Fast Parts Inc

This company sells faulty parts and does not allow returns. - If I were the type to simply be p.o.ed and write angry reviews that would be my title. And while it is true there is some more to the story. Two weeks ago, after comparing prices from a couple of appliance parts stores in my area I decided to purchase a heating element for an outdoor grill from Fast Parts on Beach Blvd in Jacksonville. I had been to the 6 month old business to look for cleaner for an ice machine but ordered the heating element over the phone from Jessica. Their price was within a few dollars of my other quotes but since Jessica seemed sure that the part would arrive on Saturday and since the others only promised Monday, I decided to give them a try. Saturday came and went and I found myself waiting for Monday anyway. I was told that the delivery would be in the morning so when I called around 12:30pm While I was nearby anyway I expected to pick up the part. I was told that the day's delivery had not arrived so I headed for home. About 3 minutes later I got a call from them to say the delivery had just arrived and I could pick up the part. About 8 minutes later I had the box in my hand and was leaving for home. Installation was pretty easy and straight forward. After turning on the circuit breaker for the grill the left burner now warmed up just like the right side. I step by step turned up both sides until i got the the HI setting when, while the old right side was evenly glowing red, the new left side glowed briefly only in spots and then went out. Checking with the OHM meter the right side got a good reading but the new left side read zero. I called Fast Parts for an exchange assuming that they would stand behind their parts as I believe most companies do these days. I was told that this part had been tested by them and the manufacturer so they know it was OK before I picked it up and that the customer is 100% responsible for parts when they leave the store and they cannot take back a part that had been installed because their supplier would not take the part back. This was certainly a surprise to me. They pointed out that in addition to printing a statement that there are no guarantees or warranties in the paper receipt strip, they cannot trust that I did not make a mistake in installing the part. If any of you have replaced a heating element in a stove or oven you know that there are few ways to make a mistake and that any possible mistake could not damage a 220v heating element (aside from hitting it with something). On the subject of testing, recall that I picked up the part 8 minutes after it arrived at their door and the delivery tape on the box had not been disturbed. Later in person this fact was not disputed by the owner. If it had be connected to the OHM meter it would certainly have tested OK because it did heat initially after installation. An OHM meter does not however put it under any kind of stress and the only way to really know if it is OK is to install it and turn it on. An attempt to negotiate with the owner Mike O'Connor resulted in an offer to sell me another part for his cost. When I pointed out that he had made a profit on a faulty part he reduced the cost price by that profit. I knew that I would have to pay the original price anywhere else so I took the deal. Interestingly, during the conversation he pointed out that this was an expensive part and that if it had been a lower cost part he would have exchanged it for me. This implies that his company's customer service has its limits beyond which the customer must share in his cost of doing business regardless of whether the customer is getting usable parts. The second heating element installed just as easily and worked fine. At this point I have paid for 1.5 heating elements but have only one. As a result of this transaction I will be more careful to understand the return policies of companies with whom I do business. Also as a result of my discussion with Mr. O'Connor he said that he would post a sign at the sales counter stating their non-return policy. He apparently agreed that a sentence on a strip of paper regarding their non-warranty (offered after the transaction is essentially complete) is not a fair way to inform a customer.