good folks and customer service.........

had a flat yesterday evening on the tractor from mowing in a sappling infested area. tube is cheaper than paying someone to patch it so took the wheel off this morning and blew to the shop. 2 guys on the counter. I get the newer one, tell him I need 2 tubes and ask if there is someone there to fix me. He says that he has to see if he has the tubes first and will ask the shop afterwards. Other guy tells his customer he will be right back, walks about 10 ft behind the first guy, grabs 2 tubes, grabs my wheel that was setting by the shop door, and gets a mechanic that was washing the parking lot. Never said a word to anyone and was back to his customer in about 3 minutes. I was still humoring the firstz guy fumbling with the computer and answering phone calls. He grabbed me 2 tubes and lay them on the counter just as the kid knocked on the shop window and said I was finished.......... Told the guy I didn't need them anymore cause I ordered them from somewhere else while he was looking..... Walked by the other guy and he said it was on my bill.....
Thinking the other guy will end up on the retail floor...........

Now thats funny.

Ive said for a long time that we dont get anymore work done with
computers. We just do it different. And it give jobs to guys who
really cant do anything else. About a year or so ago there
was an ad on TV where everyone was using a credit card to pay
and the line was moving along at a fast pace. Then someone
paid with cash and the line slowed. Apparently they know
nothing of real life. All my cash transactions go fairly fast. No
need for technology (if you can count/add/subtract). Have you
ever been in line when the cc machine goes down or a denied CC
is used?

Oh by the way Im not against technology, Just aware it is
not as efficient as some would have you believe.

Oh dont forget the new guy will be the old guy some day too.

Thats funny.

I was in one of the large newer parts chage store a few years back. I was looking for a rebuild kit for an industrial engine. I alreadty knew that Sealed Power made a kit and that this parts store sold Sealed Power. Kid behind the counter was standing in front of a rack with parts books and I could see the industrial engine book. He punches in the info into the computer and tells me nope they don't make one. I tell him that he needs to look it up in the book. He tells me that if is isn't in the computer they can't get it. I tell him to look it up in the book and order it. He insisted that they couldn't get it if it wsn't in the computer. By then I was getting a little hot under the coller when the manager came up and ask if there was a problem. I told him what was going on and told him it was his fault for hiring kids that knew computers but nothing of parts. He got the book, looked it up and showed the kid how to order it kit. Next morning when I came back to pick the kit up the manager was waiting for me, gave me the kit and knocked $75 off the price because of the crap the day before. Never did go back to that store after that.

Rick

My opinion-- everyone is new at a job sometime. The veteran counter guy shouldn't have done that to his associate-- when he overheard your request he could have just grabbed the two tubes and put them on the counter in front of him and let him carry on from there rather than make him look totally stupid. There's an old saying "what goes around comes around" or treat others as you'd like to be treated.

(quoted from post at 05:50:16 08/20/11) My opinion-- everyone is new at a job sometime. The veteran counter guy shouldn't have done that to his associate-- when he overheard your request he could have just grabbed the two tubes and put them on the counter in front of him and let him carry on from there rather than make him look totally stupid. There's an old saying "what goes around comes around" or treat others as you'd like to be treated.

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Could be there is a little bad blood in the mix...... None of the other guys pay much attention to the newer one............

When I moved here in 1986 the only parts store was a NAPA family owned store. One of the owners was an old lady who was always behind the parts counter. It seemed like I got her every time I went in to the store. it took her forever to find anything, even though she had been there for years. The last time I went in to get parts for a ford pickup she told me ford didnt make a pickup. I left and didnot go back till after they retired her.

Talk about "newbies" reminds me of a story I once heard.

An Air Force transport plane was approaching Westover AFB in Massachusets from an overseas haul and a calm, mature voice called the tower requesting landing instructions. All conversations with the tower were with the same calm, mature voice.

Then the tower lost the plane in ground clutter and asked for a position report. The same voice came back, "I'm at 2,000 feet on final".

A young, almost hysterical voice interrupted, "Westover tower, I'm also at 2,000 feet on final!"

The original calm, mature voice came back and said, "You'd better be, you knothead. You're my co-pilot".

I went in to buy a water pump. For a 300 Ford that Onan used for a generator engine. Kid started asking me normal questions. What year,automatic or standard and so on. Told him none of that mattered because it was on a generator. So he tells me that is an industrial engine and they don't sell those parts.

I told him it was a standard water pump. But he told me it was not. So I went and got the water pump. Took it back and he said that is a standard water pump. We have those in stock. So I said no that is the pump you said you did not have.

Also had a kid tell me that StudeBaker was a foreign car.

You're right. Regardless of any bad blood or what is going on behind the scenes there should be a sense of teamwork where the customer is concerned.

While kids could show more interest in their job sometimes they are set up to fail by what the management does or fails to do. I've worked for a fair amount of moody bosses in my off farm career. I've been lucky that anything I got into that I had a fair amount of intuition to help me through the initial period. Could be the boss was not interested in doing the "book" part of the training for the kid when he hired on and got caught with his pants down when you came in. I worked for a place one time that only the boss knew if the vendors were paid or not paid. You would think the order taker at the other end of the phone line would know the situation if your employer was cut off from getting things but that is not always the case. Nothing worse than placing an order and have a week go by only to find the process has been all fouled up. Before anybody says anything sometimes you can ask the boss and sometimes you are not going to accomplish anything by talking to the boss. Because somebody "owns" a business does not mean they got it by merit. A lot of people got into business because something was bought for them or was handed to them without expectation that they would have to pay anything back. There used to be a farm supply business years ago where the owner's father used to say he gave the son the business so the son would have something to do and not hopefully starve to death. Needless to say that business failed after several years but fortunately for the old man that he did not have all his life's savings and assets tied up in it.

Yep,,,,,,, I have seen where the old fart jambles up the parts department sooo bad that he is the only one who can find anything!! job security for the old fart. May or may not be the case here,, but he sure did make the new guy look worthless?? Could be that the new guy is totally new to the store and has much to learn,,if that is the case; the old fart could have tapped the new guy on the shoulder and pointed at the tubes(( rather than waste his own time, his customers time, and the new guys time going on his little "power trip" with your wheel)) On the other hand; the new guy may be a total air head, whom the old fart has totally given up on.

Dave, I will be waiting for chapter two on your parts excursions, Interesting story BDT

Back in the 60's , there was a jokster out in ND that walked into a local parts store and asked for a water pump for a Volkswagon Beetle.. Three guys behind the counter were looking for that water pump; the jokster finally burst out laughing.. Don't know if it was April Fool's Day or not; but everyone had a good laugh!

Might not have been any bad blood at all. The new guy could have just started and there is no one to train him other than the old guy, so instead of holding the customer up, the veteran just took care of it without saying anything. Saying something could have made the new guy feel bad just as much as not saying anything at all. A lot of times corperate policy says to go by the book, especially with new employees. Part of that policy might be to always make sure you have what you need in stock before you do an invoice. If it was a new guy, how is he supposed to know what is common or in stock. Learning a new computer system isn't easy either. I'm going through that right now. I'm glad there's a couple people that will help me out while I'm learning. Thankfully most customers understand it takes a while for a new employee to figure everything out. One customer thanked me on the phone for calling him back and clearing up a price he was given by someone who has been there a few years. He even told me to tell her that she really needs to be more careful when she gives prices. He said he asked her 3 times if the price was right. She was giving the package size of 4.54 kg as the price. The actual price was $8.65/kg. The company would have lost money on the price she gave. Be happy you got your tire fixed and give the new guy a break.

We had a place, in a nearby town, that sold
small engine parts wholesale,(that"s what they
called it) to dealers. Since I have a "Resale, tax exempt number", I bought there. I went in once with a long list of Briggs, Tecumseh, Kohler
part numbers. An old lady behind the counter took
a look at the list and said, "Go someplace else"!
I"ve found that it"s quicker to order on the
internet, and get the parts shipped right to my
door!

When I owned a John Deere 70 Diesel a long time ago , I stoped at O Riellys for a set of 4 spark plugs. Told the " Brite" guy behind the counter what I needed. Well , that is when the crapp hit the fan , so to speak . I found out just how stupid I was from mister " smartbutt". He refused to look in the book to see that all 70 diesels had plugs. After a hot exchange of how stupid I was , another guy got me the plugs.
Mister " smartbutt" got canned a few days latter.

our latest new hire is on his 2nd year, i can sell circles around him, but i've been behind that counter for 17 years, i would NOT have done that, i would have pointed him in the correct direction and corrected him as he went, that's the way you learn.

he'll ask me "what's he points for 8N with front dist?" in stead of just telling him, i'll show him what book and let him learn from there, that's how i figgered it out he can too, now if we are plum covered up swimming in customers with the phone rigging i'll help him out . then we'll go back and i'll show him how i knew. i'm making a counterpro out of him rather he likes it or not.

btw our new hire is my little brother 16years younger than me.

One customer thanked me on the phone for calling him back and clearing up a price he was given by someone who has been there a few years. He even told me to tell her that she really needs to be more careful when she gives prices. He said he asked her 3 times if the price was right. She was giving the package size of 4.54 kg as the price. The actual price was $8.65/kg. The company would have lost money on the price she gave.

Super Dave i think the smart thing to do would have been to pull the young lady aside and without any to do informed her of her mistake and let her correct it, i mean isnt that what you want to do help people??? i think you just got that poor girl in trouble......

Kinda forgot the joke things......my #2 son told my oldest daughter when she had a burned out turn signal on her first car that she needed blinker fluid.....and she went straight off the the nearest NAPA and ask for a bottle.


RIck

This wasn't a young lady. It was the moody one who half the time doesn't even acknowledge you when you say something nice like "good morning"! She saw my order book and said twice I could cross off that request because she had already given a price for the inconel rod. I couldn't get a word in. The customer must have phoned back for another price while I was on lunch. The number I had written down was ER70-S2 3/32" which I knew right away wasn't inconel rod. It was standard carbon steel TIG rod. I think a couple of the outside salesmen are realizing that I know what I'm talking about so that's a good thing. I'm trying very hard to be nice to this woman but if she gets me in trouble with a customer or tries to pass off her mistakes on me, I'll be talking to either my immediate supervisor or the big boss(maybe both), whether she's a favorite (of the big boss)or not. The guy that's been there over 20 years said if the customer talked to me, I should call the customer back. He agreed it was BS on her part and also knew it wasn't inconel rod. He has a complaint in about her so we'll see what happens. I'm letting things go for now since I'm new but I'm not going to get blamed for someone else's big mistake.

(quoted from post at 16:20:14 08/20/11) One customer thanked me on the phone for calling him back and clearing up a price he was given by someone who has been there a few years. He even told me to tell her that she really needs to be more careful when she gives prices. He said he asked her 3 times if the price was right. She was giving the package size of 4.54 kg as the price. The actual price was $8.65/kg. The company would have lost money on the price she gave.

Super Dave i think the smart thing to do would have been to pull the young lady aside and without any to do informed her of her mistake and let her correct it, i mean isnt that what you want to do help people??? i think you just got that poor girl in trouble......

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Now you just leave davie alone........ He's been there a week now and them idiots ain't figgered out how smart he is......... he's gots ta showem.......Don't discourage him...