Also, in the time it's taking to get a return authorization, the website has dumped my shopping cart, so I have to hunt down the parts for my next order, again. I thought, if I was signed in, my shopping cart would be saved for me

I've been an Alt-E Store customer for over 10 years. This is not what I've come to expect from Alt-E. If I don't get a call back from customer service, the shopping cart issue is probably moot.