Interesting conversation at O’Reilly

I tried that about 5 years ago. Ordered online and went to the store a couple hours later to pick up my stuff. No stuff for me. They sold it to someone else. I complained. The worker rudely replies to me, well, what do you expect us to do, pull your stuff off the floor and keep it in the back until you show up?? Yes, since I paid for it, that's exactly what I expect you to do. He scoffed at my suggestion. I got my refund and left.
They did the same thing to me at AAP. While I disagree, I was told here that is normal behavior.
 
This thread perfectly sums up why I only use RockAuto unless it's an emergency.

LOL Last time I called RA about ACC carpet info the rockauto CS guy in Wisconsin was RUDDDDDDDDDE as other word for "poo poo"

Another incident was when they shipped me the wrong alternator!! It was my daily driver and had to get to work so bit the bullet and went to O'Reilly's paid full retail price and had to wait almost 2 weeks for RA clowns to refund my $$$ :/
 
Sometimes that works both ways, depending on the customer :)

Okay ?? Rude assumption. But to close out this story. Few Days later the CORP and district manager reached out to me on social media and called to apologize after reviewing security video and talking to employees who were there. I told him I would NOT be spending any of my $$$ in his district until that POS manager was fired !! Luckily this store was 25 miles away from my home and I was never planning to go back anyways :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
 
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Sadly, I’ve had several instances over the last few years of them sending the wrong parts or used parts. I’ve reluctantly gone back to buying local a bit more. I’d prefer to do it all the time but am not willing to pay the huge markups.
Or l called asking for brushes for my starter motor, the counter person asked lf l meant brushes to clean the starter.
 
It is shocking that an experienced technician with vast experience would be restricted to conducting sales transactions :rolleyes:
It is pretty clear why this employee is running the register and not turning wrenches in a garage. I wouldn't pay any attention either. I mean, "M1 has no detergents"? Lol, utter nonsense. I might even call and inform the store manager how their store is being represented.
 
Many, many moons ago, I sent my brother to my favorite parts store for a jug of Antifreeze/Coolant. This place is normally staffed by grown men, not 'kids' and this really isn't a Parts Store bash, just a funny memory.

He walks in and they ask if they can help him.
My brother momentarily has a brain phart and can't remember the word 'Antifreeze'.
He says - Uhh, the fluid you put in your radiator...?
*Deer in headlights response*
You know, the FLUID you pour into your RADIATOR. Radiator fluid!
*Stop leak, radiator flush???*
No, no. The stuff that keeps it from freezing. Comes in a gallon jug.
*Ohhh...*

And yes, I've heard plenty of parts store employee opinions. In one ear and out the other.
 
Reminds me of the Manager at an AutoZone who asked why I was buying 2 qt oil filters and what was I using them for, been using the STP 373 2qt filters on my 83 Silverado 305 for as long as I can remember, he said that I would be starving the engine of oil due to the oil pump having to pump twice as much oil as 1qt filter, I just shook my head and smiled walking out with my 2qt STP filter. :D
 
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I had a gift card to burn up and some used oil to take in yesterday so I went to Oreilly.

The young man working the counter asked what the oil was for just to strike conversation, I told him. He then went onto say that if it was for a Chevy 5.3, he’d recommend Castrol as opposed to my Mobil 1 because of what it did to his truck, which he was likely the 4th or 5th owner of. He also expressed his feeling towards foreign brands even while suggesting a foreign branded oil, Castrol. He and his co worker got to talking and then said M1 had no detergent in it and that it’ll destroy my engine.

Basically calling me stupid without calling me stupid IMO. I still kept my mouth shut. Told him to have a nice day and left. Where do they find these people?
I would have said to them that there isn't any noticable difference between any brand's full synthetic oil in terms of engine wear, gas mileage, extreme cold flow or extreme high temperature protection, detergents, etc. One approach is to be brand agnostic and just to buy the cheapest full synthetic oil from the stores with the cheapest prices.
 
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I work at the front counter at an auto parts store...oof some of these stories make me shake my head.

I think what a lot of it is, is the simple fact that not too many people with mechanical experience want to work at a parts counter. I work for one of the good ones up here in the canada, but i can't imagine most places in the states paying their staff all too well.

I wasn't ever a professional mechanic, but i have done my fair share of wrenching, and I worked as a licensed rv technician for most of my adult life.

After 15 years of that i decided i had my fun, made my money, so i quit while i was ahead with all my fingers still attached. Applied at this parts store and basically got hired on the spot based on my experience.

While I do know the difference between a spark plug and a ball joint, there is still some stuff in the automotive world that I do not know. If a customer has a question that i don't know the answer to, i'll straight up say that I don't know.

...on the other hand sometimes the customers can be a good bit of fun. The other day someone came in needing valve cover gaskets for his "chevy 350"

Me: "Ok...what year is this engine?"

Customer: "doesn't matter! Its a chevy 350!"

Me: "what year-ish? 70's? 90's?"

Customer (becoming a bit aggrivated): "JUST A CHEVY 350!"

So I just punched in an 80's chevy truck with a 350 and gave him the valve cover gaskets for that.
He came back in the next day saying they were wrong. I told him they were for a chevy 350 so after a little back and fourth i find out he had a 1996 chevy 1500 with a 350. I got him the right ones and he was much more polite about it than the day before.
 
I work at the front counter at an auto parts store...oof some of these stories make me shake my head.

I think what a lot of it is, is the simple fact that not too many people with mechanical experience want to work at a parts counter. I work for one of the good ones up here in the canada, but i can't imagine most places in the states paying their staff all too well.

I wasn't ever a professional mechanic, but i have done my fair share of wrenching, and I worked as a licensed rv technician for most of my adult life.

After 15 years of that i decided i had my fun, made my money, so i quit while i was ahead with all my fingers still attached. Applied at this parts store and basically got hired on the spot based on my experience.

While I do know the difference between a spark plug and a ball joint, there is still some stuff in the automotive world that I do not know. If a customer has a question that i don't know the answer to, i'll straight up say that I don't know.

...on the other hand sometimes the customers can be a good bit of fun. The other day someone came in needing valve cover gaskets for his "chevy 350"

Me: "Ok...what year is this engine?"

Customer: "doesn't matter! Its a chevy 350!"

Me: "what year-ish? 70's? 90's?"

Customer (becoming a bit aggrivated): "JUST A CHEVY 350!"

So I just punched in an 80's chevy truck with a 350 and gave him the valve cover gaskets for that.
He came back in the next day saying they were wrong. I told him they were for a chevy 350 so after a little back and fourth i find out he had a 1996 chevy 1500 with a 350. I got him the right ones and he was much more polite about it than the day before.
Yeah this happens daily. They come in for a part for a “Chevy 350!” Give me an attitude when I ask what year “they’re all the same!” Then inevitably the next day “YOU SOLD ME THE WRONG PART!”
 
I grew up near a real old school autoparts store. They could turn your rotors and rebuild your starter in the back of the shop. You could bring in any part and the old guys behind the counter would walk in the back and bring out an exact replacement. They helped me rebuild carbs and keep old cars on the road. There was probably 500 years of experience among the staff there. Most places like that are long gone.
 
I work at the front counter at an auto parts store...oof some of these stories make me shake my head.

I think what a lot of it is, is the simple fact that not too many people with mechanical experience want to work at a parts counter. I work for one of the good ones up here in the canada, but i can't imagine most places in the states paying their staff all too well.

I wasn't ever a professional mechanic, but i have done my fair share of wrenching, and I worked as a licensed rv technician for most of my adult life.

After 15 years of that i decided i had my fun, made my money, so i quit while i was ahead with all my fingers still attached. Applied at this parts store and basically got hired on the spot based on my experience.

While I do know the difference between a spark plug and a ball joint, there is still some stuff in the automotive world that I do not know. If a customer has a question that i don't know the answer to, i'll straight up say that I don't know.

...on the other hand sometimes the customers can be a good bit of fun. The other day someone came in needing valve cover gaskets for his "chevy 350"

Me: "Ok...what year is this engine?"

Customer: "doesn't matter! Its a chevy 350!"

Me: "what year-ish? 70's? 90's?"

Customer (becoming a bit aggrivated): "JUST A CHEVY 350!"

So I just punched in an 80's chevy truck with a 350 and gave him the valve cover gaskets for that.
He came back in the next day saying they were wrong. I told him they were for a chevy 350 so after a little back and fourth i find out he had a 1996 chevy 1500 with a 350. I got him the right ones and he was much more polite about it than the day before.

When I was a kid I did a similar thing almost verbatim, except it was an alternator he was looking for. So I grabbed one for an LT1 Camaro. Guys used to always get annoyed when you asked for engine size when they were looking for brakes too.
 
You are going to the wrong place to buy your oil.

I was at Walmart the other day and the clerk told me not to buy the Supertech because it was mostly base III, and a generic additive package that would barely pass API SP ratings. He then proceeded to explain the differences in base stocks, and what various additives were for and also pointed out which approvals were most difficult to achieve. He also walked me through low-SAPS, mid-SAPS, and high-SAPS oils and the historical reasons for the transition to lower-SAPS oils, then launched into a narrative about the nature of LSPI and how it has impacted additive packages. He explained the merits of a UOA, popular in fleets but not consumer applications, and then when we talked about what was most cost-effective, he said, "Just buy the Supertech and change it more often".
 
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