My wife ordered a tailgate on line. The tailgate arrived, and we soon found that Toyota makes two different tailgates, one for double cab and one for extended or single cab. D&H auto parts website said the tailgate was for a 2001-2005 Toyota Tundra standard bed. Upon contacting D&H the first person we spoke with was not aware of this either,and quicly fixed the website. We had further conversations with the "error department" and were told the OEM part number was listed. We were supposed to decode the OEM part number and identify that this part would not fit our truck.
How on earth are we supposed to know the OEM part number was incorrect, let alone Toyota makes two different tailgates for their pickups? I, as most people do, rely on the description of the product and do not verify the OEM part number prior to ordering. Again, other than a salesman or parts employee who is going to know two different tailgates are made??
The VP/General Manager Austin Smith became involved, to which he reiterated that the OEM part number was listed. He also indicated that since our order was 30 days old he could offer a pittance refund not including shipping the tailgate back to them. We ordered the part and waited two weeks for a reply from their "error department", only when my wife called them back did they decide our order was worth the trouble to handle. It took another five days to get the decision from Mr. Smith that we should have known the OEM part number would not fit our truck. All in all the "30 days" included Christmas, New Years, delivery time, and their "error department" not responding. The 30 days was their delay, not mine.
These excuses led my wife and I to cease contact with Mr. Smith and recommend to everyone to stay away from D&H auto parts. There are far too many auto parts retailers both on line and locally to hassle with this company and their poor business practices.
To summarize: It is my fault for not decoding the OEM part number or not knowing Toyota makes two different tailgates and since their company delayed in handling this situation I am out the money for a tailgate I can't use.
bf83
San Diego,#2Consumer Suggestion
Thu, February 04, 2010
I too am being ripped off by this company. I ordered a part for my Volvo C70, and was shipped a part for a Volvo S70, D&H had advertised the part as being for my car, but it's a completely different shape/fitment. I've tried contacting them many times and they always come up with some excuse, or document they need before they can refund my purchase of $400. Even though I've already provided clear evidence of their part misrepresentation.
I dug a little further and discovered that D&H is just a DBA (doing business as) name for NEPKA, Inc. You can find their infomation by searching "NEPKA" at the following address:
http://www.ilsos.gov/corporatellc/
It turns out this company already has an "F" rating from the Chicago area Better Business Bureau.
So, the only option I found is to file a complaint with the Illinois State Attorney's Consumer Fraud Bureau. Maybe you could file a complaint along with your evidence as well ... the more complaints the better--more likely to be acted on. I just sent in my complaint and documentation/photos yesterday. You can find the complaint form and instructions at:
http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/filecomplaint.html
I would include both NEPKA, Inc. and their DBA of D&H Auto Parts as the "Name of Seller" on the form.
Hope this helps, for your sake and mine!
Jocko
biloxi,#3Consumer Suggestion
Thu, January 14, 2010
I also skim through these complaints and my first question and or first red flag is from your statement and I quote "a 2001-2005 Toyota Tundra standard bed", would the bed on your truck qualify as a standard bed? If their website did not go into to greater details then part of the issue is on their staff, but over 30days? How did that happen? Was it reported the day the part arrived or did it take a few weeks to notice then report this to the seller? As for the return many companies do not pay shipping for over sized items and receiving a " pittance refund " is better than nothing. I purchase many things online for my cars and I go to several different websites to confirm part numbers, costs and shipping. As far as this totally being the sellers fault I believe your incorrect, while they do share some of the responsibility; so does the person who ordered the incorrect part. My Mustang for the 2008 model year had 8 different versions of that car; you bet I know what part number and what version I am going to purchase.
Sorry its both parties fault and calling foul player because you did not confirm all the possible part numbers especially when considering the different models of that truck and not reading or understanding their return policy which is posted not only on the site but you agreed to when you confirmed the purchase.
Jeff
Manda,#4Consumer Comment
Thu, January 14, 2010
I really do feel your pain here, but it sounds like you are in the wrong.
Any time an OEM part number is listed, you should check it against what you have. Doing this is simple, you just call the local parts department at your Toyota Dealership, give them the last 8 digits of your VIN, and they can supply the part number. Heck, they'll even fax you a parts diagram, whether you buy from them or not.
I read these reports a lot. Some are legitimate, others aren't. It sounds like the thing you're dealing with here is your own inexperience ordering parts.
Could D&H handle it better? Yeah. But they probably won't get any refund from their supplier, and it's not their fault you didn't check the OEM number.
It sounds like the problem here is communication, not policy.