Worst shipping ever. Almost everything I receive has Zero packaging and gets damaged.

[96-2D-Hoe]

Was just about to install the AC compressor I bought last year and found the compressor clutch pulley has scuffs on it and does not spin evenly. The reason I did not install it last summer is RockAuto shipped me a condenser in the retail packaging that got damaged in shipping multiple times. Now they say I should have reported this damage to them in 30 days and I cannot return it. Complete BS from a BS company that is incapable of safely packaging items they ship. The amount of times I've received damaged parts is ridiculous. No more. I've spent a few thousand dollars with you over the past few years but I will never spend a penny with you again.

 

[Tonyv__]

I order quite a bit of stuff from rock auto. Have never had to return anything.


Fed ex on the other hand lol

 

[96-2D-Hoe]

When they ship heavy or fragile items in retail packaging It's not surprising they get damaged. I've received items multiple times poorly packaged with holes on the shipping boxes. Can blame FEDEX all you want but if the items aren't packaged safely it doesn't matter who the carrier is, shit will get damaged.
The compressor was in a lightweight box with no packaging. Retail box was beaten up but had no holes in it. It was sealed in plastic and as I didn't remove it I didn't see the damage. No idea how the pulley got scratched / scuffed as there was no hole in the box. I also just noticed the pulley has a dent where the scuff is too.
They shipped me a condenser 3x in the flimsy retail box with no packaging. in fact they removed the packaging from one of the boxes they sent. Condensers arrived hanging out of the boxes bent and twisted. And THAT is why I didn't install it all and have AC last year. They finally gave up and said they wouldn't ship me again. Had to buy a condenser elsewhere.

If I install this compressor it will fail soon from the vibration, but as I've asked for a replacement I can't even ask for a factory warranty claim now either. Complete BS on a $250 part.

 

[Doubeleive]

When they ship heavy or fragile items in retail packaging It's not surprising they get damaged. I've received items multiple times poorly packaged with holes on the shipping boxes. Can blame FEDEX all you want but if the items aren't packaged safely it doesn't matter who the carrier is, shit will get damaged.
The compressor was in a lightweight box with no packaging. Retail box was beaten up but had no holes in it. It was sealed in plastic and as I didn't remove it I didn't see the damage. No idea how the pulley got scratched / scuffed as there was no hole in the box. I also just noticed the pulley has a dent where the scuff is too.
They shipped me a condenser 3x in the flimsy retail box with no packaging. in fact they removed the packaging from one of the boxes they sent. Condensers arrived hanging out of the boxes bent and twisted. And THAT is why I didn't install it all and have AC last year. They finally gave up and said they wouldn't ship me again. Had to buy a condenser elsewhere.

If I install this compressor it will fail soon from the vibration, but as I've asked for a replacement I can't even ask for a factory warranty claim now either. Complete BS on a $250 part.

no offense but the 3 attempts on the condenser wasn't enough to make you look a little closer at the ac pump?
just saying I have had nothing damaged from rockauto per say but yes they do lack in the packing department, probably minimum wage flunkys that could care less.
auto parts to dealers are usually shipped on a pallet LTL freight and are shrink wrapped and individually packaged for retail sale which does not require much packaging, when they get shipped individually without extra padding is when things like this occur.
also with rockauto 3 strikes and you are out, really doesn't matter if it was there fault, the part was bad or what not they don't care.
AND any damage claims have to be filed within 30 days, that is industry standard.

 

[96-2D-Hoe]

no offense but the 3 attempts on the condenser wasn't enough to make you look a little closer at the ac pump?

Why would that make me unpack the compressor? I did take a decent look at it. But only noticed the damage when I saw the pulley wasn't spinning evenly.
I've had loads damaged items from them. I haven't returned all of them. They even sent me a "new" battery that was at 11volts.
You guys can take the crap shoot of shipping. I won't use them again. I don't save time or money at the parts store.

Edit
And don't forget the only reason I didn't find this in 30 days is because they were incapable of shipping a condenser. Had I received one I could actually use I would have found it. And now I can't even file a fatory warranty claim. F them.

 

[Blackcar]

Why would that make me unpack the compressor? I did take a decent look at it. But only noticed the damage when I saw the pulley wasn't spinning evenly.
I've had loads damaged items from them. I haven't returned all of them. They even sent me a "new" battery that was at 11volts.
You guys can take the crap shoot of shipping. I won't use them again. I don't save time or money at the parts store.

Edit
And don't forget the only reason I didn't find this in 30 days is because they were incapable of shipping a condenser. Had I received one I could actually use I would have found it. And now I can't even file a fatory warranty claim. F them.

I agree Rockauto is a hassle and a lot of times it not the cheapest. Like several posters have said poor packaging and they don't seem to care about straightening packaging up.

 

[Gilla]

Rockauto will NOT refund 2 day shipping if it is late. They have a deal with FEDEX. I went round and round with this. I paid for it and it took 9 days. Wont buy from them anymore. Dishonest, no respect.

 

[wjburken]

I have a few thoughts in this based on lessons learned both personally and professionally.

1) It is the recipient’s responsibility to inspect a package and report any damage in a timely manner. I make my receiving people open every package within 8 working hours of getting it. If there is any sign of damage to the package, we will not sign for it until it is inspected.

2) It is common practice for a distributor to send items in the package it came in from the manufacturer. To expect them to take that time and expense to repackage everything is not realistic.

3) Once a package is handed over to a freight company, no matter what delivery service was paid for, the shipper has no control over how long it actually takes. Since the beginning of COVID, UPS has flat out stated told my company that even if we pay for next day or 2 day delivery, they will not guarantee it. FedEx isn’t any better.

 

[89Suburban]

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I agree with @wjburken . I fully inspect the contents of any package I receive upon receipt, and I mean tear open the package and individually inspect each item in the package. That is clearly my responsibility. There is nothing worse than getting partially into a job, only to discover that you have a damaged part or a missing part that you thought that you had received.

Maybe, I'm an outlier, but in all the years that I've been doing business with Rock Auto, I've never had to return a part, due to damage.

 

[96-2D-Hoe]

Sorry to return with a rant, I was obviously upset yesterday, but I still stand by what I've said. Almost any and every heavy part I've purchased arrives beaten up, and often with holes in packaging and often the part has been hitting the ground. This is not an exaggeration. I've placed 25 orders from RA since I started using them in 2017

It may be my location and the carriers as it's not unusual for FE to destroy my deliveries. But I ship fragile and heavy items for a living. I rarely have any ship damage as I package my items safely.

Small parts I haven't had any issues with but large and heavy parts have been a complete PIA and waste of my time. RA should charge a bit more for shipping and package their shit so it arrives undamaged. Not just throwing it in a lightweight box, or sticking a label on retail packaging that is designed for storage and not shipping.
Rant over
Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend

Edit. The pulley is bent on the compressor. Needs to be replaced before I can install it. The scuffed/scratched paint is is a bit confusing as the part didn't break through the box. The dent in the pulley is very narrow to have happened in the box. Still not sure if this happened in shipping or from the manufacturer. But it's my problem now.

 

[gooffeyguy]

I think RA has multiple warehouses they ship from, depending on your location or which has part in stock.

Have all your crappy shipped items come from a particular warehouse?

Surprised it took 25 problemed shipments before deciding not to buy from them anymore. I'd be done with them after 2 or 3, lol.

 

[Blackcar]

I think RA has multiple warehouses they ship from, depending on your location or which has part in stock.

Have all your crappy shipped items come from a particular warehouse?

Surprised it took 25 problemed shipments before deciding not to buy from them anymore. I'd be done with them after 2 or 3, lol.

Yes, that is another problem if you're into large project with a lot of parts ordered each of those warehouses don't have all parts needed you pay shipping from each warehouse wherever they have which increases overall cost.

 

[Rocket Man]

If you don’t like them, don’t buy from them. If you don’t like their shipping prices, don’t buy from them. They’re one of the cheapest online retailers, and over 10-15 years and thousands of dollars in parts ordered, I’ve never had a problem. Sounds like you have issues with the shipping companies in your area. I did return something once ( my mistake) and their customer service was awesome. And yes, you should have opened the box and inspected the part, especially once you realized you wouldn’t be installing it right away since every company limits their return windows. But especially after receiving damaged ones prior. And especially once more since you say every heavy item you’ve ordered from them has come damaged. Sorry, but this problem is on you. It’s clearly up to the purchaser to inspect anything you order and make claims immediately. It’s always been this way in my 50 years of ordering things.

 

[steve45]

You bought a part and didn't look at it for months, and now you want to file a claim? HA! You've got to be kidding!

UPS sucks! FedEx sucks. About the difference is that FedEx will honor a damage claim and UPS will not. A company I used to work for averaged $7000 per month in UPS damage and we stopped filing claims because it was futile.

I had a $300 claim against FedEx this month. I had a replacement part in a week.

 

[Cheepnis]

Was just about to install the AC compressor I bought last year and found the compressor clutch pulley has scuffs on it and does not spin evenly. The reason I did not install it last summer is RockAuto shipped me a condenser in the retail packaging that got damaged in shipping multiple times. Now they say I should have reported this damage to them in 30 days and I cannot return it. Complete BS from a BS company that is incapable of safely packaging items they ship. The amount of times I've received damaged parts is ridiculous. No more. I've spent a few thousand dollars with you over the past few years but I will never spend a penny with you again.

I've used Rock Auto for YEARS, and in all that time, and all those refrigerator magnets, I have only received ONE damaged item, which was, ironically, an air conditioning condenser!

You can also always find a 5% off coupon online for them! I highly recommend Rock Auto to everyone! Sorry you had a bad experience with them.

 

[96-2D-Hoe]

If you don’t like them, don’t buy from them. If you don’t like their shipping prices, don’t buy from them. They’re one of the cheapest online retailers, and over 10-15 years and thousands of dollars in parts ordered, I’ve never had a problem. Sounds like you have issues with the shipping companies in your area. I did return something once ( my mistake) and their customer service was awesome. And yes, you should have opened the box and inspected the part, especially once you realized you wouldn’t be installing it right away since every company limits their return windows. But especially after receiving damaged ones prior. And especially once more since you say every heavy item you’ve ordered from them has come damaged. Sorry, but this problem is on you. It’s clearly up to the purchaser to inspect anything you order and make claims immediately. It’s always been this way in my 50 years of ordering things.

The problem is on me? What BS is that? Do you work for them? Their shipping is pathetic and 50% of the items I buy from them arrive damaged but it's on me?

 

[96-2D-Hoe]

I would NOT recommmend Rockauto, their customer service sucks, they won't give you info you ask for, they won't tell you where they ship your parts from and most items arrive damaged. Have a nice day

 

[Doubeleive]

The problem is on me? What BS is that? Do you work for them? Their shipping is pathetic and 50% of the items I buy from them arrive damaged but it's on me?

as the recipient it is up to you to inspect and check the product within a specified time period if you ever expect to have any kind of claim for damage or warranty.
you posted this up before about a year ago as well, probably would have been a good idea to have taken a closer look at it then.
whining about it on the internet later....doesn't really serve any useful purpose. anybody that has purchased from rockauto knows they use poor packaging sometimes, I chock it up to lack of experienced employee's. amazon uses poor packing sometimes as well, so does autozone. I think it is just inherent to the industry period many autoparts are heavy and metal ***** happens

 

[Joseph Garcia]

This looks like a good place to close this thread.