Speaking of parts stores, there's an Auto Barn less than a mile from my house. One night when my wife was driving our newly acquired Isuzu Trooper, she called me to say there was a ticking noise in the engine that would come and go, and she was on her way home. I figured I'd run out to get a filter and some oil and do a change when she got back.
It was 8 PM and the store closes at 9. When I got there, I was the only one in the store other than the cashier and the guy at the counter. I went back to where the filters were, but I couldn't find a book to look up the filter, so I went to the counter. The guy back there was not a kid on a summer job by any means, he was maybe in his mid-50's.
Anyway, I asked him to look up a filter for the Trooper. He asked me year, model, and asked me if I had the 3.1 or 3.2L engine. I was pretty sure it was the 3.2, so I said that. He wrote down the part number for me. I asked him if he could check to see if the 3.1 used the same filter, just to be sure. He said, "No."
Let me say that again: I asked if he could look up the other engine and he said no.
I thought he was kidding at first, but after standing there a couple of seconds I said "What?"
He said, "You're supposed to know what kind of engine you have before you come up here."
Now I'll admit I don't know the first thing about cars, but I do know a heck of a lot about customer service and common decency. I said to the man, "What's wrong-- you too
busy?" He didn't answer.
I tossed the piece of paper back up there on the counter, strongly suggested to him that he should try a certain physical act on himself that is generally regarded as impossible, and walked out. I haven't been back there since.
(Sorry if I'm coming off here as a hothead or something, as I'm usually a pretty patient person, but this guy ticked me off.)
Topic: General Car Confusion (Read 43201 times)