[Bt24]

I installed a set of MONROE 37339 (Original Ride Quality) OES spectrum Rear Shocks 62 days ago and the left rear shock seal is blown with fluid all over shock now.

Rock Auto will gladly replace the shock, if I Pay 50% of the shipping of the New shock to me and Pay 100% of the shipping of the old shock back to them.

Does this sound like good customer service on a defective part or is my thinking out of line here?

 

[Rusty_and_halfway_trusty]

I installed a set of MONROE 37339 (Original Ride Quality) OES spectrum Rear Shocks 62 days ago and the left rear shock seal is blown with fluid all over shock now.

Rock Auto will gladly replace the shock, if I Pay 50% of the shipping of the New shock to me and Pay 100% of the shipping of the old shock back to them.

Does this sound like good customer service on a defective part or is my thinking out of line here?

Seems typical for RockAuto. There's no free shipping involved whether it's you, them, or the part manufacture messed up. I've had the wrong part shipped to me more than once and had to pay 50% shipping to send it back. That is the price to pay when shopping RockAuto but is still typically cheaper than AutoZone and others.

 

[aggrex]

I installed a set of MONROE 37339 (Original Ride Quality) OES spectrum Rear Shocks 62 days ago and the left rear shock seal is blown with fluid all over shock now.

Rock Auto will gladly replace the shock, if I Pay 50% of the shipping of the New shock to me and Pay 100% of the shipping of the old shock back to them.

Does this sound like good customer service on a defective part or is my thinking out of line here?

My experience with RA last year was with a new but defective strut (broken stud). RA had me order and pay for a new one and sent an RMA prepaid to return the defective part and wait for the refund. Your situation seems to be a warranty replacement or perhaps their new online business practice.

 

[Bt24]

I think I'll just go buy it locally and throw the old one in the trash and be done with Rock Auto!

Benjamin Franklin was a wise fellow...

 

[Nail Grease]

I have erased 3 different messages because I don’t want to bash because I also know the public too.

Yes, you shouldn’t be charged to return a bad part.

 

[Jack Vogt]

I’m done with RockAuto. I am ok paying more to get the part asap and if I have issues I’m not paying to ship it back. Not my problem.

 

[Bt24]

Totally agree!

 

[undivide]

we don't want places like rock auto to become a haven for parts swappers who just guess and if their problem doesn't go away the part goes right back to the store. amazon used to charge a return/restock fee on all items UNLESS it arrived damage. rock auto is just operating on razor thin margins as is because of their low prices. I found the discounted return shipping to be fair when I had to return a leaking radiator for warranty coverage replacement.

 

[Nail Grease]

I think the manufacturer should get involved, but often times they push it off to the seller.

 

[Bt24]

we don't want places like rock auto to become a haven for parts swappers who just guess and if their problem doesn't go away the part goes right back to the store. amazon used to charge a return/restock fee on all items UNLESS it arrived damage. rock auto is just operating on razor thin margins as is because of their low prices. I found the discounted return shipping to be fair when I had to return a leaking radiator for warranty coverage replacement.

I agree, I'm not looking to be a part swapper, it (1 left rear shock) was noticed while getting the oil changed.

Unless you're the product line buyer for Rock Auto you probably don't know what, their margins are. Been in the powersport parts business for over 20 years and when a part is defective under 90 days with proof of purchase, then it comes back with a pre-paid RA Tag. Then the supplier gets refunded from the manufacture. Obviously, the automotive parts business is different.

Live and learn, the shock is already in the trash.

 

[Rocky]

This is exactly the reason buying local makes for better sense, for parts like this, alternators, starters etc. RA is fine for basic stuff like wiper blades, and anything else with no moving parts, as long as its a reputable brand.

 

[jjmmrph]

As a long time RA customer I have always found they pay 100% of shipping if it's their fault, 0% if it's my fault, and 50% if neither my fault nor theirs. I am ok with that because of their low prices.

 

[Chukmak]

Razor thin margins at rock? I always price the identical part (brand, part #, etc) and found the prices on Amazon to be the same or cheaper when taking the free prime shipping into consideration.

 

[Nail Grease]

Razor thin margins at rock? I always price the identical part (brand, part #, etc) and found the prices on Amazon to be the same or cheaper when taking the free prime shipping into consideration.

Funny you mentioned Amazon, I just Ordered a couple of plastic Ford parts off Amazon on the basis that with my Prime shipping, they be here in 2 days. At 3am, the day the parts were to arrive, I got notified that my shipment was returned to sender. The reason, “Undeliverable.” I assume they were damaged by the time they got to the Texas distribution center. So I ended up ordering from RockAuto anyway. I saved some money but the vehicle was down an additional 3 days. 😡