Fact or Fiction: We're afraid to take your money?

[SS Drifter]

1. This guy pulls into a quickie-lube this evening for an oil change. Okay, 25-bucks sounds fair. The tech begins his routine Q&A for the file then stops. There's a problem. With the oil plug... it's not OEM. It's a Fumoto (http://www.fumotovalve.com/).

"Can't do it." he says.

Fact or Fiction? Provide reasonable support for your choice. Let me rephrase that: Provide a common sense explanation for the tech and the company not wanting this guy's money.

2. Ten-minutes later, this guy walks into a Home Depot, okay? He's looking at some lights when all of a sudden this "safety" (read: liability) announcement comes over the air. You've just been empowered by hd to be a hall monitor. Then in attempt to get out of the store, this guy is blocked in by the orange "safety" gates clogging the aisles.

Fact or Fiction?

3. It's 2005 and paper money is undesirable because it's origins may be questionable and doesn't allow for a definitive papertrail.

Fact or Fiction?

4. It's 2005 and the term "Common Sense" has been removed from the Webster's Dictionary.

Fact or Fiction?

Thank you.

[Matt@RFR]

lol Rough day?

[SS Drifter]

Not "day", but evening. Actually I was on my way to the neighborhood quickie lube, but forgot they closed at 6:00PM. Weeeeeeeeeeeeee...............

[myclone]

1. This guy pulls into a quickie-lube this evening for an oil change. Okay, 25-bucks sounds fair. The tech begins his routine Q&A for the file then stops. There's a problem. With the oil plug... it's not OEM. It's a Fumoto (http://www.fumotovalve.com/).

"Can't do it." he says.

Fact or Fiction? Provide reasonable support for your choice. Let me rephrase that: Provide a common sense explanation for the tech and the company not wanting this guy's money.

Fact
Short: Liability/profit is why.
Long: Any company like jiffy lube, advanced auto, autozone, burger king, wendys, etc etc is not "set up" to deal with ANY request out of the norm. Ever wonder why at times you sit in the drive through at the local burger joint behind someone and it seems to take forever for them to get their order? The customer in front of you ordered something that took more than two brain cells to prepare or there wasnt a button on the cash register for it so it goofs up the whole system which means it takes ~3 times longer for the "system" to regroup and find a way to make a hamburger without pickles but extra mustard. Take the same scenario and apply it to a lube shop and the same thing happens only the product is not edible. ANYTHING that isnt "in their system" cant be accomodated without special attention (read more time/knowledge) and theyd rather lose $25 on ONE customer than lose 3 or 4 times that from not being able to accomodate other typical unknowledgable car owners that have cars which are "in the system". Also, those companies dont pay squatt so you arent going to get rocket scientists working there (which is the way they like it) so expecting anyone with common sense to be working on your vehicle is usually setting yourself up for disappointment. They want nothing more than soccer moms mini vans and non car guys honda accords since they can bang them out at a rate of 3 or 4 an hour at $25 each vs taking extra time on a modified camaro, mustang, insert your car here and making less money. On the liability end the corp bean counters are concerned that their $7/hr "tech" will not be able figure out anything thats not "in the system" in which case the car owner will want a new engine when all the oil drains out on their drive home. Profit/liability (same thing really)....

My question would be why ANYONE would take their car to someone like that for a $20 oil change? I wouldnt WANT a $20 oil change but then again I have a big problem with having the wrong oil filters put on, drain plugs left untightened, and someone working on my cars that thinks a 5" exhaust and wing on his ~2.0 liter econobox is a performance mod. Then again maybe its just me :shrug:


2. Ten-minutes later, this guy walks into a Home Depot, okay? He's looking at some lights when all of a sudden this "safety" (read: liability) announcement comes over the air. You've just been empowered by hd to be a hall monitor. Then in attempt to get out of the store, this guy is blocked in by the orange "safety" gates clogging the aisles.

Fact or Fiction?

You lost me on that one. More info needed (hall monitor??? [scratches head]).


3. It's 2005 and paper money is undesirable because it's origins may be questionable and doesn't allow for a definitive papertrail.

Fact or Fiction?

Fact...and several reasons for it. Anything with a bar code or magnetic strip can have pertinent information dumped into a data base(s) for use later. Cash, at least right now, doesnt have that quality which is desirable since corps can buy/sell "information" which is profitable. If you were company A that sold ladies underwear and would like a list of ppl to mail flyers to advertising that fact what would be the easiest most cost effective way to get an existing customer base? Im thinking that contacting company B with an offer to buy a list of customers that bought ladies underwear over the last ~2yrs would be a pretty good start. How would this list be generated by company B? LOL, that big fat data base of credit/debit card users and their purchases would be my first choice since all that had to be done was generate a spread sheet with the click of a mouse. "Company A?...this is company B and we have your customer list ready....that'll be ~$500,000 please." Dont even get me started on the Onstar or big brother soap box rant :D .


4. It's 2005 and the term "Common Sense" has been removed from the Webster's Dictionary.

Fact or Fiction?

I thought they removed that quite a while back? Youd think so since it seems to have been removed from society about a decade or so ago.

[OHCbird]

Sorry for the tanget, but... Stand by for Jiffy lube horror story.

My wife was driving my PU northbound, when an Expedition (that had just had a 'full' service, including tire rotation) came out of the local Jiffy lube, and headed southbound (coming torward my wife). When the Expedition got up to 35/40-ish, the left front tire came flying off, continuing down the road (shoulda' tightened those lug nuts, Buddy).

Guess where the tire landed? Yup- right on the left front of my truck, destroying the left front fender, grille, bumper, and lights. It actually continued to bounce down the road, striking two more vehicles. The spousal unit was OK, but scared & pissed. I was on the receiving end of the pissed part...

Jiffy lube's answer to all of this? Contact the the owner of the expedition's insurance, 'cuz it was her tire. The rest of the story is just more back-and-forth BS that winds up with Jiffy lube paying for my truck.

[68protouring454]

jeff don't you love it, try dealing with the bs insurance companys pull all the time, glad to here it is resloved
jake

[CoryM]

Its possible that the kid was scared your drain plug was an oversized plug that may strip the pan on re-install. When I see that at work (mechanic, not lube monkey) I let the boss know it may, or may not need an oil pan with the oil change. Havent had to replace a pan yet though.
As for the cash thing, that pisses me off too. I pay for almost everything in cash except a couple montly bills I put on my cc to build up credit. Whats so hard about using cash to pay for for your $5 fast food lunch? Its faster, safer, and idiot proof. I can understand not wanting to have a large amount of cash on you, but $5 for lunch???

[WS6]

anyone here owned a 90 buick regal? i think other GM cars had this too, but it came from the factory with a plastic drain valve. you simply unscrew it a few turns let the oil start draining then tighten it back up. my sister had many shops call her saying your oil pans been repaired we dont know what to do or we think it should be repaced. try explaining that no thats the way it is to them, then try doing it to a Buick dealership that thinks it knows everything and doesnt want to believe it was stock.

and yes there is a severe lack of common sense in this country. very severe. reaching critical levels severe if you ask me

[Stu Seitz]

Just change your own oil, it takes all of 15 mins! I don't know about you but I would never let anyone one who I didn't know/trust very well drive my car.

[SS Drifter]

Just change your own oil, it takes all of 15 mins!
Well, I'm building my home now, but will be doing that eventually.

myclone - regarding "hall monitor": Stop into your local HD and listen to the over-the-air commercials they have. There's a PSA about safety. 'If you see anybody doing anything that looks unsafe, please please report them immediately!' School hall monitors are (I guess) like that.

But the safety thing goes back to the common sense thing; If you have to do the PSA, how can you expect the public to even know what is & isn't safe?? I also understand HD's need to actually say such a thing, but now where does it stop?

"Attention shoppers: If you feel that the off-gassing in our store may cause you to faint and topple over one of our endcaps, please contact our safety representative for a guided shopping experience."

BTW: I'm having a better day today...........

[nancejd]

The reason Home Depot in particular is so sensative about safety is that a woman was killed in one of their stores a couple of years ago. They had a forklift placing a pallet on the top level of the racking, and it pushed the pallet on the other side off, over, and on to her. They probably do go a little far, but, why risk getting sued again.

[myclone]

myclone - regarding "hall monitor": Stop into your local HD and listen to the over-the-air commercials they have. There's a PSA about safety. 'If you see anybody doing anything that looks unsafe, please please report them immediately!' School hall monitors are (I guess) like that.

I see now... I dont usually shop HD since Lowes is 15min from me compared to HD which is across town. I may have to make a trip over there just to hear this announcement and see if I can come up with something off the wall/ornery to "report" (I can get pretty creative :) ).


"Attention shoppers: If you feel that the off-gassing in our store may cause you to faint and topple over one of our endcaps, please contact our safety representative for a guided shopping experience."
Funniest thing Ive read today. Thank you...I VERY much needed the laugh.

On why they do it Im guessing its a part of the settlement and/or they are covering their hind ends legally due to what Im sure was a large check they had to write to the estate of the woman that was killed. Granted it is terrible that happened but IMO 99% of the crap thats around you like the announcement is due to courts awarding multi million dollar settlements in cases like the one where a McDonalds customer sued because they spilled hot coffee on themselves then filed suit because the coffee was hot. Last time I checked thats what I want when I get coffee is for it to be hot and if I spill it in my lap scalding the family jewels I....well.....I chaulk it up to being a klutz(sp?). Who knew I coulda retired years ago a millionare :shrug: ?