Worst RockAuto screwup of all time? Wrong spec and they won't admit fault!

So a few weeks ago I scored what looked like a sweet deal on some discs from RockAuto. Bosch QuietCast, never tried them but it's a reputable manufacturer, a good $20 cheaper to the door than if I bought some bargain bin specials from the FLAPS down the street. Saw a warm day coming up from earlier in the week and decided I'd swap the discs now to take some work out of crunch time at the start of next season.

So I get the rotors off, found them well below minimum thickness with a worrying crack starting in the middle, so I'm definitely not changing them prematurely! Get ready to fit the new ones, and they're giving me some trouble to line up. Huh, well I'll just get one lug in there and then...what? No, it can't be! No! NO!

Yes, these discs are 5x114.3 and they were listed for a Toyobaru which is 5x100. If you go into the item details on RockAuto, it does show 5x114.3, but they are indeed listed for a car they will never fit. If I go through their return process there is no remotely truthful set of answers that will get them to admit fault and give a full refund:

The refund they're offering is about half the cost of what I paid to get these to my door. Is there any way I can get them to take responsibility for their screwup in listing these for a car they cannot fit, or should I just try to sell these on the local classifieds and never order from RockAuto again?

This is a pretty similar situation to when I ordered an FA20 idler pulley from them a year or two ago that had a bearing ID too small to fit, and they gave a refund for that, I'm wondering if the return process changed since then or if I did something differently...

They will never admit fault, or refund your money. I had a thread here a few years ago about them and the general consensus was I should have known better and I'm the shiny happy person. 
 

Welcome to the club, there are a bunch of us here from what I've seen recently. 

I haven't ordered from Rock Auto in years because of garbage like this. I'm sorry that it bit you, too.

I'd maybe state that the part does have a manufacturing error, then maybe they will take it back at full price? I mean it does, it's supposed to be manufactured for a 5x100 car and they drilled it at a 5x114

I've had good luck with RockAuto. 
 

Having said that, I know darned well why I bug from them. Because they are CHEAP. That's my entire motivation.

I don't expect it to always go well. When I stop having good luck, I'll reconsider doing business with them. 

Worst screwup of all time?  Nah... it's just a coup of rotors. 

I had a similar issue, and never got any refund. 

I've learned to triple-check the part numbers of anything I order from RockAuto.

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

I've learned to triple-check the part numbers of anything I order from RockAuto.

Lol, I've used RockAuto as a part number source  to buy things off of amazon that fit multiple vehicles under amazon listings that didn't include the vehicle I put them on. So far so good, but now I'm going to be more careful.

Javelin said:

I'd maybe state that the part does have a manufacturing error, then maybe they will take it back at full price? I mean it does, it's supposed to be manufactured for a 5x100 car and they drilled it at a 5x114

Engaged smartass mode and submitted the return for the "manufacturing error" of being manufactured with the wrong bolt pattern, this allowed me to attach photos and get a human to review the issue:

Also went to the FLAPS and got some "ProSeries OE+" discs for the front and "ProSeries OE" for the rear, with a 15% scratch-and-win discount they cost about the same as the equivalent Centrics (GCX/plain) from RockAuto, will see how they hold up after the first track day next year...

I'm pissed - got a RA box today with no magnet inside.

GameboyRMH said:

Also went to the FLAPS and got some "ProSeries OE+" discs for the front and "ProSeries OE" for the rear, with a 15% scratch-and-win discount they cost about the same as the equivalent Centrics (GCX/plain) from RockAuto, will see how they hold up after the first track day next year...

I think you'll be fine, did they make you fill out anything for the warranty? Last time I bought rotors from Canadian Tire/Partsource they had me fill out some sort of form for the warranty, I can't remember how long it was but the guy behind the counter seemed confident if I brought them back blue and cracked within the warranty period they'd swap them out lol. I didn't get to test that out though, oh well.

In reply to adam525i :

They didn't make me fill anything out but I kept the bill, if they get wrecked by the first track day I can try returning them.

I've returned stuff to Rockauto using the mfg defect thing and never had a problem doing a return. They paid shipping too if I remember correctly.

I've been ordering from them for something like 15 years now and I can count on one hand the number of times I've had an issue.

That being said, if they show a dimension for something, I generally go check what I have to make sure it will fit.

I've returned a pair of control arms and, seperately, a starter that didn't fit. Seamless return and refund both times.

I am annoyed I haven't received any magnets in my last 3-4 orders though. Maybe that is how they are sticking it to me (pun intended).

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Did you get the "your car must be modified" response?

Strange. This is the 2nd thread I've seen complaining about RockAuto but knock on wood, I've never had issues over the years.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Just an FYI. It is not there fault. They are just a reseller they did not make the part. Why would the admit error or fault. For legal reasons they will never admit fault. 
 

They could make the return process better. 

RockAuto is what I use to find part numbers that I then search Amazon or Ebay.

I like RA, but their shipping is slow and expensive, core returns are a pain, and the only time I ever had to get a refund was a soul-gutting process with a litany of questions where I had to prove it was faulty.  I ordered a heater core for a Mazda from RA.  It showed up three millennia later and it leaked out of the box.  Not their fault since they didn't manufacture it, but getting a new one was torture.  I prevailed in the end, but that's why I just use them for part numbers.  I would rather pay a few dollars more knowing that it's actually going to be something I can return if it's wrong or faulty.

The problem (speculating here) is that RA isn't a parts warehouse.  They're a drop-shipper.  They are mostly hands-off.  They make money selling other people's product and returns have to go through them.  It's a royal pain having to warranty something they didn't actually sell.  They try the old sales trick of making it so hard to do in the hopes that you just give up.

My truck has been down for a month since the lift pump I ordered had a metric fitting, unlike the stock one. The threads were listed wrong in the specs, too, so the fitting I ordered was wrong. The new fitting is appearantly on a slow boat from China. I'm a bit miffed.

Got an answer back from RockAuto, they realized the mistake and they're going to give a full refund.

Why people still buy from RA is beyond me.  I don't care how cheap the stuff is, its not worth the hassle, the screwy shipping, etc.

I use EBay for OEM parts and local shops or dealers for things like oil, filters, etc.  Lotta counterfeit filters out there these days so I try to stick to brick and mortar for those.  If I need nice stuff, I buy it from boutique vendors.  

SV reX said:

I've had good luck with RockAuto. 

Having said that, I know darned well why I bug from them. Because they are CHEAP. That's my entire motivation.

I don't expect it to always go well. When I stop having good luck, I'll reconsider doing business with them. 

Same here. No screw ups in my 10+ years of ordering with them. Maybe their quality of service varies by region?

I've had probably 3-4 mistakes in all the years I've been ordering from them, I'd usually send parts to either Ontario or Florida and there have been errors to both addresses. Previous errors have been pretty minor but listing brake discs with the wrong bolt pattern was the worst by far, and this was also the first time I'd seen how obtuse their return system can be. You shouldn't have to trick it into letting you show someone at RockAuto that their parts catalog had a huge mistake in it.