I have to agree with Charley Robinson on this one. The one thing that
every marketing class says is really true. If someone is happy with the
service they receive, they'll tell one or two people on average. The same
person, unhappy, will tell ten. So, the way I see it, if you want to judge
customer satisfaction, divide the number of negative comments by about 5,
then you'll have a more accurate picture.
Some of you may have had technical questions that the person on the other
end of the phone couldn't answer, but that is no suprise. I've had my B
almost completely apart (and partially back together) and there are things
I don't know , either. Multiply this by the number of different marques
that they sell parts for, and you'll understand why they aren't experts and
don't try to be. If you want information, don't call Vicky Brit, the number
you need is 411.
As for shipping errors, these things do happen in any parts business. I've
been in the auto parts business, and I can tell you from experience that
not even General Motors or Toyota can get things right 100% of the time.
It's how these mistakes are handled that is truly important. One other
thing I've learned from being on the other side of the counter is how much
it helps to have all the information. Believe it or not, but parts guys
aren't mindreaders. I had someone come in one day needing an alternator
for his Chevy. When I asked what kind of Chevy, he said it was red. Is it
my fault if it took a little longer than usual to get the right part for
him? If I have the catalog, I'll have the part number, description, and
price ready. If any of these doesn't match, the red flag pops up. It's all
to easy to transpose a couple of digits in the part number, or write down
the one from the next line down. Oh, and check the quantity required,
too, it's easy to miss.
It's all personal preference as to what parts dealer you use. It doesn't
bother me if the person on the other end of the phone doesn't recognize my
voice from the last time I called, or know how many bolts I need for the
differential cover without looking in the catalog. All I need is someone
who will take my order efficiently, ship it to me promptly, for a
competitive price, and take care of any problems that might crop up. if I
want to buy only one brake rotor, or parts for two different model years,
fine, don't ask me if I'm sure every time. This approach isn't for
everybody. You may have questions about what part is right for your
application, you may not even know what exactly you need, because it's
completely missing, and you don't have a book for the car. If this is the
case, find someone who knows. Remember that nobody can make everybody
happy all of the time. If this were true, we'd all be driving beige Honda
Accords, and we wouldn't be having this discussion to begin with. So, just
because you may not have gotten things exactly the way you'd like, doesn't
mean that the company you were dealing with is evil, they're just not a
good match for your buying habits. Find someone who is, and move on. OK,
I'm done now, someone hand me that ladder so I can get down from this
soapbox.......
Calvin Krug
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