Bad News for Rubicon Express Customers

[Martyn]

I wish them all the best in their reorganization efforts. It's been a brutal couple of years for all businesses. We have got to know many of the people at Rubicon Express over the years, attending the same shows etc. and more than anything I'm hoping the impact on them is short lived.

 

[AmericaOverland]

???

What I mean by this is this:

California - inflation is much higher there than in most other parts of the country, so I have to pay CA prices on a Texas Salary. Think about someone in CA paying for a $300 jacket versus me in Texas. Because of "inflation adjustments" in buyers' mentalities, $300 doesn't seem as much to them as it does to me here in Texas.

Top salaries - often, the company gets a taste of success, and the inevitable usually happens, which is, the top people start paying themselves a little more money, a little more, a little more. Before you know it, they're paying themselves high-fives or low-sixes, taking quite a few trips. The short-sighted ones will even take many trips via private flights. I just think that for a company, a company of that size needs to be paying out REASONABLE salaries to all so that it can continue to build the business and maintain itself (this becomes important when "market saturation," which ALL business models eventually encounter unless it gets done under by something else first).

But I'm going to say I digress because I know absolutely nothing about this company nor the nature of the bankruptcy. It just may be bad times in a formerly hot real estate market. The Sacramento area has been hit hard by loss of jobs and foreclosures. The bust has been going on for a long time, four years I think. Wow, four years?! A lot of time sure has passed by!

 

[shortbus4x4]

The inflation in CA isn't what causes the high prices, its the cost of doing business in this state which then gets passed onto customers. There are so many CA state agencies that have a hand in your pocket book if you are a business here. If you have employees its even worse. And CA wonders why businesses are leaving for other states or overseas.

 

[AmericaOverland]

The inflation in CA isn't what causes the high prices, its the cost of doing business in this state which then gets passed onto customers. There are so many CA state agencies that have a hand in your pocket book if you are a business here. If you have employees its even worse. And CA wonders why businesses are leaving for other states or overseas.

Correct. Is it any wonder why the gov't there is going bankrupt? Legislators are trying to craft legislation to allow states to default on their obligations, especially the pension obligations.

 

[alosix]

This is sad for me. When running my shop they were pretty much the go to guys. Really the only manufacturer I'd deal with that I could trust and didn't have to keep an eye on. I'd send an invoice over via email, and it would be on its way the next day.

Adam, Sorry to hear about your bad exp there. I really never had an issue with them. I think I was missing a bolt or 2 every once in a blue moon, but a phone call was have them on the way. Their stuff for the most part just worked, we even ran our prod-stock competition TJ on an out of the box RE LA kit.

Can't say I was very impressed with their JK stuff though, Nth( now AEV) seemed to really nail that one.

They do/did work out of a pretty modest place just outside of Sacremento. Probably not the worse area in CA as far as cost of doing business. Much cheaper up there than it is down here.

 

[BIGdaddy]

How do you mean, innovate? As in move out of CA to a cheaper state and all the top-level people lower their salaries? I'm just interjecting with no knowledge of this company (sadly, I don't own a Jeep), so I hope it wasn't for those reasons and hope for the best for the company. It's bad to see an American company go under. Good luck to them!

When you post, it's like a happy meal. You never know what treasures you're gonna find. lol.

:elkgrin:

 

[chasingdreams]

Hopefully they can come out the other end better off. I hate to see any U.S. based company go under. That's just more jobs lost and more families hungry.

 

[96discoXD]

It's been a brutal couple of years for all businesses.

That's a true statement for sure! It's been difficult for companies to find ways to reduce expenses fast enough to keep up with declining revenues. The good news if there is any is that the companies that have made it through are by and large in much better shape now and are able to attain positive cash flow at a much lower revenue level than they would have before all of the economic turmoil.

 

[bob91yj]

I can only hope for the best for Rubicon Express. I've been using their products for years, from SOA parts for my YJ rock crawler to a complete suspension system for my LJ.

Dust Junkies Racing also uses their suspension on our PRP Wrangler Jeepspeed car. Our RE suspension took us all the way to the podium at last years Baja 1000!

 

[Maximus Ram]

RE is right around the corner from me her in Rancho Cordova. Very helpful people...even when they were closed, couple of them were talking outside, I neededa lock nut that they had...one of them went inside, got the nut I needed and said here no charge....I've been gradually changing my 4.5 rc lift over to there stuff as I find it in my $$ range - some new some used...hope they are able to weather this storm....

 

[Lichen]

When you post, it's like a happy meal. You never know what treasures you're gonna find. lol.

:elkgrin: