Be careful ordering from RockAuto

mbalbritton

mbalbritton

#@$%!
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Location
Orlando, FL
I have ordered from RockAuto for years. Been there done that got the magnets to prove it.

I’ve never had an issue with returns until my last order. As laughed about in ROTD, this is about the air filter on the ‘22 GLC300. I didn’t pay close enough attention to the picture, or the cross referenced OEM part number listed in the small print at the very bottom of the description. I’ll take the blame for that.

The two things that I won’t take the blame for are the facts that 3 out of the 5 filters they show and list are for 2016-2019 models, while the last two are for the 2020-2026. The main difference being a notched corner.

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Damn, ok, got me. At least I noticed the corner difference in the video I saw before I started the job and I sought advice from a certain source on here that is very knowledgeable on Mercedes, and confirmed my suspicions.

So I go to return it. Problem #1. I run through the automated return process and the questions they ask don’t really align with me being able to say “RockAuto lists the wrong part” and instead it looks like I ordered the wrong part. They do issue a store credit, but I have to pay for return shipping and replacement part shipping.

FUCK YOU!

Problem #2. There is NO WAY to contact anyone, no phone number, no email, no chat, NOTHING. And now my return information is saved against my order and can not be changed to a different issue that would cover replacement.

I think that’s wrong.
 
You should be able to dispute or reply to the returns email or something. I had an issue with the return a couple months ago where they had the quantities wrong or mixed up the part numbers in the box or something that I can’t remember, and I was pissed, but they ended up making it right. It was a pain in the ass though because I thought it was going to be a dead end and I was stuck with $100 worth of parts that I didn’t need.
 
Nope, all of it takes you back to the same returns page. Dead end.

It’s not all that much money, so I at least have that on my side. Just really fucking annoying.
 
Amazon is getting really bad too. It’s an act of congress to get a call then it’s just the taliban talking you in circles. They have intentionally made returns either hard aka staples drop off or you pay for the pickup. Even if it’s their screw up. I literally got an empty package and they expect me to return it. Can clearly see in their own pic that it’s flat and empty.
 
eBay has been slacking as well

I got a ring and pinion for a jk d30 once after ordering a master cylinder, and another time a flowmaster muffler when I ordered a rebuild kit from an np231. Both times what I got was worth more than what I ordered
 
Yeah, it can be a pain if something is not right, even on their end.

But, I look at it as a cost of doing business with them. The amount of money I've saved vs buying local over the years has more than made up for the issues.
 
TheZenTree said:
Try service@rockauto.com. They sent me a defective fuel pump/sender assy a couple years ago and the automated system refused to take it back because it had been dipped in the fuel tank. That email got me an actual human.
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Well shit. That email address works.

Sent them an email and they issued a credit with no hesitation and no need to ship the part back.

Everyone save that email address! It’s sure as shit not advertised anywhere!
 
I gave up on RA a few years ago. I love their website for searching parts and getting part numbers...but anthing I ever find there, by the time I add in shipping I can either find it on amazon or from a local parts house cheaper. At least in my experience their shipping costs are prohibitively expensive.
 
Ron said:
I gave up on RA a few years ago. I love their website for searching parts and getting part numbers...but anthing I ever find there, by the time I add in shipping I can either find it on amazon or from a local parts house cheaper. At least in my experience their shipping costs are prohibitively expensive.
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Same thing here. Unless the code for free shipping or something is valid, There is rarely anything that you can't get at a local parts house now for a similar price all-in. If you can find a friend with a local account, even better. Most of my stuff comes from Napa now because of that and it blows even amazon away with the company's negotiated discount.
 
I've had good luck with Rock Auto outside of a couple things that were honestly my fault.
I bought a fuel sending unit to replace the one in my 6.5 truck, unfortunately by the time I was actually able to pull the bed I realized it was for a Suburban, and way past the eligibility to return it.
Second was the inner-tie rods I bought for my truck, the threading wasn't cut right and I got too busy and forgot to send anything to Rock Auto about it, I messaged Mevotech directly thinking I was past the exchange window only to have someone from Rock Auto reach out because of Mevotech; got the parts swapped for a correct one and even got two magnets with the new one.

Anymore it's a crapshoot, I'll definitely be saving that email link for any future problems I might endure; having to communicate with a bot is bad enough but having to go through multiple channels only to STILL talk to a bot is 10 times worse.
 
I order from them quite often and have never had any issues. The main thing I like about them compared to amazon is you know they are real parts. There's a lot of counterfeit parts on amazon that look completely real.

Another thing I've learned is to shop around on Rock Auto and try to find things that are shipping from the same warehouse. Often buying a significantly more expensive part works out cheaper because your already getting something from that warehouse.
 
NCJeeplover said:
I order from them quite often and have never had any issues. The main thing I like about them compared to amazon is you know they are real parts. There's a lot of counterfeit parts on amazon that look completely real.

Another thing I've learned is to shop around on Rock Auto and try to find things that are shipping from the same warehouse. Often buying a significantly more expensive part works out cheaper because your already getting something from that warehouse.
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I sware I think that’s their biggest scam lol. Order 5 things and it’s 5 warehouses and shipping cost. Have to play around with brands like you said. Pisses me off lol. I don’t order from them much though. Might cost more local but warranty is easy and they pay me to replace if it goes bad through labor claims. But it’s crazy to see how cheap they can sell some things compared to local parts houses in the exact same brand.
 
NCJeeplover said:
I order from them quite often and have never had any issues. The main thing I like about them compared to amazon is you know they are real parts. There's a lot of counterfeit parts on amazon that look completely real.

Another thing I've learned is to shop around on Rock Auto and try to find things that are shipping from the same warehouse. Often buying a significantly more expensive part works out cheaper because your already getting something from that warehouse.
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I've noticed that the warehouses will change depending on what's in the cart. That really pisses me off. Has anyone else noticed that?
 
Noel said:
I sware I think that’s their biggest scam lol. Order 5 things and it’s 5 warehouses and shipping cost. Have to play around with brands like you said. Pisses me off lol. I don’t order from them much though. Might cost more local but warranty is easy and they pay me to replace if it goes bad through labor claims. But it’s crazy to see how cheap they can sell some things compared to local parts houses in the exact same brand.
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What kills me more than anything with them is wiper blades. Of course anyone who has bought wiper blades in the last year has seen how stupid they've gotten.
A bosch blade that's $30/ea locally or through amazon, they have the same product at $8/ea.

Order 2 of them and its $20/shipping...which is still cheaper but certainly offsets the bulk of the savings.
Now change the quantity from 2 to 20 and shipping actually goes down from $20 to $12. So when we buy blades for the whole fleet 1x a year we order through rock auto. But when I need just a pair for the wife's car - just grab at oreillys
 
Ron said:
What kills me more than anything with them is wiper blades. Of course anyone who has bought wiper blades in the last year has seen how stupid they've gotten.
A bosch blade that's $30/ea locally or through amazon, they have the same product at $8/ea.

Order 2 of them and its $20/shipping...which is still cheaper but certainly offsets the bulk of the savings.
Now change the quantity from 2 to 20 and shipping actually goes down from $20 to $12. So when we buy blades for the whole fleet 1x a year we order through rock auto. But when I need just a pair for the wife's car - just grab at oreillys
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I always bulk order blades and filters. I keep a stash for every vehicle I own. That's the only way it makes sense.
 
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