Why I'll never purchase from Cerifit again...

[Millerad1651]

Came in to buy four parts: hood, fender, bumper, and valance. Each piece was brought out, and I loaded into my truck as they were brought out. After all four pieces were loaded, I paid, received my receipt, and was on my way.
Seven days later, I went to install. Took the steel bumper out of the cardboard, and noticed an quarter sized dent. Obviously, I did not install. Since it was Saturday, I had to wait until Monday to call.

When I did call, I was told I was out of luck since I had taken the parts out of the building without opening them first and checking for damage. I was told this was written on the back of the receipt. Mind you, I was never told this, there are no signs posted relating to this policy, and I had received the receipt after everything had been taken out of the store and loaded. In my opinion, it is not a reasonable assumption of the casual customer to know they need to open and check items without being told to do so, or having documentation in the store stating their policy.

Called corporate, they told me there is a 30 day warranty on defective parts. I needed the manager to see the damage and determine if it was from shipping or after I had purchased. He said it was damaged, not defective, and most likely after I had taken it home..."There isn't any damage on the box...this tear doesn't go all the way through, it wouldn't cause that type of dent." He also told me he did tell me to open them, which he did not. I also explained that I was given a copy of the policy after I had already taken the items out of the store, which he called "irrelevant". After basically calling me a liar, and insinuating that I was trying to scam the company, I made another call to corporate, let them know I would be contacting the BBB. We worked out that I would get an exchange, but pay a 20% restocking fee...fine.

Manager brought out a second, new bumper. We both open it up, and low and behold, it has the same exact dent in the same exact spot. There is no way in hell that two bumpers have the same exact damage in the same exact spot, and it happening at different times. I stated I wanted a full refund, and the manager was all of a sudden awfully quiet. I got my refund, found a different distributor, and will never make a purchase from Certifit again. No company that calls their customers a liar and scammer deserves your business.

 

[Unner]

That's ridiculous. It makes me so mad when people do things like that and accuse me of things. I would have probably gone in there and raised hell until they fixed it. Which Certifit was this? The one in Indianapolis presumably? I've never been to one, but the one in Atlanta they weren't very friendly on the phone, but the one in Memphis the lady on the phone was very nice and helpful. It may depend on the management at that particular location.

 

[Millerad1651]

Ya, my level of anger was pretty high...it took all I had not to blow up on the manager. I dealt with the manager the entire time...he sold me the parts, and then dealt with me when I tried to exchange them. He just acted douchey and had a smarmy look on his face the whole time. He was so proud that he didn't have to exchange the part. This was the Indianapolis/Plainfield location.

Corporate lady was nice. She could only do so much since she couldn't see the part, and she was in Utah. She kind of changed her tune after I mentioned going to the BBB.

 

[MONTYMTB]

Manager brought out a second, new bumper. We both open it up, and low and behold, it has the same exact dent in the same exact spot.

Hate that you had to deal with this, but this is just awesome ^
Instant gratification for you I'm sure.

 

[Millerad1651]

Hate that you had to deal with this, but this is just awesome ^
Instant gratification for you I'm sure.

Yes, that was definitely the greatest part. I just looked at him and said, "Did I damage this one too?"

 

[nevada]

That's ridiculous. It makes me so mad when people do things like that and accuse me of things. I would have probably gone in there and raised hell until they fixed it. Which Certifit was this? The one in Indianapolis presumably? I've never been to one, but the one in Atlanta they weren't very friendly on the phone, but the one in Memphis the lady on the phone was very nice and helpful. It may depend on the management at that particular location.

its not that ridiculous. most people lack integrity, and would absolutely try to return an item that they themselves damaged, and expect a full refund. business have to cover their asses, otherwise lowlifes will take advantage.

 

[T4R2014]

I gave up on aftermarket body parts a long time ago. They are all pretty much the same sh!t from Taiwan with questionable quality control. Considering they are not painted to begin with, I prefer to buy used OEM since I am painting them anyway.

 

[BtownRunner]

I've bought from the Certifit in Plainfield a dozen times or so and actually would recommended them as the manager has always been great/helpful to me. Sorry to hear what you went through, story is hilarious though.

 

[Millerad1651]

its not that ridiculous. most people lack integrity, and would absolutely try to return an item that they themselves damaged, and expect a full refund. business have to cover their asses, otherwise lowlifes will take advantage.

Well, I wasn't asking for a full refund, just a replacement that wasn't damaged. If they were up front about the policy of opening to check for damage before leaving I would have been ok.

I gave up on aftermarket body parts a long time ago. They are all pretty much the same sh!t from Taiwan with questionable quality control. Considering they are not painted to begin with, I prefer to buy used OEM since I am painting them anyway.

Well, this was the chrome bumper, so I was kinda of stuck with it...I didn't want to spend 3x that for OEM. The hood and fender were both fine.

I've bought from the Certifit in Plainfield a dozen times or so and actually would recommended them as the manager has always been great/helpful to me. Sorry to hear what you went through, story is hilarious though.

Have you always been told to open everything before leaving the building? I honestly had no idea about that policy...you'd figure it would be in writing somewhere just in case they forget to tell you about it.
If the manager would have said, "man that sucks. Let me exchange that for you, but you'll have to pay a restocking fee", I would have been fine, and probably would have recommended them. But acting like a douche, calling me a liar, and overall lack of service is a no go.

 

[jmildoc]

Oh quit you're whining. Lol.
Kidding that does suck. Hope your other parts work well

 

[T4R2014]

Well, this was the chrome bumper, so I was kinda of stuck with it...I didn't want to spend 3x that for OEM. The hood and fender were both fine.

I get you, they are usually rusted out at wreckers in your area too. I bought two rear aftermarket center chrome bumper pieces made by TYC. Both of them had dings and the chrome finish was cracking. Fitment sucked too. Every time I looked at it, it would bug me as much as the damaged piece it replaced. I spent $220 on an OEM and I have no regrets.

 

[BtownRunner]

Have you always been told to open everything before leaving the building? I honestly had no idea about that policy...you'd figure it would be in writing somewhere just in case they forget to tell you about it.
If the manager would have said, "man that sucks. Let me exchange that for you, but you'll have to pay a restocking fee", I would have been fine, and probably would have recommended them. But acting like a douche, calling me a liar, and overall lack of service is a no go.

I've never been told that or seen anything about their policies listed in the building. I'll probably continue to go but you definitely aren't wrong to be pissed.

 

[Millerad1651]

I've never been told that or seen anything about their policies listed in the building. I'll probably continue to go but you definitely aren't wrong to be pissed.

Well make sure you open everything up and and check before you leave. According to the manager, he always tells people to check them, but so far at least 2 people say otherwise.

As for the parts, I would use them again, they worked out great. But the atrocious customer service ruined it for me.

 

[shadow247]

Next time try Keystone/LKQ corp. They are selling the same parts as CERTIFIT, for usually around the same price. They supply all the body shops in just about any major city with Aftermarket parts. I have a Keystone Right fender on my 99 and you wouldn't even know unless I pointed out 1 minor flaw in the fit, that could easily have been corrected by the body tech before he final fit the fender.

 

[RandyDaytona]

So by this company's rationale, a person at a restaurant drive through has to sit in the car and examine their food, in detail, before pulling away. To not only insure that they received the correct order, but to make sure the lettuce isn't rotted, the cheese doesn't have moldy, green fur growing on it, the meat is actually cooked, etc.

If they don't check, then find something wrong later on, they can't come back and ask for an exchange...even though people do all the time, and no restaurant I've ever heard of would make a stink about making the situation right.

Different scenario, obviously. But to me, it seems as though the company in question KNOWS they're selling stuff that's bound to have issues, hence this policy. They got tired of the hassle and expense of making things right with the customer, then having to deal with the sources from which they purchase this junk in order to get their money back.

To me, that's an avoidance of responsibility. If you sell it, you should back it up. No, not guarantee it for 100 years. Just make sure it will be given to the customer in fully-functional condition, defect-free, and in one piece. I don't think that's too much to ask. Otherwise, find a better manufacturer - instead of keeping the same substandard one and enjoying the same markup/profit margin.

But what do I know? I'm probably way too ethical to work in business.

That said, there ARE people who intentionally bilk the system. My wife used to work for a guy like this. Every time he needed something like a pressure washer or a carpet steam cleaner - a limited-use item- he'd find a store with a liberal return policy, buy it, use it, then bring it back for a full refund. On a more widespread level, I saw people after Hurricane Katrina who would go through the Red Cross aid stations and gather up name-brand, donated stuff (like Pampers), then drive to to the closest Wal-Mart to get a "refund." So Red Cross workers had to start marking certain items with a sharpie before handing them out. So people can be just as sleazy as vendors.

In this case, however, I can't imagine there were soooo many sleazy auto parts customers which caused the company to adopt this policy. To me, the crappy-manufacturer scenario is a lot more likely.

 

[nevada]

So by this company's rationale, a person at a restaurant drive through has to sit in the car and examine their food before pulling away. To insure that they received the "correct" order.

If they don't, they can't come back and ask for an exchange...even though people do all the time, and no restaurant I've ever heard of would make a stink about making the situation right.

Different scenario, obviously. But to me, it seems as though the company in question KNOWS they're selling stuff that's bound to have issues, hence this policy. They got tired of the hassle and expense of making things right with the customer, then having to deal with the sources from which they purchase this junk in order to get their money back.

To me, that's an avoidance of responsibility. If you sell it, you should back it up. No, not guarantee it for 100 years. Just make sure it will be given to the customer in fully-functional condition, defect-free, and in one piece. I don't think that's too much to ask. Otherwise, find a better manufacturer - instead of keeping the same substandard one and enjoying the same markup/profit margin.

But what do I know? I'm probably way too ethical to work in business.

what about when the backyard monkey tries to install something, and damages it? then decided to try and return it, saying it was already damaged?

that type of situation is why they have the policy of check it before you leave.

with a food order, the customer cant "make it wrong" after they get home.

 

[RandyDaytona]

I think I was still working on my post when you responded, but see the part at the end.

It's not that I don't think there are dishonest people out there. I just find the likelihood that too many products these days are being cheaply manufactured in order to make more money is a lot higher than every backyard mechanic being a dishonest.

 

[Thai]

To please everyone, this company needs to price the products higher AND have a better return policy. That is what everyone is doing these days to cover the costs of dishonest f*ckers in our society.

If Cerifit price is good (lower than everyone else), then that may explain their (lack of) return policy.

If you shop cheap, then expect the same in customer service. If you pay more, then (generally) you get better service. That is just how i view society and what to expect when i buy something.