Less employees = more waiting. I walked out of O'Reilly's the other day.

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

I can only guess that they done studies and have concluded they save more in labor than they lose in business. Not that I like it.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

everyone has a certain "threshold" of what is and what is not acceptable customer service. I expect to be taken care of in a timely manner and with respect. Husky votes with his checkbook for those businesses who perform well and those who do not perform well are marked on the "Husky does not trade with that business anymore" list. In addition, Husky is quick to inform his friends and neighbors concerning the level of customer service he received at a particular business.

For every 1 winner, their are 99 losers, no matter what product or service is being offered. In the past, Husky has kissed a lot of frogs to get to a prince, but once Husky has located the Prince he generally sticks with that business......

Unfortunately, the car parts business seems to be filled with frogs, good service is getting more and more difficult to find......

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
western auto, gone and forgotten.

Dunno. I received the same crap service at any auto parts store and I have been to different NAPA, Autozone, CSK and when they were "All Car", etc, etc.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

When I was in Madison, the dealership building handled Hyunday, MB, BMW, Audi, Porsche. All but 1 were good. That one, I had to show him how to find what I wanted in EPC. This was after he said that the filter was right and I said it was wrong. Found out he was looking at the gas version not the diesel AFTER I GAVE YOU THE VIN NUMBER!!!

"There is a difference between gas and diesel?" was his question. No **** Sherlock. What was your first clue? Nice enough guy. Clueless but nice. The rest knew exactly what I wanted and got it promptly.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

I filed a complaint on Pep Boys website before posting this thread. While I was out today, the manager from the local Pep Boys called and talked to my daughter. The one thing he impressed upon her was that when corporate central calls me tomorrow, make sure I tell them that he called me today.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

He's got the CYA part down.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

lol, this thread is funny. I worked for pep boys as a tire installer and a low level mechanic for a year and a half while getting through tech school. The problem with a lot of these big chains is that there is very little incentive to provide excellent customer service. A large percentage of the employees just don't care in the least.

Why?

1. you don't get paid enough to care
2. attempts to cut costs and increase profits by corporate are blaringly obvious to those on the sharp end of the stick, IE one guy to find parts and check everyone else out like the OP got involved with. Most of the people all the work is dumped on spend their time looking for other jobs and resenting corporate. They could care less that you as a customer are unhappy.
3. There is a ham handed and asinine attempt to create "team spirit", and other crap by corporate constantly, and this invariably cuts into the employees free time.
There are a lot more, but these are the ones that stand out for me

I remember on several occasions being required to come in for "team building exercises" and other nonsense at like 8pm on friday night and such. Also spending days changing the poster propaganda out in the shop area when 100% of the people could give a rats a$$. What mechanic wants to look at a 4 foot poster of a happy customer being served by an ideal employee? Cars and women, fast and scantily clad are the required shop wall decoration. That or nothing IMO, ok, pass on the women to keep it legit, but don't force people to stare at MAOesq propaganda posters constantly.

Basically the #1 problem is that its a rare large company that treats its lowest echelon employees well and provides them with pay, benefits, and opportunity for advancement that gives them some sense of team and a desire to remain there.

They are constantly trying to instead "boost the morale" of the same employees by wasting their free time with laughable exercises in brand loyalty by the corporate division which invariably comes across as hated and separate from the stores, represented by idiots who make far more money, and who rarely understand the reality of how things work in the real world.
If you wan't to make a bunch of underpaid mechanics kinda happy, allow them to work on their own projects on their own time whenever possible at the shop. Our store boss got in big trouble for allowing this.

The whole time I worked at pep boys, I shopped at advance auto parts, actually a specific store where I liked the people. I did however buy tires from pep boys, nothing wrong with those.

I also am a big fan of Roy Rogers foreign car parts. Always love those stores, too bad there are none close to me.

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

I disagree with that. NOBODY put a gun to your head and shanghaied you into running for the job. You took that job knowing full well what you were being paid. If you cannot do that job to the best of your abilities, step aside and let someone else who can do the job. I have performed my best no matter what the job was as long as I took it willingly. Why? Because if you can't advance, maybe I can. Besides, in the next job, this job will help me.

Take say in 2000 when I worked for BB. I worked my ass off for $8.70 an hour. I made them enough profit that the supervisor would give me as many hours as I wanted and had to often beat him away with the proverbial stick when he wanted me to work more hours. Why? I found what made them the most money and became so good at it, other departments wanted me to transfer to them. I sold so much of their money making product and each one gave me a ticket for the raffle. One weekend, they drew 5 names and 3 of them were mine. They changed the rules to give others a chance so I could only win once.

Bottom line is this job does contribute to my next and other jobs even if it was simply a part time job that was helpful for buying stuff for me cheap.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

relax. No need to get up on a high horse.

Same as you, I was an employer's wet dream when I worked there. Volunteered for all kinds of extra stuff, would find things to do constantly, and never had to be managed, ect, ect.
Does not mean I can't specifically say that what I said was true for the two locations I ended up working at.

Also does not mean that a lot of people arent naturally lazy and unmotivated, and for 7.25 an hour, very few people want to come in on friday night after business hours for an hour and a half pep rally and make 10 or 12 bucks, or do it unpaid.

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Correction, aklim likes to get up on his high pink Unicorn.

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For the Saved, this world is the worst it will ever get.
For the unSaved, this world is the best it will ever get.

Clk's Ebay Stuff BUY SOMETHING NOW!!!

Local small autoparts store. Rarely a line, always knowledgeable staff, (Who are always the same people and always there) Great prices too, all OEM parts.
http://cpict.com/pages/default.asp

I bought an air-filter at Pep boys 10 years ago when I first got my car and haven't been back since (Save for the odd cleaning supply run)

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."