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Cheap / Faulty Parts No Customer Service-- Oconee Off Road a Jeep Parts Supplier

14K views 69 replies 40 participants last post by  937Comanche 
#1 ·
I was not going to say anything but I saw a few other similar posts in the last few weeks so here we go.

I purchased a few hundred dollars worth of parts from Oconee Off Road or TheUsedJeep.com another name they use. Some of the parts were faulty out of box or failed they did not want to take back or replace. Funny way to do business they do not send reciepts, invoices, email confirmations, or packing slips. Kinda Wiered... Then he asked me for proff of purchase in his email...


First, there was a water pump after installed the fan pully would not clear the water pump housing. The Mtd Flange was pushed on too far--- they did not want to take back or replace. I purchased new one at NAPA worked perfect.

Took pictures of the fan pully clearing and not clearing. They wanted 20% restocking fee and I pay all shipping. I shared this with my credit card and the Better Business Bureau and sent the faulty water pump back with delivery confirmation. Charges reversed.




Second, Just prior to winter my hood was sprayed with OIL????? Turns out my jacket of power steering hose blew from internal pressure. The lower crimp has slow leak into the outer jacket it blew the jacket. I sent the emails below, the rebuilt engine is not even broke in yet. They would not replace or ajust the cost.




I will still need a power steering hose, any recomedations for decent price and quality. Are there any lifetime warranty ones out there?? I have not looked yet.

I am not looking for a solution. These guys did have some nice prices on some odd ball stuff I was looking for. But I had a list and knew what I wanted they gave the $$$ I wrote it down and gave them an order. The transmission front seal was wrong, pilot bushing was wrong, clutch fork springs were wrong & weaker than the 30 year old ones, the door handles shafts were like 2" too long and i needed to trim to fit.

Here are the emails for the recent power steering hose...
Subj: Re: Warranty Claim, Power Steering Hose Failure, HP Side
Date: 12/18/2008
To: alexh@theusedjeep.com

Dear Alex,

I order on the phone, many of the items ordered you do not show on the web. Funny you ask for invoice number, I have never been given an invoice number, invoice or even packing slip. I was given a total amount and payed with credit card. The power steering hose was ordered about a year ago when my engine was out and doing the restoration work.

Fred Guercio

Subj:Re: Warranty Claim, Power Steering Hose Failure, HP Side
Date:12/18/2008 2:28:26 PM Central Standard Time
From:alexh@theusedjeep.com
To:Fjguercio@aol.com
Sent from the Internet

Did you purchase this off of our website, when did you purchase it? Do you have an invoice number? Thanks!!

----- Original Message ----- From: Fjguercio@aol.com
To: Sales@theusedjeep.com
Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2008 11:14 AM
Subject: Warranty Claim, Power Steering Hose Failure, HP Side

Dear Oconne Off Road,

Ref: Warranty Claim.... Power steering hose I puchased from you

I purchased a high pressure side power steering hose for my 1978 CJ7 w/258 restore. I have about 1000 road miles on my new engine rebuild and restore. A few months ago just before I stored the CJ for winter the hose failed and is leaking.

The failure appears to be at the lower crimp from flex rubber hose to solid hose was leaking slowly under the jacket. The pressure built up and popped the jacket spraying the hood with powersteering fluid. The hose still works but has a small leak in the lower crimp area. Pictures area enclosed.

Do you cover this underwarranty. I feel the power steering hoses should last more than 1000 miles. The miles were engine break in miles so quite gentle.
 
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#2 ·
I was going to order some parts from them next week. Your powersteering hose looks like it has a pretty good bend in it, possibly causing a weak spot. You said you had it for a year, how long is the warranty they gave you? I am not trying to make you mad or anything just trying to get some info. I own a small business and sometimes come across problems like this. I would give you partial credit on a new hose just because it was a year ago you bought it. When you own a business you cant make everyone happy but normally the unhappy customers tell 25 people about it and the happy ones tell 1 person about their experience. My advice is to call them and talk to them calmly and tell them what you want and work something out.
 
#3 ·
I will still need a power steering hose, any recomedations for decent price and quality
Fred-

I bought my power steering hose from NAPA, I think I had to order it for another
model for some reason, '81 scrambler I think because for some reason they didn't show it for a CJ-7
 
#21 ·
Dear J33pman,

Thanks for posting about the hose. I will ck with Napa and the other AutoZone about what they have. I will get that HD Steering Bracket and Collar Ring Support To Frame you did the write up on. Nice Job on the write up. That way I get it all done at once. I may also put a filter on the lower pressure hose & replace hose just for longevity and collect particles.

The only good part of this, I have dumped the Pump Resevour a few times so the fluid is getting changed out a few times.

I bet it is the last power steering hose that goes on my CJ7 the last one last 30 years.

Regards,
Fred
 
#4 ·
I try and buy all my parts from a local parts place, Autozone, Napa, Oreilly just in case something like this happens. I use Autozone quite a bit and so far have had good luck, put on Autozone power steering hoses awhile back, fit correctly and no leaks. FWIW.
 
#6 ·
Oconnee is where I bought the 2 electrical gauges that were DOA that I ended up buying mechanical gauges to replace. Alex is the same person I dealt with. I have bought several parts from them and NEVER had issues. I am not defending them, but I have never gotten bad parts from them until now. If you do enough work on your Jeep you will eventually get something bad though. I sent him an email already asking for an RMA to return those. I will post back my experience as well. I did learn from this that saving 5 or 10 bucks isn't always worth the hassle of returning something to a seller you can't see face to face.
 
#7 ·
As promised I am updating on the situation I had with oconnee. It took a couple of days for a response, but they are sending me BRAND NEW gauges without even a return of the faulty gauges. I can say nothing bad about oconee, they have stood by the sale. The customer service was excellent too. I will buy from them again!
 
#8 ·
THIS POST IS RIGHT ON TIME!
I found them on the internet, and I considering an order for my spring projects, but there is no way that is going to happen now!

THANKS FRED!
 
#9 ·
I've probably placed three dozen orders for various parts from Oconee, mainly because of price. While I don't doubt that other forum members have had bad experiences, I just wanted to say that all all of mine have been positive.

I generally make it a point not to get involved in these discussions as I don't have a dog in the fight, but I thought it might be helpful for others contemplating placing an order. I think if you search the forums, there is probably at least one thread critical of each of the big jeep supply stores.

To be fair, at the end of the day, 95% percent of what all these catolog and online stores sell is the same. The products originate from the same manufacturers, so it's really not fair to attribute the lack of quality to the retailer. Which leaves price, service, speed of shipping and return policy as the factors to be considered when deciding from whom to order what. After a few orders, I knew who to order from for the best price, fastest shipping and who to order from if I was worried about having to send something back with the least amount of hassle. In my opinion, none were perfect in each category, so I ordered from all of them depending on my priorities at the time. Just a thought to consider.:)
 
#10 ·
Excellent points Andre.

My experience with Oconee was luke warm at best. During my dealings with them I found they only check their e-mail on certain days (which also means they only check their PM's and posts on this forum on certain days).

My opinion is to only buy from Oconee when price is the main factor driving your choice. Don't expect them to operate in a timely manner and don't expect follow through on anything without a lot of nagging on your part. DO plan on using the phone on a daily basis to remind them what they are supposed to be doing.

It's kind of a shame actually. I think they could have a booming business if they would just wake up. I bought from them at the time because they had a great price on Black Diamond lift springs and bushings. All the other players only sold the BD springs in kits with shocks, shackles, u-bolts, etc.

It only took a week to get the springs and another four weeks to get the bushings.
 
#11 ·
Sorry, Just won't spend my measly $1,500 or so I have for the spring projects with someplace that has no customer service and treats customers like criminals or suckers...
 
#13 ·
A message to our Customers and Potential Customers

I had a very good customer point me to this thread and wanted to take a few moments to respond. At Oconee Off Road/The Used Jeep, we always try our hardest to push good customer service along with competitive prices. In the industry today with mass internet commerce, too many companies have completely abandoned customer service in order to make a quick dollar. For myself, this represents more than a job for me. I have loved jeeps and 4x4 vehicles in general since the day I got my license, and spend most every weekend wheeling. As customer of many of the more "hardcore" fabrication jeep shops, I completely understand where you are coming from, but as a salesman and manager, I have the opportunity to examine both sides of the situation.

The fact is that we don't have the resources, ability, or knowledge to manufacture many of these parts ourselves, and buy them from the same warehouses that 95% of the companies in this industry deal with (as was stated above). Dealing with these companies can sometimes be a pain, but a few good reps can really help any problems get handled. One thing the companies push is uniformity in their products, so when a product is modified by the customer after it is shipped out, the warehouses completely wash their hands of the part. This was this problem with the water pump mentioned earlier. To help the customer out, we kept the product and ate the original cost of the pump since Crown couldn't take it back since it was painted. I understand that you were upset with the 20% restock, but we had to at least cover our end for the modified pump. We would have been more than happy to warranty the hose if it was done within the time period, but the purchase was over a year old when he had contacted us. We try to consistently sell a premium product, but a bad part does get through occasionally. If ever a customer receives a bad part, especially one that is vital to the engine like a high-pressure hose, We recommend inspecting it before installing it. If you find any defects in the product please contact us and we will get the problem taken care of ASAP. We can also Email any invoice needed, if you still need copies of your invoices, just let us know and we'll get them over to you ASAP

To the gentleman with the springs, I completely understand your point. There was no excuse for the bushings to take 3 additional weeks to get to you. However, this goes back to the problem of dealing with warehouses to get our product. If I remember right, the springs were actually drop shipped from Black Diamond, so when they forgot to ship the bushings, it took them a little while to get it right. There's isn't much we can do about the situation now, but if you ever need anything else, I can try to make it up to you then.

For everyone else, I ask that you at least give us a call up if there is anything else you need. If nothing else, I love talking about rigs with people (and it doesn't hurt that I make a living doing it :laugh:). We weren't checking the forum as much a few months ago because of my school schedule, but I am in the shop 6 days a week now and handle most all of the Jeep Forum, eBay, and walk in questions.

And to all of the past customers who posted up, we thank you very much for your support and good words. As much business as we have done through places like eBay, the good word from customers to customers are by far the best type of good publicity we can receive.

BTW, Clint, we got your SYE in a day earlier, it'll leave tonight, Thanks for the order!

JF Rocks!
 
#16 · (Edited)
The fact is that we don't have the resources, ability, or knowledge to manufacture many of these parts ourselves, and buy them from the same warehouses that 95% of the companies in this industry deal with (as was stated above). Dealing with these companies can sometimes be a pain, but a few good reps can really help any problems get handled. One thing the companies push is uniformity in their products, so when a product is modified by the customer after it is shipped out, the warehouses completely wash their hands of the part. This was this problem with the water pump mentioned earlier. To help the customer out, we kept the product and ate the original cost of the pump since Crown couldn't take it back since it was painted. I understand that you were upset with the 20% restock, but we had to at least cover our end for the modified pump. We would have been more than happy to warranty the hose if it was done within the time period, but the purchase was over a year old when he had contacted us. We try to consistently sell a premium product, but a bad part does get through occasionally. If ever a customer receives a bad part, especially one that is vital to the engine like a high-pressure hose, We recommend inspecting it before installing it. If you find any defects in the product please contact us and we will get the problem taken care of ASAP. We can also Email any invoice needed, if you still need copies of your invoices, just let us know and we'll get them over to you ASAP
Just a few comments.....

The young lady that took my calls for two orders knew nothing about parts or jeeps, she was new to company. When I asked for the man that helped me on the first order he would not take the phone, even after 5-6 requests.

I was in the market for a rebuilt 258, high performance clutch kit, carb kit, header & exhaust. That $3000 worth of parts your company did not bid on because of the way the first few orders went and poor service.

I asked for invoices several times either by email or fax and could not get them. I do not need them now. I thought then as well as now a very different way to do business.

Oconne Off Road did not want to take back the water pump.... I forced them by contacting my credit card and denied payment. But I had to take pictures and write a letter and I believe it was sent to the BBB also. 100% of the purchase price was refunded along with a few other parts that were returned at same time. AS for the black engine paint this was installed on a purchased rebuilt long block painted black at factory. What would you want me to do, paint the water pump once it is installed and spray over the professional paint job with a rattle can and get paint all over other parts. The smart way is to paint the water pump and thermostate cover prior to install.

AS for the power steering hose.... the first rebuilt engine was the wrong block too old and correct head. The block did not have the correct power steering mounts and further looks several parts are not interchangeable. Pull that one out, second engine the push rods were too long and collasped a lifter, bent a push rod, oil path problems, and a bearing failure. Sent that one back and got my money back. The THIRD engine from another supplier worked great so far. That is why there is a delay in finding the power steering failure. I do this work in my gargage takes time for me to do this level of work. As for looking at a hose for faults..... I am pretty good but not that good. Nor do I have the crimp height specs to see if they are in spec.

Five of the items purchased from your company were faulty or did not fit. Thats a lot.

But the customer service lack of knowledge, no invoices, no packing slips, no confirmations of any written type, and when I ordered many of the parts available were not on your web site. That bothered me. Then I have obvious faulty parts and you did not want to take them back.

I have been in professional industrial sales engineer for 30 yrs so I know how things go. I have been a mfg rep for 30 companies at a time, a direct sales engineer calling on users & oem's, and a sales manager calling on a group of national distributors. I know GOOD when I see it. Your company was not good when I purchased in 2007.

Sorry, but your co messed up several times several ways.

Fred
 
#15 ·
I have bigger issue with 4wd & quadratrac....As a rep that reps mostly in the boating & industrial industries, I cannot tell you the calls we get due to our manufactures slowing down or stopping production on all diferent parts...raw material costs were thru the roof and a few choose to purchase lower grade of raw materials and failures are poping up now at a alarmimg rate.....I feel the auto industry is no different....99% of the goods we get now for our rigs are oversea's made....I have been to China and I was amazed at what they make and the quality that you can demand...it just takes a few pennies to make a very good product great....most manufactures choose the cheap route....It does start to wear on guys like Oconee and the two big boys I mentioned....Most of these on line guys have no warehose just a good phone system and they set up a wholesale account with one of these guys and drop ship everything....it is the nature of the beast.....I give this guy credit and my hat is off to him for coming on here and explaining his side. Paperwork is very important with all transactions and YOU ( as in me and you) are responsible for keeping those records...I have purchased from these guys, all was good I got everything quickly except one item which was 2 days later......I will buy again as well....Not a perfect world but certain items you should buy local so when you have issues you can walk in and handle it easier when face & face......I am a fanatic about tracking numbers and emails letting me know my order status....no online jeep guy gets it right yet....Sure Amazon does a great job they have deep pockets but you want to impress me assign me a CS person when my order gets placed, confirm with an email & tracking number and send me an email for a follow up....That would impress me........
 
#22 ·
Well I read this thread and have a couple of things to say:
First, I have never ordered anything from these guys and I have nothing to gain from this post. I did order some parts this afternoon. I got a set of Rugged Ridge Tie Rods and Drag Links. In my opinion, if the owner of this company has the balls to respond and post in a thread like this, it is obvious to me that he does care about customer service and the reputation of his business. If he is willing to air his dirty laundry about his business to his customers, he cares. It is that simple. A forum like this could ABSOLUTELY single handedly destroy any business. Negative publicity can spread faster than anything we have ever seen though the internet on interest specific forums like these. Hundreds, if not thousands of people could read things like this. The best advertisement for any business is positive word of mouth. We could ***** and complain about a purchase experience, ad more and more bad experiences to the list, and no one would use them after that. He had the guts to explain himself. The explanations may or may not have been accurate or could have been possibly an attempt to pacify his consumers, but never the less, he posted on the forum to a specific incident and is also listed as a supporting vendor.

I feel that I can say these comments having been a small business owner in service and retail for more than 10 years. No matter how hard you try, you cant please everyone! Some people don't want to be pleased either. Look at some of the eBay Powersellers. I'll bet that most of them do not have 100% positive feedback, but you would all buy from all of them. Fred, this is in no disrespect to you and I am sorry you had a bad experience. Many have posted about positive experiences from this guy and hopefully Fred's is an isolated incident. I am going to give the guy the benefit of the doubt solely because he posted a response on the forum. I have been looking at the parts I ordered for for a few weeks and these guys were by far the cheapest with parts and shipping. There are not too many companies like Summit out there. They are the BEST by far. I'm sure we have all had little experiences with different vendors, some may be more extreme than others.

The bottom line is, small businesses need US. They need us more now than ever before. Customer loyalty is fastly becoming a thing of the past. I'm sorry about the rant, but in my opinion, this guy needs to be given the benefit of the doubt. Again, Fred, this is in no respect to you. We need these kind of business to satisfy our specialty needs and they need us to buy their stuff. It should be a seamless working relationship satisfying each others needs, but sometimes the process fails and I think this guy got the point. We will soon see!!
 
#23 ·
Have ordered parts several times from these guys , a few times they have been slow on the shipping, but then how often do you order something off the internet and need it right now. I feel as if they have allways treated me fairly and I've gotten a few oddball parts on the cheap.
 
#24 ·
I have ordered maybe 20 parts from oconee-offroad in the last year and have never been disappointed. They have some of the best prices out there on their items and shipping.( And that is even after paying sales tax).
I also live only 5 miles from Summit in McDonough, GA. So, between the two I have it pretty good when it comes to getting parts for my CJ at a great price.
 
#26 ·
I ordered a part from them last weekend via their web site and the part arrived last week - fast and free shipping is always a good thing. I sent an email asking when the item would be shipped and within an hour they had an answer for me.

I would recommend them and would buy from them again without hesitation.
Joe in NH
 
#27 ·
I have noticed an attitude many catalog/internet only business are developing, and it isn't a good one. They seem to believe it is the customer's fault for buying a defective product.

The HEI gear thing is one instance. Now these Oconee folks. And, for sure, there are more. Many of the ebay only dealers do this as well.

I just had it in with a supplier from Fla, took a broken piece put of a pristine box (ie, no shipping damage) and they refused to replace it for me. My order was over 1500 dollars, and the piece was a 56 dollar component of the assembly. My dealings sounded very similar to what the OP went through with the folks at Oconee.

When the Oconee folks said painting the WP was a modification, that statement fully supported the claim that they refused to support what they sell.

I live less than an hour from these folks, and was going to drag a large amount of my hard earned money to their shop and leave with some shiney toys, but now that ain't going to happen.

I, too, am a small business owner, and was even in the jeep business for a long time in another life. This new "screw the customer" program is a new business approach to me. I guess I didn't get the memo...........
 
#28 · (Edited)
Kinda funny how things work... Poster #27 was trying to help out the Oconee Folks. Would have been better to let this post fade. Thread was idle for a month.

I am sorry it happened, but it did, a few times.

Fred

Just so JeepForum Folks get the idea of the work I did. Here is a pic of what I purchased and what I have now. Every fluid leaked except the rear pumpkin. All fixed except the front pinion seal. There are a few things changed in the pic so please no need to point out the hard fuel line to fender wall, need for teamrush, or the secondary bungee cord on battery. I just wanted to show the level of detail and thought put into my engine bay and upgrades.



 
#29 ·
First, there was a water pump after installed the fan pully would not clear the water pump housing. The Mtd Flange was pushed on too far--- they did not want to take back or replace. I purchased new one at NAPA worked perfect.

Took pictures of the fan pully clearing and not clearing. They wanted 20% restocking fee and I pay all shipping. I shared this with my credit card and the Better Business Bureau and sent the faulty water pump back with delivery confirmation. Charges reversed.
I ordered a Flow Cooler cast iron water pump for a '68 to '72 AMC v8 from Summit because I didn't want to use the aluminum bodied one in my '85 360. Ends up that the earlier year cast iron pump has a different pully offset by design. I fixed it by adding a shim kit.

Flips21
 
#31 ·
I live 20 min from Oconee Off Road, I've been there twice and will not go back. The guy behind the book knew how to use it but had no idea where anything was in the store. After looking around I realized just how unorganized the place was.
I was looking for a set of front "U" bolts for a 74 CJ5, did not have them in house. What about a set of spring bushings? Nope!
They are not the first place I've been in that just did not seem to work like a good business.
I wish them the best. But they will not get my business.
 
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