This store, and it's staff is awesome. Here's what brought me to shop here. At age 60, I've been around parts stores quite a bit.
I recently purchased a used Ford E-450 Econoline Cutaway Bus with a wheelchair lift. There are two batteries in a compartment on the side of the vehicle, which wouldn't hold a charge, so I was constantly having to charge it, or boost it to start.
I went online to search for quality batteries at a decent price, and I found exactly what I was looking for on the Advanced Auto Parts website (I highly recommend their website as well, and I even joined their free "Speed Perks" Loyalty program, and received $50.00 off my online order).
I called the store to ensure that the batteries I was ordering online were the right fit for my vehicle, and to arrange pick up at the store. They were very helpful, and agreed to install the batteries in the my vehicle for me. When I arrived at the store, dropped my lift gate, and approached the front door in my electric wheelchair scooter. An older gentleman came out to meet me, and hold the door open.
Another gentleman and lady at the counter looked up my order, got it ready. One of the guys installed the batteries, which started the bus up immediately. I used my lift to get back on board, plugged my electric chair in to it's charger, and everything was going good. However, I could not get my vehicle into drive, and the lift gate would no longer work.
Then the staff went above and beyond anything expected. On a blazing hot 4th of July Saturday, the two gentleman each attempted to help me determine what was wrong with my lift and gear shift. Although they worked hard to help me, it was not working. I needed electrical tester, and some tools to try and fix the problem, and the man behind the counter helped me find some inexpensive items to do the work, and was nice enough to give me a 10% discount on my purchase.
I eventually called a tow company repair service, who came out and discovered it was a problem with the break pedal sensor (unrelated to the battery installation) that prevented the shifter from moving out of park, and also locked out power to the lift. That mechanic had a lot of experience working on buses, fixed the problem, and got me on my way.
I was extremely impressed with the courtesy, and helpfulness of the customer service at the Benton Harbor Advanced Auto Parts store, and I would definitely shop there again!
I find that too many people who are in a frustrating situation, like needing their car fixed, and can't get exactly what they want, often at no fault of the store, become nasty with the staff, and then write bad reviews online, which are generally unjustified.
This parts store is one of the better ones. They might not have everything you are looking for in stock, but can probably get it really fast, which is why I recommend shopping on their website, and picking up the item whenever possible. I give the store and their staff a 5 out of 5 star rating! read more
