RockAuto

Review: On April 16, 2015, I placed an order from this business for new automotive repair parts. The order number was [redacted]. Part of that order included 6 fuel injectors, Motorcraft part number [redacted], at a price of $20.79 each, for a total cost of 124.74 for the six injectors. Based on their online catalog, this part was supposed to be for a 2003 Ford Ranger, which is the vehicle I own. I received the order a couple of weeks later, and since I was not ready to install the injectors (this was part of a major engine overhaul), I placed them on the shelf, then finally attempted to install them in early July. However, the connector on the injectors was different from the connector on the vehicle's engine wiring harness, so I contacted Rock Auto Customer Service to set up a return.

Initially, rock Auto refused to accept the return because they only have a 30 day window in which to accept returns. Furthermore, they blamed the problem on ME (I guess the customer is never right in Rock Auto's eyes) by claiming that there was a fine print disclaimer buried within the part's description which said, in part, "From 12/01/03", (but it did not specifically state that it was for "vehicles manufactured" after that date--12/01/03).

After mulling over their cold-hearted response for a moment, I came to the realization that Ford would only have manufactured 2004 model year vehicles after that date (12/01/03), and since Rock Auto had these injectors listed in their online catalog for the 2003 model year, they showed fault in the fact that it was listed in the wrong place.

I brought that up with Customer Service, but, in continuing their apparent "customer is always wrong" policy, they still refused to accept the return. I checked their online catalog about 1 or 2 days later, and I noticed that this particular injector was removed from the 2003 model year catalog, so in my opinion, that was an implied admission on their part that they made a mistake.

Finally, I was able to convince them to accept the return, however, they still decided to punish me by hitting me with a "restocking" charge of 10% of the return amount. Since I already ordered another set of injectors from them, I requested that they refund the return amount to my credit card. However, instead of listeining to their customer's request, they only gave me a store credit for $106.03 and did not refund my credit card.Desired Settlement: Since this issue was clearly the fault of Rock Auto, and since I do not have any immediate plans to purchase more parts, I am formally requesting that I receive a refund to my credit card in the entire amount of $124.74.

Business

Response:

We

accept returns within 30 days, as our Help

page explains. If we make a mistake and the problem is reported

within 30 days, we can offer a return for replacement or full refund.

Our Help

page also explains that Wholesaler Closeout parts have only a 30 day

warranty.

This

customer ordered a wholesaler closeout part in April 2015 that our

part listing stated in the part description is for vehicles with a

specific manufacture date. The customer didn't report a problem until

July 2015, when he reported that his vehicle's manufacture date does

not meet the specifications for the part he ordered. In other words,

he ordered without

matching relevant details in the part listing with his vehicle's

specifications, then waited until well outside our return window to

request a return. If the customer didn't understand a component of

the part listing, he could have contacted

our customer service representatives prior to placing his order.

Considering

the part was misordered and beyond the 30 day return limit for the

parts ordered, we initially declined the return. However, considering

the customer pointed out a detail that allowed us to update our

catalog, we allowed an exception to our policy by offering the

customer a return for store credit, minus a restocking fee. Since

both the customer and RockAuto hold some responsibility for the

fitment problem, we feel this exception to policy is appropriate and

fair to both parties involved.

I noticed you on Velocity. Thought I'd check you out
The order process was simple. Impressive so far.

Easy, fast and accurate

Rockauto always seems to have what I need at a very good price. Shipping is fast. I have never had a problem with them

Confusing website design. 2009 "late design" Parts ordered does not fit the 2009 viechle and only fits 2002 to 2005. Talked to customer service, but representative said will not do exchange and asking me to pay extra two times of shipping. Very bad business. Please do not buy anything from them.

I will NEVER AGAIN order from them just because of their return policy!! If you order multiple parts, they usually come from 20 different wharehouses. Good luck trying to return several items! You literally need a degree in rocket science!!!

I just made my first order with RockAuto but my experience so for has been good I found the parts that I was looking for and at a great price Thank you so much.

The website was very easy to navigate and utilize. I have used RockAuto in the past and have always been very pleased with the results

I have purchased from this site twice. First was perfect success, prices right! Placed 2nd order today and am confident it will be excellent also. Great, user friendly catalog for locating proper parts.. also like the varied selection offered.

OH, and I'll add.. OReillys.. double the price!! exact same part and manufacturer.

I have been ordering parts from RockAuto for years and have always gotten what I ordered and have nener been disappointed with the quality of the parts that I ordered.

everyting you need .

prices are great.

Avoid. First I recieved parts out of Mexico that would never pass any American standards. Second I was overcharged for shipping, then made to wait. My math and customer services math was not the same.
I had ordered a radiator and new radiator cap from Rock Auto on Thursday. The post master could not deliver the item due to its size. So I had to go to the post office on Monday and pick it up. I was charged a extra $20.00 bucks and RockAuto says its not their fault even thought they forced me to pay extra as the priority mail was not a option. So they made $20.00 bucks off the shipping.
Then the OEM radiator cap I recieved was made of inferior materials. It had a plastic gasket instead of a runner gasket. I made the mistake of putting it on the radiator and now I cant get it off. So they made yet another $10.00 dollars off the order. Not so cheap are they now.
I fully expect the cap to fail. I will have to replace the radiator as I cant get the cap off. I hope it does not leave my family stranded or blow the motor.
I have talked with two people at RockAuto. Buy local and buy American.

Awesome service and very quick shipping. Ordered 4 ignition coils for my 2008 honda element on friday. Parts were in my hand on monday. Highly recommend rockauto!

hi,
very happy with parts and service, But postage is a killer.... I would be happy to purchase many more parts if it could be less expensive for postage, it nearly doubles the part cost making it not financially viable, and as in my last purchase you need to ship from 3 different locations there is 3 freight costs instead of 1, can something be done about this??

Review: I ordered several parts for 2 cars. The brake rotors I ordered were wrong and I felt the online catalogue didn't specifically write that the rotors were for european market models. later the customer service told me that the blue logo is a European flag and that's sufficient to suggest it's for european market destination cars.

I informed the customer service that customers from different countries don't necessary know what other counties flags look like and the size of the flag is very small. It measures about 1/8" wide and 1/16" high on my 15" laptop screen. And there is no word next to it. The only way customer can read anything is if s/he hold the mouse pointer over the tiny picture steadily for a few seconds.

Also, this practice is very unusual from any other online store I have ordered from. This is definitely NOT a standard usability practice online. Amazon, ebay, craigslist, walmart, bestbuy etc.

The written text in the online catalogue is:

BREMBO Part # [redacted] {#[redacted]} [Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty]

Rear; Coupe $15.31

Now I'm forced to pay for the return shipping of $15.22 on top of shipping cost paid to receive the rotors.Desired Settlement: Refund all unnecessary shipping cost due to lack of clear description. Probably around $30.

Business

Response:

This customer ordered rotors that our

site specifies are for European market vehicles, but he does not have

a European market vehicle. Our Help

page explains what the flags in our catalog indicate. As our Help

page explains

(http://www.rockauto.com/lang/en/answersTab4.html#Returns),

every part we sell may be returned within 30 days for a refund of the

part price. Shipping charges are not refundable unless the return is

due to our mistake. Since we shipped what the customer ordered but

the customer ordered for a vehicle he does not have, he can return

these rotors but shipping is not refundable.

Consumer

Response:

I've used Rock Auto for dozens of parts orders over the years. The software they use is great, and I've only seen improvements on the web site as time goes on. I can't recall ever having a problem with any of my orders, even core returns or wrong part ordered returns.
The price is great, so what else could I want? Lots of places sell auto parts, but these guys make it simple and no hassle.

very good prices and accurate parts list. can,t ask for anymore.

Review: I ordered a part online when I got it it did not work I contacted rock auto and they said it was a bad part they would send me a new one I made sure when I was on the phone with them that it the right part for my vehicle and he said it was. He was in the process of sending me a new part and I decided to call the company who makes the part they told me it would fit my vehicle but will not work right so when I got the new part I sent it back never opening the box it came in and called rock auto and explained what happened they said they would take it back as long as it was never installed I said good because I never opened the box when they received it they called me and said it has been used and will not refund my money.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund on a part I was told would fit my vehicle and come to find out it will not.

Business

Response:

We are very sorry this customer

received a power supply module that would not work for his vehicle.

When he called us on Friday, January 24, he stated that the part was

not working and that he had called [redacted] to see if this would work

on his vehicle. In his conversation with our RockAuto representative,

the customer stated that a [redacted] technician told him the part was

not listed for his 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 6.7L L6 Diesel Turbocharged.

Since the customer called after the

manufacturer was closed on a Friday, we could not call [redacted] back to

verify whether the part is actually supposed to fit. We followed up

on the customer's report first thing Monday morning, January 27. The

[redacted] tech we spoke with clarified that this part will fit on a 2007

Dodge Ram 3500 6.7L L6 Diesel Turbo, as long as the customer has four

wheel drive, electric shift on the flywheel, a cab&chassis truck

and a transfer case number [redacted]. The customer confirmed that he had

all of these options, which we specified in our part description for

the part. The customer explained that the air conditioning was not

working up to par and the engine brake was not functioning as it

should. We set up a warranty return for him to be re-shipped a new

part, based on our January 27 conversation with him in which he

indicated he had all of the special options specified in our online

part description for this part to fit.

On Friday, February 7, the customer

called us to let us know that he had installed the part and it was

functioning poorly. The second RockAuto representative again asked

whether the customer had all of the above options: four wheel drive,

electric shift on the flywheel, a cab&chassis truck and a

transfer case number [redacted]. During this conversation, the customer

said that he actually did not have a cab&chassis

truck, which is an option for only some Dodge Rams, after verifying

with our representative on January 27 that he did indeed have the

cab&chassis option truck.

The customer then told the second

RockAuto rep that he had told [redacted] this information when he

received the part and [redacted] informed him the part would not work. We

are uncertain why he installed the power supply module in the first

place, if the manufacturer had cautioned him against installing it.

Our representative then advised the customer we would not be able to

accept a second return, given that the part was ordered incorrectly

and installed. Then, during the same conversation, the customer

stated that he had NOT installed the second, re-shipped part. Given

the confusing nature of the conversation, our RockAuto rep reasonably

had reason to believe the customer had indeed installed the second

part. The rep agreed to set up a return for the part but informed the

customer the part would be checked carefully upon receipt at the

warehouse, to ensure it was not installed. The customer agreed to

this.

As expected, when our warehouse

received the part back on February 13, they found the part had been

installed and used. Our warehouse supplied photos of the installed

part, which we have attached to this response. The part is dirty with

installation grease and a sticker has been removed at a port to

install the wires. Since these parts ship directly from the

manufacturer to the customer, and the manufacturer does not ever

accept returns (those are sent to our warehouse), there is no

possible way the customer could have received a used or returned

part. The second, re-shipped part would have been in new condition

when he received it. Based on this evidence, the customer installed

and used the second part.

The customer called back and

repeatedly told a third representative that he did not install the

second, re-shipped part.

We are very sorry that we agreed to a

warranty replacement in the first place, since the customer had

ordered the wrong part. We should not have re-shipped him the second

part, since the part was ordered incorrectly and will not work on his

non-cab-chassis truck. However, the customer had confirmed to the first RockAuto rep that he indeed had the cab&chassis truck. At this point, we have shipped him back the

used, but still functional, power supply module. We are unable to issue a refund for a part that was

installed incorrectly, ordered incorrectly and returned used, but the

customer is free to try to sell the part locally to recoup his costs,

since he now has it in his possession again.

Business

Response:

Once

again, we are sorry Mr. [redacted] had trouble with this Power Supply

Module. Regardless of whether the second module Mr. [redacted]

received was installed, it is quite clear that no refund is

appropriate in this situation given that RockAuto made no error in

this process.

When

Mr. [redacted] placed his order on January 21, 2014, he ordered a Power

Supply Module for a 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup with a 6.7L L6 turbo

diesel engine with the following attributes: four wheel drive,

electric shift on the flywheel, a transfer case number [redacted], and

most relevantly to this appeal, a

cab and chassis truck.

These details, which must apply to the vehicle in order to ensure

proper fitment and function of the module, were listed at the time of

purchase in the part listing. Thus, Mr. [redacted] incorrectly placed an

order for a part that RockAuto did not advertise for his truck. Mr.

[redacted] proceeded to install this incorrectly-ordered module in his

vehicle. Per our return policy, we can not accept returns for parts

that have been installed if they were ordered incorrectly.

Mr.

[redacted] contacted us on January 24 to report the module was not

functioning properly. [redacted] was closed by this time on the 24th,

so we contacted [redacted] January 27 to verify that our listing was

correct. [redacted] confirmed we had no error in our listing. The

complication arose when Mr. [redacted] provided our representative with

inaccurate information about his vehicle. According to regular

practices, our representative asked that Mr. [redacted] confirm the

details in the listing (four wheel drive, electric shift on the

flywheel, a transfer case number [redacted], and

a cab and chassis truck) apply

to his vehicle. Mr. [redacted] inaccurately confirmed that these details

applied to his truck. Being provided with inaccurate information, our

representative was forced to assume the part was defective and follow

a standard warranty process which consists of returning the assumed

defective module for a reshipment of a new part. Had Mr. [redacted]

provided accurate information at this time, no warranty return would

have been allowed and Mr. [redacted] would have had an inaccurately

ordered, installed module in his possession. At that point, we also

would have refused a return for a refund.

Then,

contrary to what he had previously told us, during his conversation

with our representative on February 7 Mr. [redacted] informed us that he

did not

have a cab and chassis truck. This new information changed the

situation. There has been ample attention paid to the argument of

whether or not this second module was installed. However, whether

this module was installed or not is irrelevant. If Mr. [redacted]'s

claims about this module being uninstalled are true (which we do not

believe them to be, based on the fact that a sticker over the

electrical outlet on the second part was removed, and this sticker

would be intact if the part indeed had not been installed), Mr.

[redacted] is actually in a better situation than he would have been had

he not provided inaccurate information to RockAuto about his

non-cab-chassis truck since he is now in a better position to resell

a new, mis-ordered part. Had he provided accurate information on

January 27, he would only be in a position to attempt to resell an

installed, mis-ordered part.

Regardless

of whether the second module was installed, RockAuto owes Mr. [redacted]

no refund. When Mr. [redacted] returned the second module to our

warehouse and we found that it had been installed, we went beyond our

regular policy by paying to ship the module back to Mr. [redacted]. We

have thus not only lost time to processing Mr. [redacted]'s undue

warranty return due to his error, but we have lost money in paying to

have the part returned to him. RockAuto will not be providing Mr.

[redacted] with a refund for this order.

Consumer

Response:

Great!

Good prices and service