Rock Auto Frustration Vent

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Rant On.

I ordered a power steering return (suction) hose for my 2005 Toyota Avalon along with a couple of cabin air filters from Rock Auto. Notification showed it was shipped USPS on April 3, 2019. I kept checking the tracking on Rock Auto (RA) and USPS's website and it was shipped from RA's California warehouse. Normally a parcel shipment from California to Hawaii takes 3-5 days. Even with USPS's cheapest method, it takes 5 working days. On April 20, I launched a order cancellation and RA sail I needed to wait until April 23 to give USPS time to update the tracking. I went on today (April 23) to cancel this order and refund my money so I can buy it from the dealer. Their non customer friendly system says the cancellation request is in but I have to wait until April 30 so RA can put a trace with USPS. They said to return on April 30 and cancel the order. I've been ordering parts from them since 2006 but this was the last.

Rant off, thanks for listening.
 
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Originally Posted by FordBroncoVWJeta
Sounds more like a USPS issue than a Rock Auto issue.


Guess I'm spoiled with Amazon.com. If this were the case with Amazon, I would cancel and they would refund all my money then tell me if the parcel arrived, refuse it or return it at no cost to me.
 
Sucks living out in the middle of nowhere. For stuff I need done now gotta pay the extra dough.
 
If you don't open the package and just return to the sender once it arrives, you don't have to pay a thing. (I think?) You probably could have gotten the credit card company involved as well.

Somewhat silly it takes this long, but I don't think this is RA's fault. Blame USPS. Being from Hawaii, aren't you used to this sort of thing? Long transit times, free shipping minus Alaska and Hawaii etc.
 
Originally Posted by Egg_Head
Doesn't help that customers cannot speak with someone on the phone at RA for circumstances like this.

+1 I find myself doing less and less business with them because of that and their shipping from multiple locations and charging more for it.
 
RA has recently contracted with a warehouse locally, it has worked pretty well for me as I get stuff real quick.

With that said, I avoid USPS at all costs if I can.
 
Listening to the various comments from threads like these I respectfully ask.....

Many business models take off (with success, a shot of financing or both), have a growth period (either fast or slow), then begin to shrink as modified business models move in to address specific situations, regions and problems.

Even video stores grew, flourished then experienced competition from mail order rentals then direct "on demand" viewing. Now-a-days the only video stores are in rural places.

Does anyone have any insight on the "Rise & Fall" profile of RockAuto?
 
Amazon is also having timely delivery challenges for Prime members:
""Last December, Fast Company's Mark Wilson wrote about how Amazon Prime is "getting worse," claiming the company had all but abandoned its promise of two-day shipping for most products. "That little Prime logo used to mean something," Wilson wrote. "Now it feels like a ruse that lulls shoppers into a false sense of security, until they go to checkout and see a shipping arrival date far later than anticipated."""

I would expect living 2500 miles from Los Angeles/ CONUS, expectation management is probably a good idea for any products shipped from CONUS. We often experience delivery problems in CONUS, add 2500 miles of ocean, limited air and ship freight capacities, and I would not be surprised of regular delays in arrivals of packages.

I spend quite a bit of time managing my expectations on most everything. People that do service jobs are often paid at below a sustainable wage, their companies often over promise, and the consumer is the one who gets let down. I am taking my Wife out for her birthday at Ruth Chris in Park City this Friday night. I already had to "brief" her it will not be like going to a Ruth Chris in a major metropolitan area, to manage her expectations. Service employees in Park City generally don't make enough to live in the Park City area, so turnover is huge and standards are not often achievable.
 
Where is your wife from that you had to brief her on expected bad service in a chain restaurant?

Seriously, in my experience, people who live "at the end of the line" or places otherwise limited regarding availability of services, know it.

Did you just get married? Congrats if so.
 
If I need the stuff very soon, I will just paid a little more and have it ship by UPS. The post office once held my parts for 2 weeks because of backlogs caused by a snow storm.
 
Originally Posted by GON
Amazon is also having timely delivery challenges for Prime members: "Last December, Fast Company's Mark Wilson wrote about how Amazon Prime is "getting worse," claiming the company had all but abandoned its promise of two-day shipping for most products. "That little Prime logo used to mean something," Wilson wrote. "Now it feels like a ruse that lulls shoppers into a false sense of security, until they go to checkout and see a shipping arrival date far later than anticipated."""

Pffft, I see 2-day delivery for almost everything I order. If it's early enough in the day, I'm seeing 1-day delivery more and more often too.
 
I have also noticed where Amazon Prime is not getting orders to customers in two business days. They advertise prime but when you purchase you see the anticipated delivery date out up to 5 business days. Happens more and more frequently and I order a ton of stuff from Amazon and was an original prime member. Remember most orders ship free without Prime and take usually 4 business days.
As far as Rock Auto, I shop around and compare prices on apples to apples parts. Sometimes I use them and sometimes I don't. I'm not going to cry when I know before hand what the cost is and how they manage their shipments.
 
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Combination of a Rockauto issue and a USPS issue. Plenty of blame to go around. If I'm worried about tracking, I pay up to get UPS or FedEx. USPS tracking is terrible.

Lots of love for Amazon here, but they aren't perfect either. I had one package go missing and and two others delivered to the wrong address, by an Amazon delivery service (not the USPS). On the flip side, when notified, Amazon has been proactive, where it sounds like Roackauto is going through a process first (that Amazon likely does to - but on a parallel track to taking care of the customer).
 
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Once a vendor hands the package to the shipping company, there's normally little that they can do. Sure, they could "cover" for the screw-up of the shipping company and send a replacement immediately at no charge on the condition that you return the original if it's ever rec'd. If it never shows up, that's their problem between them and the shipping company.

In this case, RA is likely following the agreement they have with USPS in regards to making shipping claims and having to wait a certain period of time.
 
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by GON
Amazon is also having timely delivery challenges for Prime members: "Last December, Fast Company's Mark Wilson wrote about how Amazon Prime is "getting worse," claiming the company had all but abandoned its promise of two-day shipping for most products. "That little Prime logo used to mean something," Wilson wrote. "Now it feels like a ruse that lulls shoppers into a false sense of security, until they go to checkout and see a shipping arrival date far later than anticipated."""

Pffft, I see 2-day delivery for almost everything I order. If it's early enough in the day, I'm seeing 1-day delivery more and more often too.

I've had plenty of issues with Amazon Prime. I recently ordered something that was "free 1-day" shipping. Well, it took 2 days.
 
Only once have I had an issue with RA shipping to Canada. Made a large order from 3 of their "warehouses," which all but one showed up a head of time. One part was over a week late. Even when it showed up at the processing center 2 hours away in Canada, it was still bloody late.

But that was it, I pay for the cheapest shipping and still got everything in a reasonable time, usually early. Now their rates are another story. It seems they all went up and their pricing edge is waning.
 
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