DEALER INFORMATION

GENERAL INFORMATION

Please refer to the brochure titled EZ-LITETM Lighting System by Richmond Controls or the Richmond Controls Company (RCC) Web site, www.richmondcontrols.com, for general information.
 

DEALER QUALIFICATION

In the best interests of our dealers, we require that potential new dealers desiring to purchase our products at a discount for resale give evidence of true hobby supply dealer status.  RCC attempts to use the same guidelines as many of the large manufacturers.  A listing or ad in a national hobby magazine such as MR, RMC, or N Scale is sufficient, as is an invoice from a major hobby supply distributor such as Walthers or Midwest, or frequent participation as a dealer at hobby shows we attend.  Having a major web site listing Richmond Controls as a source is often acceptable.
 

DEALER SALES AND PRICING

Dealers may order any quantity and mix of Richmond Controls products, including all types of kits and supplies. THERE IS NO MINIMUM ORDER, AND WE SELL TO ALL INDIVIDUALS AND COMPANIES WISHING TO BUY OUR PRODUCTS.  A non-discountable shipping charge is applied to every order regardless of size.  Dealers in Texas who do not wish to pay Texas state sales taxes on purchases must submit a complete Texas Sales Tax Exemption Certificate.

Confirmed hobby dealers are offered a typical trade discount for purchases of Richmond Controls products.  RCC can not discount assembled models or labor charges for items such as repairs, installation services, and assembly work.  We are also unable to discount items which dealers can obtain directly from third-party suppliers such as Details West, Northwest Shortlines, Showcase Miniatures, and various other vendors.  However, these items may be discounted to the dealer when purchased in small quantities as a normal and integral part of a Richmond Controls kit or finished product, as a convenience to the dealer and the end customer. Examples include Intermountain metal wheels.

Normal terms are
* New Customers (first order):  Prepaid
* Established Customers:  Net 30 as long as timely payments are received by the 30th day after invoicing.
* All orders are FOB Richmond Texas, invoice dated on the date of shipment.

Business hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM central time, and usually later, Monday through Friday.  We are generally available on weekends.  Richmond Controls Company's answering machine and email in-box are always available.  We will accept letter, verbal, email and PayPal orders from dealers with good payment records, but are not set up to accept credit cards.  We only ship via US mail using Priority Mail (which has proven to be far more reliable, faster, less complex, and less costly than other options) or First Class Mail for customers outside the United States.
 

CREDIT TERMS AND LATE PAYMENTS

Like many of our customers, Richmond Controls is a small business which must successfully deal with cash flow situations in order to remain in business and continue to enjoy the privileges of trade credit terms allowed by our suppliers.  RCC is unable and unwilling to provide credit terms past 30 days for any customer except in extremely special circumstances where the customer contacts us and works out a payment plan.  Richmond Controls adds a service charge of 1.5% per month on late accounts.  In addition, Richmond Controls will not continue to extend credit terms to customers who are unable to pay their bills on time.

For most orders, many of the line items ordered are custom built or semi-custom built.  If an item is built to fill a special order, it may not be possible for Richmond Controls to find another customer for the item.  Thus, Richmond Controls considers C.O.D. orders to be unnecessarily risky.
 

PRODUCT RETURNS

No products will be accepted for credit or exchange without prior authorization.  These returns are subject to a restocking charge to cover retesting and repackaging expenses.  Generally returns for credit or exchange can not be accepted more than 180 days after initial shipment, and we only accept returns from original purchasers.  Damaged and defective goods may be returned for repair or replacement at any time.  There is no charge for warranty repair or replacement (or return shipping).  Charges for repair work not covered by the RCC warranty policy will be determined based on the actual cost of repairs and return shipping.
 

WARRANTY

Richmond Controls products are warranted to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 90 days after the original purchase date.  This warranty does not cover third-party items (LEDs, castings, etc.), and it does not cover damage due to misuse or incorrect assembly.  We try to do what is right to keep the dealer and the end customer happy.
 

ADVERTISING

Richmond Controls placed ads in Model Railroader, Railroad Model Craftsman, and N Scale magazines, starting with the April, 1995 issues. These were not cost effective so the practice was ended. Our best success comes from exhibiting at train shows and other hobby shows, which we do on a monthly basis in various parts of the country.  News releases and prototype samples are occasionally sent to magazines for review, and we supply product information to magazines for their features on new product plans.  The Richmond Controls web site, www.richmondcontrols.com, contains our full catalog and technical notes. We make a sincere effort to answer email promptly, but this response can lag a week or more when we are involved in an out-of-town show.
 

INQUIRIES, SUGGESTIONS, ETC.

Richmond Controls has produced a large number of special items.  All RCC circuit boards were designed to allow highly flexible applications, and we sincerely appreciate new product suggestions and opportunities.  Generally speaking, any type of model needing lights (trains, scenery, airplanes, trucks, boats, etc.) can be fitted with the miniaturized Richmond Controls lighting kits.

Richmond Controls Company, P.O. Box 1467, Richmond, TX  77406-1467
Phone:  (281) 342-4895
Web Site:  www.richmondcontrols.com
email:  sales@richmondcontrols.com

"EZ-LITE", "NO CHOPPING", and the "NO CHOPPING" / hatchet symbol are trademarks of Richmond Controls Company.

© 1994-2016, Richmond Controls Company

(By the way, "No Chopping" means that it is not necessary to chop metal out of N Scale or other locomotives in order to be able to install an EZ-LITETM system.  That’s the major way that Richmond Controls products differ from other similar products.  Another MAJOR difference to keep in mind is that RCC locomotive lighting products connect directly across the input power source, NOT in series with a motor or dummy load.)