The Warranty Process

"Its a brand new tiller and we never got it running". I enjoy a challenge but this one was easy. If you're gonna lie about it never running at least clean the mud off the tines. Now explain to me how an engine that never ran has a scored cylinder. Nobody wants to be accountable for their actions these days. Its always somebody elses fault and they will make up lies to ensure that. The saddest part is that the customer didn't have to lie. There was a legit issue with the equipment that the customer had no control over. A warranty claim was filed.

 This is typical of the kind of thing I've been seeing a lot more of lately. A person goes to the big box store, buys a cheap piece of shit and has problems. One of the problems is that they are selling "disposable" outdoor power equipment. The biggest problem is that the big box store doesn't do what a shop like ours does. At the big box stores you will get an offer to purchase an extended warranty but thats where it ends. A shop like the one I work at starts by matching the equipment purchase to the consumer needs. We set up the machines, test run them and train the customer how to operate and maintain them. Nobody leaves before all their questions are answered. I do see a problem every so often when a guy is too macho to listen to what I'm telling him, then later comes back bad mouthing the product. A good example is warm starting procedure for a chainsaw. We explained it when they bought the saw, theres a big sticker right there on the saw, but "nobody told me that". With a smile I politely point out the sticker right there on the saw is a reminder and the fact that its in the owners manual. OK I don't smile very often. In fact on the inside I'm quoting Red Forman...Dumbass! You were too smart to listen, now you're being schooled! The point is, the customer receives one-on-one help for their issues and usually leaves happy. If you ask the big box store for help on warranty issues they send you to us.

 When they are sent to us, I find people lie all the time about equipment that needs repair. Usually its because they weren't educated on the equipment and did something wrong. I don't mind setting them straight, denying warranty and writing up a bill for diagnostics even when the machine wasn't fixed. I'm not a dick about it, I just don't feel sorry for a person that brings on bad juju from their dishonesty. You'll get something for nothing if its covered under warranty. All others pay. You have to remember, the equipment manufacturers are our biggest repair customers due to warranty claims. We are on the customers side and make every claim we know will be accepted. Sometimes we can even get the manufacturers to agree to a goodwill gesture of some sort. The sad part about all of this is that it could have been avoided if they bought from a shop like ours that educates the customer. 

 Sometimes we have to educate a customer when we are explaining why they don't have a valid warranty claim. It makes me sad when I see a customer bring in all their paperwork and proof of purchase for a piece of equipment that won't run only to be denied a claim. They think it will be a free repair and then they get a bill. I have to be the dickhead that explains why. I do my best to let them down easy and be thorough in my explanation. I don't use 8x10 color glossy prints but I will show them pics from my phone. It must be a lot like seeing that the biggest package under the tree has your name on it, only to have some grumpy elf drop in and explain there was a clerical error at the main office and this gift ain't for you. 

 This happened yesterday. We've been busy so repairs are at least a week out so right away customers are antsy. I get a work order that has all the receipts and such attached and this tells me the customer isn't expecting a bill. Now the engine manufacturers have no control over what you put in the fuel tank and bad fuel isn't a manufacturer defect. A lot of people don't get that. A carb kit and cleaning labor fixed a problem with a rusty scum buildup issue in a chainsaw carb. The customer wasn't furious but he was whatever the next level of pissed off is right below that. He said he uses only premium fuel, no ethanol, and the brand name oil we sell. I told him I believed him and started asking a few questions. He told me where he buys his fuel and that he uses a one gallon can. If you deal with this stuff every day then you know where I'm going with my line of questions. This particular station uses one hose pumps. That is, whatever grade is selected comes out the same hose. I had to explain to him that he was getting at least some of whatever grade the guy before him pumped. There was a chance a good portion of his one gallon can was ethanol. Now if his can wasn't sealed tight with the humidity we've been having, theres also a good chance it was pulling moisture right out of thin air. BTW, to get around this problem, pump the first gallon or two into your vehicle before you fill your can with the good stuff.

 He wasn't happy about the situation. Heres a guy that thought he was doing everything right only to find out he was overlooking a few points. He was a reasonable man and didn't blame me for anything. In fact he thanked me for taking the time to explain everything. At the end of it all he said. " I wish I would have bought my saw from here".

 This is getting long but I have one more. A customer brings in a tiller, much like the first one I talked about. Someone must have been having a sale on crappy tillers. They never got it started and I believe them. First, if you follow the starting procedures on the sticker you will flood it every time and never get it started. Second, when I finally did get it started it wouldn't idle. It was set too low. I explained all this to the claims department of the distributor. I was talking with them because I wanted to make at least a minimal warranty claim for my time to get their piece of shit tiller running for their customer. We didn't sell the machine so we didn't make a dime on the deal but the customer was sent to us for service. He wanted to deny any claim because I told him I had to turn the idle up to keep it running. We went back and forth and both fell just short of any name calling. He did finally state he doesn't normally handle warranty claims but "Idle adjustment is clearly explained in the owners manual and the customer shouldn't have had to bring it in to you". "Oh really?", I said. "Please explain to me how the customer was supposed to know the idle was set too low on an engine they were never able to get started?" There was a long pause and then he gave me a claim number. Dumbass.

Later.

Ramblings

 This blog has pretty much just been a series of ramblings that mean nothing to anyone else. You won't find political or religious viewpoints, current event opinions or much of anything that will stir the pot. At one point you could find some tech tips but I haven't posted anything like that in a long time. As far as ride reports go well I haven't been anywhere in a while. I've considered backing off from two weekly posts to one but I don't want to give up that little piece of real estate I own in the back of your brain. Sucks to be you.
 Normally I thumb through my phone and look for pics to remind me of the weeks activities and look for something blog worthy. I'll post some of that but first a few observations of things that are not pics in my phone. The first is SiriusXM which my subscription now allows me to listen to online. I know a lot of people refuse to pay for music but I really enjoy this service. I've been listening to a lot of the comedy channels but also the oldies channels like Classic Vinyl. This is music I grew up with and still enjoy. I can sing along (when no one is in ear shot) because the lyrics are pretty much clearly spoken and all the words used can actually be found in the dictionary. Some of the new music I hear on the radio at work is ok but the radio stations ruin it for me by playing the same tunes four times an hour. I don't even want to hear my favorite jams that often.
 Teens working a drive through window. OMG. To all store managers please remember that these kids are the face of your business. When their stupidity pisses off a customer, that customer doesn't rush back to do business in your store. Maybe a little screening during the job interview is in order so you know where they need help. My suggestions are as follows: Ask potential employee to grab two ranch dressing condiments and bring them to you. I'm sure the results of this one simple test will be quite varied. Now ask them to read the names of some of the things on the menu. Big Mac is easy but see what happens when they get to balsamic vinaigrette. Now ask them to make change for a dollar. Any mix of coins will be fine. The results of these tests should clue you in on how pissed off they will make customers.
 Now on to the phone pics. The first one struck me as having some kind of comedic potential but I can't seem to come up with anything. Its two upside down automowers in the back seat of a little shit box car. What I was thinking when I took the pic escapes me.

 The next pic was at work when three of us were playing scrap metal can Jenga. The game started when someone pointed out how freaking lazy people can be. Rather than deal with a full can they will balance stuff up till they can't get any more on the pile. Oh btw, I didn't lose the game and didn't have to clean up the mess the game created when the pile fell.

 The final pic is of a note that was handed to me when I was paged to pic up line three.

 A customer that had an automower installed by us had some questions. I guess she wanted to talk to me. Now don't get me wrong, this is not a dig on the tall one. This is my badge of honor for all the time I've spent learning about automowers. Someone noticed and wanted to ask me a few questions. The tall one knows as much or more about these units on the installation end of things but I may have the edge on the technical end. He also has a little ammo if he wants to fire back like the time we spent twenty minutes trying to calibrate a guide wire. Turns out I forgot to hook it up to the charging pad.
Its all good.

Later.

Honey Do List-Bathroom Remodel

  Part of our bathroom remodel will be changing the color of a perfectly good bath tub from green to white. I want to get this part of the job done first because if it doesn't turn out the way I want then the tub will have to be removed with a sledge hammer. That could be messy. The epoxy kit I bought seems pretty straight forward but like all painting projects the prep work is the most important part. Removing caulk, hard water stains and some type of textured no-slip material will be the bulk of the work.
 Because the project has now officially started, the ideas are flowing and we decided to go to Menards for some more ideas and to pick up some vinyl flooring. The gal that was helping us with the flooring was a real piece of work. After she was unable to answer a few basic questions she started arguing with me about whether or not the roll would fit in the car. The rolls are 12' long and I requested an eight foot length rolled so that it was only eight foot long rather than the natural 12 feet as it comes off the spool. Its not hard to do and a couple of weeks earlier at a different location another worker did it with carpeting. "Can't you just hang it out the window?" No I said. Does she not realize that the wind at 55 mph will just fold the thin flooring and kink it? Also the hour ride and cool temps made having a window open less than desirable.
 Our rocket scientist then discovers that they are out of the style we chose. She checked back stock and none was left. I pointed at a remnant roll of the style we wanted that was no more than 3' away from where she was standing and said we'd take that if it could be rolled the other way. The roll was clearly marked as being 9.5' long (by the standard 12' width). This lazy bitch had no interest in rolling it the other way and held up her thumb and forefinger stating "It doesn't make sense to roll it the other way it will only save this much room". No I said, It will make it 2.5' feet shorter. I don't think she believed me because she rolled her eyes at me. "Well I don't have enough room to do that". Another load of shit because that carpeting from a couple weeks ago was re-rolled in a four foot aisle. This aisle was easily 12 foot plus. I just told her I'd take the roll and if it didn't fit in the car I'd re-roll it without her in the parking lot. I knew that carpet I hauled turned out to be 8'6" and was butted against the lift gate on one end while the other end was sitting on the center console. This roll at 12' would surely be on the dash, I just didn't know if it would be smashed against the windshield.
 We continued shopping and I just kept getting more upset and may have used the Cword to describe her. Thats out of character for me and my wife didn't appreciate it much especially because I didn't tone down my voice when I said it. Its getting hard to find places where customer service doesn't get people all worked up. I can forgive incompetence if a person is at least trying to do their job. Its laziness that pisses me off. We finished shopping and I was just getting settled down when the nice lady at the check out asked if we needed help loading it. I said no but if we did there was a woman in the flooring department I wanted to come out and help.

End rant.

Bad Customer Service?

 Friday night my wife and I found ourselves out of town and looking for a place to eat. I had fish fry on my mind and I think she was thinking more upscale than that. I parked the big ass station wagon on the main drag in Port Washington because we noticed a bunch of places to eat. We decided on Twisted Willow because my wife had heard some good things about it. We walked in and noticed right away the place was busy. Turns out they had some seating available on the third floor in their Treehouse Lounge so we started the climb. It was kinda weird like an upstairs apartment just converted to a bar with seating in each room. No complaints, just a different atmosphere.

 We ordered drinks and then our meals. It took a while to get the drinks but I didn't think much of it. My wife got her salad and I watched her eat the whole thing as I waited for my french onion soup. When the soup arrived my wife watched me eat it as we were waiting for our meals. I finished the soup and we waited longer. Finally our waitress walked up to the table apologizing about the delay claiming some mix up in the kitchen. Initially she had planned on holding the salad till the soup was ready but someone else brought the salad up without her knowing. Apparently she saw the soup sitting there and was waiting for the salad. Whatever, shit happens. The fact is that my wife claimed it was a great tasting caesar salad because of the use of bleu cheese. My french onion soup was delicious. Without any feed back from us the waitress announced the meal would be comped. Sweet! It wasn't like we were complaining or in a hurry. We had been engaged in conversation and while we were aware a lot of time had passed it wasn't a big deal. 

 The main course arrived and while it was palatable it should have been hotter. No big deal for me because I don't mind food thats just warm. Again, the taste and presentation were top notch. I ordered cheesecake to go and enjoyed it later that evening. 

 So initially you may think this is about bad customer service because of the delays and not-so-hot (but tasty) food. The waitress is the only person we had any interaction with and she did everything right. I assume she was caught in a situation she couldn't control and we didn't blame her for it. I don't know what actually happened but we are looking forward to giving them a second chance. The fact that we walked out only paying for a round of drinks and a tip probably has something to do with that attitude. I asked my wife if she would have rather paid full price and got a timely hot meal or have it the way it played out. We both agreed the scenario that we just experienced was fine. Let me know what your experience has been with this restaurant.

Later.