Pelican's lifetime warranty

[Discseven]

Clever marketing on Pelican's part so hats off to whomever is responsible. I thought there might be a fee for this "insurance" but there isn't. Am curious if anyone has used this return & replacement process?

[ryans65]

Same sales tactic ECS Tuning uses but they were both acquired by the private equity firm Bertram Capital so it doesn't surprise me they are offering that warranty.

[yelcab1]

Yes, I have used it.

Bought a BMW thermostat. Used it for 6 months, It failed.
Had to buy and paid for another new one.
Removed the failed unit. Sent it back with the warranty form filled out.
A week later, got an email from support that a store credit was issued for future use.

In effect, my "refund" is being held hostage and not a flat-out refund of the replacement part bought and paid for.

This is not a warranty. It's a less than perfect scheme.

[EC900]

Sometimes it’s nothing that’s better than something even if though something was not necessarily better than nothing.
Marketing tools and for some consumers this sort of program is a nice offering. A lifetime of warranty replacement is one thing but a store credit is another. If a part/product fails to be reliable why get another? Use the credit for an upgrade = spend more money, then what good was the offer?

A well known hardware chain frequently offers an 11% refund “sale” on purchases, “rebate is in the form of a store credit”. If I go there once a month, I have to bring in a little post card they mail (4-6 weeks) and have that 11% applied to my next purchase.
Another well known motorcycle brand offers “points”… 1 point for $1 spent using their branded credit card and after 2500 points it’s worth $25 credit at a dealership or online purchase.

The whole rewards program whether it’s from the coffee shop or the parts store is all about repeat customer loyalty. I’m a loyalist but sometimes I find stuff less expensive elsewhere and accumulated too many rewards that sometimes go used and then there’s stuff ‘points’ that can’t be applied to.

Funny thing is if your part that fails, returning it cost a few bucks to mail back, then another few to send you a new something or other back.

Oh the humanity….comment has no cash value. Void were prohibited.

[rwest]

I bought an O2 sensor for my Saab from here because I wanted to make sure it was correct. It failed after about two weeks. I couldn’t find anything about returning defective parts on Pelican, only the warranty program. I even called them and was told I had to fill out the warranty form and buy another.

I did a quick internet search using the Bosch part number and found that Pelican’s price was a lot more than their competitors, in effect after I paid shipping to send the O2 sensor, I could buy the same part outright from someone else for the same cost and not deal with the credit.

So my first experience put a sour taste in my “mouth” and I will probably be looking to other vendors as well, meaning their program actually has pushed me away rather than making me more likely to purchase from here.

[Matt Monson]

The general public usually fails to understand that a lifetime warranty is for the lifetime of a product, not the lifetime of a person. It’s something that marketing people are well aware of, and use to create an impression, but it’s generally CS reps who have to explain the difference and tell people “no” or that their return will be significantly prorated for use. In most instances it’s a repair or replace warranty, at the vendor’s discretion. The store credit scenario described above is pretty typical.

[yelcab1]

There are still reasons to do business with our host, but Lifetime Warranty is not a consideration.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Matt Monson

The general public usually fails to understand that a lifetime warranty is for the lifetime of a product, not the lifetime of a person. It’s something that marketing people are well aware of, and use to create an impression, but it’s generally CS reps who have to explain the difference and tell people “no” or that their return will be significantly prorated for use. In most instances it’s a repair or replace warranty, at the vendor’s discretion. The store credit scenario described above is pretty typical.

Not for some companies. I have owned a driven my 1986 El Camino for 33 years and 350,000+ miles. I bought an alternator replacement from Autozone 30 years ago. They last 5 or 6 years, and I just take it off, go back, and they hand me a new one. Same for the water pump, and starter and other parts like the power steering pump and multiple others.

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Not for some companies. I have owned a driven my 1986 El Camino for 33 years and 350,000+ miles. I bought an alternator replacement from Autozone 30 years ago. They last 5 or 6 years, and I just take it off, go back, and they hand me a new one. Same for the water pump, and starter and other parts like the power steering pump and multiple others.

Yeah. I watched a tik tok video yesterday where a barefoot Pakistani dude rebuilds those in about an hour. Those kinds of parts can be reconditioned indefinitely.

[yelcab1]

Originally Posted by Matt Monson

Yeah. I watched a tik tok video yesterday where a barefoot Pakistani dude rebuilds those in about an hour. Those kinds of parts can be reconditioned indefinitely.

Yeah, did you see the one where he welded the crankshaft that was broken in two pieces back together?

[almostordinary]

I have a starter that suffered an overheat, no start issue.

Talked to the pelican rep and they have two options.

1.) Buy a new starter, send the old one back, get store credit.
2.) Takes longer, ship the part back.... wait for them to check it out... get a new one shipped.

I opted to just buy a new HT starter, but I will be sending this defunct unit back in and have a new rebuilt bosch unit that I may put up for sale since I'll no longer need it.

It's not as simple as FCP Euro.. where I can just buy the new part, have it delivered, send in the old part and get refunded. This is what I do w my brakes on my AMG cars/trucks.

-Ian

[ahh911]

My story as a cross border once heavy (exclusive) former fcp customer.

They had the best prices and lowest shipping, they swapped into this ridiculous warranty for wear and tear items, the end result was that their customer coupon discounts were nearly eliminated and the regular prices were equal to other competitors at best and shipping cost went up. Being cross border, I can't afford to ship parts back and I was effectively subsidizing u.s. used oil and brake pad refunds. I moved away from them completely, to Pelican's benefit.

If pelican starts to raise prices and notices that there is a slight decline in foreign customers, it's not a blip but the start of a trend. This is bad news to me and reminds me of my former favourite car parts shop.

Phil

[yelcab1]

Originally Posted by ahh911

If pelican starts to raise prices ....

Too late.

[mepstein]

Originally Posted by yelcab1

Too late.

The warranty money has to come from somewhere. If rather they just sell good parts at fair prices. I realize the "lifetime warranty" is a "hook" to get people to buy but warranties are typically a pita to actually get moved through the system.

I'n my mind, the lifetime warranty is saying - Don't worry about buying our crap parts, we'll warranty it no matter how many times it breaks.