I ordered a new headlight assembly online from US Auto Parts (opens in a new window) and have since learned that they own several different web site domains in order to "capture as much business as they can" (Quoted from their own salesperson).
After I used their search feature to locate the driver's side headlight assembly (opens in a new window) for my 1989 Plymouth Colt Station Wagon 4WD (not the Vista) and found a replacement part I called their company to confirm the correct product number since they listed four or five different products. The pictures on their web site didn't look anything like the original headlight assembly on my car either (Colt1.jpg, Colt2.jpg, Colt3.jpg (my comparison pictures (& all three open in a new window)), but their page does say that the pictures are not pictures of the actual products. The lady who took my call also said the pictures are not correct for all of their products. She then used their search feature to make sure that She Was Ordering The Correct Product For My Car!!
Well, guess what? They sent me the wrong product. The one they sent me looked exactly like the picture on their web site (see link above), which was not the correct headlight assembly replacement part for my vehicle.
Now, what first pissed me off was that the invoice that came with the product has stamped, in red ink, that there is a 20% restocking fee. On top of that, it says that shipping and handling will not be refunded upon return of a product either. The saleslady did not tell me during our call that there is a 20% restocking fee. I'm sure it's probably listed on their web site somewhere, but it was not listed on the page of the actual products I was looking at. So, according to their own rules, I now have to pay almost $50 for their mistake!!?? I called their company to MAKE SURE I was ordering the correct product and was assured by their saleslady that I was...with her placing the order for me nonetheless!!
Now, when I first placed this order I had no problems getting it placed, but when I called back about the mistake I was passed around to three or more employees during each phone call, I spent a minimum of 30 minutes, and up to an hour, on hold during each call, and nobody was very helpful in finding a resolution. I asked several different people for an e-mail address that I could send these comparison pictures to, but no one would give me one, until about the fifth person of the third phone call. I e-mailed the pictures and was then told, by Melvin Bandril (melvin@usautoparts.com), that my car might have been made in Japan and not the USA. (Uh huh...and!!??) They wanted the VIN# in order to verify where my car was assembled. I had to ask why that would make a difference...according to them there are different headlight assemblies depending on where the car was manufactured. (Oh really!!??) I then asked why this was never brought up during the ordering process...and never got an answer. Still haven't. (However, I e-mailed Melvin with the VIN# of my vehicle and today, 3-4-04 Melvin informed me that the car was assembled in Japan...Oh really!!?? No shit Melvin!! Do you suppose that's why the headlight assembly made for an American assembled car, that your salesperson sent me, wouldn't fit in my Japanese assembled car!!?? But, once again, why wasn't that asked for at the time I placed the order!!??)
Melvin did say they would accept the return of the product and gave me a tracking number. Now, I've worked in shipping and handling and have used RMA numbers (Return Merchandise Authorization), but they gave me an RGA number. I assumed (stupid me) it was something new from UPS since many companies didn't want to pay the fee for sending an RMA label and would just tell people what number to add to the outside of the package for the return. RMA numbers were used to enable to return of the product without the customer having to pay for S&H. So, now I figure I'm out almost $40 since they're at least willing to pay for S&H back to their company. But, guess what? UPS has never heard of an RGA number!!
So, I call US Auto Parts again, and get passed around, put on hold, etc., and finally get through to a person who tells me the RGA number is for their internal use only, not for shipping the product back. I tell her that I'd like to speak to her supervisor and get put on hold, almost 30 minutes later she comes back on and says he's busy...would I like to wait or have him call me back. Guess which one I choose? I chose to wait for a callback. Guess who has never called me back!!??
I e-mailed Melvin once again and explained that UPS didn't recognize their RGA number and would he please send the proper RMA label? No answer. The next day I decide I've finally had enough and e-mail him to inform him that I am calling the BBB of California, the FTC, and plan on visiting some of the online rating companies to "rate" their company, and, lastly, plan on creating this RANT of my experiences with their company. Guess what? Melvin e-mails me back with a link to UPS for an actual shipping label. Too late Melvin!! This page is getting produced and I'm complaining to the authorities. Companies treating their customers like yours has me has got to stop!!
Now, to add insult to injury...UPS has not made this process any easier! I went online to place the pickup order and on the form it has two times that you have to choose from; One for what time the package was readied and one for what time the package is to be picked up. the defaults are 9:00 am for ready and 5:00 pm for pickup. Looks good to me and since it's only 3:05 pm here and UPS has not gone through our neighborhood yet I assumed this would be OK. Guess which time it bitches about? The ready time!! It says the package can not be ready before 3:05 pm!! (WTF!!??) OK, OK...fine...be stupid!! I change the time to 3:30 pm. I hit next and am told that I've now been on the form for over 30 minutes and have to start over. (WTF AGAIN!!??) Because I chose 3:30 pm it assumes I've been on the form for longer than the less than 10 minutes it took me to fill out the form!!
So, I call them instead. I offer the lady the tracking number of the label I was sent and she doesn't want it yet. I have to give her all of my personal information first, tell her when I want it picked up (today or tomorrow). She says if it's picked up today there's a $5.00 fee ($4.00 had I placed the pickup order online...which is not stated anywhere on their page, btw). THEN she asks for the tracking number and, guess what!!?? She informs me that the S&H has been paid for (NO DUH!!), but if I want to place an order for it to be picked up, NOW I have to pay $10.00!! (WTF Once More!!??) I'm too pissed off to even think about this crap with UPS right now!!! However, I will speak to the FTC about this later!! Stupid idiots.
So, where am I now? I have to either catch the UPS person as they drive through our neighborhood or find a drop-off place for UPS in order to return this $135.00 mistake!!
I'll be back with updates as more happens! 03/03/2004
UPS Update: Rarely does a day go by that I don't see a UPS driver going through our neighborhood. And, just now at 5:20 p.m., I see the UPS truck. I grabbed the box I prepared for return, walked outside, waved at the UPS driver, he stops, I ask if he'll take this box for delivery (addressed and labeled), he says yes, tosses it in back, and I'm done. And UPS wanted to charge me between $5 and $10 to have him stop at my house when he drives right in front of my house daily!!?? Bullshit!! 03/04/2004
So, I get an e-mail from TESS (tess@usautoparts.com) stating , "Thank you for your order. We will credit back the partial amount of your order. Please allow 5-7 working days for the transaction to appear in your statement. We apologize for the inconvenience." I write her back, four times now, stating that their company is the one who screwed up the order and that I should not have to pay for any part of their mistake. She has yet to respond. I've informed them that I'm filing a report with the BBB and FTC. I paid them $134.85 for this headlight assembly, plus S&H, and they refunded me back $100.76. So, I'm supposed to pay $34.09 for their screw up, on top of the S&H they state they'll reimburse me for IF they are the ones to screw up!!?? I don't think so!!
This is their whole "what if we screw up" policy;
What if you ship the wrong part to me?
Although we do everything we can to get the right part to you, unusual mistakes can happen. If we ship the wrong part, we will pick up the part or pay the return freight, replace the part. Please let us know immediately if you receive the wrong part, by calling us at 888-348-5497 customer service.*
on their web site. (They won't allow you to link to their FAQs page! Idiots, I saved a copy. <bg>)
So, they obviously have no qualms about ripping people off even when they KNOW they screwed up. What a shame they couldn't abide by their own set rules and pay for shipping back to them and then either replace this with the correct headlight or refund my money like they stated they would!!??
Check this out, as of 10-17-2004, they changed their SHIPPING AND RETURN POLICIES, (providing the link will even work...I'll be a son-of-a ... the link worked!), but, even so, I saved a copy of that one too. <g>
5. INCORRECT PARTS: Although we do everything we can to get the right part to you, unusual mistakes can happen. If we ship the wrong part, we will pick it up and replace it. Please let us know immediately if you receive the wrong part by calling our Customer Service Desk at 888-348-5497. The replacement item will be shipped when we receive the wrong item. Replacements will be shipped based on the original shipping method.*
Now I can even link to the Customer Service Center whereas I couldn't before. 10/17/2004
I've e-mailed these assholes numerous times and told them to stop e-mailing me their newsletters, but THEY WON'T STOP!!! 08/17/2005
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