For years now, I’ve been griping, complaning and outright bitching about automotive parts stores, with a lot of my vitrol aimed at the big names: NAPA, Advanced, AutoZone, and O’Reilly’s. From counter clerks that are acerbic and clueless to management that resembles a stampede of lemmings, I’ve tried to highlight problems and, if I have any kind of success at all, have hopefully managed to teach you how to have a better experience at the store. But many of you have often come back with a response that is supposed to shutdown the idea of the store altogether, and it centers around web sites such as RockAuto.com.
Personally, I have no issue with RockAuto. I’ve used them before. They’re great, especially if you are looking for parts that aren’t regularly stocked due to age or rarity. And their shipping and return policies are pretty good as well. But just like a parts store, a dealership or any other source, because there are humans involved, a mistake is possible. One happened to me that I feel like sharing, but again, I’m not bashing on RockAuto, just pointing out that these things happen and that your first instinct should not be to call someone and to rip their head off.
Hmmm…what Mustang does that go on?
A few days ago, I placed an order for brake parts for a car. Disc brake pads, front hardware kits and one replacement rotor to replace the one currently on the car that is in a metal-on-metal condition. The rotor on the car is a small, four-lug disc and isn’t that common…I resorted to RockAuto after hunting around parts stores in a pretty big area. Three days after I placed an order, FedEx showed up with a box full of goodies. Hardware kits? Check. Brake pads? Check. Now, there was a rotor in there…for a 1991-96 Dodge Dakota. Hmm. Wrong manufacturer, wrong part number (not even close), wrong lug count (six versus four) and all.
Luckily, since the car is being stored for now, this is a non-issue: I print out a return receipt, mail it back and I requested the correct rotor to be sent to me. But there are people out there that would be on RockAuto’s site, trying to find someone to bash because they were inconvenienced. Part of that might be due to the holidays and so on, but that still isn’t an excuse to go full Hulk on somebody over the phone or on the Internet. Have some patience and understanding and try to work with them to rectify an honest mistake. Save your anger for when it happens again.
At-least to here, add in Rock Auto\’s cost to ship plus extra time and the possibility of error and they\’re usually no deal. I do love their great web site as a means to get part numbers, thanks guys. Fortunately our local O\’Reilly\’s happens to be a pretty good store and deep stock is only a day away.
I was shipped some Honda brake rotors when they should have been the one ton Dodge variety. Returned them and got the right ones back, but it set me back a few weeks.
Based on the title, I expected the article to be how house brand replacement parts are generally inferior factory original parts.
wait, you simply sent it back and waited patiently? McSasquatch? is that you? whoa, mind blown.
Truth of the matter is that if you bought from Rockauto, it might have been come from Metro/Parts Authority… one warehouse is located in San Bernaghetto, CA
The inconvenience of incorrect parts happens in the workshop for me too. Always has and always will. And that’s all it is, an inconvenience. Some individuals turn the situation into a huge drama, and for some individuals, they enjoy the feeling of a vain bulging out from their forehead while verbally reaming the parts rep.. Sure the customer would like his vehicle back and occasionally you may bare the brunt of there blame. This is something you just have to accept and accept some parts are occasionally wrong due to a myriad of reasons. All you can do is analyze the problem and attempt to find the best solution possible with a realistic outcome.