Slightly frustrated with AAP

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Bought an oil line for my truck with site to store pickup. Use my Speed Perks and a code bringing the bill to $20 with tax. Didn't make it to the store for a few days and went to pick it up.. The guy remembered pulling it, but it wasn't there anymore. (From what I've seen online, they always have at least 1 on hand.) Anyways, he said their system is still saying 1, but he'd reorder it for me and give me the same price.

Once I got home, I went online and saw they did not have one in stock, which tells me they ended up selling it even after I bought it.

Did this to me another time with a caliper. Ordered it online and picked it up that evening. When I was there to pick it up, the only part they had was the returned core.. It's not the money that frustrates me.. it's the principle. I could have easily went anywhere else in town or bought it online in the time it took.
 
whats worse with lowes, you order one item for store pickup, , they say on the computer they have one or more in stock but no one at the store checks it, so they think they have one for you in stock and no one looks so there is not one for you when you get there
 
I bet this is what happened? Pro customers have priority over we DIY'ers. If a shop wanted that part, I guarantee the manager and staff will knowingly sell it to them rather than the DIY who reserved the part. They wont tell you that.
 
I haven't ordered online for store pickup from AAP in quite some time. However I do remember one occasion where I too didn't go to pick up immediately and the counter jock that waited on me had difficulty finding the order. Apparently it was a different jock than pulled the order. Eventually did find it but not until some search time involved.

While it may do no good, I might call the toll free corporate CS line and relay your experience. I don't believe it can hurt, and could give you some satisfaction. In the past I've found them pretty good to deal with.
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
I bet this is what happened? Pro customers have priority over we DIY'ers. If a shop wanted that part, I guarantee the manager and staff will knowingly sell it to them rather than the DIY who reserved the part. They wont tell you that.


Yep. This also happened to me with some oil filters and other parts so I could use a 30% off online AAP code. My oil filters were sold and employee wanted to give me another part # that didn’t fit (older Hondas used a chubby filter, newer Hondas have skinny filter).

I called customer service and woman gave me a $20 gift card for my future online purchase. I told her it happened a few times and I’m not happy that I waste my time shopping at AAP.
 
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
[Seinfeld video:youtube]

"And that's really the most important part of the reservation....the hold."
lol.gif
Jerry nailed it.
 
Inventory control sucks, they have "shrinkage" and always negative-one item compared to what the computer thinks. So when someone else needed that part, they sent the kid to grab it off the shelf and said they'd "fix it later in the computer".

A professional outfit does inventory audits on a regular basis and enables shift managers to fix the numbers in the computer.

I suspect only the store manager or district manager has such authority, to crack down on employee theft, embezzlement, or simply training.

It comes down to that they're a convenience store for parts.

Theoretically Walmart keeps jeans in every size on their rack, but their system has its flaws as well.
 
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder


I know what a reservation is. I don’t think you do! If you did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
 
If I've gotten to the point where I am procuring a part and am on the phone with an employee, I ALWAYS ask 'em to "bin check" it.

Obviously it matters not if it's a straight sale or part of an online sale.
Years ago I worked in a parts department (a Dodge dealership) and you didn't have an answer until it was bin checked.
It didn't matter if we were providing the part or going to fetch it.
Inventory mistakes were too often made to omit bin checking.

Two posters here mentioned a delay in pick-up. We all know the parts game has included limiting on hand stock as much as possible for years.

Historical Vocabulary Item: Limiting on hand stock to free up floor space on the assembly line as well as warehouses was honed as an art by the Japanese. It was called "kamban" (or some such). Remember when everyone was looking to them as the "ones who knew all"?

Personal note: There was a super legendary parts shop (Coast Automotive, So. Hackensack, NJ) which became an AAP when the elders passed on.
It's a darn good AAP with LOTS of old contracts.
Not being at all familiar with online-to-store pick-up purchases, I needed to be walked through the process.
Due to several shops failing to have the battery I needed I found myself at this AAP by default.
Best thing to have happened. They could figure I was old school but respectful in communication.
THEY were the guys to talk to. Small problem, I know, but they halted the confusion and made a sale and I got the battery I needed.
 
Had the same thing here with AAP. Ordered a timing set for a 95 Deville for next day. Said it was delivered in computer. Gave them one more day. Got my money back next day and it was still a NO SHOW. Took my refund and went to Autozone and was there next day. AAP is closer so I try to use them, but now if it is not in stock, I won't order from them.
 
A big part of the problem (as alluded to above0 is that many of these local stores are really only in business for their big commercial customers (here it's NAPA, Smyth Parts Plus, & KOI Federated), and they could pretty much care less about the little guy, so they don't do much for them. I'm a professional mechanic, but I work on refrigeration & commercial food equipment, and only my own cars & trucks-so they generally treat me (like garbage) the same way. AZ, AAP, & O'Reilly are basically c-stores fro car parts-I only go there when I can't wait for Amazon, RA, or even eBay to ship them!
 
I've had problems with AutoZone and on line ordering. The people at the store don't see it much I guess as they are clueless when you show up with the email . All they have to do though is read the email and do what it says. Been there three times and they never do.

And if you pay with PayPal beware. It took me 6 weeks to get a refund for a part I ordered, picked up and returned. When I picked it up they never closed the order.

After getting that straightened out I ordered another part online, paid with PayPal and went to pick it up. The same employee still got it wrong and the shift manager had to tell them to issue receipt, close it on the computer etc....
 
I don't work at AAP but I work somewhere else. I'll admit that if an ordered part has been sitting there for a few days and one of our good commercial customers or a friendly regular needs it and it's the only one we have... Well, I reorder it for the next day but they get that part. It's just common sense.

Knock on wood but I've NEVER had somebody come in looking for their part that wasn't theredue to me doing that.

Now, if people call asking for ANYTHING that shows quantity 1 on hand (so basically most stuff) if it's not super busy and they are ok waiting a minute, I always go touch the part, and sometimes go even further to open the box to make sure it's not a used or returned part before they waste the time to get here.

Unfortunately we've had problems several times with stuff coming from the warehouse used or returned and that really sucks because if it's an unusual item that they waited two days for and it's the only one stocked at the warehouse you have an unhappy customer, and rightfully so. I wouldn't put a used $200 alternator on my car!
 
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Yeah unless you go to pick it up within the hour they will give it to someone else with higher priority, the only reason I order online from AAP is to use promo codes.
 
Common sense? I bought the thing. My card was charged.

It’s not like I called and they had it for me that afternoon.
 
I worked for AAP for 7 years, both DIY and Commercial and NEVER took a part from another order. In fact when the online order pops up and the team member satisfies the order, the store inventory is changed. It's difficult but not impossible to sell a part that is not in inventory!! We also did regular cycle counts to eliminate errors. I was NOT a store manager, but I had full authority to make inventory adjustments as required. BTW, Online Orders are difficult to ignore, the 'Pop-UP' repeatedly until the order is satisfied. What may be the problem is that the part is pulled, the receipt attached and the part put somewhere where it could not be found. WE had a dedicated 'Hold location" at our store
 
Originally Posted By: dogememe
I don't work at AAP but I work somewhere else. I'll admit that if an ordered part has been sitting there for a few days and one of our good commercial customers or a friendly regular needs it and it's the only one we have... Well, I reorder it for the next day but they get that part. It's just common sense.


This is the same reason they ignore the customer at the counter to talk to one on the phone. The one in the store is already in the store, while the one on the phone isn't committed yet.

The worst thing they can do if they botch an online order is give you your money back, a net zero for them. Meanwhile if they sell it in store they might, and probably will, make two sales. The only potential "loss" is customer goodwill, which they have a low value on, because they offer Walmart grade pricing and service. It's been shown that even though people swear-off ever shopping at Walmart ever again, those that follow through for good don't hurt their bottom line worse than comparable stores.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
because they offer Walmart grade pricing and service.


Something we whiners need to keep in mind. We want it cheap. We want it now. We want no inconveniences. I won't be a hypocrite - I, too, search out low ball mail order pricing and forsake the local brick and mortar stores just like most of you. It's the changing business model that we endorse. Accept it and adjust your ordering/buying practices accordingly. I.E., now we have to tell the counter person to NOT sell that part to someone else before you come in.
 
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