1/5

posted Mar-16-2007

BUYER BEWARE!! This company is part of the Autoparts Warehouse group of companies -- please check Autoparts Warehouse feedback on Reseller Ratings.com for a comprehensive list of the companies under whose name Autoparts Warehouse currently sells parts. If I had had this information prior to ordering two Bilstein struts from 1MotorMart.com, the order never would have been placed.

As it turned out, neither Autoparts Warehouse nor any of its "subsidiaries" are authorized on line Bilstein strut dealers -- or at least they are not listed as such on the Bilstein website. I checked the Bilstein website because, four hours after placing my order and despite two prior conversations with customer service, I had not been e-mailed an invoice. Finally, customer service provided me with a user name and password that enabled me to access my invoice on the Autoparts Warehouse website (this was when I first realized that I had been duped into doing business with Autoparts Warehouse). Nowhere on this invoice was the manufacturer of these struts -- Bilstein -- mentioned. The order simply stated "Strut Assembly."

The absence of the manufacturer's name led me to try, with no luck, to cancel the order. Why? Purchasing struts (or any part) from a company that is not authorized to sell them voids whatever warranty protection the manufacturer provides. Now the good news. I received the struts three days after placing my order and declined delivery of the package. Two days after that the struts were back at Autoparts Warehouse and ten days after that a full refund -- no re-stocking fee was charged -- was issued. In the interim, I had placed this matter into dispute with my credit card company.

What lessons were learned? First, make certain that the company that you are purchasing parts from is authorized to sell them -- otherwise the warranty may not be valid. Second, while navigating around the Autoparts Warehouse and 1MotorMart websites, I could not find an address listed for either of these companies. This is a red flag -- a company should list its address on its website. Third, use Google prudently, especially if you're not familiar with a merchant. Google does not police its advertisers in any way so the company whose sponsored link you just clicked may or may not be legitimate merchant. Google just cares about the number of times a link is clicked -- not what happens to a consumer after he gives a Google advertiser his credit card details. This policy provides merchants who don't want to play by the rules with an opening -- do a Google search for "struts" and many of the sponsored links contained in the search results are "subsidiaries" of Autoparts Warehouse.

Finally, check reseller ratings.com before ordering from a merchant with whom you are not familiar. An ounce of prevention...

This review was modified by dambru on March 31 2007 04:13:18 PM

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