Posted on 10/11/2020 9:13:00 AM PDT by logi_cal869
The past few weeks have exposed me to an abnormal level of incompetence displayed by private businesses' employees.
The icing on the cake was when I recently had a flat tire and discovered that my mini-spare was defective, told that the only one - without paying >$150 for a new one - was 45 minutes away at a wrecking yard. I make the drive, only to discover that the spare is BLOWN (they never checked it).
To make matters worse, another employee at the nationwide firm 'helped' me to find one with the same bolt pattern off of a different car. Since I'm a gearhead, mechanic, nerd, technician and engineer at heart (plus former business owner), I was sharp enough to check the bolt pattern before leaving without 'trusting' him or their computer.
WRONG BOLT PATTERN. The idiot couldn't even type in my car stats correctly and/or click the right button in their app. >99 out of 100 would have only found out at the most inopportune time when they needed the spare.
This follows a chain of over a couple dozen events leaving me shaking my head wondering HOW IN THE WORLD these idiots remain employed in a market under which employers pretty much have pick of the crop. It appears to be getting worse, customer service apparently taking a backseat to business priorities as well (why worry about customer service when you've been labeled an 'essential business' by your government? /s). It's like businesses are treating jobs as a sort of welfare. With so many businesses closing their doors, it's almost predictable that it would get worse, but I only noticed it sometime in the past month and it appears to be getting worse.
Is it just me? Not asking to be flamed; it's a serious question, seemingly another one of those 'law of unintended consequences' effects of government (mandates). I've not seen anyone else positing similar experiences here or elsewhere...
Btw, free advice: "IF" your vehicle has a spare tire, compel the tire company rotating, replacing or repairing your tires to remove & CHECK THE SPARE TIRE. My spare tire 'experience' of late cost me over 7 hours of wasted time. Again, free advice.
It starts with the publik educashun system. They teach the young skulls to fell instead of think. Flunk math? No problem, you’ll pick it up in the next grade. They get pushed out of school with minimal skills, no knowledge of HOW to work, and all of this is the result. My tractor has been sitting in the shop for 3 weeks waiting to get parts to repair the seat. I finally got tired of listening to excuses, found what was needed online, and had it shipped out same day. Getting any kind of quality service these days is the exception rather then the rule and when I get it I let the provider know how much I appreciate it.
Or my other favorite non-answer: “As far as I know.”
And then instead of “Thank you,” it’s “No problem.”
It’s not you. I’ve experienced some similar issues.
It’s not just you. Just read the stuff that gets posted here.
Especially with politicians.
I noticed a substantial change in 1995 ... stunning ...
how much pay are these people making?....our society diminishes the contributions of blue collared workers every chance they get, so its no wonder some of these workers don’t take pride in what they do...
Yup, same here.
At 60+ lbs like driving on rocks.
45 front / 35 rear. Unless hauling like you said.
That 5.9L Cummins is a heavy load out front.
Although, if I’m looking at a long haul on the highway I’ll pump ‘em up for MPG and responsiveness.
At least you had a spare tire as they don’t exist on some vehicle’s.
the marketplace is pricing out a lot of employees for small businesses
Federal Government's unconstitutional minimum wage artificially drives costs and, thus, prices up and drives business and industry overseas. So does unconstitutional federal government's protection of unions and "subsidies" to (bribes from) big business along with high corporate taxes and regulations.
Trump has attacked some of this up to a point, but there's a lot more to be done.
Again big business isn't the culprit. Big unconstitutional government is far and away the culprit.
Tire stores closed (after hours). Not an option. I didn't think that detail pertinent at the time; I stand corrected.
My tire was undamaged, save for the screw hole. If there are roadside services for tire repair on passenger vehicles 24/7 in my county, I'm unaware. Certainly not through my insurance (tow option only - aside from 'roadside assistance' - which posed a problem: My flat was FAR from home and 20 miles from the nearest shop or motel).
I've since learned that many new vehicles do not come with spares, only a can of fix a flat and an air compressor...2 items now on my trunk contents list.
Not only is it not just you, it is endemic.
On the subject of spare tires, my wife, I, and our daughter all have Hyundai Sonatas. 04,06,07
The concave spot in the trunk to hold the donut spare is full size. So I bought new rims and tires and put full size spares in all three cars. And it has paid off twice so far. And it is even more critical to do this in a woman’s car.
So I have promised myself that if I buy another car and it has room it’s going to have a full size spare before I drive it off the lot or there will be no deal.
Buyer beware has always been a long time truism. Nothing is new in this regard.
Good service is an exception, not normal, but that is why if you are better than average, you shine like a diamond.
My experience the prior weeks and most recently manifested a concern echoing your experience: My mother got approval (finally) for her knee replacement. My parents had been told for months by contractors that they were booked until the end of the year. So when she got approved, I installed stair railings on their front steps myself.
I can't imagine having to rely upon contractors in this environment, as I know personally that many in my state have fled for better business climate, in part responsible for the inability to hire one (good or otherwise).
Even without full employment we have a pretty substandard labor pool. The work ethic is poor or non-existent in many, and the educational level is the same. To put it bluntly there are a lot of stupid and lazy people out there.
I love the classic example of going to a checkout line in the store and asking the checkout person to count back my change. Duh
Another one is paying attention to people and noting how many can do simple percentages in their head. I’m talkin stuff like 10 or 15%, not rocket science.
Very wise. Like those Sonatas, huh? I was looking toward a used Camry...
Tire diagnosis.
1- find obstruction. If none found. Step 2 If found maybe remove and patch Fix a flat will work with it in so don’t remove if you think can’t patch
2- Fix a flat. Follow. Instructions. Bring bike pump in car. Add extra air.
Drive 1, mile add more air Min 15 psi
Then you’re good.
If still leaks. Add more air drive more.
Observe tire around area for leakage
If all of the above fails or there’s a giant gash
put the spare on and again make sure you have a bike pump in case it needs air
Yes....no problem...ugh. One of my favorite ACE experiences....i went looking for the silver tube of MAAS silver cleaner. Asked a young guy. He looked for 5 seconds. Nope, they didn’t carry it. I kept looking & found it. When I told him he had no interest in knowing where it was. Miss the guys who took pride in helping people.
Yep we’ve been very happy with them. The 2004 in the 2007 models my wife and I bought new.
Our daughter bought her 2006 model when it was a year-and-a-half old. All three cars have a minimum of 100,000 miles on them.
I can’t speak for the new ones, but when I bought ours the price difference between them and comparable Toyotas and Hondas was quite dramatic. The reason being that with the Hyundai’s you took the depreciation right up front. You needed to own the car for 4 or 5 years in order to get benefit over the more expensive Toyotas and Hondas. We buy good cars and we drive them until they no longer run. So that was not a problem LOL
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