Burned In The Rubber Business!!
Burned In The Rubber Business!!
In today's "Earthmover" or "OTR" tire market we are all aware of the lack of larger size tires. While there has been an increase in the availability in the smaller sizes we are still experiencing a major shortage in the Giant sizes i.e. the 3700R57, 4000R57, up to and including the 53/80R63 and 59/80R63.
This is very frustrating to the mines that need them and to us that need to locate them for our customers.
Unfortunately this shortage has given rise to the ever present thieves and con-men (if you can call them men, maybe snakes will suffice).
They are all too ready to steal your money because they know that these tires are like gold and the opportunity to make a large sell sucks the unsuspecting tire dealer into the snake pit.
I recently have had a run in with a few of these lovely characters and if it wasn't for our policy of going the extra mile to prevent being ripped off we may have fallen prey to being sunk for a good chunck of change.
This has prompted me to write this article in hopes to prevent anyone else from getting robbed by these den of thieves.
Here are some checks that you can implement to protect yourself.
1. Know who you are dealing with!
Major dealers are pretty safe, but they have a hard time getting the larger sizes so you can't always depend on them.
Then there are the major players in the reseller group. One of these is Commerce Max Inc who has been in the business for years and has a consistant track record and a good name. Others that we have had a good relationship with are Big OTR Tires, Extreme Tire and Giant OTR Tires to name a few.
2. Get Proof!
Be very leary if someone doesn't want to send pictures! If you get pictures make sure to get them to write your name on the tires with the date on them. This is a good way to prevent them from sending you fake pictures of old tires.
SGS Reports are good but can be expensive and take alot of time. I would suggest SGS for larger deals.
3. Do not wire money until you have sufficient proof that tires exist.
I have heard way too many horror stories of companines that have been rippped off for millions of dollars for tires that never showed up or did not exist.
Be very careful with folks that are asking for a deposit before they will let you see the tires. I understand that this is typical procedure for alot of Asian resellers but this is also a trap for the unsuspecting & over trusting fool!
4. Better safe then sorry!
We have a policy of actually flying out and laying our hands on tires to prove they are real with vendors we have not done business with before.
If it is a larger deal where millions of dollars are at risk, then it is best to babysit the tires until they are loaded in a container, sealed, and loaded onto a ship. You can trust people if you want to but money is the root of all kinds of evil.
5. Do your homework!
Do research on companies that you are doing business with. Ask for references. Call other tires vendors to see if they have a history with this vendor.
6. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH:
For legal reasons I can not say the exact name of folks that I know of that will rip you off or that have a history of bad business but I can hint at one.
Puke Shannanigans
Send me an email and I will tell you who they are or if you want me to add names to the list.
This is very frustrating to the mines that need them and to us that need to locate them for our customers.
Unfortunately this shortage has given rise to the ever present thieves and con-men (if you can call them men, maybe snakes will suffice).
They are all too ready to steal your money because they know that these tires are like gold and the opportunity to make a large sell sucks the unsuspecting tire dealer into the snake pit.
I recently have had a run in with a few of these lovely characters and if it wasn't for our policy of going the extra mile to prevent being ripped off we may have fallen prey to being sunk for a good chunck of change.
This has prompted me to write this article in hopes to prevent anyone else from getting robbed by these den of thieves.
Here are some checks that you can implement to protect yourself.
1. Know who you are dealing with!
Major dealers are pretty safe, but they have a hard time getting the larger sizes so you can't always depend on them.
Then there are the major players in the reseller group. One of these is Commerce Max Inc who has been in the business for years and has a consistant track record and a good name. Others that we have had a good relationship with are Big OTR Tires, Extreme Tire and Giant OTR Tires to name a few.
2. Get Proof!
Be very leary if someone doesn't want to send pictures! If you get pictures make sure to get them to write your name on the tires with the date on them. This is a good way to prevent them from sending you fake pictures of old tires.
SGS Reports are good but can be expensive and take alot of time. I would suggest SGS for larger deals.
3. Do not wire money until you have sufficient proof that tires exist.
I have heard way too many horror stories of companines that have been rippped off for millions of dollars for tires that never showed up or did not exist.
Be very careful with folks that are asking for a deposit before they will let you see the tires. I understand that this is typical procedure for alot of Asian resellers but this is also a trap for the unsuspecting & over trusting fool!
4. Better safe then sorry!
We have a policy of actually flying out and laying our hands on tires to prove they are real with vendors we have not done business with before.
If it is a larger deal where millions of dollars are at risk, then it is best to babysit the tires until they are loaded in a container, sealed, and loaded onto a ship. You can trust people if you want to but money is the root of all kinds of evil.
5. Do your homework!
Do research on companies that you are doing business with. Ask for references. Call other tires vendors to see if they have a history with this vendor.
6. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH:
For legal reasons I can not say the exact name of folks that I know of that will rip you off or that have a history of bad business but I can hint at one.
Puke Shannanigans
Send me an email and I will tell you who they are or if you want me to add names to the list.
Best regards,
Arnold Cortez
Arnold Cortez
Commercial Sales Manager
CMI Tires
www.OTRTireDepot.com
www.OTRTireDepot.com
Ph: (956) 535-4008
Fax: (866) 651-7782
arnoldbcortez@yahoo.com
arnoldbcortez@yahoo.com
Labels: earthmover tire, OTR Tire
posted by Arnold Cortez at 11:25 AM
