Legally entitled to a refund? I bought an alternator for my 1998 Mazda

In July I had bought an alternator for my 1998 Mazda 626 from Advance Auto Parts. When my boyfriend could not install it, we used an auto shop in the area. While driving from Virgina to Indiana the alternator burned out in Ohio about an hour and a half from our planned destination. When we got the car towed it was 5pm on a sunday and no work could be done until the next day and we had to stay in Ohio. The next day the tow truck owner said the alternator burned out because it was installed incorrectly. He took the alternator back to Advanced Auto Parts and got it exchanged for a new alternator and we were on our way the next day. Am I entitled to the one night's stay in the motel, the tow, parts and labor I payed the tow truck owner and the amount I originally payed the auto shop?

I am a Store Manager for Advance and according to our warranty policy you would be entitled to re-embursement for the labor of installing the alternator "IF" and here comes the catch, if it was a defective alternator. But according to the repair shop it had been installed incorrectly so technically you weren't even entitled to a free replacement. Any claims that you might have would have to be aimed at the shop that did the original installation....Good Luck

I know that the store is not liable for anything. My problem is with the auto shop that did the work. I thank you for your reply.

Based on what you say here, you could file suit against them (or at least threaten to do so) in small claims court or in regular court; filing in small claims court is easier and requires no attorney...you could try to collect all of the costs and damages that you suffered due to their behavior... You may also report them to your state attorney general's office.

[loveladyrick]

Depending on your home state, do some searching on the internet and there should be a state agency that regulates all repair facilities and looks into complaints. However, I had a similar experience here in Michigan with a faulty transmission repair, filed an online complaint back in March, and I've never heard anything yet. I wasted almost $800 and so far, the repair facility has not had to pay anything back. Hopefully your home state is more aggressive at looking into these matters. Good luck and yes, small claims court is a hassle, but a good backup plan.