I have really been batting 1000 with RockAuto lately. Last two orders from them have either had incorrect or missing parts. Last order, I got brake pads that were not correct. This time, I got short changed two rotors; on the order but not in the box.
And they are not easy to deal with, either. There's no one to talk to via live chat or call; you have to submit a claim and hope they side with you. And meanwhile, my car that desperately needs brakes that I can't get locally is now going to probably have to wait until after the holiday weekend to get fixed. Ugh.
Anyone else notice a sharp drop in quality with them? I have been using them for over a decade with basically zero issues, but now I'm really considering shopping elsewhere.
No noticeable trend but a few months ago I did buy parts from them that were listed for a car they would never fit, and then I had to be a smartass to get a human to look at the problem:
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/worst-rockauto-screwup-of-all-time-wrong-spec-and-they-wont-admit-fault/260548/page1/
Kind of ironic to see this. I just got off the phone with Tire Rack.
I ordered two plain rotors, finished the first side, got the other side apart with about 40 minutes of light left. Stopped to apply some deet, then found this.
I already hate drilled rotors, having bought a car with a set.
Last year I ordered a belt that was listed for my car but didn't fit. I sat on the parts long before install that I missed the return window. They would accept my return if I paid return shipping which was half of the cost of the part. I still use them but that was eye opening. I check everything asap now. Really annoying. I would rather use them than the jungle site or autozone but it's not always the best choice.
My last order of some -7 ngk ruthenium plugs not listed for my application and some new Motorcraft strut spring bearings arrived just fine.
Between putting/keeping Tyler's 900 Turbo on the road and rehabbing the AC in my DD I have ordered quite a bit from RA this year and have not had any issues. Though having now just jinxed myself we will see how the next order goes.
UPDATE:
A supposed "actual human" reached out from the CSR team and shipped out my missing parts. I did respond thanking them and letting them know of my concerns. Doubt I'll get a response, but glad they took care of it. Again, I've been a customer of theirs for years; hoping this is just a minor blip.
Glad to hear they reached out and tried to make things right. My last RA order went great. I sure hope they don't screw the pooch and go under because frankly the crap the FLAPS stock these days is really hit or miss, especially with older vehicles. NAPA and CarQuest (Advance) failed on a starter and ignition switch for my GMT400, neither part lasted 3 months..
FLAPS is dead to me, unless I'm shopping for fluids. German stuff I get from FCP Euro, most everything else comes from Rockauto. Even FCP shipped me an incorrect part, which apparently occurred when someone returned the part in the wrong box. It was very bad timing, but they did what they could. Rockauto has been good for me, even got the cores back and credited on the Toyota brakes.
We have a bunch of local auto parts stores near me. NAPA, Autozone, O'Reilly, and Advance all have locations nearby. All of them are annoying in their own ways, and all are WAY more expensive than RockAuto, even with discounts. They don't carry a ton in stock for any of the vehicles I own, so it's special order anyway. Only convenience is being able to return things in-person.
We DO have an Autozone hub store about 20mi north of my house, so in a pinch, I can go there for things. But the prices are insane.
