What to do next after wrong part supplied?

[gbjeppm]

Hi All,

Would appreciate your thoughts on what to do next.

I bought a new clutch from a certain online motor factor, using the car registration number.

When i picked it up I asked them to check that it was the right part for the car.

Its for a 2000 E39 BMW, that my son owns.

So a BMW clutch done on the drive is not a trivial job, its an all day job, exhaust off, driveshaft, drop gearbox etc.

Old clutch is toast, new one looks right, and fits, although cosmetically slightly different, its an aftermarket clutch and pressure plate.

Anyway get it all back together, and no drive.

Lots of head scratching, and finally call the motor factor, who admit that the part for a 2000 E39 that they supplied, after cross referencing with BMW is the wrong part.

I have printed off the fact that even now it is still showing this part is correct.

Anyway, i happened to have a used correct clutch and pressure plate to hand, and as son needed the car ASAP, we fitted that instead of a new one.

The sloppiness of the supplier wasted at least 6 hours for two people.

So what to do next:

1) Just get a refund on the wrong part, which now incidentally looks slightly used now, as it has been fitted and removed. And just put it down to experience.

2) Try and get something more for the inconvenience, as it really was.

Thoughts please guys.

 

[grober]

Negotiate firmly ? ------ bit of luck you will get your money back or at least credit for the part returned. Its a compromise situation- they get back a dirty part [ assuming its undamaged] they can discount it to another buyer or take the loss. You on the other hand have to take a hit on the 6 wasted hours- asking for compensation will simply antagonise them.

 

[Deleted member 26392]

You are entitled to a replacement of the correct part or a full refund as the part was incorrectly supplied and not what your entered into the contract to purchase.

Had you contracted another party to fit the wrong part, then they would be liable for that as well - as it's your own time it's down to them if they offer any good will.

I would get them to refund you in full and as for a discount / credit of 20% off any other purchase you make.

 

[def90cars]

I would want for refund but put the hours lost down to "experience of trying to save money and not pay an expert to do it properly".

 

[Charles Morgan]

They supplied the wrong part, they should refund in full the cost of the part. The rest, sadly, is not claimable.

 

[TheFoX]

Sometimes the cost of litigation outweighs the benefits. How would you even justify what your own hourly rate would be?

The very minimum you would expect is a full refund. Don't accept a credit note because you are not asking for an exchange. They supplied the wrong part, so they charged you for something you didn't want. Besides, you asked them to verify the part before you took delivery.

 

[gbjeppm]

Yes thanks guys, i agree its not worth the hassle, we shall see later if I get a full refund, i will be pushing hard for that.

Although in response to Tony's comment, I am 99% sure a so called expert would not have spotted that the part was incorrect before fitting it, it needed to be measured with a vernier gauge to spot that the distances and thickness of pressure plate and clutch were slightly different, which meant that the clutch was not gripped between the flywheel and the pressure plate when the clutch was released.

Everything else was the same.

 

[brucemillar]

Matt

I have been here myself before and it is just not funny at all. I was left with Range Rover blocking my mates Garage Ramp when he stripped it to fit a new front wheel bearing. You guessed it.... It was the wrong side bearing and the garage and RR did not have a replacement. 5 day wait for mew part.

I got a full refund and discount on the replacement bearing.

 

[markjay]

...So what to do next:

1) Just get a refund on the wrong part, which now incidentally looks slightly used now, as it has been fitted and removed. And just put it down to experience.

2) Try and get something more for the inconvenience, as it really was.

Thoughts please guys.

Try 2 first, as in:

...I would get them to refund you in full and as for a discount / credit of 20% off any other purchase you make.

But be willing to settle for 1 if you get no joy from 2....

 

[Peter T]

Without wishing to sound unsympathetic, I'm surprised you would opt for an aftermarket part over an original part on something that such a PITA to install.

OK, the aftermarket part is cheaper but in the overall scheme of things it seems like a false economy?

 

[gbjeppm]

Without wishing to sound unsympathetic, I'm surprised you would opt for an aftermarket part over an original part on something that such a PITA to install.

OK, the aftermarket part is cheaper but in the overall scheme of things it seems like a false economy?

More than 150 quid difference in price for aftermarket clutch, on a car that in total cost 280 quid.

BMW clutch was about the same price as the whole car

Its a 2000 523I with 160K on original clutch, in my mind exactly what aftermarket parts are for.

Incidentally, just to close this out, we settled just on a full refund, as returned part was fitted to the car, tested and removed. They were not happy that part was not perfectly new, but admitted that they supplied wrong part, I can live with that.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I do feel for you because I've been in this position before and, in the end, I bit the bullet by simply getting the part refunded and then buying OEM.

The fact the original lasted sixteen years and 160k also tells its own story.

 

[brucemillar]

Without wishing to sound unsympathetic, I'm surprised you would opt for an aftermarket part over an original part on something that such a PITA to install.

OK, the aftermarket part is cheaper but in the overall scheme of things it seems like a false economy?

Sometimes needs must. It was not the aftermarket part that caused the issue here, rather the wrong part being supplied.

On my Pajero the difference in price is normally around 50% for parts that will probably outlast the car.

Lets not forget that most parts are by definition "aftermarket" it is just that they are allegedly built to a standard defined by the manufacturer.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

It was not the aftermarket part that caused the issue here, rather the wrong part being supplied.

And that's the crux of the matter though Bruce, the "aftermarket" sellers lack the specific vehicle knowledge that only the main dealer parts department can bring, my Mercedes one in particular is very knowledgeable about pretty much any Mercedes I take him to task on.

It's also worth pointing out that I've never once had the wrong part supplied by a main dealer whereas the strike rate on "aftermarket" sellers is about 30% returns due to incorrect parts. I actually once spent the best part of a day going back and forth five times to ECP to get the right order for my mechanic.

 

[gbjeppm]

And that's the crux of the matter though Bruce, the "aftermarket" sellers lack the specific vehicle knowledge that only the main dealer parts department can bring, my Mercedes one in particular is very knowledgeable about pretty much any Mercedes I take him to task on.

It's also worth pointing out that I've never once had the wrong part supplied by a main dealer whereas the strike rate on "aftermarket" sellers is about 30% returns due to incorrect parts. I actually once spent the best part of a day going back and forth five times to ECP to get the right order for my mechanic.

Yes agree, its always a balance of cost of part vs longevity of car, vs ability of supplier.

 

[brucemillar]

And that's the crux of the matter though Bruce, the "aftermarket" sellers lack the specific vehicle knowledge that only the main dealer parts department can bring, my Mercedes one in particular is very knowledgeable about pretty much any Mercedes I take him to task on.

It's also worth pointing out that I've never once had the wrong part supplied by a main dealer whereas the strike rate on "aftermarket" sellers is about 30% returns due to incorrect parts. I actually once spent the best part of a day going back and forth five times to ECP to get the right order for my mechanic.

Agree with that. But note my earlier post where RR supplied me with the wrong part. There will always be a marker for aftermarket as long as pricing structures remain as they are where the price of a part is sometimes more than the price of the car it is for ;^)

 

[markjay]

Nothing wrong with buying a Luk or Sachs clutch, which are OEM anyway.

British brand QH are also OK.

But I would avoid unknown brands....

Also, personally I always buy items by manufacturer's part numbers after checking myself the manufacturer's catalogue (printed, or online).

Even MB parts - I order these based on EPC.

I never trust the parts counter bloke or the reseller's website to provide the correct part.

Once collected or delivered, I would not open the package unless the Part Number on the box matches my order.

But then again this is what I do for a living (not in automotive industry though).

 

[Peter T]

It's a tough one, particularly when it's expensive parts on an inexpensive car. I guess it depends on how much faff you're prepared to put up with.

What really put the tin hat on it for me was changing the drag link assembly on my son's 170 SLK, on the drive, in January!

The GSF price was £180, oem price £350, so he got the GSF one, and it didn't fit, so we had to do the job twice, in January!!

 

[brucemillar]

Try buying parts for a Husqvarna Brush Cutter. This will send you straight to the lunatic asylum. Easier to order seven fresh virgin goddess's to fulfill your every sexual need and are happy to bring along their even more beautiful sisters and mums to join in.

As soon as you as you start to utter the time honored phrase

"Do you have one these please?"

you can hear the sucking of breath between teeth down the telephone. Followed by the inevitable

"Oh you want one of those Sir?"

You now know that you entered a parallel universe where time stands still and prices are calculated in units of millions. Small furry creatures come out of hibernation just to laugh at you as you try and comprehend the fact that you now have to mortgage your house just to buy a part for a garden strimmer.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

There will always be a marker for aftermarket as long as pricing structures remain as they are where the price of a part is sometimes more than the price of the car it is for ;^)

I seem to be a rarity in that I see that ^^ the complete opposite way round; not how much it's worth now but how much it cost when new is how I think people should look at it.