Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Anyone know where to buy these? The only place I see is on ebay for $25 each! They're supposed to cost $5...

Here’s a link to RIC’s Boutique:

http://boutique.rickenbacker.com/PAD-FOAM-14_p_605.html


Pick of the Ricks also has them:

http://www.pickofthericks.com/rickenbac ... pad-03802/

.... OK, not in stock there at this time (but in stock at RIC)....

maxwell wrote:Here’s a link to RIC’s Boutique:

http://boutique.rickenbacker.com/PAD-FOAM-14_p_605.html


Pick of the Ricks also has them:

http://www.pickofthericks.com/rickenbac ... pad-03802/

.... OK, not in stock there at this time (but in stock at RIC)....

Thanks for the links. The only problem is that Ric Boutique wants to charge me $15 shipping for 3 small pieces of foam! So the total for 3 pieces of foam shipped would be over $30, very annoying that Rickenbacker makes their parts so scarce and expensive...

I just went to Pick of the Rick’s web page and see that these are expected to be in stock January 18th.

danoadam wrote:

maxwell wrote:Here’s a link to RIC’s Boutique:

http://boutique.rickenbacker.com/PAD-FOAM-14_p_605.html


Pick of the Ricks also has them:

http://www.pickofthericks.com/rickenbac ... pad-03802/

.... OK, not in stock there at this time (but in stock at RIC)....

Thanks for the links. The only problem is that Ric Boutique wants to charge me $15 shipping for 3 small pieces of foam! So the total for 3 pieces of foam shipped would be over $30, very annoying that Rickenbacker makes their parts so scarce and expensive...

It's an appropriate charge for something that is annoying for RIC to have to spend time on when they could be making guitars. I think thats all its about.

I certainly don't find the charge to be "appropriate", especially for something they can just stick in a small envelope and mail. I think it's a rip-off, and it's certainly not the only parts they sell which are blatant rip offs.

Theyre not laughing all the way to the bank with $30. It's to discourage people from ordering the part from RIC, and to encourage customers to purchase from an authorized dealer instead, Id think. Just my speculation and 2 cents.

They have the parts and there is no reason they can't offer them at a reasonable price. Then again, I really like Rickenbacker guitars, but the company is certainly not known for their customer service, which very often is exceptionally poor.

There is a very good reason. It takes an employee time to pack up, mail, field questions, for all those orders, which theyre probably not staffed for. Payroll is typically the biggest expense a business has, a popular statistic says average 40%, so it has to be managed wisely. Plus, if RIC made it more affordable to buy parts direct, thats less buskness for their dealers, and less contact between dealers and end users.

I will say I dont disagree with everything you said... plenty of examples to back that up. All Im saying is I get why they dont encourage direct parts sales.

I don't care whether they want to encourage direct part sales or not. The quoted shipping charge is clearly a rip off, and you may not agree, but I think they owe something to the folks who are buying, using and promoting their instruments. I spent a couple decades running a retail operation while owning part of a small chain of stores and also have nearly 35 years of experience building custom products. If I build and sell something, I think that gives me a certain amount of responsibility to help my customers out at a fair price if they have a problem with my product. If nothing else, it simply promotes good will and brand loyalty, which isn't going to hurt me one bit in a case as simple as this one.

In the fifteen years or so that I have been reading this forum I have seen quite a few truly cringe-worthy examples of RIC customer service or attitude, and this is just another one to add to the heap. The fact that I like their guitars doesn't make up for that, and isn't an excuse for it, whether you want it to be or not. I really don't think it would break the bank for an employee to take the time to stick three pieces of foam in an envelope and stick a stamp on it and make a customer happy.

I buy mine here:

https://reverb.com/item/932211-rickenba ... d-foam-1-4 (free shipping too!)

They probably last a lifetime or so, and cost about the same as 2 or 3 packs of cigarettes, shipping included. No big deal, man...