[Shiny]

That does bite.

I am truly surprised, as I once worked on a product that was sold through Amazon. They kicked us out because the return rates were too high for them. We honored our warranty. They didn't want us to hurt them in any way. They won't eat too many $500 Comp returns!

Sounds like a shaky business agreement for sure.

Maybe something changed and you got caught in a transition black hole storm?

[242177P]

Part of Amazon's problem is returns. Gearheads know full well 7 of 8
(or 15 out of 16) spells nothing but trouble. But some supervisor in a
massive fulfillment center? He don't care. And neither do the worker
drones who stock that shelf.

And this is how Chinese knockoffs find their way into their inventory,
buy the real deal from them, return an offshore product. Probably all
ends up in a communal pick location, used by an untold number of
resellers.

[dataway]

Comp Cams isn't the only manufacturer that does that. I've dealt with numerous products that the manufacturers will not honor the warranty if purchased from Amazon.

I suspect part of it is just a situation like this. You will return those parts to Amazon for a refund, Amazon will most likely put them right back on the shelf and sell them again.

Just about any critical component I purchase for automotive, electronic or household I will purchase direct from the manufacturer whenever I can.

On good products the price on Amazon is often no better than the manufacturer, although I do have to pay shipping when not using Amazon.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by dataway

Just about any critical component I purchase for automotive, electronic or household I will purchase direct from the manufacturer whenever I can.
.

Exactly my thoughts earlier in this thread

Just to be clear mrennie, I dont think anyone is implying they are counterfeit comp parts, that certainly was not what I implied, just making note that with all the counterfeit stuff on the interwebs these days it is just a better idea to buy straight from the manufacture. Especially when it comes to engine parts. Chances are this could have worked out fine if it weren't for the one faulty rocker arm. Luckily returns at Amazon are easy and you're covered.

[PAUL K]

The part number for a single rocker arm is 19060-1

[mrennie]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

Chances are this could have worked out fine if it weren't for the one faulty rocker arm.

Agreed, and this is why regardless of the "sales channel", I have lost respect for Comp due to their response.

Zero acknowledgment that they let a faulty part out the door and zero interest in resolving the real issue, which is poor QA/QC.

Which goes back to the first theme of this thread, check your parts.

[PAUL K]

Originally Posted by mrennie

Agreed, and this is why regardless of the "sales channel", I have lost respect for Comp due to their response.

Zero acknowledgment that they let a faulty part out the door and zero interest in resolving the real issue, which is poor QA/QC.

Which goes back to the first theme of this thread, check your parts.

Once these companies are purchased by an investment group there is no reason to respect them.

[kpbrown31]

Not Comp Cams, but I have asked other manufacturers before about their products on Amazon and if they are official products and they have given me a run around answer that doesn't make me feel overly confident. I try to stay away from Amazon for most motor related parts for this reason.

I am disappointed in Comp Cams' response though. I hear enough people bash them that I don't look for their products first when I buy. It seems they are buying up a lot of companies, too.

[Goatracer1]

It isn't just auto parts. Some companies won't honor warranties on other kinds of parts sold on Amazon or Ebay. Those parts are considered second hand . Also I was told the manufacturer has no way of knowing when you try to return a defective part where it came from.

[tom s]

Comp is just a company part of Edelbrock!Fish stinks from the head!Tom

[dataway]

I can't say I blame a company much for limiting coverage for non-authorized retailers. Warranty coverage is a huge expense and pain for manufacturers. If that set had been bought from an authorized retailer and returned it probably would have ended up back at the CompCams distributor and examined, bad parts destroyed, good parts used in other sets. At Amazon the whole thing gets sold again, and again, and again, with a huge impact on the CompCams reputation, sold at a place like Jegs it would be taken out of circulation at the first return.

It does sound like CompCams should try their hardest to keep their products out of the hands of un-authorized retailers. But then, far as we know it's Jegs etc that are selling them on Amazon under another name for more exposure, or to not have to deal with returns themselves or whatever.

At the least CompCams should make it very obvious on their corporate website that they do not warranty items sold at places like Amazon ...but how many people are going to check the corp website for that policy before buying on Amazon?

[BILL BOWMAN1]

I was going to start a somewhat similar thread. I have been chasing a starting ,stalling ,idle ,issue with my 90 Chevy pick up. I started with the basic tuneup and that didn’t do anything. I changed IAC valve and nothing. Changed the throttle position sensor, control module in the distributor, EGR valve, most of the vacuum lines and still nothing helped. I figured WTH, I’ll change the IAC valve again, it’s a 5 minute job. Well it seems to have cured the issue! So just because you buy it at the store and it comes in a nice box and shrink wrapped doesn’t mean it’s a good working part.

[FrankieT/A]

I don't like any of Comp's stuff anyway and wouldn't use any of their products,that being said:

They should have sent you the rocker arm and restored your faith in Comp Cams.

Instead, for what cost less to make than to ship, you're soured on Comp.

Sorry, that's bad business.

I hope you return them and buy the Harland Sharp.

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by dataway

...If that set had been bought from an authorized retailer and returned it probably would have ended up back at the CompCams distributor and examined, bad parts destroyed, good parts used in other sets.

This sounds reasonable. Someone like Jegs or a Comp distributor may agree to inspect, sort, and re-package. Or maybe they agree to ship back to Comp's factory. But I don't see Amazon doing either of these. Would be great to know the model.

At Amazon the whole thing gets sold again, and again, and again, with a huge impact on the CompCams reputation, sold at a place like Jegs it would be taken out of circulation at the first return.

I'm skeptical about this. Amazon asks why the product is being returned and whether the original packaging has been opened. They know the product is defective and is why they are being returned. They get the parts back, scan them, and they are easily flagged as defective. I can't see them having any incentive to repeat that. I don't expect Amazon accepts significant return risk for any company. They might agree to eat some small portion that still lets them make plenty, but I expect the contract with Comp doesn't have Amazon eating the full cost of these parts. Clearly I'm guessing and again, would be great to know the details of the contractual agreement on this!

At the least CompCams should make it very obvious on their corporate website that they do not warranty items sold at places like Amazon ...but how many people are going to check the corp website for that policy before buying on Amazon?

Yup!

While both Amazon and Comp have their customers covered financially by whatever business agreement they have, the lack of communication about the manufacturer's warranty is, IMO, chicken. They both know it, yet neither chooses to spell it out. Win-win for them both, not a disaster for customers (at least for out of box defects), but not a loyalty-builder for either one of them.

In this case, the defect was visually inspectable and mrennie did great catching it! Imagine if the defect had been a bad bearing or some machining issue that caused an early fail. Now that would really be upsetting....!!!!!

I totally agree with FrankieT/A. Bad way to do business if you are selling based on brand reputation.

I think I'll ask Amazon about the warranty and see how it plays out.

Mike

[kyle_blake]

Gosh i think harland sharp will even accept their rockers sent back to them for rebuild and check . weird comp didn't say hey we offer that rebuild service you could send it to us and in good faith we will maybe do 50% off the repair if it's genuine. yah bad customer service . thanks for sharing and letting us know.

[242177P]

Originally Posted by Shiny

They get the parts back, scan them, and they are easily flagged as defective.

https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/ret...amazon-returns

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by 242177P

https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/ret...amazon-returns

You think they would inspect these rockers and re-sell them?

Uggghhhh if that's true.

I hope they would send them back to Comp... but I am probably naive.

All I know is they have an opportunity to know they are defective by the buyer's communication and if they choose to ignore it, I guess they are free to do that.

[dataway]

You have to keep in mind the majority of returns Amazon gets are people that just decide they don't want something after they get hands on it. One of the reason some major online retailers are starting to charge a minimal charge for returns. When it comes to something like automotive parts you can be pretty sure the inspection boils down to "Is it covered in grease". No way they are paying anyone qualified enough to examine automotive parts, electronics, tools etc. Inspection probably means "does it look used" and "is it broke in half"

I'd bet on items where the condition is ambiguous they flag it, put it back on the shelf, sell it again and if it gets returned again it finally goes down a different path. Amazon is notorious for shipping tools that appear to have already been used.

Overall I've been pretty happy with them, I probably get 2-3 Amazon items a week, I'm a Prime member and living rurally it's saved me a ton in shipping and trying to find items locally. But I have received on several occasions items that were quite obviously used or opened and repacked by the previous customer.

You'll see a warning on some items now "This item is frequently returned" which is probably Amazon pushing back a bit on vendors producing total junk and then Amazon is having to handle all the returns.

[ta man]

Originally Posted by kyle_blake

Gosh i think harland sharp will even accept their rockers sent back to them for rebuild and check . weird comp didn't say hey we offer that rebuild service you could send it to us and in good faith we will maybe do 50% off the repair if it's genuine. yah bad customer service . thanks for sharing and letting us know.

Harland Sharp has a great rebuild service, relatively cheap and they come back in a shrink wrapped package.

[mgarblik]

Amazon has so much leverage, and they are so huge, returned merchandise is their preferred way of handling problems. Not actually fixing the problem. The amount of stuff returned to Amazon is staggering. Seems like I have heard 20-25% of all sales. Hard to believe they still make a profit, but they do. It's possible they may just tell you to keep the product and still give you a refund. Then you will have 15 spares. That's a common practice for Amazon.
IMO, If Comp wasn't part of an investment group, they would have sent you a rocker arm, simple as that. They are now so insulated by the investment group, they are completely disconnected from the end user now,
Harland Sharp, on the other hand, is extremely engaged with their customers and supports the hobby in person at the race track and has superior customer service. We recently had an LS rocker arm break on the dyno instantly while cranking the engine. It was the student's fault. Incorrect installation and adjustment. 1 phone call to Harland Sharp. 2 days later a FREE replacement was at the school. It wasn't even their fault. That is customer service and it still has value.