is AAAA++++ and my car next car and parts will be bought from you.

John

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

How could anyone wait for a year for parts on the SL-C...delivery only started 6 months ago...

Simons parts were shipped on September 22nd ...first time around...only three and a half weeks ago...and some of those were options ordered "after" he had actually received his car in the UK...

Simons request was to save on shipping pack them together...

Andys parts were an oil filter adapter, front engine cover and parking brake mounts...two of the three items are not parts of the RCR kit but are parts pertaining to a vendor supplied engine that he purchased through RCR....not built by RCR.

I have not asked for payment for the replacement part even though I did not initially supply it.

Johns parts consisted of a second plenum AC plenum after he deemed he would prefer it to the stock as supplied rhd unit...again no payment requested

Non standard high end Tilton master cylinders to match his non standard Tilton pedal assembly...not manufactured by me..
Sway bars for Simon and John...again vendor parts...that I waited a long time to be restocked and supplied by a second vendor after the first dropped the ball more times than I care to mention....

We all,at RCR try to make owning/building a hand built car a pleasurable experience and understand these are expensive projects ...we dont like to have backorder issues and we appreciate our customers patience when we do...but we really do multi source whenever possible to avoid these situations...
We are not perfect and only human...to anyone that has or is waiting for parts...we thank you for buying an RCR car and will be here for you until you no longer need us..

So as you see Oliver/John/Dogface..whichever username you chose.....not quite as simple as hand to mouth ...with over 150 cars sold a few back ordered parts is tough to avoid.....and not stock or standard RCR manufactured kit parts in most cases....if we have the parts on the shelf we ship them, they do me no good collecting dust.

I know this is a battle I will have to fight over and over again...and its a no win situation for me....but I will not sit back and have my and my staffs hard work over the last four years taken lightly...we have attempted to raise the bar on American built replica cars and fulfilled many mans dream whilst doing so.

I remember saying that I would not sell you a car due to the grief you personally gave me over the phone on a Sunday morning a couple of years ago...thanks for the compliments but .....

I hope you enjoy your incomplete Lola ,once you get it at least a year (or two) late from the manufacturer you chose to build it.....and its not an RCR , ....

 

[Dave Lindemann]

I've been trying very hard not to comment on this "parts not being delivered" issue with RCR but I guess I have a breaking point. I received my black SLC on 10/10/08 - as promised by RCR. To my surprise a number of parts did not get shipped with the car....but I did receive a couple of boxes filled with packing peanuts and nothing else. I communicated with Casey and Fran and I came to the conclusion that Fran was at Run-N-Gun and the person packing up the car was having a very bad day. 10/15 I received 5 boxes of parts, 10/16 I received another box of parts - how is that for responsive! Excellent I would say. Not only are the parts being delivered but they are of very high quality - the pedal assembly alone is a work of art! At some point I will have enough time to start a build thread with photos of the delivery and parts received but my wife and I are still dealing with recovering from a tornado. All I can say is that I think Fran, Casey and the RCR crew are doing an excellent job. I also understand that it can be frustrating to be waiting for parts - especially if one is in the middle of a build. I've rebuilt a Lotus and learned early on the one has to be patient and understanding - its all part of the hobby! Oh, and if you ever lose virtually everything that you own to mother nature you will realize that there are many more important things in life than "things" - a slow arriving car part is not the end of the world.

Best regards,
Dave L

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Dave,

I am glad you have your ray of sunshine...you guys certainly deserve it.

I apologise for some of the crew dropping the ball in my absence but as you say I got back on Monday and you already have your parts , ...and new toys to play with...thanks for the compliments too.

I know you were interested in the lift kit, well we have now tested the lift kit on the track car for 300 miles and I reckon we are ready to start taking orders...

Enjoy....

 

[Craig Gillingham]

+ craigy boy for the lift kit....

 

[John Lowe]

Fran

The new flat belt compressor arrived today, it is a much superior product than the V belt one I originally received, thanks.

I have only received two of the three parcels so may be I'm premature in asking this next question (all the items had appeared to come from your sway bar supplier). Below is a pic of some of the sway bar items I received. Also in the box were the 4 long upper heim joint bolts (which I will need) and 2 new sway bars which are the wrong size for a RCR40 (I have the ones you sent originally which are fine). Are the correct links in the third box? I did not want to rebuild the suspension untill all additional mount holes had been drilled in the lower arms and can't do this without knowing the dimensions of the link mount hole.

Guys - just for the record I still think the RCR product is the best by a long way and have nothing but admiration for the way Fran has built the business on the back of new and innovative design. This is my first build so cannot compare RCR supply performance with other outfits.

John

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Pics in the build manual under "sway bars" should help you out.

 

[John Lowe]

Fran

Thanks, had a look at the build manual, what I appear to be missing are the 4 upper heim joints. I would be happy to chase your supplier direct if that would help.

John

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

How about that third box??

 

[Tyrese Jackson]

Wow!! just got back to read the forum. Fran...I did not know so many folks are waiting for parts!!! Now I feel bad that the black guy in previous post I hammered was correct!! I understand that sometimes parts delivery are on back order.. a year??? What's up! Is this a hand to mouth issue? Do customers pay in full when the car is delivered even though that all the parts are not included? I was at run and gun and was very pleased at your product. However, if I had to wait a year for parts is not acceptable. Unless it was truly not your fault. There should be a disclaimer in your advertisement regarding parts delay. Regardless,,, Your product is AAAA++++ and my car next car and parts will be bought from you.

John

Okay I heard my big ears ringing last night and I was right, so here is my calling. Give me a break the 7/8th master cylinders are in stock at Wilwood. Fran maybe you need to ask for 110% of the money in order to get parts to people, anything over six months is just wrong who is the freak now. I would like to know do you use the buyers funds for the buyers cars or is it being used for R & D on other projects.

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

I know they are stock at Wilwood but that does not help me when I am waiting for them to be dropped shipped now does it?...We dont buy one ot two at a time ...we buy a hundred..

As in all businesses profit is used to develop new products...maybe you should drop by and see for yourself how much we carry on the shelf...every day.
We have chassis racked up in build sequence...
Anyone that has taken the time to visit will attest to that......

But why should you care....you will not be purchasing an RCR product?

 

[John Lowe]

Fran

Many thanks, I eagerly await the arrival of the third box. Not sure how this works but I have had to pay VAT and import on the items received (these would normally have been part of the "original ship" so I have already paid the taxes on them). Apparently they (UPS?) will contact RCR at some stage for confirmation, just giving you a heads up really.

John

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

I am waiting for a call from your original importer to check on the VAT and TAX status

 

[John Lowe]

Fran

just got your email, thanks. You are quite right about the duty due.

John

 

[J. Salmon]

...who is the freak now...

Uh, it's pretty much still you.

 

[Doohan]

As a customer that was considering an RCR I would suggest these points should be noted:

1) Your voicemail is constantly full and unable to take messages. Suggestion, divert your calls to your office so that they can handle current and prospective customer enquiries as a full mailbox is not very professional.

2) Why do you answer posts on this forum in a matter of minutes yet emails and phone calls can go without reply for weeks? If I hear again that your system blocks emails I will personally send a IT technician to your premises to uninstall the crap spam filter you are running.

3) I have spoken to current and past customers that have waited over 12 months from deposit for complete delivery of their order. If you are saying your suppliers will take more than 12 months to make parts available you should look elsewhere for those parts. And for gods sake remove that flashing banner on your site that states delivery in 16 weeks! This is clearly not the case and is false advertising. (maybe change it to 16 months)

It seems that the main point here is that your (or your staff's) communication is poor at best.
Excuses such as:

supplier delays,
lost deliveries,
customs delays,
parts being a favour,
attending the Run and Gun,
weddings,
boomeranging parcels (is that only with Australia?)
sending empty boxes,
sick children,
'but ffr takes over one year'

....are not what customers want to hear.

You are always blaming other people or events and will not take any responsibility for the problems.
I have seen and heard enough to know that you and your company are not professional enough for my needs.
I will be taking my business elsewhere (DRB) and I suggest that anyone thinking of building a GT40 does the same.

 

[J. Salmon]

As a customer that was considering an RCR I would suggest these points should be noted:

1) Your voicemail is constantly full and unable to take messages. Suggestion, divert your calls to your office so that they can handle current and prospective customer enquiries as a full mailbox is not very professional.

2) Why do you answer posts on this forum in a matter of minutes yet emails and phone calls can go without reply for weeks? If I hear again that your system blocks emails I will personally send a IT technician to your premises to uninstall the crap spam filter you are running.

3) I have spoken to current and past customers that have waited over 12 months from deposit for complete delivery of their order. If you are saying your suppliers will take more than 12 months to make parts available you should look elsewhere for those parts. And for gods sake remove that flashing banner on your site that states delivery in 16 weeks! This is clearly not the case and is false advertising. (maybe change it to 16 months)

It seems that the main point here is that your (or your staff's) communication is poor at best.
Excuses such as:

supplier delays,
lost deliveries,
customs delays,
parts being a favour,
attending the Run and Gun,
weddings,
boomeranging parcels (is that only with Australia?)
sending empty boxes,
sick children,
'but ffr takes over one year'

....are not what customers want to hear.

You are always blaming other people or events and will not take any responsibility for the problems.
I have seen and heard enough to know that you and your company are not professional enough for my needs.
I will be taking my business elsewhere (DRB) and I suggest that anyone thinking of building a GT40 does the same.

OK, Now I am actually mad. This is going way to far. Since you are not a customer, I think you are welcome to read along and make your decisions, but you have no idea what you are talking about. Fran is one man. I have no trouble getting in touch with him 7 days a week. Casey ALWAYS answers the phone. The delivery of my CUSTOM RCR40 was on schedule. My questions and concerns have all been answered promptly. I am still missing a few parts, but you act as if RCR should be able to control that so that it doesn't happen. And you are suggesting that because of this, no one should consider buying an RCR???? That Fran et al should pack up the shoddy job they are doing and cut hair or something??? Sorry, but that is absolutely insane, and you just don't have a clue. RCR is a small, new company, and making a statement like this can be very damaging, and it is totally out of line. I don't think you get the purpose, the economics, or anywhere near the reality of what it is like to even attempt to bring to market what RCR brings.

I normally do not like to play up one manufacturer over another, because - to use Fran's own words - there is room enough for all. Different companies have different ups and downs, whether price point or originality, or whatever. But I'll say it here: as far as quality of the final product THERE IS NO COMPARISON. If you think a bouncing email is worth settling for a lesser car, then off you go. I have no regrets, no complaints, and my car is going to kick ass.

The ironic thing is that you live in Detroit, and now are going to work with a company based in Australia. Good luck with that. I pity DRB. I hope they know what they are getting into.







(My apologies for the rant, this really struck a nerve).

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Doohan,

thanks for your input....

Peter builds a good car and I am sure you will be happy....as are many RCR customers..I think you will find that RCR40 kits are being delivered ahead of schedule..

I do take responsiblity hence my need to step in and phsically ship parts myself...there are no excuses only facts...