No Body Knows Nothing Anymore

My boat bearings are 6 years old. I put grease in them twice a year and they have Bearing Buddys on them.
One looks brand new and the other one has a little noise in it. I went to three parts houses this morning and
finally found enough parts to change them out or will when some of the parts come in Wednesday. But what
I'm ranting about is there is no one behind the counter that knows a cussed thing about anything they sell. You ask
them a question and they start reading the label on the box. When we had fewer places to shop, a clerk would
know what interchanged with what and which one would be best for your application. Now they are all go-fers.
One will go from one clerk to another trying to get you an answer and the other type will tell you he doesn't
know (or care). How did we get here? I'll shut up.

The dumbing down of our society. Don't pay enough to keep anyone long enough to learn anything. Better dang sure know what you need before you leave the house.

So true.

And also better take the part in need in for comparison if possible, last time I got a know it all when buying a water pump kit for 40hp Yamaha 4 stroke. I told him it didn't look right at all, he said he knew what he was talking about and his computer didn't lie. Well sure nuff got sent off with a water pump kit for a 50 hp 2 stroke Yamaha. Had to drive another hour to exchange it for the right one, he had the audacity to tell me he would overlook the extra $10 for the right one and just give me an even trade. The old man there who was supposed to be the end all be all of boat part knowledge was so embarrassed he wouldn't even look at me.

Customer service is definately a dying breed. What really frustrates me is when the employee tells you things about the product or service, when they don't have a clue. However I do appreciate when the rep says, "I really don't know but I will try and get you that information". Come on guys just tell me the truth.

Very true.


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Now for the end of the story. This started on Monday. Friday morning and five parts houses, no seals. Every one of them would
get out their calipers, measure the seal, cross reference the number and say, we'll have them latter today or in the morning. None
got close. I gave up drove to Memphis and went to Memphis Bearing. I walked in, and layed the seal on the counter, a guy walked up and said how many do you need. I told him 3 and he went in the back and brought me three back. Twenty years ago I could
have gotten the same service at any parts house in town. The difference is, there are no more mom and pop stores, they are all
big chain stores and no body knows nothing anymore.

I can relate to all of this Just retired after 47 years in wholesale parts and supplies. What industry is not important but it is all gone the same. All the smaller businesses have been bought out and it is all about the dollar. They are more worried about selling new products than the customer service involved to help a mechanic find the right part. Remember when you went to a parts house and they had a big rack of catalogs that took up most of the sales counter? I was one of those guys that had to know the products and enough common sense to be able to find what you need in those books. Now that computers have taken over if it doesn't automatically appear they don't have a clue. Sometimes calling the manufacturer doesn't help. In recent years I have had them tell me that they could not help me find a part because the equipment was made before they went on computer. May not have been obsolete they just couldn't look it up. Don't mean to be long winded but feel your pain

After reading this thread, I would say that Cray hit the nail! It's a shame what our society has become.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stormcloud

Now for the end of the story. This started on Monday. Friday morning and five parts houses, no seals. Every one of them would
get out their calipers, measure the seal, cross reference the number and say, we'll have them latter today or in the morning. None
got close. I gave up drove to Memphis and went to Memphis Bearing. I walked in, and layed the seal on the counter, a guy walked up and said how many do you need. I told him 3 and he went in the back and brought me three back. Twenty years ago I could
have gotten the same service at any parts house in town. The difference is, there are no more mom and pop stores, they are all
big chain stores and no body knows nothing anymore.

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That's my first stop when I need anything related to bearings or seals. Been doing business with them for close to 40 years. And when you go in its same guys in there. And on the rare occasion they didn't have it they would get it next day.

One more thing along those lines. You can't go to a burger joint and order a cheeseburger with pickle mustard and onion, a large
fry, and a large coke any more. It has to be a #1, #2, and so on. I get so mad my wife tells me before we go in that she will
order for us. I do not fit in to this new deal when I can't even order a cheeseburger with any confidence and get what I think
I ordered. I need to quit thinking about it, I'm getting mad again.

I am an outside parts salesman for a trailer parts/service shop in Little Rock. Our counter guys are some of the best around. They have all been in the parts business for several years and know what they're doing. The new guys that I have had to do business with at other companies are mainly there to draw a check. They could care less about learning the business and becoming the best they can be. Glad you found your parts.