It doesn't take 24 hours!

[ravevolution]

I work at an autocenter, a well known one for a well known company. Of course a company that has had it shares of negative publicity in the past. . I won’t say the companies name but it rhymes with “Beers” :P So being I work in the automotive industry we get our share of sucky customers, the majority of them are people who don’t understand the concept about the cost of vehicle maintenance or the ones who want to save the buck, and then there are people like this guy today. . .

I worked the short closing shift today, only 4 hours. Why they schedule people like that sometimes instead of a full 8 hours is beyond me. So I come in, it's slow; one co-worker is on the phone with a customer and see my other co-worker is helping a guy with vehicle batteries, namely those deep-cycle marine/rv batteries. I think nothing of it and a min later they are discussing battery chargers. Now granted we do have quite a bit of assortment of battery chargers/vehicle jumpers that can make choosing the right one for oneself a bit confusing. That’s why we are there to answer questions and help customers choose the right product for their uses.

So this guy my co-worker is helping is of course doing the asking a billion questions without a pause to allow my coworker to explain or answer. I notice shes being overwhelmed, so I come up and ask what’s up and she explains what the guy is looking for and questions he's asking. So after listening I tell the customer what he is looking for we don't carry (he was looking for a heavy duty battery charger/vehicle jumper that doesn't need to be plugged in to a power outlet, a common question, unfortunately such a thing doesn't exist, well to my knowledge doesn't). I did however point out to my coworker and the customer we do carry portable power units that do allow for small appliances to be plugged in and for your vehicle when needing a 'jump'. Of course these portable power units have batteries inside of them that need to be charged up before they can be used, as in need to be plugged to a power outlet and have the battery charge to 100%. This of course is where the fun begins.

The guy looks at the most powerful unit available, says that’s what he wants. However he wants to know how long he would need to charge the portable unit, a straight forward question. I tell him it depends, since the battery in the unit is not fully charged out of the box, and the manufacturer says it needs to be plugged up and it can take up to 24 hours for the battery to fully charge. This information does not make him happy; he wants to know the ‘exact’ to the millisecond of how long it will take for it to be fully charged. I explain to him again, it may take in upwards of 24 hours, maybe less, typically 12-24 hours. I know this cause I on slow days have read about the products we carry since being knowledgeable about the products you sell make you a better salesman. My co-worker says she will check and proceeds to open the box and pull the instruction manual.

The guy now wants to bet a dollar that I am wrong. Being the kind smartass that I am sometimes, I tell him that I’m not allowed to gamble on company time lol . I think that kind of pissed him off, even if It was a joke. Course its downhill even more. The guy now is ticked and starts saying how I should know this since I’m an associate, I should know the product and not sell him something on lies and assumptions. Of course I repeat what I say bout how it may take up to 24 hours, I’m not psychic and cannot predict the exact charge time, course I don’t say anything about the psychic part. He starts going off on things like I don’t know what I am talking about (even though I just told him repeatedly) how he is a professor and does not stand for incompetence and that I am incompetent when it comes to my job which I take as a personal jab.

When it comes to customers, you can talk smack bout the company I work for, how their policies suck, how their prices are too high, how so and so’s store does it quicker or has lower prices. But when you insult me personally, you have just taken it towards another level. I kind of want to ask the guy to step outside, choke the guy and slightly tell him how I am a college grad but I decide to back off and take the high road and explain that my coworker will be happy to assist him and that I will walk away. Of course that doesn’t thrill him either. My co-worker hands him the instruction book and walks behind the counter and next to me. I can tell she’s a bit worried, since the guy and I keep goin back and forth. He continues to insult and yell. My co-workers and I ask him calm down but he looks like he is ready to have an aneurism. Finally the guy decides he has had enough, he points to a page in the manual and says “Right there, it says 48 hours!!! It’s too long I don’t want this shit!”

So the guy of course leaves in a huff, leaving the box open, instruction booklet lying on the ground and left his leather man purse as well lol. My co-worker grabs it and goes outside to the customer before he gets to his van. I go to the portable power unit aisle grab the instruction booklet so I can place back in the box and happen to look at the page the guy was looking at, guess what it says on the page about charging the battery? "Times may vary but charge time may take on upwards of 24 hours" or something of the sort. . .

. . . What a douchebag

[Exaspera]

I never know why someone has to divulge the fact that they're a professor in order to prove to me that they're smart and special. They may be really smart in their chosen field, but they are woefully ignorant in EVERYthing else. For all we know, it's English lit., or something.

[TonyDonuts]

I had to deal with a guy like that at the battery place where I used to work.

Please note: "guy," not "customer."

He never bought a stinkin' thing in the year I worked there.

He would come in every few weeks, usually when we were busy, and pepper us with questions about some product we sold.

He wanted to know, in very specific terms, the exact length of time at specific levels of power draw, our cheap heavy duty batteries would take to be drained, versus our alkaline versus our nickel cadmium rechargeables versus our nickle metal hydride rechargeables, for example. He would then express disappointment, in very condescending terms that we didn't know that to the second.

See, it was very, very important that he know that. He was working on a very, very important project, see, and we were failing him on a very basic level.

He would try to get other customers to agree that it was very disappointing that we didn't know the exact charge voltages and times for every rechargeable battery in the place, for another example, and they would all look at him like he had invented geeky sadness.

He would then leave, very sadly informing us that he just couldn't see spending money with such obvious incompetents.

I often wondered, you know, if I was home alone and the power was out, just what it was he did for a living.

[Pagan]

how he is a professor and does not stand for incompetence

Well, see, there's your problem right there.

I never know why someone has to divulge the fact that they're a professor in order to prove to me that they're smart and special. They may be really smart in their chosen field, but they are woefully ignorant in EVERYthing else. For all we know, it's English lit., or something.

But not in their minds. In their minds, they are all knowing....especially the Biology profs at a certain university.

Because one of them knows how many push-ups a male blue lizard (or something) does trying to attract the attention of a female blue lizard. I kid you not, I saw the grant.

[ravevolution]

^^^^

Yep the SC's that I get that claim they are professors at some institution, always feel they are right and we 'the workers' are stupid.

If we are soo dumb then why come to us asking for 'professional' assistance?

There's this elderly couple that ticked me off one time when they wanted me to credit them money on half used tires for the purchase of another set. Ticked me soo much that I walked away and let my manager deal with them. Mainly after one of them told me to 'Shut up' when I was explaining the situation to my manager. One of my CW's recently delt with one of them cause they bought tires but one of them had a blowout, but they declined the road hazard warranty so SOL. Course they felt they were entitled to a discount. I found recently that they were professors. . . in a college at a 3rd world country and were actually fired from their positions (One of my coworkers is from the same country as these people also knew people from the university they worked at) they claimed they were profs at Stanford. . . B.S.

[Peppergirl]

When it comes to customers, you can talk smack bout the company I work for, how their policies suck, how their prices are too high, how so and so’s store does it quicker or has lower prices. But when you insult me personally, you have just taken it towards another level.

THIS!!!

I feel the same way. Hell, I might even agree with you and join in a bit on making fun of some of the stupid policies of my company...but start insulting and taking it out on me *personally*? Oh baby, it's ON!!

[ravevolution]

THIS!!!

I feel the same way. Hell, I might even agree with you and join in a bit on making fun of some of the stupid policies of my company...but start insulting and taking it out on me *personally*? Oh baby, it's ON!!

LOL I'm so with you HI5!!!

Yeah, when it comes to SC's that have a disdain for who I work for, thats fine course I then wonder why in the heck they come shop there? But when they go to make a personal insult, I'll throw down. . . I'm not paid enough to deal with your BS

[EricKei]

I always took the "I'm a Professor" thing the same was as "I'm a lawyer"...With a grain of salt the size of Manhattan >_>

Doubt abounds. Besides, should not a Professor be capable of doing research?

[Argabarga]

Besides, should not a Professor be capable of doing research?

Well, not without a large grant and a few disposable undergrads, perhaps we aren't being totally fair to him after all

[Pagan]

I was a work-study in the Biology Dept office. The Biology Dept is in the College of Arts and Sciences. That's important to remember.

Two profs that were standing in front of my desk carrying on about how stupid the students in the Ag College were. I had just made the Dean's List in the Ag College, which has about 2/3 the students of A&S. Which means it's harder to make the Dean's List than in A&S.

And yes, they knew I was an Ag student. But, seeing as I was not a prof or Biology major, I didn't exist.

Then, I didn't say anything. If it had been now....well, let's just say the department would be down two profs.

[dalesys]

Then, I didn't say anything. If it had been now....well, let's just say the department would be down two profs.

Bets on how long would it take their students or the school to notice their absence?

[Pagan]

Bets on how long would it take their students or the school to notice their absence?

Years, possibly decades, if ever. And even then I don't think they'd be missed.

[PepperElf]

bleh. sounds like the guy saw that he was wrong and basically didn't want you to know it.
what a tool.


as for negative publicity - um, huh? i've never been unhappy with them when i took my old car in.

[ravevolution]

as for negative publicity - um, huh? i've never been unhappy with them when i took my old car in.

Hehe well im glad to hear that.

Some customers are just asshats and yet they keep coming back. If I didn't like a place I wouldn't go back to them, I'd find someone else.

[Daskinor]

Batteries are my arch nemesis. With all the laptops and cell phones I supply for our employees. I have to explain all this crap over and over again to the same people.

Lithium-Ion Batteries come Charged, Ni-cads do not.

Ni-cads get what is know as 'memory', it has to do with the magnetic alignment of the molecules in the cell. Draining as much power out of the battery as possible then charging it back up generally removes the effect. This is also why you need to fully charge a Ni-cad before you use it.

All batteries HATE heat. Heating excites the molecules and the resistance drops. No resistance means the energy stored in the Battery is released as more heat. This is why leaving your cellphone in the car WILL on a hot day will drain it.

Lithium-Ion really sucks as a battery. They are dangerous, have heat issues and a short active life. Your going to get 3-5 years out if it. An uncharged lithium-Ion battery will become unusable in about 2 months time. Thats right uncharged. So when you leave your cell phone battery dead overnight couple nights a week you are hasting its demise. Oh yea Li-Ion also have cold. DO NOT PUT THEM IN THE FREEZER.

Yes it can take forever to charge a cell phone using a USB port. Not all USB ports are created alike. Some simply do not have the watts to charge the phone quickly.