Just like most others, I've been doing online searching for the best pricing for OEM parts (along with after market). I placed an order with a company that started playing games with me, so I cancelled the order. I searched around and found another retailer with similar pricing and placed my order with them. My final screen showed my order, gave an order #, and that's it. Since company 1 wasted about 3 days, I'm now in a position where I don't have a lot of time left to complete my repairs in order to be road-ready for something I have scheduled. I placed this new order at 10:00am +/- and never received the auto-email stating my order was in queue, processing, etc. I tried calling and got 3-4 rings before going to voicemail (of which sounds like somebody's cell phone voicemail). I get it, companies apply different methods to control costs in order to be a leg up on their competition. No problems with that. I'd like to leave a voicemail, but their mailbox is full. So their "we will return your call quickly" or whatever it said, obviously is a lie. I called 5 times today, same scenario. I emailed. No response to their "prompt reply!" I am now another day down and have nothing more than an order number on their website for a reference. No charges have been made or pendings to my card, which tells me they haven't even pretended to start processing the order. "Super fast shipping guaranteed!" - not seeing how that's possible. No place on their site to CANCEL an order. These things you don't find out until you are already on the hook. My question is this: Who have you guys found to be reliable, legit OEM parts suppliers that stay true to their business and KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS? I don't want to get skunked on fake OEM or ripped off by phony companies. I've dealt with several shady companies through various online venues recently and it seems to be a growing problem. I am giving my current order holding company until tomorrow noon-ish before I out them here and other Toyota forums for being a problematic site to deal with. I think shady/crappy businesses SHOULD be outted publicly so that others don't fall into their trap.
Doing business with online parts retailers
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No offense but it's your fault for being cheap. Good service usually doesn't come cheap. Cheap service usually isn't good. With that being said, go with TRDparts4u.com. They're not the cheapest, but they're reliable. They're in Texas I believe and they replied to my e-mails asap. And if anything, support your local parts dealer. I may be a price shopper but if I can, I'll try to support local shops in order to have them around when I need them. Also, lately since I order with my local dealer, I have a contact there that orders me my out of stock parts without going into the store for pre-payment. Saves me time and I have a 2 day ETA usually.
What he said. TRD Parts4U and Sparks Toyota are two sponsoring vendors right here at FJ Cruiser Forums. You can also PM (private message them) and ask for 5% discount codes that are given to forum members.
I just ordered OEM parts from TRDParts4U last week and I checked a whole lot of online oem parts sellers to see if they had the best prices (and they did). Also had reasonable shipping charges.
I dont think the PM function will work for you until you are up to 5 posts here at the forum.
Well let's see. Poor service is not my fault. I have two dealers within 50 miles of me. The first one hung up on me at "high I want to check price and availability on several parts..." I called back. This time they stayed on the line long enough to get 3 part numbers written down and then placed me on hold, forever. I called back later in the day thinking they must be in a busy period. They then proceeded to quote me list +10-15% on the parts. NO thanks. The 2nd dealer did not stock any of the parts and had zero interest in ordering them. SO, there is my local shopping experiences. I'm not trying to be cheap, I'm trying to be mindful of price gouging that dealerships often use to make their ends. But thanks for chiming in! I'd definitely shop local if I thought that my business mattered here. I do shop local in other realms, but I won't for Toyota parts.
Thanks for the info on the forum discounts and some resources to utilize going forward. Hopefully I can resolve this no-answer business with my current endeavor tomorrow. I'd really like the option to cancel this order and move on, but that doesn't seem to be an option at this point.
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My bad, just assumed by your initial description, you weren't trying all avenues. Not sure what parts you're purchasing, but many 3rd party manufacturers make excellent OEM replacements at fraction of dealer costs if you're in a bind. And as such, many auto shops carry gaskets, seals and hardware when simply OEM is outrageous. Ie. I did steering knuckle gaskets. Dealer wanted $45. Online want $30. Replacement for a 3rd party National gasket was $10.
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So let's see if i understand this right, you messed up YOUR deadline for ordering parts and now you blame a vendor for not answering you right away ? You are not the only order that a vendor gets ( at least i hope for them it's not ) the vendor might be on vacation, sick, had an emergency, your order got lost, didn't go through, frankly anything could have happen.
No. I didn't mess up my deadline. I do blame a vendor for not being able to reply to a customer inquiry in a timely fashion or for not being able to provide the order email as their site clearly indicates will take place. A little communication and professionalism goes a LONG way with building relationships. Thank you for your reply, though.
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you can call your bank and have the transaction canceled
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A lot of these online vendors don't stock anything, they essentially drop ship everything from the manufacturer. So they might be waiting on the manufacturer to confirm stock on hand before charging your card.
Not that that excuses poor communication from the vendor.
Not that that excuses poor communication from the vendor.
Well as of this morning they finally decided to communicate via email stating that they are processing the order today and it will ship tomorrow. When I pull up the order number on their site, it shows "on order". So I'm guessing either that's their way of saying that they are processing it, or more probable, it's literally "on order" from their supplier and it will ship from a 3rd party. Either way, not likely that I'll do business with them again. Thanks to those who have chimed in on who they feel are reputable places to do business with. As another reader pointed out, "shop local" didn't work out for me. I used to do so before I moved out of state, as I had a decent working relationship with the parts counter at my local Toyota shop. They had several nearby competitors, so I think that helped them keep a balanced outlook on counter sales. My current local dealer has no real competition nearby, and they act like it.
BT...i dont even frequent my local toyota dealers any more for parts. They dont just charge MSRP...they add about 30-50% and claim they cant even match the MSRP that you can find online (let alone the discounted online price). Many of the online OEM Toyota parts places are dealers that run an internet parts business. If I can wait on the part, I order OEM through some of the vendors I suggested or I order non-OEM via RockAuto. Once in a while, I will order online from Advance Auto and utilize some of the 30-40% discount codes posted at TacomaWorld and then pick up in person (if they stock what I am looking for).
I have to be desperate from a time perspective for me to show up at the local toyota dealer.
I did have one situation where I got the local toyota dealer to honor their own internet parts business price in person or beat a lower price on the internet. But those are few and far between and usually involve me having to drive over there and back twice. Once to order the part and then once to pick it up. And frankly i get tired of begging and trying to convince people and have them think they are doing me a big favor by matching an internet price.
Honestly, no tax and delivery to my front door is better. Perhaps you can develop a relationship with a local Toyota dealer to match internet pricing...but might be time to acknowledge the world has changed and roll with it. Frankly, I like being able to look up all my own part numbers on the parts schematics online and print the diagrams which are useful for repairing stuff.
In the old days i would have to look at the diagram upside down while the parts guy was looking through reams of parts catalogs. If he couldnt find it or didnt know where to look, you were out of luck and told the part didnt exist. Honestly, OEM parts buying in the internet era....is awesome....just not at the local parts counter.
I have to be desperate from a time perspective for me to show up at the local toyota dealer.
I did have one situation where I got the local toyota dealer to honor their own internet parts business price in person or beat a lower price on the internet. But those are few and far between and usually involve me having to drive over there and back twice. Once to order the part and then once to pick it up. And frankly i get tired of begging and trying to convince people and have them think they are doing me a big favor by matching an internet price.
Honestly, no tax and delivery to my front door is better. Perhaps you can develop a relationship with a local Toyota dealer to match internet pricing...but might be time to acknowledge the world has changed and roll with it. Frankly, I like being able to look up all my own part numbers on the parts schematics online and print the diagrams which are useful for repairing stuff.
In the old days i would have to look at the diagram upside down while the parts guy was looking through reams of parts catalogs. If he couldnt find it or didnt know where to look, you were out of luck and told the part didnt exist. Honestly, OEM parts buying in the internet era....is awesome....just not at the local parts counter.
SilvFx - well said! I have very many of those same thoughts on the subject. The internet and modern data cataloging have changed the parts world. I've turned wrenches for 25+ years in various realms and I, at least weekly, say "the internet is an awesome tool for doing my job". It cuts out a LOT of the misinformation when I'm searching for facts (e.g. torque specs, fluid specs, parts availability, etc.). Thanks for the input.
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