Bad experience ordering Kia part

[ganseg]

I damaged the plastic piece under my lift gate window but the cost to have it repaired was less than my deductible. I figured I could do it myself and found KiaParts.com. I looked up 'lift gate trim' and found a picture of the part:

I ordered it and didn't hear anything for a month, so I called. The website parts guy immediately found a part that had come in for me but said it wasn't what I described. He also said the part I wanted is not available so I asked him if this 'pad' he had looked like it would help me install the part if I could find one at a recycler. He said yes. I got the part and it was a dime sized gasket and clearly will not help when I do this project. The handling fee was $5 and shipping was $10. It could have been sent in a letter size envelope with a lifetime stamp. I contacted them again, re-explained the problems, and asked if the fees could be reversed and they said no. This problem began with them and continued with them - they were not even willing to make this minor adjustment. So I am helping them out by sharing my experience so they can avoid repeating this poorly run 'service'.

 

[joboo]

Kiaparts.com looks to be run by Hanson KIA in Olympia, WA, so not a 'central' KIA parts department affiliated with the manufacturer.

 

[ganseg]

Yes, that is where the receipt is from that came with the part.

 

[PittPa]

These companies generally have no inventory, just a mediator from a factory distributer as you probably know. Your best option as long as you can get an exact part number (important) is go to a dealer and order it, at least in my experience.

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[itsmeken]

Not financially feasible for a dealer, in this case a dealer with an online presence, to have every part for all models and model years in stock. Can you imagine what that inventory would would cost let alone the cost of a warehouse to house it all in? The parts person should have provided you with the part number and have you look it up before you giving the approval to ship it. What would they know about installing that item right? Miscommunication. As for the shipping, envelops go through high-speed scanners and conveyor systems. If there's something in there that is not completely flat it can get torn up. Also, most companies like this have shipping processes that are set up to ship packages not envelops.