Let’s set this scene up for you properly: it’s a front brake job. Rotors, pads, bearings, the whole nine yards. It’s a healthy bit of work to knock on on a nice, crisp December day that’s threatening rain at any moment in time on a car that frankly, is about as inspired as a peanut butter sandwich, but it’s gotta get done one way or another, and you’ll be better off in the long run to get this rolling turd back down on four wheels. The bearings are all fresh, all packed in brand-new grease. The calipers are still perfectly functional and everything goes together nice and square just as the first tinges of the sunset peek out from the low cloud cover. All you have to do is slap the wheels back on, do a road test and you’ll sleep like a baby tonight. With maybe a half-hour of daylight left, you can button everything up, make a lap of the neighborhood, and find yourself inside, ready for a hot shower and a hot chocolate with a bit of Bailey’s added in for good measure. Sounds great, right?
Except there is one final, late hitch in this program: one wheel won’t fit over the hub register of the new rotor. You check the boxes…that’s the right part number. That’s the part number that matches your car. Your brain flashes through everything…you looked up the part, you made the order, you double-checked everything. Something isn’t right, though. One of these rotors is right. The other is just that much off. So you call the store. You aren’t going to get this put back together, but if you can fix the problem, then it’ll be maybe thirty minutes tomorrow. That won’t be too bad.
In this situation, here’s what should happen: bring in the questionable rotor, an old rotor to take measurements off of, and the receipt of the transaction. Prove that the questionable rotor is, indeed, the wrong one, and work out terms for a mutually beneficial trade, either by warranty or by a one-for-one deal. It’s pretty straightforward. It’s not like you boxed up an old, rusty rotor and tried to pass it off. Or you aren’t trying to trade in a six-lug rotor that you claim is for a 1994 Dodge Shadow. You just want the part to fix the car.
Now, on this phone call, imagine explaining all of this to the other end of the line. You’re clear, you’re concise. And the response goes something like this:
“Okay, man, let me get this straight: you had the part number, you looked everything up, you know what car you have and you wound up with the wrong rotor? I’m sorry, man, but that’s your fault, not ours. You understand?” 
Now, you didn’t assign any kind of fault to this scene. You just wanted to get the right part. But to have the voice on the other end of the phone blame you for what seems to be an obvious mis-boxing? No, son, that won’t do one bit. I normally wouldn’t advocate public embarrassment, but in this case, game on. If it were me, I’ll show up with the problem rotor, the old rotor, and an attitude that can be seen from space. Get that micrometer. Measure that hub. Tell me the difference between old and wrong. Now go find me the right item. Order it in. Cross your arms, wiggle your nose and blink for what I care, just make it appear. And until that hot little number is in my hands, let’s teach you a little lesson for your caustic attitude and obvious disregard for customer satisfaction. You know your store’s jingle? Good. Start singing. I want everyone to think that you have that advertisement on repeat! No, you know what…that’ll annoy me more. Oh, you’re gonna call the cops because I’m “making a scene”? Okay, have it your way. It’ll take them ten minutes to get here. Until they do, you better wait on the customers out front hand-and-foot as if you’re making a six-figure salary for the privilege. I’ll be right behind your shoulder. I want the cop to spend a good amount of time writing up the arrest report.
“Individual was handcuffed and removed from the store. The entire time he was barking commands at store worker, demanding that he smile more, say “sir” and “ma’am” and to hurry up with the product searches. Individual required a sedative to calm down before he was removed from scene and taken to (jail) for processing.” The body cam shows a different take: three burly officers dragging a giant man wearing a bag on his head, screaming at the top of his lungs: “YOU BETTER WISH HER A NICE DAY AND A MERRY CHRISTMAS, YOU SORRY SACK OF…”
Anybody got bail money handy?
Do you know who the sales man was i would love to speak to the manager at that one
“what was your name again?”
“right, well, I’ll be that large guy who looks like Sasquatch’s big brother coming through the door in about 10 minutes”
“thinking about getting a job at your store – since there will soon be an opening, do they have good dental and medical benefits?”
“well, let me know how those plans worked for you, so you in 10”
I say that he’ll need some clean trousers and undergarments when you do arrive.
The caliper fit fine but the rotor was too big for the wheel to go on. I have to say that I havent seen that before.
hub centric wheels, if the hub was machined wrong (too big) on the rotor the wheel won’t fit over it.
Nothing I hate worse than getting the wrong part!!! Totally understand the nuke bomb picture, been there a few times.
It sucks, vut who was to blaim?
The guy/gal that Boxed it (factory)?
The coutner person when someone is trying to compair 5 parts and is slipping the lowest cost box around the most expensive part (happens more then you would expect).
Someone Re-boxing it?
Wrong Appication/Part number?
Catalog error?
parts person error?
Customer data error?
A lot of stuff can happen to cause that issue. it’s who/why/what that dictates how you handle it, and they handle you.
Wrong Part in the ‘correct’ box happens at some chains more then others. The green stores are the worst for it. The bought up too many independent and smaller chains. Things have been Re-Boxed too many times on slow selling parts. The also send out boxes to stores to Re-box stuff from BWD to SMP. Should not be a big deal since SMP has owned BWD for years right? It is when someone at corporate gets a number wrong (stuff happens) yet the email with the update attachment gets glimpsed by the store manager. Never gets seen by the people dealing with it and stuff gets put in the wrong PN box.
You also get the I don’t care person that only gives it 3% and stuff things in the wrong package when reboxing.
The you have the company received as: 10% of brake rotors are boxed wrong. Who/What/You talkin to me…. that packed boxes on the line did a total screw up and instead of a cobalt rotor you have a 90’s civic rotor. Dealt with that weekly. The worst part is the stock kept in stores means ordering one for the next day or sending the customer to a different location to get the correct item. Does not matter if it’s Grandpa or a Shop you do 250K a year with. When you can’t make it right ASAP it will cost You (the counterman) sooner or later.
The worst thing: Counter people not looking in a box before a sale. I had a pee-on part timer put cores back on a shelf after giving a 100% refund as un-used, un-damaged returns. Same coke snorter re-sold then the Next day. This all happened on my 2 days off. on the 3rd day the Shop that received the worthless to use core only units came to me wanting a refund. Also told me ‘WE’ lost that account. They complained to corporate, told them they were done shopping Green forever. Closed out the commercial account. This was used as a reason to terminate me. Not the Store or Assistant knob gobbler. Not the part timer with a dictionary of made up medical issues.
In closing: I applaud Advance for not reboxing car quest stuff. Now ADV sells CQ branded parts to pro customers. with the same old CQ part numbers. Less failure, more shop wins.
I stopped using the chain auto parts stores several years ago, for all of the reasons listed above. For me going to the local owned, been there forever Napa store is great. Car guys selling car stuff. I have not had to return a single part.
You bought china doll aftermarket crap, yup it is on you.
When only the best (rolls eyes) will do to stop the s/o’s vehicle.