Rock Auto's Customer service is Great

[SynthDesign]

So I ordered a replacement Transmission mount as I have sheared two used ones with my over-bored and built engine from Rock Auto.

Needless to say, what I got was the wrong part, right part #. BECK/ARNLEY Part # 1040968. This part is not for T4WD manual Transmissions.

I called Rock Auto to discuss the issue and they were wonderful in handling it. They took my info, called Beck Arnley, then called me back within a matter of minutes. They offered to credit me back the cost of the part and shipping w/o me even having to send it back. Amazing Customer service!

Just figured I'd pass it on. Also ANCHOR Part # 8377 is the proper trans mount for the T4WD manual Trans.

[ARCHINSTL]

I'm glad you got good service from RA.
sdoan was not so lucky when he got the wrong mount from RA in 2007 (same thing as you) - he had to pay postage back. Evidently it did not change its information on the wrong mounts... All take heed...
See http://www.tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtop ... ilit=mount While it starts in 2007, it ends in early 2010.
Tom M.

[takza]

I had two instances of the wrong BeckArnley part being sent with no chance that RA or BA were wrong. 1st time I paid return shipping...2nd I did also and the package was lost. Won't be a 3rd time.

[ohcanada_00]

great, I am 99.9% sure I ahve BA mounts sitting in my garage waiting to be installed. Guess I'll have to check and hope.

Also, side note, while cheaper, I am not impressed with RA's customer service. The cost savings wins out because its so huge but overall I can and will only ride that pony so long.

[4wdchico]

RA screwed me on the trans mount also. Would not listen & did not change the part number.

Update: Called RA and spoke w/ Jeff at ex225 regarding the trans mt issue for the t4wd. He was able to pull up my transaction from '07. He saw the notes that showed I had called in and told them the part was wrong and he also agreed that I was done wrong. Claimed that the rep I spoke with had been let go. He was unwilling to do anything for me at all.

Beware RA will stiff you...

[splatterdog]

I had a defective engine mount from them. I called and got a gal with a sense of humor. She said we'll send another right out. When I asked about shipping the defect back she said don't worry about that, maybe throw it at a neighbor or something! Luckily I didn't have any neighbors that needed something thrown at them.

[4wdchico]

I had a defective engine mount from them. I called and got a gal with a sense of humor. She said we'll send another right out. When I asked about shipping the defect back she said don't worry about that, maybe throw it at a neighbor or something! Luckily I didn't have any neighbors that needed something thrown at them.

So i guess that it is safe to assume that RA can often beat the jobber pricing that you can get as a pro?

[SynthDesign]

So it seems we all have had an instance with online mishaps. It's good to hear about others problems and solutions or lack there of.

I wonder if it's more or less the attitude you approach them with or the attitude of the Rep you speak with.

Either way it's darn cheap! And the quality can be tops or down right defective. I guess it's a gamble either way.

[splatterdog]

I had a defective engine mount from them. I called and got a gal with a sense of humor. She said we'll send another right out. When I asked about shipping the defect back she said don't worry about that, maybe throw it at a neighbor or something! Luckily I didn't have any neighbors that needed something thrown at them.

So i guess that it is safe to assume that RA can often beat the jobber pricing that you can get as a pro?

Only a garage sale could come as close to RA's pricing on closeout products. On top of that, lots of the closeout stuff is special order thru my normal suppliers.

[ohcanada_00]

Synth - PM sent. If you wouldn't mind helping me out a little, RA is trying to be difficult even though I am in the same situation.

[ARCHINSTL]

ohcanada_00 - send a PM to sdoan and 4wdchico about their experiences/resolutions with RA on this - look at the link I posted above, too (if not already viewed).
Tom M.

[ohcanada_00]

Below is my e-mail chain after sending the info to RA on the same day we talked on the phone. I'm done with them. I cant stand that my company is about the same size with a similar margin (i worked in parts once and know the margins give or take) and we bend over backwards to make sure the customer has the best experience, never is criticized or critiqued and we take EVERYTHING back regardless of issue. The only time we say no is when its absolutely been admittiedly abused. Even then we try to work with the customer.

I know this may seem like no big deal to some of you but customer service is important. It's also important to treat your customers like you want to earn thier return business. I get the feeling that that just isnt the case with Rock Auto and will be choosing to look elsewhere for parts. Call me unreasonable, call me crazy but when the money come out of the wallet, I want to make sure its going to a comapny that at least makes me feel valued.

Rod –



I am not interested in a refund at this point. I may be soap boxing but I manage a call center where we just take care of a problem for the customer and don’t put them through the ringer to make it happen. I can tell you 8 ways from Sunday that the part doesn’t fit, it won’t go into the area designated for the part but that is pretty much the answer you could have guess on your own. I can’t tell you from personal experience that I tried working the part in because if its dirty or used or abused, I wouldn’t have been able to return it anyway, so I’m going with what I can see with my eyes and what I’ve been told by another customer who was in the exact same situation.

I find it very odd that you were willing to process my friend’s situation ‘for their convenience’, but are not willing to extend the same courtesy for me. I can and do sympathize with being outside the 30 return window, but as stated over the phone this is a BRAND NEW IN BOX not even touched with a greasy hand part. I am in the exact same situation with the exact same car with the exact same part that won’t work for me. I also find it odd that you even admit to some of your customers having issues. That is, to me, like saying “well some work, some don’t but hey no one really complains all that much so we’ll just keep selling them”.

For me, in my world this was simple. This would have been a wake up call. Hey we’ve got another Tercel customer telling us this is the wrong part, we should look into this and get the right part or stop selling them to guys with Tercels until we figure it out. Instead you’ve chosen to pin it back on me, your customer, and make me just through hoops with detailed descriptions, more of my time doing your leg work and generally just not taking care of my issue. All the while, my car is still up on blocks waiting to get fixed.

I get it. You guys want to protect your bottom line against the $16.75 part I bought. Issuing me a refund and asking me to ship the back the part at your cost OR mine just puts you guys in such a precarious position financially, it’s not worth the risk. It’s not worth exceeding my expectations, doing right by the customer even though you admit that part has had problems with fitment, or generally just taking care of a customer because it’s the right thing to do. I hope you also realize that its now COMPLETELY worth my time to post a copy of this letter on a couple of the forums I post on to make sure that anyone foolish enough to choose to spend money with your company does so with a HUGE warning going off in the back of their head. I want people to know and see that customers do not come first with you guys and that any issue or problem will be met with resistance and hesitation, not openness and willingness to earn the trust and loyalty of your customers.

Quite frankly I understand you are not the harbinger of doom, however, you need to understand this another example of your company providing what is close to the worst customer service I have ever experienced. The best part (here is where it gets really funny) is that you guys got another $25 bucks plus shipping out of me to order the correct mount so I can get my car back on the road. Unless there is no other option available to me, I will never willingly choose to spend my money with your company again. I feel used and dirty and don’t want to deal with this.

Have fun in your garage!

Dustin Wilson
Contact Center Supervisor
Griot's Garage
800-345-5789 xt. 113
dwilson@griotsgarage.com
www.griotsgarage.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Rod Salgado [mailto:rod@rockauto.com]
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 1:57 PM
To: Wilson, Dustin J
Subject: Re: Response



Hello Dustin,

I am sorry I have not been able to get back to you sooner but I have not received your email until now. When we spoke I informed you that it was imperative that you email me with the order number the same day, as I was going to be out of the office for the week of November 1st. I apologize for the misunderstanding and for whatever inconvenience this may have caused, and I understand your frustration.

With that said, I have seen that in the situation for order 4208121 we did in fact process that as a cataloging error as the customer indicated this would not work for their wagon. However, we did this for their convenience as Beck/Arnley indicated that the part should indeed have fit. It's also important to note that the customer contacted us within 30 days of their order, which gave us a much larger range to resolve their issue. We have sold the part on various occasions, all to customer's with Toyota Tercel's and while a couple have had issues, many have not.

I would be more than happy to look further into this issue with a technician at Beck/Arnley if you'd be interested. There is no guarantee, but we may possibly be able to issue at least a partial refund. The only thing I would need would be a thorough description on why the part was wrong, and how it should be in order to fit. The more details you can provide, the better.

I await your response and will get to work with Beck/Arnley right away. I will ask for your patience regarding this matter, but I should be able to update you by Wednesday afternoon.

Thank you,

Rod
RockAuto Customer Service

phone: (608) 661-1376
fax: (608) 836-5694
toll-free: 1-866-ROCKAUTO (1-866-762-5288)
http://www.rockauto.com




On 11/3/2010 5:06 PM, Wilson, Dustin J wrote:

Rod –

I am writing this to express my frustration in my situation. I talked to you on the phone and you asked me to e-mail you the order number and info for my friend’s transmission mount issue. I did. I have not heard back from you even just an acknowledgement of my sent e-mail and now thanks to my time crunch had to order a new part without having any resolution to your company having sold me the incorrect part listed as the correct part.

I cannot stand that I have placed three orders with RockAuto and have had two serious customer service issues. I run a contact center and would be appalled if my staff treated people the way I’ve been treated. I now see the error in my ways of trying to save 5-10 bucks on a part here or there. I will just go local from now on.

I hope this e-mail get to you and I hope you take the time to respond but I’m not holding out too much hope.

Have fun in your garage!



Dustin Wilson

Contact Center Supervisor

Griot's Garage

800-345-5789 xt. 113

dwilson@griotsgarage.com

www.griotsgarage.com

[ARCHINSTL]

Bully for you! RA should realize that, working for Griot's in a responsible position (and dealing with some customers who can be really anal), that you didn't just fall off the turnip wagon.
You could mention that more than one of the folks here (and presumably other non-members) have had this problem with these mounts as well.
"Rod's" response is more than a little disingenuous; it's kinda like "Hello, you and several others have told us that the part is incorrect and if you really want, we will contact B/A, but otherwise we don't care - and we're still not going to change our catalog."

Frankly, I'd send a copy of your exchanges to Beck/Arnley; it may not do any good, but who knows?
> > > Interestingly, RA has the mount at a closeout price - and Beck/Arnley no longer lists a transmission mount in its catalog.
Tom M.

[SynthDesign]

Man, I opened a can of worms.....

[ohcanada_00]

meh, lol, I found the rest of the parts I needed elsewhere and just wont be buying from RA anymore. Sometimes it just feels good to be heard and to have your case be noticed even knowing it wont go anywhere.