Auto PArts Suckage Part Deux

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Ok. Customer comes in looking for the Starter for his 1993 car. I look it up and there are three engine options for the car. He tells me that he needs the 1.6 liter engine.

Booyah! There is only one option for the starter (sometimes there are two types) and he has the choice of new or remanufactured. He selects the reman, pays for it, and wanders off.

Later he is back.

Me -
DAC - Dumb Ass Customer.

Me - Bringing the core back sir? (says me with a cheerful smile on my face that is soon to be short lived)
DAC - No you stupid [fornicate], you sold me the wrong goddamn part.
Me - You did say that the car was a 1993 [make] [model] right?
DAC - Yeah and you sold me the wrong [fornicate]ing part.
Me - (looks it up in the computer) Well this is the one that the computer says is for your car.
DAC - Well it don't look nutting like this one (drops the old starter on my counter)
Me - I can see if I can look up the OE part number in the system and see what you need.

I look it up and sure enough it is a different starter which we have. I pull up the notes and it tells me that it's for the 1.5 liter version of his car which was made a year later...the 1994

Me - Here's the right part that matches the one you have, it's for the 1.5...
DAC - I AIN'T GOT NO 1.5! I HAVE THE 1.6! AND IT'S THE 1993 not the 1994. I BOUGHT THE GODDAMN CAR IN NOVEMBER 1993 YOU DUMB ASS! YOU NEED TO GIVE ME THE ONE FOR THE 1.6!
ME - Bought it new?
DAC - Yes
ME - In November of 1993?
DAC - Yeah
Me - When they came out with the 1994 models?
DAC - IT WAS THE 1993 [excrement]HEAD!
Me - Sir, the starter you brought in is this one (pulls out the identical reman starter off the shelves) and it's from a 1.5
DAC - I'M CALLING MY FATHER WHO'S HELPING ME! HE'LL SET YOU STRAIGHT!

So I get to talk to his father who looks up the VIN number (which has the engine code in it), matched it to the starter I'm trying to sell this DAC, and got confirmation from the Title and the Registration and the VIN that the car, while bought in 93 was actually the early release of the 94.

Oh and the engine had a big stamp on it proudly proclaiming that it was a 1.5 liter DOHC engine. Father asks me to hand the phone to the DAC. The next few minutes were amusing watching the expressions on the idiot's face as his Father chewed him out. I could hear the raised voices, but couldn't make out what was being said.

DAC - I'll take the starter for the 1.5 (rather sullenly)
Me - Sure, let me just run the exchange through and I'll send you on your way.

I hate jackasses like that.

M

[Crawley]

Ok, I can almost understand...bought a car in '93, it must be a '93. Even though the new models of most cars come out around September. But how the fark do you miss the big 1.5L DOHC stamp on the engine. Did he actually open the hood or just assume that it's the starter and went out spending money?

[IT Grunt]

Ah, parental pwnage. I figure he got an earful about acting like a jackass based on his 180 degree turnaround.

[Argabarga]

A lot of people don't know that the new model year begins in September, so that any car built in that month is really next year's model. So even though on the builder's plate it may say "Date of Manufacture 09/00 or 11/00 , it's really an 01' model.

Now, that's no excuse for acting like a prick, but I can at least see how this guy got confused, but it's up to him to check what size engine, or what size part is needed before ordering it, and if it's wrong, it can be exchanged, goof ups like this are a regular occurance due to the sheer volume of car parts in the world.

[elysia]

Omg you are patient. Customers have gotten so bad here that I 86 them as soon as they cuss at me or call me a name. No one has the right to treat you like that.

[MrSunshineState]

I commend you. The first time a customer goes into name calling, they have lost my help.

[AriRashkae]

I want to kiss his father.

That said, I hate my mother's car. She has a '98 FOrd Contour, made in January, which means it has some '97 parts in it. Such a 8!tch to work on!

Then there's the '64 1/2 Mustang slowly rotting away down in the barn.

[wagegoth]

U.S. auto companies start building the next year's models in Spring. So, 1994 models began being manufactured sometime during April, May or June of 1993. I used to work in a fleet department and we had to know when the cut-offs were to order specific vehicles.

Usually the markdowns start shortly thereafter as the dealers try to move out the old models so they can get more new models. They have order cut-offs too. The more old vehicles they have sitting on the lot, the fewer new models the auto manufacturers are willing to sell to them. The automakers are only going to be able to make so many cars and they want to sell them to dealers with bigger turnovers. Those dealers also get better discounts from the automakers.

[Shironu-Akaineko]

How about the "It's all the saaaaame..." routine?

I got served that. Guy wouldn't gimme the exact year of his truck. No way in hell am I getting that sensitive of an information. He finally sorta gives in and tells me a random year, I give him his piece, of COURSE it doesn't fit, gets mad at me for no reason...

Turns out not only was his truck a certain year, the ENGINE was out of a completely different truck.

ARGH!!!!

[draftermatt]

As far as not knowing what year it is because you bought it in 93 but it's a 94, I can buy that...

If it was still 1994.

How does a person own a vehicle for 15 years and not know what year it is? Has he never had service, or had to buy parts before?

Has he never opened his glove box to see the owners manual staring at him stating it's a 94? Did he not pay attention when he was signing the paperwork that it's a freaking 94?

Give me a break.

We had guys at the truck parts store that would give us info off of their truck #10 because it was all they knew, even though they were buying parts for truck #11. "They're the same year same trucK" they'd say. Then call or come back later either sheepishly or pissed off because guess what, it wasn't the same.

[protege]

That said, I hate my mother's car. She has a '98 FOrd Contour, made in January, which means it has some '97 parts in it. Such a 8!tch to work on!

I know *exactly* what that's like. My MG is like that. Since it was built in October of '69, it's *technically* a 1970. Gotta love those "mid-year" vehicles. Because MG tended to use parts until they ran out...ordering things is sometimes a pain. Quite often, the only differences between the different years (the MGB was in production from 1962-80), were in the details. The only way to be sure, is to either see the parts in person, or know where the cut-off dates are, usually by checking the chassis number. Even more fun...is when those idiots at British Leyland changed the specifications, and didn't bother changing the part numbers!

[bainsidhe]

Boy was this guy an ass. Not just because he was rude and refused to believe reality. But because he refused to admit anything or apologize for his horrible behavior even after being proven otherwise. This more than anything makes me

[depechemodefan]

NOt really a part's story, but people call the library asking for the blue book guide/NADA guide price for their car.

Idiot: I have a 2005 Accord
Me: Who makes the Accord? (honestly, it's hard to keep track of all this information people think librarians should keep track of)
Idiot: Honda
Me: ok (looking at the NADA guide) Is it a DX, EX or LX?
Idiot: I dont know. Can you give me all 3?
Me: Could you check to see what model it is?
Idiot: no, I'm buying it from a guy and he didn't tell me.
Me: do you know if it's a v-6?
Idiot: nah, give me that figure too.

*sigh*
And of course, being the asshole I am now, I stop asking if they know if it's a v-6 or a Nav.

[PepperElf]

part of me says "yay for his dad for chewing him out for his mistake and perhaps telling him to mind his manners"

but... the other part of me says... "well um, you did raise him..."

[draftermatt]

part of me says "yay for his dad for chewing him out for his mistake and perhaps telling him to mind his manners"

but... the other part of me says... "well um, you did raise him..."

Yeah but as Merle Haggard said "Momma tried". Some people are just assholes regardless of what their parents taught them, or tried to.