Rant About the Local NAPA

I don't mind paying up front for something special, but if it is not what I ordered,
then why would I have to pay a "restocking fee" because they sent the wrong part?

Call it a Screw Up Fee.
Let the person that made the screw up, pay the fee.

 

That was my point. I worked at a dealer, if our parts dept ordered the wrong part they would reorder overnight ( no charge to the customer ), or they would eat it, "no shows" became too costly, that's why they implimented that policy.

 

Exactly, Unkl Ian.

I think that's why the parts man/Asst. Mgr. refused to admit it was the wrong part. I was shocked. It is the very first time in 50 years that I've had a parts man look at a part, compare it to the original of the car, see that they were completly different, and steadfastly refuse to admit it was the wrong part. Damnedest thing I've ever seen. It just goes to show that even an experienced, older parts man can still be just as crooked as a dog's hind leg.

Just for the record..... NAPA Corporate has not yet responded to my email complaint. Since they didn't even acknowledge my email, I suspect I might never hear from them.

SAFU (a former NAPA lover, turned NAPA hater.)

 

I guess we are lucky here in Tucson with Merles A/P cause they are mostly cars guys,if worse come to worse I hit up NAPA.....and if I need a air freshner or car wax I hit up Pep boys or Oreally.............

 

I have the same situation with my local NAPA - unless you have a business account with them, they can't be bothered.

I will say the NAPA nearby when I lived in WI was great - more expensive, but they were pretty helpful and friendly. If they didn't have what you needed, they'd try to get it for you or recommend places to look for it.

 

I had a u joint break in my Dodge car hauler,walked to the NAPA store w/driveshaft and had a new joint pressed in and bought some cap retainers w/bolts.Then ask if i could borrow a 7/16 open end wrench(ive known them for yrs) no i had to buy one,i did and never bought tools or had machine work done.again.. I didnt burn the bridge cause at times i needed things others didnt stock,this was 20 yr ago.Still have the NAPA wrench and dont use it,kind of silly but i just wont use it,i showed them hahaha.......................YG

 

-Call Napa corporate and talk to someone if you want them to do something about it. At the least you're liable to get a gift card out of the deal.

 

I have worked in the automobile business all my life. I cringe when I hear stories like this. The lack of common sense in today's society utterly amazes me!

 

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

If I don't hear back from NAPA Corporate on the email I sent, I will call the headquarters and make sure someone knows what happened.

I used to work at a parts store as stock boy, delivery boy, and later, a counterman, and this incident at NAPA the other day was just a shocker. The counterman's refusal to admit it was the wrong part was the very first time I've ever seen or heard of such a thing in a professional parts store. It just doesn't make any sense to lie to a customer like that.

SAFU

 

You still kickin the NAPA? Man I think you hurt em, the stock is waaay down, when you gonna stop dissin em, Monday about noon... Ill buy at 11.55 and then tell everybody all is forgiven... We can do a Marfa Stewort.

 

I found out first hand that napa stands for " no auto parts avaiable". Stopped at the local store to pick up a transmission filter kit for a c-4 ( very common i thought). They didn't have it but could have it the next morning for $8 and change. So great.... Went in the next morning and was charged an additional $10 freight !needless to say i don't go to napa any more.i've been in the garage business for over 20 years and can't believe what jerks these people have become.i now mail-order as much as i possibly can from northern auto parts. Better prices ans over night ups.to bad northern doesn't have much for vintage and hotrod parts.

 

<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cmajors%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <wunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> Snafu: First of all let me clarify that yes I am a Napa employee. And with that may I start with an apology. You should not have been lied to. As far as the sending unit goes, unfortunately I don&#8217;t know what type of a 64 ford you are dealing with but I came up with three that we list: fg100a for a t-bird, fg149a for falcon/comet, and fg86 for mustang/cougar. If the form fit and function was completely off, then we may have problem with our supplier that we should rectify. And if this is the case sorry but thanks for bring it to our attention. The more input we have from our customers the better we become. Personally the $8.00 dollar fee the way it was handled was wrong, and you should not have been charged or held hostage like you were.
When I first started doing outside sales for Napa the &#8216;old timers&#8221; kept telling me that &#8220;People buy from people&#8221;. Wtf???? Was my first reaction when I heard this, but there is a lot to this saying. You are upset because He didn&#8217;t treat you right, and He was not willing to see your problems. Sure not having the right part sucks but what really pissed you off was his unwillingness to HELP you. We all have done this; and yes it is WRONG.
Ok I&#8217;m taking my work hat off now. Of course I would like all Napa&#8217;s to kick ass names, have everything we needed and service the living hell out of there customers. But I know that is not the case. Whomever your supplier is, remember people buy from people. There is nothing worse then confusion in a parts store yes we get to busy to take enough time for each customer and yes we don&#8217;t always have our staff up to speed and our inventories are not spot on and WE the customer don&#8217;t get treated like we should. But there is nothing better than finding the people that can help you around all that b.s. And HELP you. Look I&#8217;ve heard them all before: no auto parts available, not another parts asshole, national association of prostitutes and alcoholics&#8230;.. That&#8217;s my personal favorite. But look Napa imho is still the best around, around since 1925. Everyone has their personal favorites, and I don&#8217;t like dissing any of my competitors the parts business can be a bitch sometimes. But even with terrible inventory, extra charges, and shitty parts, the best parts houses are the ones who have the knowledge.
Just to let you know you probably will not get an email answer until Monday, if any at all. I have personally sent a copy link of this post to Atlanta&#8217;s &#8220;which is Napa&#8217;s headquarters&#8221; customer service with a little description included. If you call, call on Monday during business hours, and of all things I strongly suggest that you have a talk with the owner about your experience. I know it is a pain but without your input they can&#8217;t/we can&#8217;t get better at serving you. For those who have responded positively about Napa, thanks! Good to hear good things, as for those who have had issue, my apologize, but in return if you ever do have an issue please make sure the higher ups know about it, it sucks to loose a customer over petty shit when it could be resolve. Snafu, thank you for business before and I hope that your opinion of Napa may be a little more positive after reading this &#8220;ok for a second there I put my work hat back on.&#8221;

 

I had a problem with a NAPA Gold oil filter and the store gave me a new filter no questions asked. The fellow behind the counter said I should contact the district rep for the store and let him know about the problem. He gave the fellows name and contacted him via e-mail. About 2 days later he called me and I explained the problem. He was very nice and apologized for the defective product and said they'd look into it. They never did did get back to me about it, but the process of handling the problem was handled very well and I continue to buy at this store.

 

I am pretty sure these stores are franchises. So they are all owned independantly. The counter help is gonna be hit or miss. The one near me is great(Ardmore Pa.). Those guys cant do enough for you.

 

haha...That is FUNNY! everyone needs to lighten up here, starting with the parts guy who tried to play keep away with that dudes credit card.

 

slider&#8217;s house of kustoms

Sir,
<O></O>
<FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman">Thank you for the skillfully written apologia on behalf of NAPA.

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The fuel sending unit was for a 1964 Falcon Ranchero. As I told the <st1:City><ST1lace>NAPA</ST1lace></st1:City> counterman when I ordered the part, the 1964-65 Ranchero uses a different fuel tank, and as a result, a unique fuel sending unit. My offer to provide the original Ford part number was met with the response that it could not be &#8220;crossed&#8221; to a <st1:City>NAPA</st1:City> number. That is why I took the original part into the store so he could compare it to the picture on his computer screen. He said it was a match, and at that point I ordered the part.
<O></O>
Subsequent to the fiasco that occurred when I went to pick up the part, I conducted some research to identify the bogus part that they tried to foist off on me. It is a universal-style fuel sending unit, number FG 149A, which you claim will fit Falcons and Comets. In fact, it will fit only certain 1965 Falcons and Comets, but by no means all of them.
<O></O>
Please note, Falcons and Comets use three distinct fuel sending units, and the applicability of the universal-style is strictly a hit or miss proposition for the 1965 year model, and it is not an exact match to any of them. In the case of my Ranchero, it was not even close.
<O></O>
To further exacerbate the situation for <st1:City>NAPA</st1:City>, I later learned this universal-style fuel sending unit is offered by restoration parts houses on the Internet for $40.00 - $50.00. The correct fuel sending unit from the supplier I subsequently chose is $65.00. The charge at <st1:City>NAPA</st1:City>, with my business account discount was $110.00, not including the freight charge. When I contacted one of these restoration parts houses, the young lady who took my order made a point of telling me that while they sell the universal-style fuel sending unit, it will not work in the 1964-65 Ranchero fuel tank. (Do you see a difference here?)
<O></O>
Needless to say, this is not (repeat) not a problem with your supplier, and the responsibility for this considerable oversight rests solidly on NAPA &#8211; at all levels from the counterman who said the picture was a match with the original part, to the senior executives who authorized the cost-cutting measures which omitted the correct part numbers for Falcons and Comets in favor of selling a universal-style fuel sending unit that will only fit some of the 1965 model year cars.
<O></O>
This is obviously a systemic problem within the NAPA Corporation which undoubtedly extends far beyond selling a universal-style fuel sending unit for Falcons and Comets for more than twice the going rate. Sadly, it appears <st1:City><ST1NAPA</st1:City> has joined the ranks of other major American corporations on the slippery slope to obscurity and failure greased by the short-sighted pursuit of monthly and quarterly profits while frittering away its valuable and loyal customer base.

SAFU

 

I don't prepay at the local Autozone. Gotta be cool with them.

 

I worked at the local NAPA here in Dekalb. I am ASE Cert. in parts,have a AAS in automtives and over 30 years of selling High Performance and reg. parts. I was replaced by a 21 year old who will do whatever the boss wants(aka ass kisser). I was the go to guy for all the guys with performance questains and old car problems. They still have a couple of guys that know parts but no one that does Hi Performance. Cheaper to have a Yes man without a High school degree work the counter than someone that knows what parts to get the customers.
It's ok I landed on my feet and am making good money now working for my friend. It's better to go on line and look up the part yourself. Napa doesn't carry alot of the parts for older cars that they should. I tried to cross the parts I had to redo the Lin. brakes for my banjo and they don't even carry the rebuilt kit for the WC!

 

Yup, .... NAPA suck alright. Glad you landed on your feet.

And Thanks for your service.

SAFU

 

Well pardner, you called that one. No word from NAPA Corporate yet.

They don't have a toll free number, and understandably I am reluctant to pay for a long distance telephone call to clue them in on a problem they already know about, especially since it says on their website that they will reply to emails.

SAFU

 

Area Code 877 IS Toll Free.

 

I admire your restraint. I would have only asked once for my credit card, then there would have been physical contact as I proceded to get it back. In the process, either he, or me, would have gotten our ass kicked.

 

I know I don't trade with them any more !

 

Here I was thinking the COUGAR didn't even come out til 1967

 

My uncle works for a corporate NAPA store. His store is about an hour drive, so I only use him for harder to get parts -- especially the parts that the local store can order in the next day because they are coming from his store. NAPA has actually treated my uncle well, so I try to buy parts from them as often as possible.

The local store is a franchise. Recently I did the rear brakes on an off topic Chevy with disks. while I was cleaning up those sheet metal caliper slides, I realized I needed to buy replacements -- one was just about broken in half. Went back to the local store with one in hand, the guy looked it up and brought out a box with a plastic bag inside -- the bag had been previously opened and the part was incorrect -- it kind of looked like the ones on the front. I asked if he had another set. He double checked the part number and said this was the part for the rear according to the computer, he said they should have another set on the shelf but they would be the same ones cause they were in the right box (not thinking that someone could have returned the open ones in the wrong box) I hit all the chains between that NAPA and the next closest one (which is franchised by the same people) nobody had the part for a very common Chevy! The guy at the second NAPA looked up the part and grabbed it off the shelf and it was the right part -- I told him to call the other store and let them know that they had the wrong part in that box, I am not sure if he did.

Several weeks later I got my CC bill. It looked like my card got swiped twice at the second NAPA and I was charged for another guy's parts. It was only $15 or so though. I went in with my bill and my receipts and the manager said "how do I know you didn't make that purchase" -- I mean I spent almost $250 between the 2 stores and now I am going to screw him for $15. I went home and called the CC company and they took care of it. If the guy wants to sue me for the $15 he can, I know my signature will not be on the receipt. If he does or refuses to sell to me because I charged it back to him, I will just start buying everything online.

 

877 is toll free? Damn new-fangled, dagnabbed, ......

Just as soon as I think I've caught up with the world......... and they go and add something else new that I ain't never heard of before. Crap.

In that case I will give them a call.

SAFU

 

My NAPA is great. I've NEVER been asked to prepay,never been charged to return anything.I have a busy shop three miles from them and deal with them a lot .I'm lucky to have three parts chains in my small town,NAPA,CarQuest,and Advanced . I deal with all of them to spread out my business and keep my options open,but NAPA is my favorite of the three.

 

Had to look it up to make sure.
I guess they added 877 after 866 got used up.

 

We have a small family owned parts house here, they are usually a couple bucks higher than the chain stores. But the parts are always right and they can actually cross reference an odd part without asking what year? , what engine?, or what carb is on it.