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RMEpowerbox
10-01-2010, 07:49 PM
The past few orders I have placed with Rock Auto have been more hassle than ordering parts should ever be. I've received wrong/defective parts on several occasions and have spent more time on the phone with them than I ever care to. To their credit, they handled a couple of situations well, but recently they've really burned me.

First situation was a big order of parts for the engine I'm building for my van. I'm leaving the balance shafts on and decided to replace the balance shaft tensioners and chain. The chain I received from them had the correct part number on the box. The engine was still at the machine shop, I was just preparing for the assembly. When I assembled the bottom end, the chain they sent was way too long. Long story short, they wouldn't replace the chain. We got into a little dispute on how to count chain links, regardless, the chain they sent is twice as long as the stock chain on a 2.5. They decided I somehow ordered the wrong part???? Even though the box had the part number on it for an 89 plymouth voyager 2.5 turbo. So I have a new chain I can't use, and the original chain is back on my engine.

Second Situation, I ordered 2 fan clutches for a mazda RX-7. One for my car, one for my buddy's car. Both fan clutch boxes had the correct part number. I was out of town for work when the box came in, my buddy installed one of the fan clutches on his car and it worked great, solved all his problems. Between work/ rebuilding a differential in one of my other cars/ dealing with the insurance company due to someone rear-ending me in another car/ etc. a couple months passed. The fan clutches were closeout parts with a 30 day warranty. After rebuilding the turbo on my car, doing some ceramic coating, and some suspension work, I went to install the fan clutch. Only to discover that the part was wrong. It was in the right box with the correct part number, but wouldn't fit on my car. I called Rock auto, and the shipped me a new one free of charge (great!). I received the replacement part, which was correct, but defective. My car overheats at idle with the new part. I called rock auto and told them this fan was defective, they won't cover it. So I'm out $70, and I still don't have the right part.

3rd situation, I don't even want to call them for this one. At this point I can't even believe it myself. I get more defective/wrong parts than I do correct ones. I ordered a A/C mode actuator for a 2000 envoy. Part is defective. Plug their part in, does nothing. Plug in original it moves. I give up, I don't think I can get on the phone with them again.

All this to say beware ordering from these guys, you might get wrong/defective parts and be stuck with them. I think I'm done doing business with them, which saddens me. I used to think they were pretty great. I never thought getting correct/working parts could be such a hassle.

bradp
10-01-2010, 10:31 PM
If they won't fix it contact your credit card company and do a chargeback.

neongary
10-03-2010, 05:04 PM
Hate to jump on this bandwagon, but have experienced similar issues too. Recently bought a A/C condensor and the fins were so badly damaged that I sent it back. Wasn't due to a shipper issue..the box was perfect. Hopefully I'll get my refund soon, minus the shipping of course.
Also when making a inquiry about a back ordered part, I sent half a dozen e-mails, finally gave up and called them. I didn't call initially because I was working long hours and they were closed by the time I got home.
Several brake caliper parts bought lately looked like the parts were of 1970's vintage with the rubber all dried out. Didn't bother with them anymore with that stuff since it was so inexpensive. Found another source.
So, while I like their prices and selection I think it's time to go back to local stores.

1FastCSX289
10-03-2010, 06:16 PM
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So, while I like their prices and selection I think it's time to go back to local stores.

ALl depends on how much your time is worth. I had an issue with a radiator that I bought that was wrong....ordered it for my 86 Shelby Charger and was sent a 2.2 carb/automatic radiator. I didnt get around to installing it for a month or so.....didnt realize it was wrong until then.......and of course, no refund on it after 30 days. And so it sits in my basement.

I used to order from them on a regular basis. I havent ordered a single part since then.....which was over a year ago. I just go to autozone. They dont have bogus return policies and their customer service is good.....plus they are right around the corner.

135sohc
10-03-2010, 10:31 PM
Hate to jump on this bandwagon, but have experienced similar issues too. Recently bought a A/C condensor and the fins were so badly damaged that I sent it back. Wasn't due to a shipper issue..the box was perfect. Hopefully I'll get my refund soon, minus the shipping of course.
Also when making a inquiry about a back ordered part, I sent half a dozen e-mails, finally gave up and called them. I didn't call initially because I was working long hours and they were closed by the time I got home.
Several brake caliper parts bought lately looked like the parts were of 1970's vintage with the rubber all dried out. Didn't bother with them anymore with that stuff since it was so inexpensive. Found another source.
So, while I like their prices and selection I think it's time to go back to local stores.

I used the pair of calipers I bought from them as cores to turn in at the local place. All they were usable for... :o

RMEpowerbox
10-04-2010, 08:52 AM
I used the pair of calipers I bought from them as cores to turn in at the local place. All they were usable for... :o

I've had the same experience when I've ordered closeout brake parts. Especially brake pads. I have a few sets of closeout brake pads that should have just been thrown away. Some even look used.

I have some brake rotors that I bought and just put on the shelf for my van. I'm hoping they are a matching pair. Part number was right on the boxes, but I've learned the hard way not to go by that.

RMEpowerbox
10-06-2010, 12:46 AM
Just got back from the shop. I pulled the brake rotors I bought for my mini. One fits, one doesn't. Unbelievable. Both boxes look the same, both have the same part number. The rotors are the same diameter. It looks like one is 5x100 and the other is 5x114. I bought these a while ago in preparation for my build, so they're out of warranty.

J&H Ryan
10-09-2010, 06:18 PM
I had an experience with them recently where I returned a core in the original box, FedEx either repackaged it and didn't record that they did so or AcDelco is out to lunch, because they said the received my part in a generic box and wont give me my core charge - $150 on a steering rack. RockAuto said I should file a claim with FedEx, no help at all at helping me get my refund. I've bought hundreds from them this year.

RoadWarrior222
10-09-2010, 06:56 PM
It's pretty much always that the person who ships an item has to file the claim with the shipping company, receiver often can't do squat, company won't talk to them.

To be fair, I've had a lot of wrong or bad stuff in the box issues over the last couple of years with numerous local parts suppliers here, so I doubt it's only a Rock Auto problem.

RockAuto
10-13-2010, 12:23 AM
RockAuto is my family’s auto parts business. 1FastCSX289 and 135sohc might remember me because I posted on the thread where they voiced their same complaints back in June.

It is a nightmare to try to respond to anonymous complaints in a forum thread that has adopted a negative theme. Threads can often generate their own momentum and non-customers, competitors’ promoters, voyeurs that love to watch the mud fly, and who knows whom else pop up. Every week, we ship thousands of auto and body parts directly to customers’ homes and businesses. The sometimes silent majority is happy with our parts, prices, and service, but a toxic thread can create the illusion that we are under siege by a huge mob of torch wielding ex-customers. Thanks to the seven posters in this thread for keeping the comments relatively level headed and polite.

It is unfortunate and upsetting if RMEpowerbox is a customer that experienced some sort of perfect-storm of parts he was unhappy with and his frustration led to creating this thread. RMEpowerbox, neongary, J&H Ryan and anyone else should not hesitate to contact us when they have unanswered questions about a specific order. Please email service@rockauto.com or call 1-866-ROCKAUTO.

Forum threads often need to present black and white opinions in short, pithy sentences. The reality is that almost every topic or situation is more muddled. Sometimes bad things happen, nobody is happy about it and one-sided, easy fixes are just not possible.

The postings in this thread seem to be mostly positive regarding our Customer Service. Our parts took the blame. It is interesting that not a single part brand was mentioned in this thread.

We work closely with our manufacturers to solve problems rather than pointing fingers at each other. It was not only misleading but absolutely false to intentionally or inadvertently indicate that the parts RockAuto sells are inherently “wrong” or “defective”. RockAuto does not manufacture any parts and we do not even have our own private-label brand where the actual manufacturer is a mystery.

Parts from ACDelco, Moog, Raybestos, Stant and all the other manufacturers that we sell are made by those manufacturers and are the same parts the manufacturers ship to their other auto parts retailers. Manufacturers do not ship us their crummy parts in the wrong boxes and ship the good parts somewhere else! Our parts are new and are often the “freshest” parts available when they are drop shipped directly from the manufacturer.

However, we also have “Wholesaler Closeout” parts listed and clearly identified in our catalog. These parts are also new, but they came to us from auto parts retailers or wholesalers that went out of business or reduced their inventory for whatever reasons. The most Wholesaler Closeout parts are available for cars like the 20+ year old Chryslers this forum focuses on. Fewer of these cars are on the road, demand for their parts is drying up, and other stores don’t want them taking up shelf space any longer.

Since these parts may have sat on various shelves for awhile and did not come directly from the manufacturers, we identify them as “Wholesaler Closeout” in the catalog and can only offer our own 30 day warranty rather than the manufacturers’ warranty. We pay less for the Wholesaler Closeout parts and so we can charge typically around 50% less for these parts compared to the already low prices for our regular inventory.

Once again, Wholesaler Closeout parts are clearly marked in our catalog. Customers can usually choose to pick the part from regular inventory or choose the Wholesaler Closeout part. Customers that have had a bad experience with Wholesaler Closeout parts or who cannot decide if they want to keep the parts within 30 days do not have to buy them.

Most customers absolutely love Wholesaler Closeout parts. They are happy to find that parts are not only still available, but also inexpensive. Some customers like that these parts are often older and therefore, more likely to have been manufactured in North America. Some customers buy up and squirrel away Wholesaler Closeout parts because they are so inexpensive and they plan on keeping their cars a long time. I have installed numerous Wholesaler Closeout parts on my own family’s cars including brake lines, brake pads, shocks, filters, etc.

In this thread’s postings the difference between our Wholesaler Closeout and regular inventory parts was muddled, perhaps intentionally because it contributes to the dramatic but false theme that all our parts are somehow different than the same brand parts from competitors. The Wholesaler Closeout parts are new but like I said, they may have sat on the shelf for awhile. Sitting on a shelf is pretty light duty for most auto parts. But back in June, 135sohc said he received brake lines with corroded fittings. Now he says “I used the pair of calipers I bought from them as cores to turn in at the local place. All they were usable for..” In this thread, neongary says he got calipers with “the rubber all dried out”.

A couple of times every week I drive my ’79 Chrysler that still has the original brake calipers and brake lines! It spent years in both the snowy north and toasty southern California. It is hard to believe that many modern parts could wear themselves out on a shelf. But we sell tons of Wholesaler Closeout parts. There might be some that sat for too long in a hot or humid warehouse or boxes and parts may have been inadvertently mixed up at some point. If customers do not like Wholesaler Closeout parts for any reason then they can return them in 30 days. Remember these parts often were our competitors’ regular inventory up until the moment they became our “Wholesaler Closeouts”.

1FastCSX289 is clearly upset about the 30 day return policy. I can certainly understand that it is sometimes impossible to get parts installed in a month. I have had a Mustang heater core sitting on a shelf in my garage for years. I would not be happy if I discover the heater core leaks or does not fit an AC equipped Mustang when I go to install it one of these years. But I would not expect to be able to return it. I knew when I got the part that I had a specific period of time to decide if I wanted to keep it.

Please understand that every retailer must have a return policy. At one end of the spectrum is “no refunds, no returns” and at the other end of the spectrum is bring-it-back- years-from-now. A camping store I buy from until recently offered to take back returns forever. They had a customer return a snowsuit that was about 30 years old. I don’t know what their return policy is now, but it still must be extremely long. They have a rack where they sell returned items. There are shoes and tents there that look like they went up and down the Appalachian Trail before the owner decided they were not suitable and returned them. When I see people returning old and even worn out shoes, I don’t think “isn’t that wonderful”. Instead I think the store must charge higher prices in order to subsidize the relatively few customers that take unfair or maximum advantage of their return policy. I would never return shoes that I had kept for months or years, but I pay higher prices so that other customers can.

I am not indicating that anybody in the forum even tried to return the auto parts equivalent of old hiking shoes and once again, I can understand the frustration if a part does not fit. I am only trying to explain that a 30 day return policy is not an arbitrary number. Profit margins on auto parts are slim. If we made the return period longer, six months, one year, etc. then we would have to raise prices for all customers in order to pay for that. That would not be fair to the customers that can make their keep/return decision within 30 days.

Nobody has to agree with us. It is your right to be mad and hold a grudge against us indefinitely. Maybe you are happy to pay higher prices at a different store in exchange for a longer or arbitrary return policy. But please show us the courtesy of not repeatedly re-posting the same stuff in the forum. We are not “yahoos” or “crappy”, and none of our policies are “bogus”. If the intent is to damage our reputation, then the postings have already likely caused damage well in excess of the value of the radiator 1FastCSX289 posts about.

Even if you never buy auto parts from us again, it is in your best interest if we are still offering parts and competing with the auto parts chains. Nearly every year the big stores consolidate further. A bigger chain absorbed CSK (Schucks, Kragen, Checker, etc.) last year. JCWhitney was aquired in August. We help keep prices down and if you continue to enjoy old cars then you might occasionally still need a part that only we stock. We also help support this forum.

Something I have often wondered about is do irate forum posters ever go back and post that they were wrong? I have worked on cars for decades and can think of quite a few times when I got frustrated with a repair and incorrectly blamed the replacement part. The first time I remember was when I did not know the distributor in my ’68 Chrysler was not original and I unfairly blamed the auto parts store for selling me the wrong ignition points. The most recent memory is when the battery in my ’79 Chrysler started suddenly going dead. I disconnected the starter and the body wiring harness and the battery still went dead. I thought this must mean the battery was defective so I tried to take back the battery to the retailer where I bought it. They told me the battery was fine and that it must be something else. I was sure they were wrong, but I knew they did not wish me ill will and I did not post bad stuff about them or the battery manufacturer on the internet. I pored over the Chrysler’s wiring diagrams and finally figured out that the rear window defroster relay used the same wiring harness as the starter. The relay had spontaneously gone bad. I should have driven back to the store and told the clerk he was right.

Not necessarily this thread, but at least some of the fiery forum threads out there about us or other retailers’/manufacturers’ parts must be wrong and the posters eventually must realize it. For example, somebody complaining that he purchased three “bad” starters in a row, most likely has misdiagnosed the problem and/or is frying starters. I have rarely seen a forum poster come back to a thread and say “oops, that was not completely true and I was wrong to post that”. That would show great strength of character.

It would also show good character to at least pause and think a minute before ever publicly posting anything derogatory about anyone or anyone’s business. Is it 100% true? Is it 100% black and white? Do I really know what happened? Do I definitely know the cause of the problem or who to blame? Is this just one side of the story? What would I think if my own company or employer had something similar written about them? Did anyone intentionally try to do me harm? What is the purpose of posting my woes on the internet or another public place?

Thanks to all the forum members that buy parts at RockAuto. We appreciate your business and sincerely enjoy helping you keep your old Chryslers on the road!

Tom Taylor
VP Marketing

135sohc
10-13-2010, 01:57 AM
I'd be more than happy to give someone a call and discuss anything over the phone vs trying to say it over the internet regarding this thread, past orders and some general observations as long as its someone higher up in the chain than your call center in WI.

chryguy
10-13-2010, 07:10 AM
Tom,

I have to say that your long winded, meandering posts really accomplish nothing.
Not only do they *not* instill confidence in Rockauto or your return policy, but give me the impression that you are saying "tough luck".
Try sending him a PM with your phone number, and make good on the problem. I've yet to see you do that.

My take from your posts is that you feel people do not give credit where it is do. Nor do they go back and admit when they are wrong and have blamed the supplier of the goods they "thought" were defective.

Does it occur to you the level of frustration someone has to get to in order to post their dissatisfaction with your parts and/or customer service?

Do you realize that those people have taken their valuable time to try to straighten out a problem, and instead having it taken care of, have been frustrated by Rockauto's customer service?
Frustrated enough to post on a public forum and let other people know what they have experienced. I thank them for spending that time to share with me.

That after being frustrated by wrong/defective parts and what they feel is incompetence from customer service, they have taken even more time from their day to warn others of the problems they are experiencing?

When I read your posts, it reinforces the negative message that the post-er expressed, that Rockauto is inflexible, and you shop at your own risk.

Did it ever occur to you that if you spent the time to take care the problem it would do SO much more for Rockauto than you coming on here to lecture us?

Personally, I don't care how long the warranty is on a part. If you shipped the wrong part you are obligated to replace that brand-new-unused-part with the actual part ordered. Period. No excuses. You made a mistake. Deal with it. Don't hide behind "you didn't return it in the prescribed amount of time". Make good on your mistake.

I personally have not had a problem with the parts I have ordered from Rockauto.
But I have to tell you, the last time I read one of your posts I resisted buying parts from Rockauto for an extended amount of time. Basically until I had forgotten about your post.

This post again reminds me that you are not interested in making sure someone who is outside of the warranty window gets the correct part...only that they understand that they didn't "play by the rules" and are SOL.
I don't get the impression that your interested in "making things right" only playing CYA.

Thanks for reminding me once again of the value of buying local, from people who care about your business, who know you and will deal with the mistakes they make. Even if it is beyond the 30 days.

Thanks again for the insight into Rockauto's way of doing business Tom.

CG

RockAuto
10-13-2010, 02:34 PM
I definitely do not want to be on this thread writing long-winded messages repeating the info on the RockAuto return policy page or preaching about my views on forum etiquette.

However, this thread is not just a private chat between forum buddies. Random people searching Google are likely to stumble on stuff in the forum like: “I used the pair of calipers I bought from them as cores to turn in at the local place. All they were usable for....” or “bogus return policies”. If somebody posts misleading, exaggerated, or false information about our parts or us then we must correct it.

Sorry to preach again, but forum posters should keep in mind that while they might be using pretend names, they are writing about real businesses and real people. My real name is Tom Taylor and will always be Tom Taylor. Facts are OK, but if I see my name or my family’s business name slandered in a forum, in a newspaper ad, or in some other public place then I am going to defend it. That is not CYA, but just something that has to be done by either me or an attorney. I hope “Chryguy” would do the same thing if it was his real name or his real business name being bandied about.

If you don’t want me gas-bagging on the forum thread then encourage people to leave out the dramatic, misleading adjectives and stick to the facts whenever they talk about my family business. For example, if nobody wants to hear about return policies, then encourage posters to not describe our return policies as “bogus”. The dictionary definition of bogus is “not genuine, counterfeit, or sham”. Bogus implies we are making up return policies on the fly and arbitrarily following or not following them. A clear, written 30 day return policy is neither bogus nor unusual.

Regarding the radiator, how about saying something factual and more constructive like: “RockAuto has a 30 day return policy. If you buy parts, be sure that you want to keep them before the 30 days is up. I got stuck with a radiator that did not fit my Shelby Charger after I kept it for X many months.” The poster could even go on to say that he now hates us and will never buy parts from us again, but it is more clear it is because he prefers to shop at stores with longer return policies rather than because we tricked him with a “bogus” return policy. Chryguy’s assertion that people post bad stuff only because they are good Samaritans is more believable if people stick to the facts. Otherwise, it just looks like vindictiveness.

Explaining our true policies in this thread might make us seem inflexible. The reality is that our Customer Service people work hard everyday solving problems and making sure people get their parts. Chryguy is right that a real customer complaining in a thread is most likely very frustrated. It is also very likely that we have already talked to the customer, tried to resolve problems, but were just unable to find a solution. Customers are always welcome to call or email, but a testosterone filled public forum is not the place to take another crack at resolving things.

And our Customer Service people are the experts at solving problems. I do not know who to call at FedEx, UPS, manufacturers, etc. I am stuck in Marketing because I can type really long messages really fast! It would be great if I could magically fix things. But I do not want to make anyone think they should post bad stuff about us or even fib in forums in order to get whatever it is they want.

As I tried to explain in my earlier tome, we do our best to respect the wishes of all customers, but realistically there is a limit to what we can do and still be able to offer customers low prices. “Policies” may sound inflexible to Chryguy, but being consistent is the most respectful and fair way for a high volume, low profit margin business to treat customers. We have things like a 30 day return policy, but we also make it very easy to return parts online within the 30 days without ever needing to talk to anyone or make complicated explanations.

If anyone has questions about a specific order then please don't post it in the forum but email service@rockauto.com or call 1-866-762-5288. Constructive feedback or suggestions are also always welcome!

Frank
10-13-2010, 03:34 PM
Thanks for a straight forward and respectful series of postings. I have closed this thread as Tom has addressed everyone who had a specific issue with service. This thread does not need to continue with postings from people who do not have a specific issue with their service and are disagreeing for the sake of it.

Thanks,
Frank