Riogrande Reviews 29

I have been purchasing silver metals and other products since 2014. I never had any issue with buying there silver metals. Year ago I purchase 12 gauge half round sterling silver. I made several links bracelets and needed more of that same silver. of course I ordered more from Rio and ordered 3 feet of 12 gauge half round silver. What a surprise upon receiving my order finding that I was sent a 16 gauge half round silver. Of course I contacted Rio and returned the item. I received again a 16 gauge half round silver. Rio insisted that I was getting 12 gauge sterling silver and they had the nerve to tell me I did not know how to check my silver gauge. Of course I have in my possession a gauge checker but they tried to make me believe I was not doing it properly. I told them they have lots my trust and will have a hard time ordering from them. What a shame

Been a rioPRO customer for years and just received a shipment with damaged tote bags. I ordered 50, and 25 of them were crushed because of the way they packaged. Because I'm pressed for time, I called and asked if I could get only 25 shipped out to me to replace the damaged. Their response was that I needed to get photo(s) emailed back to them for review, which could take time. I explained that I was pressed and don't have time. Defaulted to asking a manager to go ahead and submit a new order, and I would just pay in full because (I Need The Bags) for my show in 2 days! The manager stated that:
1. I wouldn't get best price
2. I would need to also pay for overnight shipping

No understanding or help for me the customer on their part. They screwed up!!

I spend over 6k a year there, and they just lost a customer over $30 dollars!

Since covid, Rio Grande and it's top quality customer service has dwindled. The first customer service rep that I spoke to, I couldn't even hear cause of a dog barking in background.
Sad to see another good local company loose!

For 25 years, Rio Grande has been my supplier for my small business, providing a variety of necklaces and earring wire with great customer service and timely delivery.
Unfortunately, my last 2 shipment of necklaces have been bundled together in batches of 50, tied with twist ties. This method creates a knot of silver unless you are very very careful. - In addition, they changes the size or shape of the coupling ring that the clasp attaches to making it so difficult to feed through the charm I use.

I am not even sure these are issues you can fix but for the first time in 25 years I am considering looking elsewhere for my silver needs.

Patrick Neuwirth
The Iron Chinchilla Design Studio Inc.

Tried to cancel an order within hours of placing it. Customer service agent told me the order was already processed and that it couldn't be cancelled. My card hadn't been charged at that point nor had I received tracking, so it was definitely cancellable. If not, then it is a huge flaw in their system of operations, that an order that hasn't even been shipped out cannot be cancelled. Regardless, the agent initially told me that the order was being "processed" and refused to specify what that meant, and then told me the order had been given to the carrier and left the warehouse. When I say refused, I mean she was literally repeating the same word over, when I asked her what that meant. I don't know if this is an incompetency on the part of the agent or if she was being disingenuous. She did give me a tracking number eventually, which was invalid at the time she gave it to me. It later updated to "shipping label created", but the label was created AFTER our conversation. So that was definitive proof that the item had not shipped out when she said it had. It actually shipped out the next day, according to the tracking info. The agent also told me to call my bank and reject the charge as a way to cancel the order. Obviously, this was a ridiculous suggestion when it would have been much easier for them to cancel it themselves. It's clear to me that this company couldn't care less about their customers. I've dealt with Amazon's customer service agents and it's actually astounding to me that they have been more helpful than Rio Grande's agents, which is really saying something. I truly mean this when I say that I've never experienced poor customer like this before. It's like they want you to not buy from them again.

AVOID AT ALL COST FOR INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS !!!
I ordered from Rio Grande expecting quality products and a smooth process. Instead, I was hit with hidden and outrageous extra fees on delivery, including a ridiculous “radiometric inspection” charge from DHL in Italy.

At no point during checkout was I clearly informed that such excessive costs could apply. For an international seller of this size, it’s unacceptable not to warn customers about potential customs or carrier fees of this magnitude.

In the end, I had to refuse the shipment because the extra charges made the order unreasonable. What’s the point of offering quality products if the customer experience is ruined by surprise costs and lack of transparency?

I hope Rio Grande addresses this issue so no other customers end up in the same frustrating situation.

They don't honor the prices of the gold at the time you buy it, they charge and change the price when they ship the order. Why to order on Saturday or Sunday then? Just close the store during the weekend. Doesn't make sense at all. Also,the customer service sucks.

I’ve been doing business with Rio consistently for 13 years. For the longest time I had brilliant customer service, knowledgable, friendly and over the top excellent. Just this week, I’ve been incredibly frustrated and disappointed by the lack of knowledge or common sense coming from the reps I’ve talked with regarding an equipment issue and an unmarked length of SS wire I purchased.
The unmarked of wire did not come with the usual tag attached, the tag on the bag gave an item # that did not correspond exactly with an item, gave an inch fraction listing that did not correspond with an actual gauge of metal listed in their conversion chart and the generally friendly fellow I spoke to got progressively frustrated with me when I asked what gauge of wire it was. Should have been an easy answer but I never got it.

What has happened to Rio’s knowledgable customer service people?

These interactions happened during the week of April 1st and again on April 6, 2025.

I want to let the manger know my experience with Rio Grande since January.

I am trying to buy a 150 Lazar welder and few other equipment’s for my manufacturing.

I have called in many times. Every time I call, I was told they will get back to with a quote and never do. This has happened 4 times, no email and no voicemail.

Today I called back to speak to a manager and a lady behind the phone stonewalled my capability to speak to a manager.

The manager needs to know it’s been some time now that the sales department has made it very difficult for customers to place orders.

I’m an old customer who use to buy a lot from Bruce. It is sad to see what is going on. My shopping list is about 20k and unfortunately some I had to buy at other places because the sales department makes it impossible to place orders.

Unfortunately I have to give a not so good review - first, when you make a purchase, they don't give you the price you had when you made the order - they wait and charge you the higher price when it ships - second, I sent in my certificate of authority 3 times and they never allocated it to my account after numerous inquires with customer service. Third, I noticed a wire was missing from my order - emailed them - they didn't get back to me - trying to talk on the chat and not getting anyone to answer me. Their products I love - but not their business structure. OMG I just spent over 30 minutes with customer service over a missing wire and they are not helping me!

Tried to order glue but shipping never comes up! So since I cannot purchase anything I will probably close my account. Actually the website doesn’t even deserve one star!

I ordered beads and received the wrong size, they confirmed they were mismarked and I shipped them back for a refund. They shorted me $40 on the refund which I’m currently disputing. I ordered a purple ring and got a clear one. I returned this also and no credit or refund yet to be seen. I ordered gold fill tubing which arrived tarnished and they did allow me to return these and credited me for that. The two other orders are outstanding and I’m giving them a chance to correct the shortage of the refund as it wasn’t my fault they sent me the wrong sized beads or the wrong color ring. If I don’t get refunded I’m going to open a BBB complaint as well as take other steps. This company has been unreliable as sometimes I get orders and it’s fine but a 50% accuracy rate is considered very poor in my book. The tendency to short change the customer for the mistake they made is totally unacceptable. Buyer beware!

Horrible service and dealing with unreliable people that do not know what they are speaking of. Sales people sell and make nothing but empty promises

Placed an order. It went through and money was paid. Two days later, I was notified it was shipped. Three days later, the invoice was changed and four days lai, was notified the order was short and it has been shipped, four days after placing order and paying. Why did you #RioGrandeSupply sell something they did not have any take payment? Service is very slow and poor.

I'm going to be looking for another company. They don't honor the prices of the gold at the time you buy it, instead they charge you more whenever they decide to ship. Even if it's the same day and gold prices have fluctuated during trading hours! It is incredibly predatory and unprofessional. They take such care to charge you more, but when you need customer service, absolute crickets. On previous orders there was a chain that was clearly rose gold and no one responded to any of my inquiries. Should have known then to stop buying from them.

They say that you may get + or - 10% more or less of the material you ordered. What they fail to mention is that if you get more than what you ordered, they will change the price and charge your account directly for it. I live in a country where if I import something over $50 I get charged a lot by customs. Luckily they didn’t increase it past the $50 mark, but if they did it would have cost me a lot of money.

worst service ever! you should never buy to riogrande.com
they did not specify the custom costs and they are not in charge of all the import costs, different as in my checkout says, I SENT THOUSANDS OF EMAILS AND CALL THOUSAND TIMES to their telephones with no response. WORST ONLINE STORE!

I have bought jeweler’s brass here a long time and have always loved it for its wide selection of wire shapes and sizes. Lately though they have stopped selling the different shapes and now they only stock the round wire. It pretty much destroyed my business. Not real happy.

I purchased a 14ga sterling silver sheet, but the sheet I got was only 0.05 in thick that corresponds to 17 ga. The shop doesn't care about it, manager said me to get to another shop since I'm unhappy. Great service, bravo!

I tried to make a purchase as a new customer. They would not accept my credit card because they have no history with me. Rio Grande told me to re-enter all my items in the shopping cart and purchase with a wire transfer or PayPal. Frustrating. Inconvenient. The reason a billing specialist gave was the Patriot Act. Are you kidding me? Terrible customers service. So I went over to Ottofrei.com and easily made my purchase with the credit card of my choice. No problems and I saved myself a lot of money. Prices are better. And, Ottofrei.com shipped within hours.

Have been a Key Account Customer for over 15 years. Their customer service used to be phenomenal, and they always shipped same day. Now they just make excuses for delayed shipping because they are understaffed and will not hire more employees. They use the excuse of pandemic, when it is clearly OVER. They randomly stop carrying very commonly ordered products that have been available for the last 15 years. Called customer service and they are RUDE, condescending and unhelpful most times. They often have no product knowledge, no catalogs, and say "well we are working from home so I am not sure about that... I will have to get back to you later." Since Berkshire has taken over the company has severely declined.