Quote:
Originally Posted by tacomabobd
Warning rock auto uses standard parts!!!!!! I ordered a part from rock auto. It was a standard parts part and it looked like the part that I removed. When I got the part, it did not even look like the part I wanted, it was from another manufacturer. Rock auto stated that the part was from standard parts and that the picture was a general look of the part. I contacted standard parts only come to find out they are not the manufacturer either. They get the part from someone else and put it in their box. This is a major problem ordering parts on line since the pictures are not that of the part in the box!!!!!!!!!! We can only go by the picture and if it is not that of the actual part you want, you are stuck with the shipping to return the part and you still have to find another place to get what you want.
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Depending on the part(s) you need, most of the time you have a choice of brands that are listed in the listing. Rock Auto may get some of their parts from another warehouse that deals with the manufacturer, not directly from the manufacturer itself, so the issue may rely on that source for any mixups. There are other situations I've seen having worked in prts stores many years ago where the item may have been previously returned and the customer who returned the item switched it out for another part. That returned part may have ben put back on the shelf only to get sold to you and you discover the discrepancy.
Many companies use general pictures to show what the particular part looks like, it is also a common practice on eBay. Most of the time there is a disclaimer that the actual part may look different than the picture.(I've also seen "consolidation" where a part comes out that may end up taking the place of multiple part numbers.0 this is to conserve shelf space in the warehouse as this new part will work for more applications. It may look different, but it will do the job it was meant to.
I've ordered from Rock Auto for years and never had an issue with the parts I ordered, but you are right, you do assume some risk ordering online and getting the right parts only going by a description, or a picture. Most of the time it works out, then there are the times when it doesn't.