The Decline Of Rock Auto

Don't know where you live @schwinney but in my area, Fedex Ground delivers (7) days a week so arrival estimates are always off since Fedex's ETA system doesn't presume weekend deliveries are available (in all locations). DHL isn't a very prominent small-package carrier in the US when it comes to domestic shipping either. For international inbound or outbound, they're quite extensive though. Curious how it turns out for you.
With DHL.. it shipped. (Not sure where nearest hub is but it's about oh 60 miles from me I know for sure there is one. Not sure if closer.)

From Rock Auto:
Shipped' means the order is packed, labeled and ready for carrier pick up. Pick-up times vary due to driver schedules, traffic, weather, and other factors. Orders shipped late in the day or on weekends may not be picked up until the next business day. Please do not worry if tracking results are not immediately available or if old tracking information appears. Carriers take up to two business days to update information on their web sites. Carriers may reuse tracking numbers and won't remove old records until they post new activity.
Please do not send parts back for any reason before obtaining return instructions! Parts do not necessarily go back to the location from which they shipped.
 
Very pleased with my latest order - ball joints and outer tie-rod ends for a 2009 Kia Sedona, c. C$140 delivered. Genuine Hyundai/Kia parts, made in Korea.

Jr was quoted almost C$1100 for one tie-rod end and two ball joints installed and an alignment. I trust the shop (a well-regarded chain) but wonder if they gambled on him accepting their rather high quotation.

Got the one tie-rod end installed yesterday before running out of light. Hope to do the rest on Saturday.

Hadn't noticed this before, but after I selected the tie-rod ends, RA flagged which ball joints shipped from the same warehouse, so as to minimize shipping costs.
 
and won't deliver if nobody is there to sign also..
We haven't seen signatures required from either Fedex, Fedex Ground, or UPS since Covid. That's odd.... If you live in an apartment building or something where a lot of people could get your deliveries, I could see this but that then means re-trying deliveries and none of them want to do that.

My product is shipping from Warehouse A.
To my understanding, "Warehouse A" and "B" and so on aren't specific warehouses, they're just how RA tells you items are coming from different ones.
 
I stopped using Rock Auto when I needed a part warrantied out. RA told me the manufacturer has to handle the warranty bc Rock Auto no longer carried that specific part.

So, I called the Manufacturer who stated, "no, RA is supposed to warranty that out as they sold it to you. We never do direct warranties." The person gave me their name and told me that RA could contact them if anyone needed clarification.

So, I called RA back againand they had no interest in helping out whatsoever.

I was willing to deal with wrong parts being shipped once in a while or wait 5 days for a part but no dang way am I going to install mail order parts sight unseen without a warranty. That's dirty pool rock auto.
 
Almost forgot to update, as I said I would.

I made a good choice. I selected DHL over FedEx (Ground.)

Item came a day early (Monday instead of Tuesday) and was left by front door, waiting for me when I got home. No notice saying “We couldn’t deliver because you weren’t home” (which I’ve had both UPS AND FedEx Ground do, appears to vary as pointed out by @Hall and sometimes you are home and there’s no issue but sometimes, you are at work . )

So it worked out great.

I like RockAuto but if I’m looking at RockAuto it means there is a problem I need to be fixing so.. also good to not be looking. So there is that.
 
I just ordered 6 Bosch Premium 3300 filters for the Mazda two weeks ago they got here on Friday. They looked great with shipping they came to just pennies over five dollars a filter. That's a 99% plus filter at 20 microns!
 
Follow on question - is there a single business one can name that provides a better experience today than a few years ago? I can't think of any. anyway.
 
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I stopped using Rock Auto when I needed a part warrantied out. RA told me the manufacturer has to handle the warranty bc Rock Auto no longer carried that specific part.

So, I called the Manufacturer who stated, "no, RA is supposed to warranty that out as they sold it to you. We never do direct warranties." The person gave me their name and told me that RA could contact them if anyone needed clarification.

So, I called RA back againand they had no interest in helping out whatsoever.

I was willing to deal with wrong parts being shipped once in a while or wait 5 days for a part but no dang way am I going to install mail order parts sight unseen without a warranty. That's dirty pool rock auto.
I have dealt with them on warranty, and when it was covered by ACDelco, they handled it flawlessly. Twice.

But I had another scenario where I said they have PF63F in my order and what showed up was PF63E, and the rep was argumentative saying what's the difference.

They did have the best prices hands down on Denso aftermarket 02 sensors, more than $10 less than amazon, and the lowest prices on earth for Valeo beam wipers (now we're talking like $12 less than amazon each).

net net is I still use them. Oh, I did get a used brake rotor in 2020--the dang thing had greasy hand prints on it, I dropped it off at FedEx and a new one came.
 
While their shipping costs are high, they still end up being cheaper OTD the vast majority of time in my experience. Can't say I've noticed a decline in their service.

A quick Google search found their FB page; https://www.facebook.com/RockAutoCom/
Not if they send a part that's not close to fitting. I was helping my younger brother fix his wife's car. Absolutely wrong part in the box. Screw Rock Auto, go to Car Quest and you can see for yourself if it's right.
 
I just received a shipment of parts from RA, no problems at all, shipping was affordable and prompt. I'm happy with it.
 
I've used them quite frequently. I've noticed shipping has gotten insane, but that seems to be across the board everywhere. I've only had two issues with RockAuto orders, and one was the fault of the shipping company. Both were handled immediately.
You guys are spoiled.
Try shipping to Germany. Getting US parts over here was always a challenge, but this is a whole new level now.

Frank
 
You young whippersnappers never experienced the pleasures of dealing with JC Whitney back 50 years ago. A paper catalog, mail in your order with a check, wait two weeks, and the wrong part arrives. Good luck on sending it back and getting a refund. In the meantime, you have wasted lots of time waiting for a part you really needed.

In comparison, RockAuto is marvelous.
 
Parts lookup seems to be about foolproof on rockauto and I've made 3 separate orders this past month with no issues so far. Hopefully my luck holds up.
I got some OEM gm parts for very cheap. A bunch of brake parts for my father in law's Equinox. I did find out his neighbor had a majorly bad experience with them though.
 
You young whippersnappers never experienced the pleasures of dealing with JC Whitney back 50 years ago. A paper catalog, mail in your order with a check, wait two weeks, and the wrong part arrives. Good luck on sending it back and getting a refund. In the meantime, you have wasted lots of time waiting for a part you really needed.

In comparison, RockAuto is marvelous.

I'm old enough to remember a standard tag line on ordering from catalogs: "Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery."
 
You young whippersnappers never experienced the pleasures of dealing with JC Whitney back 50 years ago. A paper catalog, mail in your order with a check, wait two weeks, and the wrong part arrives. Good luck on sending it back and getting a refund. In the meantime, you have wasted lots of time waiting for a part you really needed.

In comparison, RockAuto is marvelous.
We actually had really good luck with JC Whitney when I was a kid. However it never showed up in 2 weeks. More like 6.
 
I gave up on waiting for JC Whitney to send the receiver/dryer I ordered back in 1982.

For the most part, RA has been good, but it's the multiple warehouse shipments that keep me from placing large orders.

This is the latest issue I've had with RA. These were replacements for the first two pair (blue card) I ordered that were crushed beyond recognition.

20220219_165729_resized_annotated.jpg
 
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