Review: 1-800 Radiator

1800 radiator is ripping off consumers during a recession! They put cheaper quality radiators in better quality boxes. I hope they get what they deserve

Sounds like ripoff to me! I'd stay away!

This Company SUCKS! My customer brought me a 1800radiator rad to install in a GMC 2500. It was much thinner than the original and therefore was not made secure by the old brackets. I sent him back to the supplier to see about getting suitable brackets. Three times he contacted these jokers and three times they failed to call him back with a resolution. He finally got his old rad repaired and went to return the new rad, but was told that since the rad had had fluids installed, it was non-returnable. Now my customer is having to take them to court over an originally simple matter.

Posted Thu, 2010/06/03 - 16:25 by RichardSolomon
1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISING, following the recent establishment of a hotly resisted independent franchisee association, has failed to renew its franchise registrations in the registration states. Its registrations have all lapsed. The company is on a December 31st accounting year, and will not likely be able to renew based upon its year end financial statements.

Footnotes in its previous financial statements indicate that its parent company, RADIATOR EXPRESS, takes out a fee in the amount of between $ 11 and $ 12 Million a year to compensate itself for providing the support for all franchise operations.

Counsel for the RADIATOR FRANCHISEE ASSOCIATION, INC., questions whether this indicates that the franchise company is being used as a front for the parent company and that it is the parent company that is the real franchisor. If that is the case, the parent company’s certified financial statements may have been improperly excluded from all the franchise disclosure filings made by this franchise organization to date.

Reasons given by the company, per Joe Rippey, its president, having to do with inconvenience are being challenged by the franchisee association’s Counsel and Managing Director, Richard A Solomon.

Lake Shore Radiator, Inc. has filed suit in Federal Court against Radiator Express Warehouse, Inc., headquartered in Benicia, California and doing business as 1-800-Radiator and Radiator.com .

Alleged in the Amended Complaint dated April 27, 2006 are claims of trademark infringement, false designation of origin and dilution arising under the Lanham (Trademark) Act of 1946, violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, and common law unfair competition, trademark infringement and trade defamation. The complaint alleges that 1-800-Radiator improperly used Lake Shore’s trade names Lake Shore Radiator and RadiatorBarn.com to direct customers to 1-800-Radiator’s website and away from Lake Shore’s sites. The complaint also alleges that 1-800-Radiator made false and deceptive comments regarding RadiatorBarn.com products and services during conversations with prospective customers

Purchased a radiator for my 2000 Volvo S80 T6 , Installed it in less than an hour , everything was fine until I got home from running errands and the plastic tanks on both ends of this cheaply made POS had split in multiple sections and all my fluid is now all over my driveway. I'm pissed to say the least.

I AM A SHOP OWNER. 00 Chevy p/u 1st radiator was wrong one. Customer took it back, got right one. 2 wks. later the trans. cooler part of radiator cracked. Water in trans. fluid & trans. fluid in water. Thank goodness trans ok. 2 1/2 Months later same thing happens. Customer PISSED Call 1800 RADIATOR They say it's not theirs we cancled the order. WTF. IT IS A 1800 RADIATOR.... But I have credit on my acc.
that I had no idea of. The customers trans. is f...ed up, & " It's NOT A 1800 RADIATOR. BULL S...
Called said if I have credit send me a check.. No can't do that it's beed too long..... Still talking to managers...
I WILL NOT BUY ANY THING FROM 1800 RADIATOR EVER AGAIN.
L.J.

steve wrote:

1800 radiator is ripping off consumers during a recession! They put cheaper quality radiators in better quality boxes. I hope they get what they deserve

The radiators that 1-800 Radiator sells are not re-boxed. They also provide a lifetime warranty, the best in the business. Quality control is VERY important (especially with a lifetime warranty).
Why do you have a problem with 1-800?

1800 does suck.... they sell cheap radiators...they bad talk competition and use shady business practices to gain customer lists like the one they stole from my work!

1800 Radiator is the worst company ever! They are all crooks! They suck!

so you actually install the radiator, put fluids in it and you wonder why they won't take it back??? Maybe you shouldn't be working on cars and playing with tools

Nick wrote:

Purchased a radiator for my 2000 Volvo S80 T6 , Installed it in less than an hour , everything was fine until I got home from running errands and the plastic tanks on both ends of this cheaply made POS had split in multiple sections and all my fluid is now all over my driveway. I'm pissed to say the least.

"both tanks split in mulitple sections" - that is virtually impossible - perhaps you should have hired a professional

what do you expect? you think you should get an OEM quality radiator for 80 bucks? Really?
It's cheap pr!ck$ like you who run the reputable parts guys out of business. I HOPE YOU get what YOU deserve.

Jacob wrote:

<quoted text>
The radiators that 1-800 Radiator sells are not re-boxed. They also provide a lifetime warranty, the best in the business. Quality control is VERY important (especially with a lifetime warranty).
Why do you have a problem with 1-800?

you give lifetime warranties because thats the only way you can get fools to buy your product!!

Silvana wrote:

I got my radiator at 1800Radiator a year ago. They delivered the part in less than an hour for free! So my mechanic installed it and I got my car ready in less time that I planned. I have nothing bad to say about these guys, their parts are brand name products with life time warranty and they have a great customer service. So I highly recommend them!

what brand name?

they are junk after my problem with 1800 radiator and they never warranty it and they kept my radiator i had to go get one from autozone and there is a big differance autozone radiator it is built better fitting are already installed and a lot more heavy

Dont expect any warranty from this place!
They do anything to get out of any type of warranty. Install error, bad coolant maintnenace. you name it. It' never the radiators fault!

Do your self a favor, but from a auto store. like autozone or any other. Even if you pay more your better off!

You guys are fools. You say 1800radiator doesn't have brand names? They use the same exact same vendors that you would get anywhere else. As a matter of fact they carry more different types of vendors than anyone else. If I want and OEM radiator I call them and they send me the exact same radiator as the dealership would have sent me. They even have the little OEM sticker on but they can't call it OEM because they are a aftermarket supplier. If I want to be a cheap A-hole I can get a cheaper radiator for usually $10-$15 less. Just stupid people who have nothing better than to talk crap.

really then why did they give me a radiator with fittings that leaked? and they said i stripped out the fitting and wont give me a new one or give my money back i had to get one from auto zone the quallity was 100 percent different autozones was much heavyer and fittings were a lot thicker