In reply to GameboyRMH :
I have always bought the cheapest rotors to get eaten up by my track pads. Spending more than that isn't worth it.
RA customer service is still top notch I see.
In reply to GameboyRMH :
I have always bought the cheapest rotors to get eaten up by my track pads. Spending more than that isn't worth it.
RA customer service is still top notch I see.
In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :
I don't think I've ever gotten a magnet.
Thanks for this thread Gameboy. I'm taking the same approach now. I have brake pads here in a box that is marked correct. 2 of the pads are correct, 2 are for a completely different vehicle. I got the same BS response you did:
We are sorry the part doesn't fit. The manufacturer says it should fit your vehicle and we are not sure why it does not. Since we shipped the part you ordered and you ordered correctly, it doesn't look like either of us made a mistake. If you return the part, we'll refund the price you paid for the part and the core charge (if any). We'll also split the shipping cost (which neither of us can recover from the carrier). We will provide you with a return shipping label to return the part at our expense, but will refund only what you paid for the part and not the cost of outbound shipping. Your total refund would be $47.58.
Paid with AMEX? Call them, dispute the charges, and be prepared to buy from someone else from now to eternity.
I got into a small tussle with RockAuto a year ago over some spark plugs for my F150 - they listed some for a 2021 that did not have a year or S/N break. Ford changed the cylinder heads mid-way thru 2021 and you need either washer seat or taper seat plugs depending on the year break.
Their standard BS web forms don't give you the option for them to pay return shipping - I used the contact us form, laid it all out with screen captures to prove my right-ness (that they did not have a mid-year break on their application guide), and they gladly refunded my total order including shipping.
For the lulz just checked and they now have a mid-year break listed.
It seems a no-brainer that you'd just dispute the charge with your credit card company. While it may not be Rock Auto's fault, per se, that the part was incorrect it is still disingenuous for them to claim blamelessness. As a retailer/reseller, part of their onus is taking responsibility for the items they sell and subrogating through the manufacturer if necessary.
That's part and parcel of being in business: If you want profits, you have to accept responsibility.
Still have a new in box wrong axle that they sent me in 2007. Finally going to scrap it. Even back then, right part number on the box, wrong axle in the box, "you must have ordered wrong, we will refund less shipping if you pay return shipping" when I sent a clear pic of the axle not being the axle in the stock photos. I quit ordering from them a very long time ago, then last year I tried again for an AC compressor for my sister's taurus. It showed up in a box that was dredged up from the briney deep and had corrosion all over it. berkeley rockauto
Ordering one thing, shipping something else, and then telling you it's your fault is fraud.
People misbox returned parts all the time. I've received left parts in right boxes and rear parts in front boxes.
Any time you get a part in a box that looks like it's been opened, check it.
Same goes for relabeled boxes. Manufacturers will change part numbering or branding and the old parts get restickered. Sometimes they sticker the box wrong.
The thing to remember with Rock Auto is that they are a drop ship company from a lot of different suppliers, and part of how they can be cheap is that they can liquidate old inventory. Maybe it's old because that manufacturer doesn't exist anymore, maybe it's because they got a bunch of returns because the parts were made wrong...
I have an AC evaporator for an NB2 miata, 2001-2005, that I bought for my NB1. While they're dimensionally the same, the fittings changed. Their website says it fits 99-05, so it was described incorrectly.
Unfortunately, I didn't open the box for months, long after the return window ended. And, the 99-2000 version is no longer in production
Anyone need an AC evaporator for a 2001-2005 miata? Cheap?
In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :
Might be cheaper to have someone change out the fittings.
They sent me the wrong harmonic balancer earlier this year. The correct part number was on the box but the wrong part was in the box. It was only off by one digit so probably an honest mistake. They refunded the purchase on it, but I lost the shipping cost on it for sure.
They used to be great back in the day, especially for older vehicle service parts.
Just dispute the CC charges. I've done this for a few things and it's never a problem. Seems to me that "I bought an item that was wrong and the seller won't make it right" is as good enough reason as any
I've been sent a rotor with the correct part number on the box but it was obviously not the correct rotor. They sent me a new one and a return label at no cost. This was less than a year ago so I'm surprised to hear of so many folks getting charged return shipping on a mislabeled part.
Yep, I've twice had wrong parts sent, and both times RA sent out the correct replacement part FOC (and that's shipping to deepest darkest Peru..) without any quibbling. One was a rotor, one was a set of brake pads. To this day I still have the incorrect parts, no idea what the pads are from, and I can't do much with one rotor.
Another time I got an endlink with a bad thread, but didn't open the box until after the return window closed, my bad on that one.
The response RA are giving above is pretty poor, I wonder why such a difference in responses.
I've had my fair share of issues with them. The biggest one was receiving a box of rancho springs/shocks for my sequoia with nothing in the boxes. After 6 weeks of arguing with them, I just disputed it with my CC company.
I constantly get the wrong rotors for almost any car delivered and when I start to calculate my time and the shipping cost I'll have to eat, disputing it with the CC is the better option.
Their customer service methodology is god awful and archaic. It's just as much of a crapshoot on ebay too.
DirtyBird222 said:when I start to calculate my time and the shipping cost I'll have to eat, disputing it with the CC is the better option.
I'm at the point where I'll deal with Autozone over Rockauto for stuff like this, and anything questionable, get the OEM part shipped to me.
My garage time these days is much more limited and a berkeleyup from RA can set me back 1-2 weeks before I have time to attempt the project again (on my primary driver). Its not worth it to save $100
I've got to the point where I google any PN I'm considering buying just to validate compatibility. TBH I've had some F ups at autozone before too. I just don't think the databases are very good. Especially on older cars.
Since this thread's been resurrected, here's a Canadian company that's sort of a RockAuto/Summit hybrid I've been trying recently:
theruleslawyer said:TBH I've had some F ups at autozone before too.
Oh absolutely. Plenty.
But at least A) I can bring the parts right back and B) there is a human I can interact with
TravisTheHuman said:theruleslawyer said:TBH I've had some F ups at autozone before too.
Oh absolutely. Plenty.
But at least A) I can bring the parts right back and B) there is a human I can interact with
And way easier to warranty return. I bought a new house with a Autozone and Oreilly within bike riding distance. I don't think I've used RA for any of my vehicles I have at this house since moving in.
I really should see if I can get a steering rack through a local company. It seems to be a yearly wear item.
Stampie said:In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :
Might be cheaper to have someone change out the fittings.
All hard lines. Sold it
The last time I had a wrong part issue with Rockauto, I ordered a radiator for a supercharged Buick and received one for a base model. They tried to refuse a refund because the part numbers matched. I pointed them to a drawing that showed a 1" core thickness and a photo measuring the core at 3/4", and stated that the part was defective then, since it was made to the wrong dimensions.
I got my refund.
I've sworn off RockAuto after they screwed me over on an order of suspension bushings that weren't even close to correct, then refused to refund me.
It's comically easy to open a commercial account with most of the brick and mortar parts stores--now I get parts from Advance Auto at an average discount that seems to be roughly 20-30% and they drive them right to my shop for free.
I actually made money off of my only RA screwup. I had ordered a combination switch and they sent something completely wrong (and 3x the price) They refused to pay shipping to return it so I kept it and resold it for a profit and just bought the part from a local retailer.
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