Yet another RA warranty success story

[14Accent]

I ordered a (wholesale closeout) new AC compressor for the Reatta, long story short I got it installed before I noticed the part had been dropped and the clutch plate was slightly bent.

I initiated a return last night (Sunday), got an email before noon central time asking for photos of the shipping packaging and part packaging plus a photo of the damage. I sent them these photos at 530 pm central, and had a direct response from customer service within an hour letting me know they were shipping a replacement ASAP.

Sure, I have to do the hour's worth of work over again, but this compressor was half the cost of the next cheapest option. I'm very happy with the outcome.

 

[Kira]

Happy Congrats. It's nice when things work out.

 

[nobb]

I used to not mind paying a little more getting parts from the local parts store (like Napa) due to the convenience of being able to get replacement parts quicky. But in the last few years they've really been making it a huge hassle anytime you try to warranty a part. Even items which by policy have a lifetime warranty, they'll make all sort of excuses by reading between the lines on their paperwork to deny the claim. It's gotten so bad to the point where I almost always have to escalate my claim to someone in corporate to get it approved.

So now I don't even bother shopping local because warranty claims with RockAuto have always been pretty painless.

 

[D60]

I used to not mind paying a little more getting parts from the local parts store (like Napa) due to the convenience of being able to get replacement parts quicky. But in the last few years they've really been making it a huge hassle anytime you try to warranty a part. Even items which by policy have a lifetime warranty, they'll make all sort of excuses by reading between the lines on their paperwork to deny the claim. It's gotten so bad to the point where I almost always have to escalate my claim to someone in corporate to get it approved.

So now I don't even bother shopping local because warranty claims with RockAuto have always been pretty painless.

I was just reading some fine print on O'Reilly's site that seems to suggest you must have the original receipt to get warranty coverage on a (crappy) Precision fuel pump.

Now, I can understand maybe people are abusing the warranty but if you start truly requiring an original receipt, 90% of the benefit of buying brick and mortar is gone. Even best case, register receipts fade.

That said, I'd guess most stores/managers will overlook this.

 

[dogememe]

I was just reading some fine print on O'Reilly's site that seems to suggest you must have the original receipt to get warranty coverage on a (crappy) Precision fuel pump.

Now, I can understand maybe people are abusing the warranty but if you start truly requiring an original receipt, 90% of the benefit of buying brick and mortar is gone. Even best case, register receipts fade.

That said, I'd guess most stores/managers will overlook this.

You don’t need the receipt if it’s on your phone number in the computer.

 

[Lubener]

I have never had any return issues with RA. To me, they are top notch.

 

[John105]

I’ve never had an issue with RA, and I “have” been denied by the mfg. So in some way they have been like Amazon as long as Amazon has, with returns.

Just to hint…try dealing with a lifetime exhaust or shocks/struts, through the mfg. save the aggravation. Now, envision same product through RA.

 

[D60]

You don’t need the receipt if it’s on your phone number in the computer.

I agree, but they've changed the wording on the main product page of the website. I don't know if this is for all products, or only problematic ones like Precision fuel pumps -- I simply haven't poked around at other products enough.

Where it used to just say "Limited Lifetime Warranty" or "Limited 1-Year" it now seemingly warns you there are restrictions (granted, the word "Limited" is also arguably a warning):

If you click on the link warning of restrictions, the first page claims you must have the original receipt:

Further down under section 1.5 it again explicitly says you must have the original receipt:

Again, I'm not saying stores will enforce this, but it provides an interesting way to weasel out of warranty if they wanted to get "technical". Personally, I DO save all original receipts but sometimes I photocopy if they're starting to fade.

No mention is made of O'Reilly's database by phone number for in-store purchases, so it would seemingly leave the consumer with little ground to stand on if the system is "updated" (AutoZone conveniently did this years ago) or if they just "can't find it."

 

[D60]

I’ve never had an issue with RA, and I “have” been denied by the mfg. So in some way they have been like Amazon as long as Amazon has, with returns.

Just to hint…try dealing with a lifetime exhaust or shocks/struts, through the mfg. save the aggravation. Now, envision same product through RA.

Last time RA split the shipping with me on a CV axle. If they continue this and you get their FedEx rate less 50% on struts, it's pretty reasonable. Granted, the easiest way is to order replacements first and use the same boxes to return. Their system provides a clear option for this.

I may sound like an RA fan boi but I'm not. I've had both good and bad experiences and trust them no further than I could throw one of their warehouses

 

[John105]

Last time RA split the shipping with me on a CV axle. If they continue this and you get their FedEx rate less 50% on struts, it's pretty reasonable. Granted, the easiest way is to order replacements first and use the same boxes to return. Their system provides a clear option for this.

I may sound like an RA fan boi but I'm not. I've had both good and bad experiences and trust them no further than I could throw one of their warehouses

I agree. My only beef ever, was getting AC DELCO eco filters when they were not what I ordered. I even got a brake rotor that had clearly been installed and taken off (greasy hand prints). Both times they paid return shipping and sent new product.

 

[nobb]

I was just reading some fine print on O'Reilly's site that seems to suggest you must have the original receipt to get warranty coverage on a (crappy) Precision fuel pump.

Now, I can understand maybe people are abusing the warranty but if you start truly requiring an original receipt, 90% of the benefit of buying brick and mortar is gone. Even best case, register receipts fade.

That said, I'd guess most stores/managers will overlook this.

It's not one specific reason they'll use to deny the claim. It's almost as if corporate mandated the stores to reduce warranty claims somehow, or made it extremely inconvenient for the stores to do, such that the individual parts counter worker will try his best to try and push back on any claims.

Examples of some excuses they've made up:
"The lifetime warranty is only for manufacturer defects, not normal wear and tear"
"The warranty is only for parts installed by a professional, we have no idea if you did it right"
"You could have abused the part, we have no way of verifying"
"You'll have to return it back to the same store you bought it from"
"You'll need to contact the manufacturer directly"

 

[zzyzzx]

Please post pics of damaged item!

 

[BHopkins]

It's good to hear that you had a positive experience returning an item to RA. And it sounds like a lot of others here have also had good experiences. Mine have been only so-so.

I haven't had any recent experiences with RA, as I rarely buy anything from them anymore, because of previous experiences. It's probably been about 8-10 years ago that I bought a condenser coil from them. The first one came bent, and it was no surprise, as the packaging was poor. They gave me a return, but I have never spoke to a less friendly or helpful customer service rep.

The replacement was also bent. Same thing terrible packaging. Clearly not good enough for shipping something like a condenser coil. They gave me a return on the second one also, but again, the customer service had the personality of a drill instructor. I ended up buying one from my local NAPA. It cost me about $15 more, but it was not beat up when I got it. That's what I should have done in the first place.

I'm very particular about what I will buy from RA any more. I always consider how the parts will survive shipping, if they pack the parts as lousy as they did the condenser coils.

 

[D60]

It's good to hear that you had a positive experience returning an item to RA. And it sounds like a lot of others here have also had good experiences. Mine have been only so-so.

I haven't had any recent experiences with RA, as I rarely buy anything from them anymore, because of previous experiences. It's probably been about 8-10 years ago that I bought a condenser coil from them. The first one came bent, and it was no surprise, as the packaging was poor. They gave me a return, but I have never spoke to a less friendly or helpful customer service rep.

The replacement was also bent. Same thing terrible packaging. Clearly not good enough for shipping something like a condenser coil. They gave me a return on the second one also, but again, the customer service had the personality of a drill instructor. I ended up buying one from my local NAPA. It cost me about $15 more, but it was not beat up when I got it. That's what I should have done in the first place.

I'm very particular about what I will buy from RA any more. I always consider how the parts will survive shipping, if they pack the parts as lousy as they did the condenser coils.

I also believe they don't necessarily train with an eye toward customer service. So, sometimes you get lucky, other times your situation is reviewed by somebody who just. doesn't. care.

In brighter news (sarcasm) it's essentially impossible to speak with someone on the phone there these days, at least AFAIK. However they're pretty good about responding to email inquiries. They intentionally bury their email contact at the bottom of a lengthy FAQ page, hoping to force you to find an answer there and only contacting them as a last resort.

 

[14Accent]

Please post pics of damaged item!

 

[eljefino]

It's not one specific reason they'll use to deny the claim. It's almost as if corporate mandated the stores to reduce warranty claims somehow, or made it extremely inconvenient for the stores to do, such that the individual parts counter worker will try his best to try and push back on any claims.

Nailed it. Yes you "could" look up sales via phone number or whatever and they do that when they're trying to build a customer base via good customer service. But then you get some MBA who says "hey this quarter we're going to increase profits by cutting fraud" and then they stick to the terms they spell out. Absolutely save your receipts for anything valuable from anywhere, trust nobody.

Businesses have a life cycle-- either being good by undercutting on price and offering splendid customer service or in "en-poop-ification" where they're squeezing goodwill out of a formerly good name. Once they crest that hill, it's time to look elsewhere.

 

[zzyzzx]

Absolutely save your receipts for anything valuable from anywhere, trust nobody.

The people at the Laurel, MD NAPA were genuinely impressed when I brought in an 11 year old receipt for an item with a lifetime warranty. And yeah they gave me another rebuilt alternator.

 

[John105]

Nailed it. Yes you "could" look up sales via phone number or whatever and they do that when they're trying to build a customer base via good customer service. But then you get some MBA who says "hey this quarter we're going to increase profits by cutting fraud" and then they stick to the terms they spell out. Absolutely save your receipts for anything valuable from anywhere, trust nobody.

Businesses have a life cycle-- either being good by undercutting on price and offering splendid customer service or in "en-poop-ification" where they're squeezing goodwill out of a formerly good name. Once they crest that hill, it's time to look elsewhere.

Costco on the other hand seems to keep knocking things out of the park. I think back to some unreal deals they have offered and continue to offer, some examples.

A food item that is $7 for 24 oz in the grocery store. Costco sells it only bigger quantity, working out to $3.13 for 24 oz. Sure if you don't have freezer space, pay the $7.

Blink floodlight hard wired cam, $49.99 on amazon Black Friday, $89.99 today.

Costco had the above, plus a mini cam, plus a Blink 4 outdoor cam, $49.99. WHY DIDN'T I GET 2 OR 3....

Today that Blink 4 cam is $64.99 alone, on amazon.

And, they accept any and all returns.

Imagine if Costco did auto parts. imho they would only do that if they could offer the same excellency.

 

[D60]

Costco on the other hand seems to keep knocking things out of the park. I think back to some unreal deals they have offered and continue to offer, some examples.

A food item that is $7 for 24 oz in the grocery store. Costco sells it only bigger quantity, working out to $3.13 for 24 oz. Sure if you don't have freezer space, pay the $7.

Blink floodlight hard wired cam, $49.99 on amazon Black Friday, $89.99 today.

Costco had the above, plus a mini cam, plus a Blink 4 outdoor cam, $49.99. WHY DIDN'T I GET 2 OR 3....

Today that Blink 4 cam is $64.99 alone, on amazon.

And, they accept any and all returns.

Imagine if Costco did auto parts. imho they would only do that if they could offer the same excellency.

But you're paying a membership fee, no? Across all customers that goes a long way to offset losses from a liberal return policy or [insert whatever]

 

[John105]

But you're paying a membership fee, no? Across all customers that goes a long way to offset losses from a liberal return policy or [insert whatever]

Of course, Costco makes its money on the membership fees, so they don't have to play around with margins, which are low. Retention rates of memberships is unheard of.

I've been through this before with my buddy--based on gas savings alone, the membership can be paid for.

And disclaimer, yes, I own the stock and it's outperformed most of my portfolio, and only 1/2 stocks that have ever paid me a special dividend, with vmWare being the other. I can't pretend to understand the Broadcom takeover but I ended up with both Broadcom stock and cash, and the porfolio value went up overall...