A man in Arkansas was completely turned away when he tried to return a $206 car starter that stopped working just two days after he bought it. He had his receipt with him, but the store still refused to help. Don Raknyup, who drives a Ford F-150 and says he’s a veteran, shared what happened in a video on TikTok.
According to Motor1, he warned other shoppers to be careful when buying car parts. He went back to O’Reilly Auto Parts expecting them to replace the broken starter, but the workers said no.O’Reilly Auto Parts normally covers starters with a one-year warranty.
The warranty protects against problems with how the part was made. If something is wrong with the part and it’s covered, customers can return it to any store for a new one, a repair, or their money back as long as they have their receipt. This makes the store’s refusal seem strange.
The store refused to listen despite having witnesses present
Raknyup says the workers at the Arkansas store wouldn’t even listen to him. He brought witnesses with him when he returned the part, including a retired veteran and a disabled correctional officer. He said the staff “flat refused to replace this starter” no matter what he told them. This is really frustrating for someone who spent over $200 and now has a broken-down vehicle again.
Raknyup isn’t giving up. He plans to contact O’Reilly’s main corporate office right away. He said he wants to “see if they do the right thing.”
The warranty doesn’t cover everything, which might explain the problem. O’Reilly won’t replace parts that break because of wrong installation, misuse, or damage from the customer. The warranty also doesn’t pay for things like labor costs, towing, or rental cars. These situations involving dealerships and warranties can get complicated quickly. The store likely thought the starter failed because of one of these reasons, not because the part itself was bad.
People online have different opinions about who’s right. Some support Raknyup, but others doubt his story.“I work at Autozone and I can assure you Autozone would have given you another one,” one wrote. “That starter was not two days old, and didn’t look like the brand they carry,” another pointed out.
Some people also questioned why Raknyup mentioned being a veteran. “Typically when someone mentions veterans or disabled, there’s a scam on the way,” one user wrote. When dealing with auto retailers, knowing how salespeople handle difficult customer interactions can help shoppers protect themselves.
