Working the parts counter in West Virginia

"As Du Volant" (skuhnphoto)
07/14/2015 at 09:05 • Filed to: parts counter

Some memories from my college days...

(PHONE RINGS)

Me: Thank you for calling Advance Auto Parts, this is Steve, how may I help you?

Customer: I’m lookin’ for a battery for a ‘94 Honda.

Me: And what model Honda do you have?

Customer: A ‘94.

Me: No, I mean what’s your car called?

Customer: A Honda.

Me: No, no, I mean what is the model name of your car? Honda Accord, Honda Civic...”

Customer: Honda Sonata.

(PHONE RINGS)

Me: Thank you for calling Advance Auto Parts, this is Steve, how may I help you?

Customer: How much for brake pads for a ‘89 Po-Niac Grand Pricks?

Me: Um... you mean a Pontiac Grand Prix?

Customer: No, it’s a Po-Niac Grand Pricks.

Me: Yes, it’s pronounced Pontiac Grand Prix.

Customer: Dammit son, it says Po-Niac Grand Pricks on the back of it. You sumbitches give me the wrong parts every damn time, so don’t try an’ tell me I ain’t got the same model car I say I do.

Me:. Um, okay... do you need front or rear brake pads for your Grand Pricks?

(PHONE RINGS)

Me: Thank you for calling Advance Auto Parts, this is Steve, how may I help you?

Customer: Do you have a thermostat for a ‘73 Super Beetle?

Me: Hang on, let me check. ‘73 Super Beetle, and you’re looking for a thermo- WAIT A MINUTE!

Customer: (laughter)

Me: Dan, is that you?

Customer: (more laughter) Yeah, it’s me. Wanna go grab some beers at Mutt’s after you get off?

Me: Hell yeah.

“Customer:” Sweet. Meet at my place?

Me: Yep. See ya.

DISCUSSION (30)

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > As Du Volant
07/14/2015 at 09:11

Do you have a thermostat for a ‘73 Super Beetle?

The old classics are new again.

pip bip - choose Corrour > As Du Volant
07/14/2015 at 09:12

sadly , i can understand your pain.

EL_ULY > As Du Volant
07/14/2015 at 09:17

lol awesome. It gets even worse at the dealership level and especially with exotics. Mostly because the people calling are shops that should know better

As Du Volant > EL_ULY
07/14/2015 at 09:19

I hear a lot of stories from our parts guys. Latest one: a guy made a scene in front of the parts counter because he drove two hours for some little obscure part for a 30 year old Dodge pickup and we didn’t have it. He didn’t call first, just drove all the way in. His logic? Because we’re a Dodge dealership we should stock all parts for all Dodges all the time.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/14/2015 at 09:21

We have a guy that keeps calling the store asking for 5qts of blinker fluid

EL_ULY > As Du Volant
07/14/2015 at 09:22

EEEEEEXACTLY lol!!!! That is way too common in our Volvo and Mercedes side. It usually follows by, “well, just order it!” followed quickly by them just walking away without giving us any info :]

ly2v8-Brian > As Du Volant
07/14/2015 at 09:36

Yeah poniac is a thing, my grandpa says that, jokingly though. This guy was was serious. Speaking of ‘Poniacs’ one of my mechanic class instructors worked at a dealership and had a customer complain about an issue with his Pontiac ‘Goolie’. My instructor was confused by this and told the customer there was no such model. The customer was insistent and brought it down. It was a Pontiac 6000LE.

Brickman > As Du Volant
07/14/2015 at 09:39

I saved lots of sanity by working at lowes for the summer than an auto parts store :)

Scary__goongala! > As Du Volant
07/14/2015 at 09:41

I LOVE MUTTS!!! $2 Budweisers all the time

supra-squirrel > As Du Volant
07/14/2015 at 09:48

Lol. Wat? When I needed parts for a 30 year old Toyota it involved either having them shipped through Toyota from Japan or failing that order upgrades since they don’t make oem an more.

As Du Volant > Scary__goongala!
07/14/2015 at 09:49

Sadly Mutt’s was demolished two years ago.

http://www.thedaonline.com/article_c10c4e…

450X_FTW > As Du Volant
07/14/2015 at 09:51

Not me, but happened to a friend, a customer came in to his parts store and said “he needs a glow lamp for his Goole”. He said show me which part you mean. Points to the license plate bulb, and his car is not a Goole, it’s a 600 LE......

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > As Du Volant
07/14/2015 at 09:54

That first image though.....I used to work in the parts department of a Jeep dealer and got that allllllllllllllll the time. “Well, is it the boxy one or not?” Man, this post brings back memories.

As Du Volant > StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
07/14/2015 at 09:56

I spent two years at Advance and another 3 1/2 years at a junkyard specializing in truck parts. I feel your pain.

And the boxy question would never work, because the first gen Grand Cherokees were pretty boxy as well.

As Du Volant > supra-squirrel
07/14/2015 at 09:59

You know what? This will decimate all, after, you put about fifteen grand in it or more. If we have to, overnight parts from Japan.

But seriously, as the owner of a 28 year old Nissan that never sold all that well to begin with, I know where you’re coming from. I was SHOCKED when the dealer actually was able to get me something. It was the last place I checked.

McMike > As Du Volant
07/14/2015 at 09:59

Customer: Honda Sonata.

About 10 years ago, there was a guy who worked in our lab who was all worried about his girlfriend visiting the Honda dealership for some open house they were hosting. She was currently driving some 5-6 year old car that wasn’t having any issues, and I agreed with him that she probably didn’t need a new car, but he was terrified, as she could be talked into anything.

He was sure he would come home to find a new car in the driveway and 84 payments to go with it.

He asked me what I thought about Hondas. He looked disappointed with my answers because he was hoping I had some solid reasons not to buy one so he could tell her to steer clear of the brand.

A few hours later, she was texting him the neat things about the cars, how polite the salesman was, and how nice the dealership was.. etc... He was panicking.

Apparently, she was close to stitting down at the finance desk, and he came to me, sweating, and wanted to know what I thought about the Honda Electra.

You should have seen his eyes when I told him that such a car didn’t exist. “There’s no such thing as a Honda Electra,” I said, as I listed off the cars on the showroom floor. He threw his arms up in frustration, and went back to his desk and put his head on it.

The next day he told me what she bought.

Kinja'd!!!

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > As Du Volant
07/14/2015 at 10:02

True, but for some people there was only so much we could do. Thats why I always asked for the VIN, only to be met with “I don’t have it”, “why do you need that”, or the best (I only needed the last 9 of the VIN) “here is my whole VIN, all 16 digits....” ugh.

As Du Volant > McMike
07/14/2015 at 10:04

Hah!

The best was the way these guys in West Virginia would pronounce Hyundai. They’d kind of stumble over it before just giving up and saying Honda. “I need a part for a Hhhhhhhanda.”

Now I’m at a dealership in Pennsylvania, and while people actually know what a Hyundai is we have our own different way of speaking. “What’s yinz askin fer that Dawdge dahn ‘ere?”

As Du Volant > StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
07/14/2015 at 10:06

Or they’d tell you, OK here’s my VIN: IC4PJMB8FW5O9G4G.

If you’re intimately familiar with VINs you’ll notice there are at least 5 problems with that VIN.