The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Other Random Car Stuff → Gripe of the day
Wow is right.
You handled that incredibly well, btw.
I've had my fair share of frontline customer service/public interface jobs. And I know I wouldn't want me for a customer. Especially repeatedly. So I do sympathize a bit with the counter people at times; but I don't accept laziness as an excuse for not doing a job to the best of one's ability.
For all of those SF Bay Area folks, especially those that used to live on The Island That Rust Forgot, Alameda, World Famous Lee Auto Supply is now under the banner of Napa Auto Supply. I'll have to stop by and see if anything has changed. http://www.napalocator.com/storeinfoUI.aspx?sid=37595
And to demonstrate what I sometimes have to go through, take a listen to this call. I normally don't record customer calls, but I knew this one was going to be a winner:
Wow, that would be my worst nightmare.
I'd have questioned my own sanity... "Hey boss, say something to me in English real quick, I may be having a stroke."
I worked in auto parts for 15 years, both aftermarket and OE. When I worked for the AC Delco/Motorcraft distributor they got in software to look up items (like what most Advance/AZ's use). They got mad at me because I almost never used it. They claimed it was so much faster than looking in catalogs. So I gave them a contest to look up price and availability on a cap, rotor, wires, spark plugs, air filter, and fuel filter (standard tune-up) for a 95 Cavalier, oh, and get the gap setting for the plugs. After I was done I also looked up pads, shoes, and calipers for the same vehicle before they were done. They still weren't happy with me, but I proved my point.
Unfortunately, the grocery stores as I call them (Advance and Autozone, just see how much food is for sale!) do not care about real car people. They only want to sell the fastest moving items and to keep the prices down they don't pay squat. And they don't even teach them how to use a catalog. Just watch their commercials. Their too busy teaching them how to change a battery in a car falling from an airplane.....lmao.
On the stupid customer side, I used to laugh at the commercials that said, "Their car is their baby. They know every inch of it." Half the people that came in were lucky to know where to put the gas in! I couldn't tell you how many times I was told by someone with a Ford truck that they had a 306 engine. I said, "you mean a 300 6 cylinder?", "No, I have a 306".....
And to demonstrate what I sometimes have to go through, take a listen to this call. I normally don't record customer calls, but I knew this one was going to be a winner:
Not to make you feel bad, but I don't think that fellow's drunk. Sounds like aphasia to me. You handled it well, though; he should have had someone call in for him.
...what?
i THOUGHT he said something about a starter...then he mentioned window...
window motor? maybe? then i think there was something in there about a ford fairlane...
WOWwww. this reminds me of the time when i spent 45minutes on the phone supporting someone's internet, in which during that time i found that their screen res was set so low that any windows popping up would not show the "OK" button, so during the conversation i had to teach them how to scroll, right-click, and tab over to the OK button because they STILL wern't finding it.
As a former auto parts manager, the decline is in the fact that no "corporate" owned company will pay a guy that knows anything about parts. It use to be a good business to get into, learn parts, learn the catalogs, learn to use a micrometer, and get paid for your knowledge and ability. not any more, why hire one old crusty parts guy at $14 an hour when you can hire 2 "burger flippers" at $7. There is always that one old guy that knows something about parts in most stores or ask to talk to the commercial manager if you need to find something not in the computer.
Yep, crappy pay means the lowest common denominators get hired. I went into Autozone to look for wheel bearings on my F150 a few months ago and the girl behind the counter asked if that was a car or truck. Wow.
I certainly try to bring the level of service for parts guys back up.
Was she at least cute?
Maybe she thought it was the ferrari F1 car you needed parts for...
I do have to say that when I went into Autozone looking for ANY lower radiator hose that might fit an '87 Jaguar XJ6, the guy was really helpful and searched through his hoses until he found one that would work. We did have to grind down the outlet on the water pump a bit, but it worked.
I work on a friend's collection of odd and antique cars for a side job, and frequent the local parts stores with all my projects. They let me loose like when I needed to replace a fuel filler hose on a '66 Auburn kit car, you don't exactly find that in the computer, but found a hose that worked.
Funny thing recently I tried to find a bypass hose for a '60 Lincoln and it was 7/8", and none of the local stores carried it they had only 3/4 or 1", I finally ordered it on Amazon.
FYI - Rockauto is decent alternative, but high shipping costs on larger orders as they ship from many locations.
After 3 or 4 trips to the local joints trying to explain the Wartburg it got to the point where I'd walk in and they'd just point me to the back room to go hunting.
As we were prepping to leave for BABE one of the teams was doing a last minute motor swap in their Chevy 305 powered Jaguar and needed a new motor mount (no the REALLY needed it otherwise I'd laugh off a new motor mount for BABE)
There were guys running to different stores with the old mount in hand and all they go was "Year, Make, Model" from the parts monkey. Finally I told them to just ask for a 68 Camaro V8 mount....hey, whaddaya know, it matches. Any place with one of the "veterans" others have discussed would have seen that thing and known immediately it was just a standard early smallblock mount but the kids at most of these stores probably aren't even sure what a motor mount is.
And dont even get me started about the time I was looking for an innertube.
I'm still pretty much a moron about auto parts. However, I'm also usually the schmuck at the auto parts counter when something breaks, 'cause the not-morons need to be at the track actually fixing things. So I've learned how bad these kids generally are. I've learned two things:
1) There are two types of 1995 SOHC Dodge Neons. Some were made in Mexico, some in Detroit. I don't remember which kind ours is, but Napa/OReilly's/Autozone think we have the other kind. So things like clutch cables won't fit.
2) Because of point #1, I always bring the old busted part with me. Occasionally, even tho the computer macheeen thinks Part A is okay, the fact that it doesn't match Example B is noticed by the parts monkey. And then s/he finds Part B and life is good. I hate this because it is both a pain in the ass (sometimes Example B is heavy!) and it makes me greasier than I really need to be. (I know, I know, getting dirty is part of racing. But there is dirt, and then there is *avoidable* dirt. It's the latter that I hate.)
Either way, I try to find the local hub or warehouse stores. They seem to know their stuff slightly better.
Anymore I'm the guy that walks in with a printout from Advance's/Orielly/Autozone's website ans says I need x number of these parts. When the dude can't even look up and hand me the correct set of brake pads for a '92 Ford F150 ya gotta take matters into your own hands. 'Specially when the parts store is a 1.5 hour round trip. But then the local KOI still has the old dudes with working catalogs. So if I need something goofy I can't find a listing for I can try them.
Anymore I'm the guy that walks in with a printout from Advance's/Orielly/Autozone's website ans says I need x number of these parts.
You know, I did this once and the buy behind the counter still couldn't find the freaking part. Since then I've had more luck, but that once was really, really frustrating.
I used to run demolition derbies. Went to local boxstore auto parts. said i need sparkplugs for a chevette 1.6l (compact class) looked me straight in the eye and asked..."gas or diesel?"..... i think i had and aneurism
I used to run demolition derbies. Went to local boxstore auto parts. said i need sparkplugs for a chevette 1.6l (compact class) looked me straight in the eye and asked..."gas or diesel?"..... i think i had and aneurism
damn, maybe i need to change the spark plugs. that must be why my E350 diesel is so hard to start.
Later, after a quick Google search and return to the store...
Me: "I need some lug nuts for a 1974 to 1983 Plymouth truck."
Clerk: "Sure, dude. Two bucks each. How many do you want?"
Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgh! They're among us, and they are breeding!
One of the main reasons I finally broke down & got an iPhone (just replace it with "Smartphone" if you don't like Apple) is so I could look up parts on the fly. It's sooo much nicer when you can look up the part you want while standing in the middle of the parts store after the counter guy fails.
Typically the guys at NAPA will just get out of the way & let me do the database search myself, or point me in the direction of the spark plugs/hoses/wtf I need behind the counter.
Them: "What's it for again?"
Me: "It's not in your system, but I can see you have a box of NGK B7ES over your left shoulder. Reach in, give me two"
Them: "Where?? You sure you don't want Four??"
Me: Sigh....
-=Tom
I've been using what I call an "oldschool" parts guy for years. I can call him and tell hom that I need a standard rotation waterpump for a 302 and he just says "ok"
Go to autozone and try that, you get a dumb look
I've had good luck with specialty shops. Needed a radiator for a 78 chevy pickup. Seems like a common part, but the computers at Napa and Adv Auto both gave the pinheads a part number for the wrong radiator. Ended up going to a local radiator repair shop. Told the old timer behind counter what I needed. He knew the part number from memory!
The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Other Random Car Stuff → Gripe of the day