AutoDoc woes: Incorrect parts / return issues
Discussion
I've avoided AutoDoc up until last week but they were listing a set of specific shock absorbers that my usual go to factor were a good £25.00 each dearer on, so figured I would give them and go and it was all going rather well. Items ordered, paid and the shipping invoice received and about 48hrs later the items arrived. Lovely.
Opened the box and instead of the KYB shock absorbers I was expecting, there were two Sachs units... which was odd as the AutoDoc site didn't list Sachs as an option for my car when I was buying. I checked the part numbers against a few sites, including Sachs / ZF and the parts listed, whilst yes, are listed for a P3 Volvo V70... are not listed for a P3 Volvo XC70 and thus they are some 40mm shorter than required.
AutoDoc replied, pointing out the KYB were out of stock and thus there was a substitution and will fit. I pointed out they have been showing the specific KYB units I wanted as being in stock all week and still are and that the substituted items will technically fit, but they're not listed on any website for my specific car and they're still 40mm shorter than OEM.
After an exchange of emails, today AutoDoc have replied stating I can return the items at my expense and once received back, they will refund the money. Not particularly impressed at that as this is an error on their part so I'm not exactly enthused to be paying to return the incorrectly issued items, to then reorder the correct ones (which are still in stock) and pay more shipping on top. More so as the car was booked in today to have them fitted but hey ho.
In hindsight, yes I should have just paid the extra and sourced from my local factors and in future that's what I'll be doing but AutoDoc's attitude towards this has left me a tad miffed and so I'm having a little whinge but equally, has anybody else had issues and if so how did you go about resolving it? Or is it a "suck it up buttercup" and move on situation.
Cheers
Opened the box and instead of the KYB shock absorbers I was expecting, there were two Sachs units... which was odd as the AutoDoc site didn't list Sachs as an option for my car when I was buying. I checked the part numbers against a few sites, including Sachs / ZF and the parts listed, whilst yes, are listed for a P3 Volvo V70... are not listed for a P3 Volvo XC70 and thus they are some 40mm shorter than required.
AutoDoc replied, pointing out the KYB were out of stock and thus there was a substitution and will fit. I pointed out they have been showing the specific KYB units I wanted as being in stock all week and still are and that the substituted items will technically fit, but they're not listed on any website for my specific car and they're still 40mm shorter than OEM.
After an exchange of emails, today AutoDoc have replied stating I can return the items at my expense and once received back, they will refund the money. Not particularly impressed at that as this is an error on their part so I'm not exactly enthused to be paying to return the incorrectly issued items, to then reorder the correct ones (which are still in stock) and pay more shipping on top. More so as the car was booked in today to have them fitted but hey ho.
In hindsight, yes I should have just paid the extra and sourced from my local factors and in future that's what I'll be doing but AutoDoc's attitude towards this has left me a tad miffed and so I'm having a little whinge but equally, has anybody else had issues and if so how did you go about resolving it? Or is it a "suck it up buttercup" and move on situation.
Cheers
Thanks chaps.
After another email exchange where I suggested that me paying to post the incorrectly supplied parts was frankly, a disgrace... they have since forwarded a shipping label to have the items sent back, but along with a rather exhaustive list of things to do like do not send them back in the original packing box and that refund will only be considered once they have been received, inspected and confirmed then it may take several days to get my money back.
Maybe I should ask that in future, they send me the parts at their cost, I'll receive then, inspect them and then confirm I'm happy and then pay for them a few days later. But that's not going to happen more so as that's the first and last time I order parts from them - mistakes happen, I get that... and I made one myself by hoping it'd be seamless but hey ho. But to substitute parts that were showing in stock for something else, then proclaim they are correct for car then when challenged, advise they can be returned at my expense... that's just a poor show.
Part of me is loathed to return them as I just have a bad feeling they'll get "lost" in transit or there will be some whiff of cows and a story about how they're not as they were sent, even though one is still sealed in it's box and the other was only removed to measure its length or something equally inane that'll delay my refund even longer. Or indefinitely, then they'll have the parts and my money. I paid by debit card so could make a chargeback claim... in theory...
Anyways, cool story bro... but just something to be aware of if dealing with AutoDoc.
After another email exchange where I suggested that me paying to post the incorrectly supplied parts was frankly, a disgrace... they have since forwarded a shipping label to have the items sent back, but along with a rather exhaustive list of things to do like do not send them back in the original packing box and that refund will only be considered once they have been received, inspected and confirmed then it may take several days to get my money back.
Maybe I should ask that in future, they send me the parts at their cost, I'll receive then, inspect them and then confirm I'm happy and then pay for them a few days later. But that's not going to happen more so as that's the first and last time I order parts from them - mistakes happen, I get that... and I made one myself by hoping it'd be seamless but hey ho. But to substitute parts that were showing in stock for something else, then proclaim they are correct for car then when challenged, advise they can be returned at my expense... that's just a poor show.
Part of me is loathed to return them as I just have a bad feeling they'll get "lost" in transit or there will be some whiff of cows and a story about how they're not as they were sent, even though one is still sealed in it's box and the other was only removed to measure its length or something equally inane that'll delay my refund even longer. Or indefinitely, then they'll have the parts and my money. I paid by debit card so could make a chargeback claim... in theory...
Anyways, cool story bro... but just something to be aware of if dealing with AutoDoc.
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