Hello,

I recently had a bad experience with a reputable Corvette parts'
supplier and I wanted to get your take on it. All suppliers' comments
are welcome and I would like to know what you would do in this
situation.

At the present time, I will not name the supplier.

Refer to the following events:

Mid week, I spoke on the phone with one of the suppliers
customer service representives, asking for specific items from
their catalog with part numbers.

They told me that one of the parts was incorrect and
said I needed something else instead. I thought the part I needed
was correct and they insisted that I was wrong and should select the
other item.

So I assumed they were the "experts" and knew what they were
talking about. Note: Up until this point I never had a bad experience
with this supplier and assumed it would be fine.

The next day I received the package, low and behold,
the item was incorrect. When I called them the next day
I spoke with someone other than the one I placed my order
with the first time. I explained to them what had happened and
they did confirm that the item sent was incorrect for my application.

So I said, I paid once with the previous order for shipping,
and now I have to pay another two times - To send the part back
that I did not ask for originally and, charged again to have the part
I originally asked for,sent.

I was told I would be creditied for the incorrect part. I took an
extended lunch just to get the return in the mail and back to them
ASAP. My package was promised to go out the next day.

When it didn't arrive on time I called again and was told
it didn't go out until the day I called back.

The new rep said they would let the manager know and
told me they would either call or e-mail me. I have yet to
hear from them.

After I opened the package with my origially requested part,
the invoice did not reflect my credit but it did reflect a charge for
shipping.

BOTTOM LINE:
Should I be reimbursed for shipping?

Thank you for your input.

Rudy

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Should I be reimbursed for shipping?

Thank you for your input.

Rudy[/QUOTE]

i believe you should!!

i had a similar experience with a wrong item delivered to me in Australia, they conceded that it was there mistake and will ship out the correct item,but guess what... they debited my credit card again for the delivery, even though they made the mistake!!! i couldn't be bothered arguing with them.

Jim

 

I had a similar experience with carpet from ACC. Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.

Yes, I believe you should be reimbursed for shipping or ideally they would have sent you a call tag to ship it back and not charged shipping on the "new" item.

 

In your replay, you wrote that someone from the ompany said you wold get reimbursed...therefore you should. If they had not said that to you, then you shouldn't get reimbursed and you take the hit, because you ultimately decided to accept the reccomendation to buy the wrong part.

Since they said they would reimburse that puts them on the hook. Not a legal opinion, just what I think is right.

 

Does this supplier's name begin with the word "E"?

 

I dont agree. That should of been discussed when he ordered, not after, plus what they said is heresay with absolutly no proof.. You should always check their return policy before ordering and they should also have it posted somewhere in writing.. He knew the part could possibly be the wrong one but never discussed or ask anything about a return or their policy "prior" to ordering should it be the wrong part.. I have my own business and many customers ask me about our warranty and return policy prior to ordering. I also tell them its listed on our website and it plainly says we will refund with-in 15 days provided the parts are not used and the refund is for the product price only.

What if you drove there instead, do you expect to get reimburse for your gas too?

 

FishnDude,I hope I never have to do business with you. What the OP is asking for is just good customer service. I have had my own business for 30 years and have survived on good customer service, it's what keeps people comming back to me instead of the competition. Some companies are so big that they could care less if one person stops going to them because there are other "suckers" out there who don't know about their lowsy customer service.

 

That is why I tell my ACC story whenever I can. They lost a customer over very poor customer service. It would not have taken much to make me happy at the time. I would have met half way. I finally got what I needed and the product is ok, just no customer relations. If you can break even and get a good referral, it is worth taking the hit to keep a customer....and all the people he knows, rather than be "right" and lose them all. My .02

 

Who would side with the vendor here?

Any of us would have yielded to the vendor's advice and purchase the part the vendor recommended. After all, they're the supposed experts.

We, the consumer, are purchasing parts sight-unseen in good faith.

If the vendor's position is "tough luck" in this case, find another vendor. Also write a letter to the owner of business detailing your decision to discontinue trading with the company.

There's are a half dozen other catalog companies who would love to have your business.

I've removed Rik's off my list of suppliers do to a similar situation. They sent me a repo part that was junk and wouldn't compensate return shipping AND wanted to charge me a 15% restocking fee. The owner, Rik, admitted the part probably shouldn't be on the market. See ya!

Paragon, Zip, Wilcox, VB&P, Van Steel, Jeg's, and others have bent over backwards to ensure my satisfaction.

One thing that helps when ordering is to note the name of the salesperson. Accountibility is a beautiful thing.

 

Of course they should. Shouldn't even be an issue. I'd go right to the manager or higher up until I'm satisfied.

 

Being in sales and also customer oriented, this is what should have happened. From a company standpoint, it is worth more to keep the customer happy than it is to save a few bucks on shipping IMHO. However, not all companies share this philosophy.

 

Summit Racing shipped me the wrong parts once. Next day they sent a return UPS label. All I had to do was set the box outside the garage and the UPS guy (we're on a first name basis!) dropped off the correct one and took back the wrong one. Now that's customer service.

Gary

 

What if he didn't pay extra for an outside source to do the shipping (UPS, Fedex or US Mail), and ended up doing it himself by driving there, back home and back there again, would your company reimburse his gas money too? I guess I dont undertand the difference? What if I paid for overnight air, and it cost 5x more than the product itself, would you be willing to reimburse that too?

By the way, if I recommended and shipped the wrong part, which I have before, I would send the right product and include a call tag.. I'm just stating some exceptions to this, which could all depend on some fines lines but I would surly explain that to the customer.. Somtimes a free product (at my cost) is cheaper than reimbursing for shipping and some are willing to accept that because the retail value well exceeds the shipping cost.

 

Their mistake they should be relieved that paying for the shipping is all they have to do to satisfy their customer.

 

Not your mistake. They should credit you for the shipping cost of returning the wrong part back to them, and should not charge you shipping on the correct replacement item since you already paid the shipping on the original order.

If they don't, it would be the last time I ever did business with them, I don't care who they are.

 

sent me the wrong headers, and also sent me a new UPS label, and had the driver pick them up. They have bent over backwards several times to make sure I was happy. I told them I would always remember that. Jegs is the same way, so is VB&P. I like to know that when I spend MY money with someone, I, the customer, DO matter!

 

It's very simple...I have and still own several businesses...I have provided great customer service and have gone through tough periods where life pointed me in a direction that I paid less attention to customer service and have well learnd my lesson..but there should be no extra shipping charges (other than the original charge) and the new part(s) should be shipped overnight or express depending on the weight and distance, but better or equal to what the customer originally paid for in shipping, and on top of it, a discount on the item or on the next purchase.

What fellow supplier's need to understand is that dometimes you just have to EAT IT!

Once i spent a total of $700 because I shipped a wrong $320 Part...but I never got a nasty word, i got immeadiat business and future business...heck 3 week later the guy shipped his 68 vert to me for a fram off from WI to TX...and I got business form his car club and no nasty or bad post on any site, forum or blog...

I would just die if I got a bad post here.....they just need to fix it and fix it right!

 

If your story is the complete truth, then yes the vendor should pay the additional shipping. Only because you went on their recommendation, even though you should know what your are buying.

Keep this in mind, some of the vendors charge more because they have a more lenient return policy and this cost is spread acrossed the entire parts catalog. Others are trying to undersell them with better prices and not so good service.

 

+1 with all these vendors. I will not say which vendors do not follow this policy...but I will state I make an extra effort to avoid using them.

 

If they sent you the wrong part, it's their fault, they should bear any costs associated with making it right. Just last week i received a LS diff for my truck from an outfit in the midwest. It arrived in a dirty box, and the bolts showed signs of being removed on one side. I insisted that they send a unopened one at their cost, and forward me a shipping label to return the unacceptable one. They did, with an apology.