Beware of 440 Source/Parts for sale

[dkn1997]

just because they are up front doesnt meant we cannot claim their policy is skewed away from what we would consider appropriate customer service.

i work at o'reillys. we are very upfront in regards to our return policy (read the back of our invoices, listen to what we tell the customer when they buy a warranty item, read the signs on the door and the windows).  we make 440source look rudimentary when it comes to establishing our rules regarding returns and warranty items.  But, we will do whatever we need to do to keep that customer coming back, even if it means biting the bullet one time in order to get more money in the future.

its not about being upfront, its about providing the best customer service.  you can have every single autopart stocked to man and still not sell a thing.  its the customer service you provide (ask autozone why we outsell them each year).

I see your point, but the OP came on after he agreed to the restock fee (by purchasing, it's implied that he read the policy) and then complained about it after the fact.  I would throw this out there: how do we know that 440 source doesn't routinely eat the restocking fee when a situation arises?  Just because it's not out there in every post doesn't mean it's not happening....people will be more likely to throw up a negative post rather than a positive one.

[Musicman]

Their return policy is clearly stated on their web site...

   In order for us to continue to be able to offer our customers the lowest prices around on high quality and brand name parts long into the future, we do business by the following policies, which includes both ordering and returns. Please read these policies FULLY before ordering. Your order IS subject to these policies, we do not make exceptions to them under any circumstances. FAILURE ON YOUR PART TO READ THESE TERMS BEFORE ORDERING IS NOT GROUNDS FOR ANY LIABILITY WHATSOEVER ON OUR PART.


Returns on non-defective NEW items: (changed your mind/wrong part/wrong size/style/color etc ordered.)

   We try very hard to get you exactly what you are looking for the first time around and we want you to be happy with whatever you order. So, please do your research, collaborate with your engine builder or machine shop, compare the competition, ask us all your questions,  think long and hard, and please be 100% positive you are selecting the correct parts before you place your order. We have spent considerable resources on listing very detailed pictures and specifications on our website for this purpose. Returns cost all parties involved time and money, and are usually avoidable if the correct homework would have been done beforehand. Building high performance and/or racing engines is not a simple task. Our sales staff will do our best to find you the parts we feel will work best for your application, but engine building is more often an art than a science and part selection is often heavily based on opinion. A part that one engine builder has been using for 30 years with great success may be the same part that another equally experienced engine builder swears will cause the engine to blow up as soon as you turn the key. So, in an effort to keep our rock bottom prices as low as possible for everyone long into the future, lets please try to work together to get the right part(s) you need the first time around.


That being said, we do accept returns for a period of 45 (forty five) days from the invoice date. A restocking fee of up to 25% will be charged. If you need to return something, please call us first to get an RGA number. All returned merchandise must have an RMA (Returned Merchandise Authorization) number assigned by us prior to shipping it back. You must ship the item back to us yourself, we do not issue "call tags." Any shipments we receive without a valid RMA number clearly written on the box will be returned to sender, at senders expense. RMA's expire 30 days after being issued, so if the product(s) are not shipped back to us during this time period, they will no longer be able to be returned. Include a copy of your invoice, an explanation of why you are returning the part, and your contact info including phone number and address.

[gasoline_24]

Just so you know I ordered by telephone.  If they have this policy they should tell you instead of having to search their site as you did to find their policy.  I don't make a habit of looking through fine print on a reputable seller before buying.  I will change my habits.  I am not in retail but worked there throughout college.  At all places I worked the customer was always right.  Even in my current position if the customer has a complaint I do everything I can so they think they were treated fairly.  This includes writing off some or all of their bill.  I care if they come back and if they go out and tell 10 of their friends how I treated them.  With the internet and these large chains many of these businesses sound as if they could care less about an individual customer.  I think the reason is that one customer cannot effect their business.  They are wrong.  I advised both the lady that answered the phone as well as the gentleman that called me back that I would be posting this on the internet.  Neither appeared to care enough to do anything to adjust the return fee.  Again there is no problem I have had with the parts I ordered.  I did steer clear of all of their bad parts.  Many of these were ones others of you have complained about repeatedly.  Some of you are now telling me I am out of line.  How can you state that 25% is reasonable for cheap parts and also complain when you buy a cheap part and it does not work?

[RD]

*deleted* in order to let this one go on w/o my input.

[Musicman]

If they have this policy they should tell you instead of having to search their site as you did to find their policy.  I don't make a habit of looking through fine print on a reputable seller before buying.  I will change my habits. 

I know what your saying, but this is exactly WHY I DO look at every manufactures return policies, or call them on the phone to get it before ordering anything... especially if it's an item that I am not 120% sure about. I've been caught off guard one or two times myself in the past, but lesson learned.

[Bobs69]

What I'd like to know is, and I haven't read every post here, why do they or any other retailer have to charge anything for restocking?  (Okay maybe a new box or pay to have it sent back to their suppliers?)

My thinking is, they must have employees there that get paid by the hour regardless of what they are doing.  Or do they need to hire someone new for the day to restock items!

[jeryst]

What I'd like to know is, and I haven't read every post here, why do they or any other retailer have to charge anything for restocking?  (Okay maybe a new box or pay to have it sent back to their suppliers?)

My thinking is, they must have employees there that get paid by the hour regardless of what they are doing.  Or do they need to hire someone new for the day to restock items!

Simple. Returns generate negative cash flow. Warehouses and mail order businesses today run very lean. People are paid to process orders, but there are seldom special people to reprocess orders (returns). Reprocessing orders takes away time from everyone, and makes everyone less efficient. You have to accept the part, have someone inspect it. There are customers who will keep a good part and return a used part in its place.  Sometimes a customer will only make a partial return, will return the wrong part, or will return something to the wrong company, and the company has to pay to ship it back to him. Sometimes a customer will return something that he has greased, bent, and hammered on for 5 hours before coming to the conclusion that it doesnt fit, or he doesnt like the look of it. Sometimes testing/cleaning/refurbishing/repackaging is required. Many times when customers return things, they just throw everything in the box minus paperwork, manuals, fasteners, cables, extra parts, etc. All that has to be determined and replaced if needed. Someone has to make sure the part looks new and presentable to the next customer that orders it. How would you like it if you ordered a part and received it with torn packaging, dirty, torn manuals, missing parts, and covered with grease? Then paperwork has to be made up, approved, and processed at every step. Someone has to follow up to make sure everything has been done correctly in order to combat fraud, and to make sure it shows up correctly. There are costs associated with issuing the credit, whether its crediting your card or issuing a check. Someone may have to transfer money from one account to another. Cashflows may be affected. Penalties may be incurred. Then, there may not be room in inventory, so a new location has to be designated, assigned, documented, and the part must then be transported to the temporary location, only to be transported again to the correct location when an opening occurs. Every one of these functions are usually accompanied by data entry of some type. At the end of the month, someone has to balance all of these transactions to make sure everything comes out correctly. This can be a real bear when someone down the line missed a step or didnt do one correctly. Sure that's the employees fault, and you can argue that because of that it should not be considered, but it was caused by the return in the first place, so it does matter. New employees make mistakes. Employees covering for sick or vacationing employees make mistakes. Computer software makes mistakes. People having a bad day or a family crisis makes mistakes.

Different companies determine how much this type of thing affects them, and set their restocking fees accordingly. Most companies will not charge any type of restocking fee if the part is defective. But if a customer causes all of this extra work because he doesnt know what he is doing, or just changes his mind, why should the company pay for that? Obviously 440 Source has determined that their fee is what it needs to be in order to stay in business. They state their policy on their website. Anyone that places an order by phone should ask about a companys restocking policy before placing the order.

I'm not saying what they charge is right or wrong, just that it is right for them. I worked in manufacturing for a long time, and you wouldnt believe what some customers try to pull off when a return is made, either through ignorance, stupidity, or to get away with something. It's not a simple matter of "Hey Joe, here's another XYZ part. Throw it over there and give John Doe a refund!"

The company has to cover the cost of all that extra work somehow, or else overall prices will go up, and your options will go down.

Retail is a little different because the counter people can visually inspect the part, determine if it is acceptable, put it back on the shelf, and issue the credit. But even so, it takes that time away from serving customers in the store looking to make new purchases, which generate positive cash flow.

[Darkman]

IMO the restocking fee is in place to ensure you order the part that you need. The customer is not always right! They do have the right to receive the goods/services they paid for and in this case they did. It is not the responsibility of the seller to ensure it is the right part or if the buyer really needs it. If the seller sent the wrong part, then they will absorb those fees and not pass them on. If you order the wrong part or an unwanted part, then your options are simple, send it back and pay the restocking fee (if it exists) or keep it and sell it on yourself.

Hats off to these sellers as they put a bit of responsibility back on the customer.

[elacruze]

An old employer who had then been in business for 30-odd years once told me (after an angry person didn't have enough money for what he wanted and we wouldn't discount it) "They're not customers until they've spent money". I thought it was harsh at the time, but the last word is "Can we expect to stay in business like this?"

Anybody who's never had to account for profit and loss really has no context for this discussion.

[Darkman]

As a manager of a construction company, I will not undertake a job at cost or less just to get work. That does not pay the bills nor does it grow the business. When tendering, some clients say we are too expensive, and award the job to the cheapest bidder. When the job is done, it has had many corners cut because the cheap contractor still has to make a profit and will do a crap job and then the client ends up paying for it anyway! I have seen it too many times! The company I work for has been in business for over 20 years, and has grown from $30 million a year to $150million a year in just 2 years because it refuses to do jobs for nothing!

[Bobs69]

Hey guys, (the last 4 responses to my query!) thanks for the thoughtfull answers with no attitude towards my lack of knowledge on this subject.  I appreciate it, and understand it better now.

Good answers.

Also, about asking a contractor to do a job for less then he quoted, not a chance I'd do that.  Like you said corners would have to be cut, plus you are asking someone to lower the value the put on themselves, some honest people don't deserve that!