May 10, 2021
Dear FN Wheels Customers,
Thank you all for your patience while we work through the current supply chain delays that have plagued us for the last year.
We have good news : many models of our wheels are back in stock (including the always popular FN FX Pro in 17×8″). We will be updating individual product pages at https://www.fnwheels.com/store/ with current inventory over the next few days.
We also have models / sizes / colors / offsets that are not listed on our website, but which are back in stock or should be back in stock soon. We will post a separate update at https://www.fnwheels.com/shop-news/ with this information very soon. The best way to order those wheels will be to call us at (951)735-1100 while work on updating the online store.
Due to continued delays from our ancillary vendors (FedEx, USPS, trucking companies and packaging suppliers), plus unprecedented demand for our wheels our current processing and handling lead times are 7-10 business days for in-stock products. This processing and handling time is necessary for us so that we can continue to perform a final inspection of every single wheel before it leaves our warehouse, adequately package every item with extra protection and packaging material, double box every wheel, and ensure that every order is checked for accuracy. The processing time will be in addition to the normal delivery time from the carrier (i.e. FedEx, USPS, etc.). Tracking will be provided once your order has been fully inspected and prepared for shipping. We do not generate tracking numbers in advance, as that usually only serves to fuel confusion as to when the package was actually shipped. For example, many of us have received tracking numbers that only state “label created” or something similar, and then aren’t updated for days. While it’s great to have a tracking number right away, we prefer to generate tracking upon shipment, and not upon receipt of the customer’s order, so that once you receive tracking information you know that your order is on the way and not in limbo.
We cannot reduce this processing and handling time without potentially reducing the quality that we’ve become known for. Simply put, we take our time inspecting and preparing every order, and it would require “cutting corners” to expedite processing and handling. FN Wheels doesn’t just receive a delivery from our manufacturer and “assume” that the factory QA/QC was sufficient and performed to our standards.
Virtually all wheel brands in the world (and particularly the United States) source their products from a private label manufacturer in Asia. Quality and price vary widely from private label manufactures and even within the same manufacturer based on the requirements of the customer (the brand). Typical wheel industry standards for wheel brands in the U.S. are to receive wheels from their factory overseas, and then ship them directly to the end user or tire installer exactly as received from the factory without ever double checking the product. Even the best factories sometimes make mistakes or overlook QA/QC standards, and many brands are not using the “best” factories in Asia.
We source our wheels from a small group of premium manufacturers with whom we’ve worked with for over 15 years. Prior to formalizing relationships with our manufacturers we spent years assessing quality from different brand names and factories that we sold in our retail store, including ultra high end Japanese and European brands. Our suppliers know our standards very well, and we selected them because they are able to build to our high standards. With that said, the FN Wheels standards can only be FN Wheels’ standards if FN Wheels is performing the final quality control on every item before it leaves our warehouse here in the U.S. We are definitely anomalous within our industry (and frankly most industries) insofar as individually inspecting every single product before shipping to our customers. It is extremely time and resource consuming to do this, however we aren’t willing to disappoint our customers or damage our 20+ year reputation by cutting corners in our process. We just need a little more time than usual to process orders right now because of the higher volume of orders and the delays that some of our vendors are experiencing.
Thank you all for continuing to support our family run business, so that we can continue to treat all of you like close friends and family. We greatly appreciate your patronage and patience. It is our intention to continue to offer the best service that we can, the best FN Wheels possible, and the most reasonable price to quality ratio that we can provide to all of our customers.
Gratefully,
Dustin
FN Wheels
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