I'm sick of spare parts game.

[kiwiinaus]

here is a place to send some of the know it all's
http://kalecoauto.com/
should give a few laughs

[Spurious]

Originally Posted by kiwiinaus

here is a place to send some of the know it all's
http://kalecoauto.com/
should give a few laughs

WOW I've been looking for some of these products. Best website EVER!
I still can't find a left handed imperial screwdriver though. If you can help locate one for me make sure it's got the offset rubber grip!

[Crazy Dazz]

Or you have the other issue. Went to a major auto parts chain store (one of the reputable ones) to buy some Rhino Racks (as they are 20% off.)
“What sort of car?” It’s a GQ Patrol.
“Yeah, but what year.” Doesn’t matter all GQ’s are that same.
“But I need a year.” Ok, 2003.
“Sorry don’t have any.”
Do you have any for a GQ patrol? “Yes, but not that year.”
What year do you have? “99.” That’ll do.

Then tried to convince me that I only needed a pair of legs to fit two bars. THEN tried to charge the pair price TWICE because I needed two of everything.

I don’t even bother telling them now that we have a Saab Covertible. I just say we have a Holden Vectra and avoid all the arguments.

[Crazy Dazz]

Reluctance to price match is something that annoys me.

Not matching some number I plucked out of my ****, nor necessarily on items where there is obviously some deal with the manufacturer.
But I have a shop (reputable major chain) where I prefer to go. It’s convenient, the guys running it aren’t clueless 15yr olds, and it’s literally right next door to Bunnings.

So often I will stop there, with competitors current catalogue in hand, check their price, and if its substantially more ask them to price match. Every freaking time they act like I am asking them for a Kidney.
From my point of view, it’s a simple request. I'm not asking for “trade,” I'm not trying to screw them. The price is obviously doable, so they can either make a sale and STILL make a profit, or I drive a few more k’s down the road to the Acne brigade.

[TheAussieStig30]

Guy asked for a small can of primer. We had 2 cans of smaller primer for $17 and a big cam for $11. I told him I had the small one for $17 but the big one was only $11. Don't need a big can, only a small one. Ok. Not arguing, pull out the small one 200g. Oh, they are smaller than usual, give me 2. Put the small can back, pick up one large can, proceed to walk away to him complaining he wants 2 small ones. Show him price difference for the same amount and he buys 2 small ones, THEN complains it's bloody expensive for some paint. Smh.

[ratter]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

. The price is obviously doable, so they can either make a sale and STILL make a profit, or I drive a few more k’s down the road to the Acne brigade.

no always doable, different business have different buying prices and different operating costs

[TheAussieStig30]

Larger corps would usually take a loss and make a sale and have a happy customer, rather than have them go elsewhere.

I say usually as our local SCA advertises price matching, but when a customer got a quote from me for a few items they weren't even remotely interested in matching. All were stock lines, too. first the manager had to see him! then they had to be ordered! then they were different brands, then they just couldn't do it. Good. One customer who won't go to them again.

Repco suffers a similar fate. They're managed by a guy younger than me, with less experience V SCA's middle aged woman with no car history at all. Where we used to have 4 stores in town all with a senior owner/manager and in some stores both, we now have 3 like that and 2 supermarkets.

[TheAussieStig30]

Haha it's funny how nearly every post I read I can relate to.

My dunces hat yesterday goes to the man buying roof racks for a patrol of some sort.

Do you have roof racks
I have some, what are they for?
Pajero, no, Pathfinder, no, wait, Patrol, laughs...
Ok, what year?
Shoulder shrug.
Hmm, well, they've run a few years now, is it round or square?
Square.
Ok, sounds like a GQ. Yep I have gutter mounts up there for that.
No, it's not a GQ.
Definitely a patrol? Not a Pajero?
Yeah, work car. Do you have them in stock?
No, not in stock mate.
Ok, I need em today.

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Reluctance to price match is something that annoys me.

I dont disagree with price matching, in fact I do it most of the time, but what does annoy me from being on the other side of the counter is when people try to get price matches on items that are nowhere near the same. Case in point - SCA has in their last catalog a set of panel stands for about $20. Holds 180kg, non adjustable in height. We have a set that hold 200kg and are adjustable in height. Am I going to price match on them - no. Why? Because theyre not the same product. This seems to be very difficult for some people to understand.

A Repco filter is not a Ryco Filter, nor is it a SCA one.
Valvoline oil is not the same as Castrol.
NGK Spark Plugs aren't Bosch ones.

So don't ask me to price match them!

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by TheAussieStig30

My dunces hat yesterday goes to the man buying roof racks for a patrol of some sort.

Rhino Rack are on my @$^^ list at the moment for changing their parts ID system. Made a very simple and usable system absolutely effing annoying for the changeover period.

[TheAussieStig30]

Don't want to talk about rhino roof racks, had to fit a set to a craptiva yesterday, along with a coffin. And far out part number were ridiculous. I didn't sell them but when I looked at the order it was an alphabet in each part nos.

Our crash supplier has just changed online catalogue, too. Old one was bad but this one is ordinary, too slow and clunky, boss won't use it.

Totally agree with the brands on matching, too, especially trying to match SCA. They bring a lot of their own **** in and other companies are dearer because they are better. Repco did a thing on their ROF oil filters, $5 each I think, had a customer ask for one so I got a Wesfil filter off the shelf and he's asking for the ROF. I explained Repco Oil Filter and he says 'they're ****, I won't use them'. Thought they were Ryco's for $5.

We had a woman want 3 belts and 1 timing belt, for a maggot. She compared us to supercheap and we were dearer on one belt. All the same brands and part numbers. So she comes back, and asks for a $2 discount on the 1 belt we were dearer on. We look at her quote, and see one belt we are $11 cheaper on and the other $9 and a whopping $46 cheaper on the timing belt, plus we had it all on the shelf and they had to order at $15 EACH ITEM ($15 order fee written beside each part no) so anyway, we showed her their price, versus ours. (Boss was aming along the total price/why should we discount when we're already over $100 cheaper and on the shelf line) and she insists they're cheaper. I shook my head, changed our price from $16.95 to $12 and made the sale. She still rings for price checks. I tell her ill match them minus a few dollars like last time.

[TheAussieStig30]

Oh and just while I'm annoyed I'll let you hear this one. Late model diesel pathfinder. Rang up a few month ago for a new head. Not my thing sorry. Try a wrecker or 4wd place. 'Everyones said that, why don't spare parts shops keep heads' sorry, have to try elsewhere.

Rings back for a VRS a few weeks later. Got a head off the net. Gave her a price. 'Ph that's the cheapest so far' great, when will you be in? 'Oh I have a few more places to try first'.

Same deal for a dozen other parts, then recently, needed an inlet cam. I got a heap of info off my supplier and phoned her back, got a price, never heard from again. Obviously me asking the questions assisted the other half in finding the parts they needed on the Internet or whatever because when I rang them with a price they weren't even interested.

Comes into the shop other day. Price for pathfinder front struts. It's x/xx as well, there's a change over in them. Oh, so you've got a few prices? Yeah, I check everyone out first, I just had the head done up and did a few other bits to it. Look up oscar and decide its a waste of time, there's 4 different struts and I'm not giving her any more info to get the correct part elsewhere. 'Sorry, my supplier doesn't have them' oh, but auto 1 and repco do, they're too dear though. I can them off the net for $60 a side. (I sell Kyb and it'd be a damn site more than $60 a side) yeah, sorry, can't help you on that one. Oh ok, I'll try X, X, and go for a drive and try X then head off to Newcastle, they're always cheap there. Ok. SEEYAH.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by ratter

no always doable, different business have different buying prices and different operating costs

Yeah, I accept that SOME items have very small margins, and an independent can't compete with the buying power of a massive chain. Or that sometimes a big chain will do a massive bulk buy on a particular product to get a deal, and you can’t match that from stock.

The item that ****ed me off was not such an item, and it was two equivalent “chains,” autoX and autoY. Even if they said, “sorry the best we can do is $x.” But no, the flat-out refusal annoyed.

[Kable72]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Yeah, I accept that SOME items have very small margins, and an independent can't compete with the buying power of a massive chain. Or that sometimes a big chain will do a massive bulk buy on a particular product to get a deal, and you can’t match that from stock.

The item that ****ed me off was not such an item, and it was two equivalent “chains,” autoX and autoY. Even if they said, “sorry the best we can do is $x.” But no, the flat-out refusal annoyed.

Some places also might have stricter policies on price changes. I remember working at a liquor outlet and I would get fired if I adjusted the price without good reason. Not even for friends, family or myself. The price had to be ticketed wrong or it had to be damaged in which case it most be photographed and documented and put aside until it was approved to be written off by the area manager.

[TheAussieStig30]

Yeah don't forget a lot of supermarket spare parts have 15yo's employed, who half the time don't know the stores policy, or don't want to get in trouble for disturbing a manager.

We can't price match on oil, usually. Our margins are pretty tight, especially on Penrite. But I know I'm within $1 of my rivals so it's down to the customer to choose who they want to support.

I'm very seldom asked to price match, though. I wil usually do it, depending on the customer and the legitimacy of their claims. Had a guy tell me supercheats were $43 on a bottle of full synthetic oil and I was $55 and wanted the same price, I checked online and found they were 54.88 and the sales rep later confirmed they were that price in store too. I flat out refused to sell it, I think I would have made 12c on the sale. I'm not that desperate (or stupid)

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by TheAussieStig30

Yeah don't forget a lot of supermarket spare parts have 15yo's employed, who half the time don't know the stores policy, or don't want to get in trouble for disturbing a manager.

We can't price match on oil, usually. Our margins are pretty tight, especially on Penrite. But I know I'm within $1 of my rivals so it's down to the customer to choose who they want to support.

I'm very seldom asked to price match, though. I wil usually do it, depending on the customer and the legitimacy of their claims. Had a guy tell me supercheats were $43 on a bottle of full synthetic oil and I was $55 and wanted the same price, I checked online and found they were 54.88 and the sales rep later confirmed they were that price in store too. I flat out refused to sell it, I think I would have made 12c on the sale. I'm not that desperate (or stupid)

In this case it was the store owner. :-(

But yes, would never ask for it on something like oil. If it’s within a few bucks, I don’t care, and if a chain has a “super special” on a particular oil, I understand it’s either a loss-leader, or a special buy.

I appreciate that you must have to deal with some real dills.
I once had a couple of mates who took a car for a test drive. It stalled and wouldn’t start so they concluded it was out of petrol. Walked back to the dealer, he gave them a can and siphoned some juice into it. They walk back to the car, put in the petrol, and it still won’t start.
So back to the dealer, and this time they answer that NOTHING is happening when they turn the key. So he figures it’s not petrol but a flat battery. Grabs his leads, drives them back, whacks em on, and nothing.
Goes to look in the car, and the transmission is still in drive from when it stalled.
(Mystery why it stalled, it was an old car, but there was nothing wrong with either petrol or battery.)

But it annoys me to be treated like an idiot, when 9 times out of ten I know more about MY car than the guy behind the counter.
I got sick of trying to hack my way through the various websites, so I when I next went to the store I took the info and asked the owner. I gave him all the info, explained what the issue was, and asked if he knew which fluid matched those specs. Sure enough he whips out the stupid Castrol guide and insists that our car needs a synthetic fluid. This is after I had already explained that whilst Castrol may claim that, both Saab & GM explicitly state NOT to use synthetic. After arguing he gets huffy and suggests I use some ancient Dx2 stuff.

Back on the subject of dills, I did tax returns for many years. You’d be amazed at the number of blokes who objected to their estimated tax refund, on the basis of “no way, my mate got more than that.”
Then there are those that claim its wrong because they “paid more than that” and I had to explain why the government is actually keeping some of their tax.

So yeah, I can empathise, there’s a reason I don’t do flaming tax returns any more.

On a more related note, my duties now days often involve supervising the warehouse on site. Often a young T/A or even a Peggy will front up at the counter, fish a broken bit of widget from their pocket saying “I need one of these.” Often you can draw out the needed facts; “who needs it, and what’s he working on?” But sometimes we have no choice but to send em back for just a little more information. The worst cases are when some kind of sender has broken its connection so the poor kid fronts up with a fragment of broken electrical connection that could literally have come off any one of thousands of parts.

[ZA-289]

Whilst working at autopro I had a guy buy 4 x 1l of castrol magictec at $16 each instead of $38 for 5L because he only needed 4L....