Rockauto horrible customer service

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Sep 13, 2003
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Waterloo, ON
Had a simple question about a charge on my last Rockauto order. Had to send an email as no phone contact for order issues. Received a quick reply, but did not address my question. Since then they wont return my email inquires.

Anyone else had bad service from them after your order placed?
 
I love RockAuto however, I have been hearing more & more of this "poor customer satisfaction" issues concerning RA. I think that people can talk with their money(stop buying) when it come to customer service and maybe some emails to the company.
 
Strange. I’ve seen absolutely the opposite in my experience. My only gripe with them is their high shipping and multiple warehouse extra shipping charges you have to watch out for. Heck my buddy ordered a set of fuel lines for a 2003 GMC truck a while back . It had a flexible section in braided stainless that came ponholed. He called and they sent him a new section right away along with a return label to return the old one. For half the price of GM and 1/3 less than local stores it was worth it and though defective those lines were top shelf .
I wouldn’t judge them too harshly based on one experience. They do have a contact number someplace. I’d call that and let them phone tag you through to the appropriate people.
 
I had a bad experience only once, about 8 years ago.

Ordered an Alternator for a specific application, long story short they sent me an alternator for a FWD version of the same motor, they didn't believe me.

I had to take photos of the right alternator off the car that was dead, and the wrong unit they sent me, and measurements between brackets and stuff to prove it to get an RMA approved.

But once I did all that non-sense they approved it no problems.
 
I've had good service from them over the years if I had damage or miss shipped parts and needed replacements asap. I recently ordered an air filter, cabin filter and 4 spark plugs for our Explorer. I always open and inspect the contents for damage. 2 of the plugs looked like they were dropped and the nonadjustable gap was way off. I emailed them and 2-3 days later I had 2 new plugs. I think not being able to talk to a customer service rep if you have a problem is frustrating but I'm so far ok with it considering the money I've been saving over the years. And yes, sometimes the split warehouse shipping charges can cause aggravation. But they let you know when placing the order so if need be you can try to work around it. This happened when I was adding a $1.41 oil filter to the rest of my order. They informed me that adding the oil filter increased my shipping by $6, That's a big NO
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Whimsey
 
It used to be you could get a person on the phone, now they've changed that and customer service is online only.
 
Any experience with warranty return shipping? Read the fine print about policy at Rock Auto. It seemed to state shipping would be paid by me to return a radiator that leaked after less than the warranty period. So I bought an Ebay radiator to replace the leaker from Rock Auto for same price as Rock Auto. Thought that if the ebay one broke I would still be out shipping or have to buy another with either seller. And I would get Ebay's faster than waiting for any warranty replacement from R.A. . 2-3 years so far, Ebay radiator still good.
 
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I believe they have 'closed' customer service number and now email is the ONLY option.

Previously, there was a number and CS was definitely helpful and cooperative.
 
I used to buy there all the time. My last three orders were messed up so I stopped shopping there. One came with parts that had obviously been installed and returned. The second came with the wrong brake pads in the box. The box was correct but the pads were wrong. The last a radiator was clearly bowed in the middle. Tried a second one and the plastic fill neck was snapped off....

I gave up.

Their customer service has been good though. The only thing that [censored] me off is the fast that you can no longer talk to anyone. It's all automated on their site or email.
 
A couple of weeks ago I needed a R-12 can tap. I have one, but it hasn't been used in 20 years, so it could be anywhere in my garage. So, just to get the job done, I thought if I could buy one for a few bucks it would be worth it. I saw a Clamp Style tap at Rock Auto for $4.37, but it didn't say if it was for R12 or 134a. I have a R134 to R12 adapter fitting, so it really didn't matter, but I was curious.

So I emailed customer service to see if they could tell me. The reply I got was basically: It is what it is. That's all the info we have.

I ordered it anyway. The clamp that arrived (matching P/N) was not the one in the picture. It was a dual nipple clamp that works with both types. And it clearly said on the box: For R134a and R12.

All the bum had to do was pick up the phone, call the warehouse and ask someone to pick that part in the interest of customer service.

But all I got was laziness! And a good deal on a can tap.
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With the switch to email for CS instead of people my first thought is that they are reducing costs. Companies reduce costs to either make more profit or to stop $$ loss.

They might be in trouble though you will never know until one day they are closed.
 
I usually get what I order and I'm happy.

I did have one instance where they sent me a bad ignition coil out of two I ordered. After asking me how I knew it was bad, I walked them through my diagnostics, which were very logical and definitive. They responded with some stupid questions, like "did you check the fuel filter?" I eventually got the part properly replaced by Rockauto.
 
I ordered a Trailer hitch, it came all beat up with pieces hanging out of the box and a bunch of paint missing.. all the pieces were banging on each other..
scratched and dented.
They eventually gave me a full refund and told me to dispose of it. which I did to another jeep owner.

And I decided to just have the dealer install a hitch after they sent me a 25% off ad the following month.
 
nothing wrong with the order, and I have been a customer for years, but have a simple question about the invoice and I cant get a reply from RA I'm tempted to return the whole order out of frustration...

Even eBay, I can call and talk to customer service...
 
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Had a problem with an order from them last May. Did not resolve the problem to my satisfaction. Part was damaged and would not take part back as a return because it was beyound the return time. I think it was 30 days. It was a big order and the part in question was for a future project. I guess partly my fault but who has the time to go through every little item and open many many boxes just to make sure nothing is damaged. Will not buy from them again. Way to many other options out there. Plenty of other companies out there that wont my $$ with far better customer service.
 
For my part, I only had to contact their service once, as I received the wrong part in the right box. I don't understand how that could happen.

Despite being in Canada, they quickly addressed it and it didn't cost me anything to return the faulty part to the US.
 
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