NAPA Auto Parts Reviews - 5

I needed a belt tensioner for my old car

I needed a belt tensioner for my old car, and the main dealer said it would take weeks. But Wayne @ NAPA N'pton had it ready the next morning. He even called to make sure it was in. Great service.

NEVER buy from Napa! Online or in store.

NEVER buy from Napa! Online or in store. I ordered an accessory for my car online from them. They said it came with a discount, but they lie about it to get you to checkout before saying it can't be used. They say it's in stock, but it's not and takes forever to arrive, much longer than any other store. If you contact them, it takes forever to get a reply. By the time the item finally came, I didn't even need it or want it anymore because of how annoying the whole process was. You can't return to a store, you have to go through online. You send them a message, and they tell you they're working on it and take days to get back to you. They then try to make you use their return label, which you have to pay for, and charge a restocking fee, unlike almost any other online stores today. You have to ask them for the return address to ship it yourself and not let them rip you off again. I messaged them saying how much I disliked the whole experience and how unhappy I was. No response at all. I sent them another message asking if they got it. They said "Yes, Thanks for the feedback." I’ve never seen worse customer service in my life. They’ve lost all my business for ever.

As a mechanic with 25 years of experience

As a mechanic with 25 years of experience, I used to trust NAPA for reliable parts, but that's not the case anymore. Their parts now come from manufacturers that have been bought by private equity or venture capital groups. The last few times I visited, the parts were defective, not working properly, or needed adjustments to fit. The worst part is that NAPA charges high prices for these items, making it even worse than Autozone. For instance, I bought a radiator for a GM vehicle recently. NAPA gets its radiators from Spectra Premium, which was bought by Turnspire in 2021. The radiator I received was lightweight, twisted, and the fittings for the trans and oil coolers needed adapters that were loose and bent the plastic molded parts while tightening. On Rockauto, the Spectra Premium radiator costs $98, but NAPA sold it for $305. At least with Autozone, you know what you're getting; at NAPA, you end up paying more for poor quality. I feel for the staff, as they seem knowledgeable, but they can only sell what they're given.

I placed an order for a compressor on a Tuesday

I placed an order for a compressor on a Tuesday, expecting it to arrive by Friday. However, it's now Friday, and my order still hasn't shipped. Apparently, the warehouse is out of stock, even though the item was available when I made the purchase. They've contacted another warehouse, but there's no update yet, and shipping could take an additional 5 days, if it ships at all. The product is available at my local stores, but I was hoping to avoid going there. I asked if I could just pick it up locally, but was told no, because my order is still active and could still ship. I would end up paying for it twice while waiting for a refund. Not impressed at all. This isn't the same company it used to be. I might have as well bought it from somewhere else. What a joke.

Ordered a part online with next day Saturday

Ordered a part online with next day Saturday delivery promised, paid a high price because I needed it quickly, and chose to pick it up at the local store in Monroe, Conn. Three days later, after going there once and making two phone calls where they said someone would call me back (which never happened), I still don’t have the item. Instead, I got many excuses. On the second call, the counter guy placed another order through the regular system, and it arrived the next morning. The item from my internet order is still missing. At least the local store was helpful. It's no wonder Amazon does so well. Lesson learned, I will not be ordering from Napa online again. There are plenty of other options around, including a new one opening less than a quarter mile away. Another issue: After completing my online order, I saw a note saying Napa would hold extra money on my card due to different sales tax rates in each state. Shouldn’t a nationwide company know this? It’s like free money for them—if they do it often enough, they’ll have a lot of cash. Not cool Napa.