Customer service..... Is it DEAD?

[Deaf Bob]

Went to the local O'Reileys, told the dufus I wanted a pair of mufflers.
Was just gonna get the cheap crimped Thrush mufflers just as temps.
Dufus claims that they do not make them 2.5 diam in/outlets.. So got a pair of welded chambered mufflers .

Made a point, repeated it 2 times..CENTER INLET, SIDE OUTLET..
Explained I got fenderwell headers (blank look) and anything else will not look right...

Get home, lay on the ground and start to test fit to know where to put the hangers... WTH?? right beside the center pipe....OUTLET! Fawk!

Looked at the reciept... Also did not put the hangers and clamps on it.... When I asked, he pointed in the box..
Shoulda looked!

Now it s pouring rain, ...

Really... How hard s it to get the right one, FIRST TIME OUT?

My son got me the part number for the right ones, heading out in a bit!


Is it the norm for counter guys/gals to try to pad their "sales" by selling wrong parts... Do returned parts even get noticed by the head office?

Seems I am always having to return stuff to get the right stuff! My son says I need to "pay more attention"
I'd like to whack him upside the head sometimes.. He's taller than I, so that ain't happening!

[bearphoto]

You have to pay more attention as a customer because as you said there is no such thing as customer service anymore. Employees who work in a particular field have zero expertise, do not know their product lines and have absolutely no customer etiquette. I share your frustration but this problem is wide spread. Customers beware, the people you are dealing with are absolute idiots most of the time. Occasionally you find a good employee you just have to praise them and thank them!

[Deaf Bob]

Notice that in pretty much ALL businesses...

I used to frequent a gas station here in town.. One day I was waiting to fill up.. I always put in $40 to $100+ in my cars...pumper walked right by me and gave a customer $5 worth. I was there first... Put my cap back on and left.. OR has no self serve, if you try, they give you cwap for pumping your own gas!

[Loren]

I was in our O'Reillys last week for a bottle of Sta-Lube soluable oil which that store under a different name used to carry. I didn't really expect to find any now but it's the closest. Around here, at that store and the hardware store etc, the problem is when the place is empty with no customers you get the reverse of no help, which is too much help, and generally from a gal or kid who does not know half what you do.

Sir can I help you (no I'm fine), But what is it you're looking for (no I'm fine), Are you sure, I'd like to help you...(NO I'M FINE), But sir I can tell you where any...(OK, soluable oil!) Solvent oil? (Soluable oil, they used to use it in radiators) Solvent oil? What kind of oil? Sir all our coolant is over here, see, I'm showing you...(no there is none there) and here, follow me and I'll show you where the huge obvious aisle of oil is (won't you please as I'm blind) but we don't carry any solvent (I know, I'm not looking for solvent I want soluable oil). Solvable oil? What is that, because it's our specialty that we can order anything not on the shelves (I NEED SOL U A BULL OIL...Sol u a bull. Soluable. There isn't any here and I can see that so I'll just be moving along now) Soluable oil? Jack, come over here, have you ever heard of soluable oil --blank expression from Jack follows-- Solvent oil? (Please let me go now, you are standing in my way) Sir we can help you find anything, that's what we're here for, but it has to actually exist...can you give us a name brand? (LOOK, I have looked the store over and there is none here so I just want to...) Sir, please...just give us a brand name (Sta-Lube) OK, here now, I will stand right here in front of you and examine this entire shelf of self-glazing waxes up close and try to determine if there is any stale lube (My God will you please just let me out of this store, what am I, hostage or something?) And really sir, sometime there are things that a customer might want that we actually don't know about but please know we are here to help you, so will you please explain to me what exactly this stale lube is and Jack, will you please go look over on the other aisle and I'm sure we can help this gentlemen...

As I said, a gal and a kid. Guys my age know a hateful, threatening glare when they see one and leave me alone.

So anyhow a half-hour later I'm at NAPA paying $10 each for two little PINTS of "cutting oil" which is the same thing as what used to be $5/quart when it was called soluable oil, sold for radiators.

Fun, fun.

[Deaf Bob]

Shop I worked at used soluable oil in the big drill press... Big coffee can in a 5 gallon bucket and fill with water.. Looks like a fresh milked bucket ...
Was given part of a 5 gal bucket of it, son didn't know what it was so recycled it...

[Bob Holmes]

Loren, I've had that experience myself. You characterized it exactly. At least at my local O'Reilly they are so used to me that they just get out the books and let me wander around.

[1badmonkey]

our local store has decent customer service, as a matter of fact, I am headed there in about 25 minutes for some grub, today is "customer appreciation day" and they are cooking in the parking lot

[Mr4Speed]

"Service" is what a bull does to a cow.

[JOES66FURY]

I went to a barber shop off base. The wife used to always do my hair but shes busy and I know she dont wanna have to deal with that crap when she gets off work. So I have been going on base, done in 10 minutes out the door...friendly. But they always butcher my head, awful haircuts, and when you go back for a touch up it is a hassle. So I went off base. Found a place and went in. Sat there for 40 minutes, 2 guys working 2 guys getting their hair cut. The barbers could not STFU, yack, yack, yack, yack...fine. I get it, thats how the barber shops were back home when I was a kid, no big deal. I get in the seat and 45 minutes later I am done...good haircut but the dude took 3 calls form his cell phone and stopped when his mommy dropped in to say hi. HHe went outside and chatted with her, then he went to the effing bathroom while I WAS IN THE CHAIR!

Customer service is dead...dead and burried.

[Turbo Regal]

Employees that know what they are talking about are expensive. The American public demands cheap prices. Therefore, you get employees who do nothing but enter data into a computer and pick whatever the computer spits out. Large corporate stores like O'Reilly, Home Depot or Walmart are into cheap and large volume and paying for trained sales people are not a part of that.

You get what you pay for.

[Whelk]

This is why I love internet shopping. I can be my own counter monkey and take the blame when I order the wrong thing.

[Barry Donovan]

This is why I love internet shopping. I can be my own counter monkey and take the blame when I order the wrong thing.

just be weary of shipping.

as the economy drops even usps employees mafia their way into peoples items with an "oops sent that to the wrong place".

you knw what I saw one day? civilian clothed guy dropping off my brand new video card late on a Saturday afternoon...
what the?

I opened the box and it was somebodies cleaning job on vid card that was not new.

those spells come and go..
humanity and the fantasy ghetto

"the thing they have"

[Scott Liggett]

Customers gave up customer service when they gave up their patience and their willing to pay for it.

In my world, I deal with multimillionaires daily. They are willing to spend upwards of $5000 a night for a hotel room and pony up a grand for dinner. Why? Because they demand the best customer service. When they call the concierge at 3 am because they want a massage. The concierge says "certainly, right away." Because if they dont, that guy will go to that other hotel in Beverly Hills who has a massage therapist on call 24/7.

Us middle income people want everything right now and cheap. Thats what you get. And, you dont get good expertise when you want everything now and cheap.

I pay more for auto parts at a parts store that services to mostly pro mechanics. Why? Because the pros dont use parts thst are cheap because they quit, dont work, or dont fit. That means the customer bringing their car back and them working for free. I also deal with parts pros, real ones. Not counter monkeys who spent 8 hours in training watching training videos shown by other monkeys who learned their job by watching videos.

Going to chain stores like O'reillys and Pep Boys is a total waste of time and I drive by both to go to the ones who know what they are doing. If you dont like agrievation then maybe some you should stop this masochistic behavior and drive a little farther.

[bishir]

When it's 3am do they want a massage or a '"massage."

[SpiderGearsMan]

if CSI takes a dive ...we are in deep trouble