Another thread of why I hate Auto Parts Clerks - Page 2

Blind · 08-23-2010, 02:39 PM

napa stopped selling gatorback belts because they have a really - really - high failure rate because of the 'teeth' cut in the grooves.

Harley#356 · 08-28-2010, 04:50 PM

years ago I would have piped right along with the rest of you in this thread. Damn parts clerk idiots ordered me the wrong part, or had no idea what I was talking about, etc. After being a manager at Advance Auto for a summer a few years back, man did I do a 180!

So oki, you went in and told the kid you wanted 2 gatorback belts, and part numbers XYZ and ABC. The kid was only doing his job by going to get you equivalent sized belts when he saw they didn't carry the brand you had. 99.999% of the people out there who shop at auto parts stores don't give a rats azz what brand belt they get if it'll fit. They'll maybe ask for a brand they know of, but if the kid just sat there and said "nope don't have it" they'd catch 10x's more flack for the customer not getting help all when really for 99.999% of the people out there, it really doesn't matter if their car has a gatorback belt, an ac delco belt, a gates belt, etc., as long as it fits. So sorry bro, but you were just an azz on that one. Excuse the kid for not knowing right off the bat that you wouldn't accept any other brand belt and giving him chit for just doing his job. I know these trucks inside out and backwards and if a customer came in and asked for a gatorback belt in X size, I would have done the same exact thing, gotten an equivalent and if they didn't want it, they didn't want it, but at least I'd have given them an option.

I bet majority of you guys who cut these people down have never worked at a place like that before. Everyone comes in and expects you to be an absolute expert on their exact car. The customer won't know the year, won't know how many cylinders, won't know what trim level, then b!tch at the clerk for not knowing or getting the wrong part. Or even if its an enthusiast they'll gripe and complain and call you an idiot if you aren't an enthusiast in the same vehicle as them and know that oh gatorback belts are what guys run on harley trucks, other belts suck. Of course majority of the population would have no idea on that, heck even most HD owners don't even realize that and we get threads "why does my truck squeak at WOT on the shifts?"

Long story short, put yourselves in the auto clerks shoes before you cut them down. 95% of the time the person actually isn't a total idiot.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode



Home \| Classified Ads \| Gallery \| < \| Register on the Forum \| Merchandise \| Supporting Vendors \| Chat

08-23-2010, 02:39 PM	#16 (permalink)
Blind Word Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Socal, 805 Posts: 963 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	napa stopped selling gatorback belts because they have a really - really - high failure rate because of the 'teeth' cut in the grooves.

08-28-2010, 04:50 PM	#17 (permalink)
Harley#356 Worlds Fastest HD F150!!! Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Week-Philly; Weekend-Souf Jerz Posts: 31,622 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	years ago I would have piped right along with the rest of you in this thread. Damn parts clerk idiots ordered me the wrong part, or had no idea what I was talking about, etc. After being a manager at Advance Auto for a summer a few years back, man did I do a 180! So oki, you went in and told the kid you wanted 2 gatorback belts, and part numbers XYZ and ABC. The kid was only doing his job by going to get you equivalent sized belts when he saw they didn't carry the brand you had. 99.999% of the people out there who shop at auto parts stores don't give a rats azz what brand belt they get if it'll fit. They'll maybe ask for a brand they know of, but if the kid just sat there and said "nope don't have it" they'd catch 10x's more flack for the customer not getting help all when really for 99.999% of the people out there, it really doesn't matter if their car has a gatorback belt, an ac delco belt, a gates belt, etc., as long as it fits. So sorry bro, but you were just an azz on that one. Excuse the kid for not knowing right off the bat that you wouldn't accept any other brand belt and giving him chit for just doing his job. I know these trucks inside out and backwards and if a customer came in and asked for a gatorback belt in X size, I would have done the same exact thing, gotten an equivalent and if they didn't want it, they didn't want it, but at least I'd have given them an option. I bet majority of you guys who cut these people down have never worked at a place like that before. Everyone comes in and expects you to be an absolute expert on their exact car. The customer won't know the year, won't know how many cylinders, won't know what trim level, then b!tch at the clerk for not knowing or getting the wrong part. Or even if its an enthusiast they'll gripe and complain and call you an idiot if you aren't an enthusiast in the same vehicle as them and know that oh gatorback belts are what guys run on harley trucks, other belts suck. Of course majority of the population would have no idea on that, heck even most HD owners don't even realize that and we get threads "why does my truck squeak at WOT on the shifts?" Long story short, put yourselves in the auto clerks shoes before you cut them down. 95% of the time the person actually isn't a total idiot.