Express Auto Parts Didn't credit back for a cancelled order 212 Area Code - New York Internet

On 11/24/04 I ordered three auto parts from Express Auto Parts dot com. They have a very detailed and professional looking website. The parts that I ordered were all said to be in stock, and that they would ship within 3 business days. They said that an email would alert me to when my order was shipped.

By 12/03/04 my order had not yet shipped so I went to their customer service section of their website and and sent an inquiry about the status of my order. I received a prompt reply within a few hours stating:

"Please be advised that due to a manufacturer back order at the warehouse level, regrettably your order will not ship out for an additional 3-6 days. We apologize for this delay on your order with us, and will do everything to get this order out to you as soon as possible."

I decided to cancel the order and purchase the items locally. I did that on 12/03/04 and requested that the credit card be credited back the amount charged for the un-shipped order.

By 1/11/04 no credit had been issued to my credit card. I used their customer service form to inquire about the credit and I promptly received an automated reply stating that credits can take up to 30 days to process. I let another month go by and wrote them again saying that they would be reported to the appropriate authorities if they did not immediately credit back my money. Another week went by and I handed the matter over to my bank for resolution.

1. If you order something from this company and it says it is in stock it probably isn't.

2. I'm not sure why they chose the name "Express Auto Parts" since they really have no concept of the "Express" part of it.

3. Maybe these guys don't even really sell auto parts. I tried to call a phone number on my Visa statement and it was a recording that started off, "If you are calling about a credit please leave your name..."

4. The website is still up. I would suggest you stay away.

Larry
San Francisco, California
U.S.A.