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Here's my beef my local NAPA: Ordered parts online to be sent to the store for pickup, after a week I call to find out the status, manager tells me they don't honor the website policy; I have to go to the store and place a deposit before ordering.
After this experience, I surfed to Amazon.com and found the same set of Buick quick struts for $80.00 less, and my fuel injectors for $80.00 less per injector! That's a whopping $320 savings for my Neon!
"NAPA know how?" I assert, "NAPA don't know how" to keep this customer!
Anybody else a fan of Amazon over your local auto parts store?
I don't use NAPA a whole lot unless it's for that hard-to-find part that I need right now. Their prices are never better than AutoZone or O'Reilly's/Kragen and the one near me has weird hours. Plus it always smells like used kitty-litter.
In your case, it sounds like the problem stems from that store not being company-owned. Never liked that about them, either. Leaves each store to make up their own rules, so you can't just walk into any location and know the kind of service and policies to expect.
When I have the time to wait, I order parts online. From where typically depends on what I'm looking for, their price, and availability. I've ordered quite a bit from amazon, TireRack, Advanced Auto Parts' website, and AutoZone's website. Only one I ever had issues with was Advanced because they sent the wrong part. But a quick call got it resolved.
If it's for planned maintenance, then yeah, online can work out, whether it'd be Advanced Auto, Amazon, Rock Auto, or in a more specific case, iPd for Volvo stuff.
There are times in which such is NOT cheaper, though, and certainly the time aspect has to be considered also.
As for Amazon specifically ... their search engine isn't intuitive. Search overload, if you will, since their searches DON'T automatically refer to your vehicle in context.
I have found Rock Auto with generally the best prices and service.
I'd never heard of Rock Auto. I did visit the site and it does look promising. There's also YAHOO shopping and a few others. With all the competition you'd think NAPA would stop acting like "the only player in town" and become more customer service oriented. This ain't 1980.
This is also why I switched to Tire Rack. I had a less than pleasant experience with a favorite tire vendor in town. That was six years ago. Since that time, EVERY set of rims and tires (five) have been purchased online. They beat local merchant pricing, even with shipping charges to Alaska.
Hint To Local Merchants Everywhere: At least TRY to keep your loyal customers. If you don't, stop wondering why you're experiencing declining revenue. Sheesh, you don't need a marketing or business degree to figure this out, folks.
Last edited by IMOGAJAD; 05-22-2011 at 01:30 PM..
Reason: Correction
Yes All it takes is one time for me to be treated less than fair and the place is history to me then,,,,forever...NAPA will pull up your part and not tell you they got four other brands of the same part that are cheaper..You need to know what they carry before you go in the store.The clerks must get commission
I have found Rock Auto with generally the best prices and service.
I'll second that. I use it A LOT for side work, and have never had a problem.
I use NAPA quite a bit, too, but mainly because the company that I work for and the discount. It takes a while to build a friendship with just one person in there that I run all of my business through. If I call and he's not there, I either call back or go elsewhere.
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