Broken parts and run-around

Well, this is my first really unhappy experience with Land Rover so far. I bought a Land Rover part from a non-Land Rover affiliated parts dealer, and was very happy with the transaction. Good service, good price, general happiness.

However, one piece, the trailer hitch receiver, didn't work out so well. On the LR3, the hitch receiver is removable, and it uses a little handle and key to remove/install from the vehicle.

Late last week, I was going to buy a hitch-mounted bike rack for the car, so I tried to put the hitch on the car. The handle wouldn't turn, so I thought it might be locked already. I turned the key, and while the key handle turned, the lock didn't appear to. I tried to pull the key out, and the key broke in half. Bummer.

Land Rover parts are warranted for 12 months, and it was less than a month ago that I received the part, so there should be no problems. I called my local dealer, affiliated with the dealer that I bought the vehicle from. They said no problem, bring in the broken part and the receipt and although it would be a few days before they could get the replacement part in, they would handle it. Great!

Brought in the broken part today and the person in parts (after waiting in line for 10 minutes holding a 20-pound hitch) refused to take back the part. Apparently, you must return it to the dealer where you purchased it from.

That's sort of like saying that if your toaster breaks 6 months after purchase, you should bring it back to Best Buy to get it replaced.

So, knowing that the national customer service number for Land Rover is known for being extremely helpful, I give the folks there a call.

They have never heard of someone trying to contact the company for a parts warranty return.

At this point, I'm forced to contact the place where I purchased it from and likely ship it back to them. They will likely ship it back to Land Rover. Why not handle things direct?

More to come.

Update: The third-party parts supplier where I got the hitch receiver from agreed to take it back. So, I'm just out shipping for it, and the few weeks while this one goes back and the replacement gets delivered. That's not too bad.