Advance Auto Parts Let Me Down

[JHZR2]

Doing brakes on my 91 318i. Car is 23 years old, 165k, figure refreshing the calipers and lines is a smart move, since I don't wear brakes very fast, and thus they will be on for a while...

Placed an order through AAP. The guy on the phone tells me that since the order is done through the store, they can't apply the coupon code (the counter guy at another AAP told me they usually manually change the price to match the online deal to be convenient to the customer - but that was a store in rural VA). This guy on the phone informed me that they do match competitors deals, and since I had a 15% off all brake parts coupon from Pep Boys, they would match/apply it.

So I tell them to order calipers and hoses for both sides. OK, they'll be here tomorrow (today) AM.

Go there to pick them up, get the calipers, but they only ordered one hose.... WHAT?? Why would anyone replace a pair of calipers and one hose? UGH!

So I have to drive to a store 15 miles away that has it.

At checkout, they tell me that they never, no way match anything but a competitors' price, and that the coupon match was misinformation. Hoewever they said they would do it as a one-time courtesy because their clerk was wrong. RRRRRRRR...

So I go to pick up the other hose at the other store. They are more than willing to apply the code. Done. Moving along, right?

Nope, open the calipers which state that they come with bracket, one caliper does, the other does NOT.

Because it is sunday, they can't get it before Monday at noon, and guess when it is supposed to start dropping ice pellets??????


RRRRRRRRRR. Strayed from my usual Euro parts houses, and this is what I get.

And now that AAP is buying up world pac and likely putting many of those little guys out of business, this is what I have to look forward to.

Totally frustrating, now wasted hours and miles, to be given incorrect information, incorrect orders, shoddily prepped items, etc.

The guys in pep boys at the parts counter are far more professional and better, IMO. Ill likely be going there if I have to go local.

AAP let me down more than once and will be hearing about it from me.

 

[Ramblejam]

Any luck with RockAuto?

 

[JHZR2]

I suppose I would have. Local order, getting it the next day, with the promised discount made it worthwhile to try AAP.

Guess it was the wrong move.

 

[Jeffs2006EvoIX]

Im not surprised. There are always a FINE PRINT on the bottom of the coupons.

+1 for Rock Auto. That is where I would have gone as well. Doesn't help you now, but for future reference.

Jeff

 

[Arob]

I had a similar story. I bought two calipers and bracket assemblies, opened one box in the store and it looked correct, my mistake. When I got home, I looked in the other box, no bracket for the caliper. I drove 20 mi. back to the AAP store, turns out they were out of the bracket and caliper assembly.

I asked them to take a bracket that was sold separately and give it to me. Nope, that would mess up the sku and computers.

The best they could do was send me to another AAP 30 mi. away that had a caliper and bracket assembly. When I got there, I explained that the first store could not take a separate bracket from its box as it would mess up the computer and inventory; the counter guy shook his head and said they would have given me the bracket to keep me happy. Needless to say, I have not stepped into that first AAP store again.

 

[DuckRyder]

Why you would try to get anything for a BMW from AAP when Pelican Parts, Maximilian Importing, BMP and BAS are around (among others) is beyond me...

Anyway, funny you should mention frustrated with them since I tried to buy a battery charger today and it would not take my payment information... additionally since it is apparently an "electrical tools & testers" none of the coupon codes would work...

So I bought if from Summit for the same price...It'll probably be here faster too...

While it is true you can get some good deals with the coupon codes, most of the time I find them more trouble than they are worth...

 

[99Saturn]

The application of the coupon code online vs. in store baffles me. Causes a lot of customers to order something, cancel the order, and then buy online for in store pickup, seems like a lot of extra work for everyone.

Same story when I bought my last battery, had it tested (8 years I was going to replace before winter anyway) and was told I'll give you the printout, follow me inside. So I did, then they try to give me a battery, asked for the online discount... nope. Drove 5 minutes home, ordered, back to the store, saved $40 or $50 in 20 minutes... would still be nice not to have to jump through those hoops.

 

[mcrn]

http://www.bestbrakes.com/c/home

 

[hardcore302]

Rockauto has some pretty good prices..

 

[greenjp]

RockAuto is a PITA with their high shipping costs and multiple warehouses. I've found that I can almost always get as good or better a total price via AAP, Amazon, eEuroparts (OP - this is a great site for Saab, BMW, Volvo, etc), Pepboys, etc.

jeff

 

[Ben Boyle]

My local AAP pulled that stunt one too many times and I quit going there. The only stores I go to now are the local Napa and the local Auto Value. I have found, most of the time, their prices are competitive, their parts good, and the service EXTREMELY better.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: greenjp
RockAuto is a PITA with their high shipping costs and multiple warehouses. I've found that I can almost always get as good or better a total price via AAP, Amazon, eEuroparts (OP - this is a great site for Saab, BMW, Volvo, etc), Pepboys, etc.

jeff


Agreed plus I have a AAP about 1/2 mile away and two buddies that can get jobber prices, no coupon necessary...

Also helps that I drive popular domestic vehicles, that won't ever need a muffler bearing, piston return spring or blinker fluid...

 

[cptbarkey]

i'm going to also chime in, buying bmw parts at any local auto parts store that isnt bmw is well, frankly stupid.

 

[Smoky14]

Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
i'm going to also chime in, buying bmw parts at any local auto parts store that isnt bmw is well, frankly stupid.


maybe just open for problems??

 

[mcrn]

Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
i'm going to also chime in, buying bmw parts at any local auto parts store that isnt bmw is well, frankly stupid.



especially the brakes

 

[Pop_Rivit]

That's too bad. You tried to support the brick and mortar store, and the failed in a big way.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: mcrn
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
i'm going to also chime in, buying bmw parts at any local auto parts store that isnt bmw is well, frankly stupid.



especially the brakes


That's just stupid.

A rebuilt caliper is a rebuilt caliper, assuming it's coming from a reasonable reputable vendor. I made a last minute decision that I'd replace them because I had a feeling that one was dragging. It was. It's not like I'm putting chinesium lowest quality pads from aap onto the car. I still got a Girling caliper marked BMW, just like from any other source.

I'm doing this outdoors in the winter. Make hay while the sun shines is a good motto. Typically I buy from pelican (mercedesshop fastlane), bma, euro parts, etc.

What evidence do you have that the nugeon rebuilds from pelican are any better than the aap fervency rebuilds? Likely none. I'd prefer to rebuild myself with a kit, but time and timing weren't on my side. Plus the rebuilds are repainted and corrosion-protected.

AAP could have done multiple things to make me a happy customers and they didn't. That's the moral of the story.

 

[doitmyself]

I am surprised that you have not acknowledged at least a bit of personal responsibility for what happened or acknowledged that sometimes bad things simply happen.

- It's AAP's policy to only honor the coupon codes with online orders of items that are IN STOCK. That's just their policy and we all had a learning curve with that.

- If you polled everyone here, there would be hate for one vendor or another for bad performance (mail order or brick & mortar). One employee can make for a bad experience and sometimes order mistakes happen. CHEAP is what our society wants over competency and adequate wages.

- The one mistake you made was poor planning. Had you mail ordered these parts, you would have done it over a week ago to guarantee delivery on time. Ordering on weekends is known to be more risky because vendors operate less efficient on weekends and holidays. Yea, AAP screwed up bad for you. Had you bought your parts a few days earlier, they could have made everything right for you before you needed the parts.

-While your mistakes were the fault of AAP this time, getting parts for an old and uncommon vehicle should always put you on guard for possible delays.

This is a lesson learned for everyone to order parts early enough to correct any mistakes that are bound to happen. Others have had the same problems with NAPA, Carquest, Rock Auto, and on and on.

A letter with constructive criticism is what we all should do in these circumstances to effect change. Let us know how they respond. I do concur with you, it stinks when plans go wrong.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
Why you would try to get anything for a BMW from AAP when Pelican Parts, Maximilian Importing, BMP and BAS are around (among others) is beyond me...


Exactly- and many vendors even offer a BMW CCA discount. I NEVER source BMW hard parts(aside from batteries) from AAP, AZ, etc. That said, my local AAP and AZ have always treated me very well- no games with coupons/discounts.

I think that a lot depends on the individual store(s). For example, I had one Target store refuse to match Amazon's price on a Sony BD player- giving the moronic explanation that when the listing mentions Amazon Prime it means that it is a third party sale- which Target doesn't price match. I drove to another Target store, which matched the price without any hesitation.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
I am surprised that you have not acknowledged at least a bit of personal responsibility for what happened or acknowledged that sometimes bad things simply happen.

- It's AAP's policy to only honor the coupon codes with online orders of items that are IN STOCK. That's just their policy and we all had a learning curve with that.

- If you polled everyone here, there would be hate for one vendor or another for bad performance (mail order or brick & mortar). One employee can make for a bad experience and sometimes order mistakes happen. CHEAP is what our society wants over competency and adequate wages.

- The one mistake you made was poor planning. Had you mail ordered these parts, you would have done it over a week ago to guarantee delivery on time. Ordering on weekends is known to be more risky because vendors operate less efficient on weekends and holidays. Yea, AAP screwed up bad for you. Had you bought your parts a few days earlier, they could have made everything right for you before you needed the parts.


+1 to all of this.