Frustration with Rock Auto: Reality Check for Me?

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bajajoaquin

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Can you guys give me a reality check here? I'm getting frustrated with Rock Auto. I have used them a lot since buying my Imperial, but I'm frustrated with them dealing with wipers.

I need new wipers for my '67 Imperial. I went to their site, looked at those available for my car, and ordered a set. The sent me the modern ones that require removing the old, metal assembly, fit an adapter, and have those big ugly plastic blades on it. I ignored it, and figured I'd keep looking for something else.

Then I went over to another Imperial owner's house, and he happened to have the correct inserts. I went to Rock Auto, and found them... under the generic parts section, not listed as the right parts for my car.

So I asked to return the wipers for my car, and they said that I had to pay for shipping. I am taking the position that if they had shown me the correct parts I would have bought them; I was unaware that the parts I was buying would require disassembly of a functioning, original part. I want them to pay for shipping as a return. They are saying no, the parts fit, and it's my problem.

What do you guys think? Am I just being a dick, or should they man up and say their parts sorting led me astray?

Thanks,

Jonathan
 
RA sucks all around. I use their website as the best reference out there for available parts and specs and then I go elsewhere.
You can try to be a dick but they will be a bigger dick. AMHIK.
Seems like they have at least a 15% error rate and phenomenally high shipping rate. Bad combo for you. Profit maker for them.

Just like I use 440 Source as the 440 Bible to learn something. I wouldn't buy a cotter pin from them.
 
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I understand your frustration but they have a point. Correct really dosen't matter to them as long as the part fits and functions.

It's our responsability as old car nuts to be sure the part we order is what we really want. Rockauto is a service part supplier. Usually their site is pretty good for cross reference and compairson,
I've had great luck purchasing parts from RA including any returns or exchanges and am glad we have them as a supplier for some tough to find stuff. I just try to be as through as I can when ordering.
Dealing with the yokkles at the local parts stores is getting old.

You'll probably have to eat the shipping if you want to exchange, or post in the for sale section for a buyer who wants a service part that works but is not like OEM.
 
I've never had a problem with RA. I've ordered parts for everything from my Dodge Swepty pickups to my wife's '06 Chrysler. Only thing I can call a "problem" was on my part when I ordered a choke pull-off for my son's car. Turns out, there were FOUR used that year, but for different engines. I ordered the wrong part. Had I paid more attentoio to the selections, I'd have figured it out quickly. It would've cost me the same amount to send it back as what I paid for it, so I figured WTF and kept it.
 
Yeah I love their site easy to use pictures, I do however stay away from parts where visual appearance will be seen on old cars such as the wipers this is where your local comes into play they get them in and look ugly don't fit right here you go send these back to whse. I do know that the local napas around here con get refills just rubber blade aap and az only want to sell you the whole damn thing in ugly black plastic that will jump up and down on your windshield at 70 mph in anything older than 69-70 my. Asking for refills is key and if the kid behind counter does not understand your in the wrong store.
 
I usually buy major parts from them when I can get all the parts shipped from one location. They are not always the cheapest on an item so it pays to look around some. I can find some items at Summit Racing for less than on RA.

Now they did actually refund my shipping when I pointed out why is there a listing for a pitman arm for the 73 Polara but not for any other C body even though they all used the same. Because there isn't one and just ask the suppliers. Unfortunately they still haven't changed it on their website 7 months later.
 
bajajoaquin said:
Okay so nobody's said it, but the consensus is that I'm just being a dick. Got it.
Click to expand...

It's OK to be a "dick" sometimes, happens to all of us.

Once, long ago, I worked in a shop with about a half dozen other guys, and we all worked together pretty well.
I caught the uniform laundry guy one day and ordered a 'Dick" name patch for everyone in the shop.We all glued the patch to our uniform shirt and then claimed to "work with a bunch of Dicks". True story ...... I still have mine...... :icon_lol:

DSC00730 (Large).jpg
 
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I've had ok service thru rockauto so far, but never had to return anything. As said earlier they are a good place to cross reference parts.
 
bluefury361 said:
It's OK to be a "dick" sometimes, happens to all of us.

Once, long ago, I worked in a shop with about a half dozen other guys, and we all worked together pretty well.
I caught the uniform laundry guy one day and ordered a 'Dick" name patch for everyone in the shop.We all glued the patch to our uniform shirt and then claimed to "work with a bunch of Dicks". True story ...... I still have mine...... :icon_lol:
Click to expand...

"dick" ..... "willys"

heh heh
 
And I have never had a problem with them because I have never purchased from them yet!!!:tongue3::tongue3:
 
Keep in mind Rock Auto I S N O T an auto parts store, has not one single auto part in stock, and has too many non-automotive people putting their "catalog" together from various catalogs with errors, interchanges, and no known automotive expertise.... they are linked with many companies to sell direct -- and performing th American dream -- making money off other people's merchandise -- and not having to stock anything.......
Not only don't they really care about one individual -- the older a vehicle is; the less their cataloging is going to be correct, much less accurate,..... sometimes, you do neeeeeeeed a R E A L man for parts!!!!!
 
I haven't had any problems with using RockAuto in the past, but I wouldn't use them for something like wiper blades.
I just got a set of wiper refills recently off EBay using this search:[h=1]ANCO 19-18 Wiper Blade Refill-AeroVantage Metal Wiper Blade Refill[/h]Unless you NEED to replace the metal arms I would think this would work just fine, I know it did for me 'cause I got to try the blades out this morning due to the drizzle that finally made it out here to the Central Valley (rain is still needed badly in California as we've been in drought conditions for a couple of years).
 
A monthly application of rainX any you'll never need to use your wipers.

It rained hard for the entire 500 miles we traveled to Florida last November in Jazebelle .... never once used the wipers.
 
The rubber on wiper blades is designed to last a MAXIMUM ​of 6 to 7 months. A lot less if you're scraping ice with the wiper blades.
 
I NEVER change my blades until theyre falling off.

Following Bobs maintenance schedule my cars would always be in the shop
 
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