"Im not a parts store."

[hdpusher]

Yesterday I was rebuilding the starter on my bump. The nose cone bushings I ordered were the wrong size. (surprise) and one of the screws that holds the fields in place was missing. I guess that’s why the starter was making a funny noise that morning.

Now for the good part my friend drove me to garage (name with held) that rebuilds starters exct. I showed him the parts I needed and asked if he had any. I was told by the owner he wasn’t a parts store and if I wanted it fixed I should bring it over and he would fix it for me. I said okey dokey and left trying to hide my anger. As I walked across the parking lot he had to yell one more time "I’m not a parts store".

Try and help out a small business and this is how they act. I hate buying from auto zone and advanced ect. I would rather spend local for good parts and then this.

I then drove to another shop in town who has about anything you could want. He didn’t have the parts I needed but did have a complete starter. He said what an a-hole the other guy was and sold me the starter at cost and we had a good laugh about it. That’s how you should do business.

[averagef250]

Really? Businesses should give you parts at cost?

Can't say I really blame the first guy all that much. I have friends in the auto electrical bus and have run a similiar business, a tranny shop. What's really great is the guy who calls up with "hey, you rebuild XXXXX trannies?" "Yes we do." "Ok, I have it out, I'll bring it right down." Guy shows up with his transmission apart, in two buckets and a plastic bag, hammer marks all over stuff and an unrecognizable broken part in his hand. "Can you get this part for me?" So, I spend 10 minutes trying to figure out what the heck this part is and reconstruct the transmission from the carnage of this guys disassembly. Then I spend 20 minutes calling around to my local suppliers to locate XXXXX part, finally find one available used for $30. Tell him I can have it in a day or two for $35. The guy gets real upset, packs his crap up and tells me how he can get a whole tranny out of U-pullit for $78 so why in the hell would he give me $35 for this one stupid little part?

Granted it's not great business to yell "I'm not a parts house" to a customer, but I can see exactly where the guy's coming from.

[dustman_stx]

I can sort of understand where the guy was coming from, but he was still wrong. A good businessman will always be polite and courteous to a fault. The guy probably had people coming to him wanting to buy a few parts and get a free explanation on how to do things themselves instead of paying him to do it. I have run into this many times. Someone buys a complete car audio system from someone else, then wants me to "help" them install it. Which really means sit and watch me do it for free. I would have every right to pop off some smart remark and be a jerk, but I politely state that if they would like to leave it with me for X hours I can install it for X money. Never ceases to amaze me how many jerks manage to stay in business. Oh, and averagef250, he never stated he expected the parts at cost, but the second guy gave him the starter at cost because he'd had to deal with the jerk first. Even though guy #2 didn't make money this time, he will probably get repeat business and hdpusher will probably tell everyone about how great he is to do business with. And he'll probably tell everyone about the jerk at the garage. And, as long as hd has a reputation for being level headed and not a blow hard, people will listen.

[averagef250]

Oh, and averagef250, he never stated he expected the parts at cost, but the second guy gave him the starter at cost because he'd had to deal with the jerk first. Even though guy #2 didn't make money this time, he will probably get repeat business and hdpusher will probably tell everyone about how great he is to do business with. And he'll probably tell everyone about the jerk at the garage. And, as long as hd has a reputation for being level headed and not a blow hard, people will listen.

He clearly stated "That’s how you should do business." I don't follow this or agree with this at all. You give parts away and before you know it you have a line of shmucks waiting to take advantage of you.

Being a doormat is not an effective business strategy.

The reality of the situation is likely this: HDPUSHER didn't get a starter at cost. The #2 electric shop sympathized with HDPUSHER as a strategy and used this as an opportunity to make the sale. The #2 shop makes the sale, makes a decent profit and gets free advertizing. Wholesale on a brand new old ford direct drive starter is likely around $40.

[dustman_stx]

Oh, and averagef250, he never stated he expected the parts at cost, but the second guy gave him the starter at cost because he'd had to deal with the jerk first. Even though guy #2 didn't make money this time, he will probably get repeat business and hdpusher will probably tell everyone about how great he is to do business with. And he'll probably tell everyone about the jerk at the garage. And, as long as hd has a reputation for being level headed and not a blow hard, people will listen.

He clearly stated "That’s how you should do business." I don't follow this or agree with this at all. You give parts away and before you know it you have a line of shmucks waiting to take advantage of you.

Didn't catch the "That's how you should do business" comment the first time around. But, in all fairness, selling something at cost and giving something away is not the same thing. I agree that you do have to be careful with discounts because others might expect the same kind of deal. Sometimes you can offer a discount to someone that a competitor has disgruntled and get a good return on your investment, though. But, I'll play the devils advocate and say that I bet he didn't mean that in reference to the fact that he got it at cost, just that the #2 guy was polite and friendly. That's how I took it to prompt my initial response. Maybe I'm wrong, though, and hd is one of those guys that thinks he should get everything at cost.

The reality of the situation is likely this: HDPUSHER didn't get a starter at cost. The #2 electric shop sympathized with HDPUSHER as a strategy and used this as an opportunity to make the sale. The #2 shop makes the sale, makes a decent profit and gets free advertizing. Wholesale on a brand new old ford direct drive starter is likely around $40.

Even if the reality of the situation is as you state, which is very likely, who is the better businessman? Obviously #2, no?

[hdpusher]

averagef250 I think you read into things a little. I expected nothing for free or at cost. I just respected #2's decision to do business with me and sell me a starter. I didnt mean he should sell everything at cost and I don't expect this to happen the next time. All I needed was a $2 bushing and a $2 screw from the first guy and I gladly would have paid him $10 for the parts just to have my truck running.

Sorry you misunderstood my post.

[rjewkes]

yeah rebuilders usauly don't sell parts anyways cuase they want/ their job is to sell the service of rebuilding it for you. I agree yelling i'm not a parts store (or anything when in 6" voice range)is a bit childish, he had allready stated that to you.

And yes the better bussiness man is the guy who makes the sale without offending the buyer on purpose. If you want to sell something you do not call names or scream at the top of your lungs.

I agree with 250 about the guys who bring you something to work on only after breaking it beyond recognition, then when told the price piss and moan about being able to get a whole new unit at double the price.

This is not Saying HD is this guy, just agreeing on 250's scenario where a guy brought him a transmission and wasted his time.

[Ranchero50]

Sounds like someone was having a bad day...

Even at $10 for $4 worth of parts and the half hour to look them up, find them, complete the sale, then order replacements for stock is just a quick way to go out of business.

I'm not a parts store, I do have junk piles that folks rumage through. Me saying, 'it might be in there' is usually followed up by 'how much time you going to waste looking for a $5 part, go to the store knucklehead', especially when there are 4-5 stores within ten minutes of the house...

Jamie

[hdpusher]

Wow how far off track can we get here. Never thought I’d have to defend my self on this website.
I’ve been wrenching for 30 plus years and didn’t think I was a hack pain in the rear for needing a part someone who could have sold me for a fair price. I have over 10 personal vehicles and I buy parts all the time. My problem is I never got treated like this buying anything. (Remember the guy followed me into the parking lot to yell at me one more time.)
Now I run my own shop and according to my understanding by a few posts here when I try n help people with good advice or give them some thing along the way apparently I’m doing it all wrong. I thought it was good business sense or may be there are more business’s out there like #1 than I thought.
Example: The other day the 10 year old kid neighbor kid came over and asked me if I could weld his mini-bike frame. Apparently instead of doing it for free I should have charged him my $75 an hour emergency service charge rate because it was after hours. Instead I made him clean the area to be welded, showed him how to set up the machine, turn it on and even let him get in the way the entire time as I welded his frame.
Now he was 1 happy kid when he left that day and so was I for being able to help and teach him a few things. I didn’t treat him like a punk even though he didn’t know a thing and I knew I wasn't gona make a cent off him.
I’ve told this story for several days now and no one has defended #1 except people on this site??? I think sometimes we are quick to judge and draw conclusions. I thought we came to websites like this the share are knowledge and maybe learn something along the way. Remember its what you learn after you think you know everything that really matters.
So lets not be so quick to flame someone when they may have a good story to tell.

[Ranchero50]

Ha, no flame man, just playing devils advocate a bit.

The first guy was a tool, the second guy gave you a deal, sadly it's all the original parts places fault that you were missing the correct parts to do the rebuild.

As Dustin said, at $40 wholesale it's hard to justify the rebuild vs. buying a rebuilt one. I 'charge' myself $20 per hour to do work, sometimes it helps to rationalize what I buy vs. rebuild or patch back together.

We all have stories to tell about this kind of stuff, from both points of view. Amazing how popular you become when folks know you have welders and a CNC mill sitting in the garage. The air blast from the tool changer always seems to bring company from the alley.

Jamie

[trukcrazy]

Yesterday I was rebuilding the starter on my bump. The nose cone bushings I ordered were the wrong size. (surprise) and one of the screws that holds the fields in place was missing. I guess that’s why the starter was making a funny noise that morning.

Now for the good part my friend drove me to garage (name with held) that rebuilds starters exct. I showed him the parts I needed and asked if he had any. I was told by the owner he wasn’t a parts store and if I wanted it fixed I should bring it over and he would fix it for me. I said okey dokey and left trying to hide my anger. As I walked across the parking lot he had to yell one more time "I’m not a parts store".

Try and help out a small business and this is how they act. I hate buying from auto zone and advanced ect. I would rather spend local for good parts and then this.

I then drove to another shop in town who has about anything you could want. He didn’t have the parts I needed but did have a complete starter. He said what an a-hole the other guy was and sold me the starter at cost and we had a good laugh about it. That’s how you should do business.

That guy was just having a bad day. He has probably been asked to sell just a few parts over and over again and was just sick of it and you just happened to walk in at the wrong time, maybe some events that we are not aware of happening in his life. That being said, he was a real tool no matter how you slice it and shouldn't have responded that way. He missed another opportunity to help someone. You on the other hand, took advantage of an opportunity to do something for the boy on his minibike. Shame on the first guy you tried to deal with, kudos to the second one who did help you and to you for taking the time to help someone else. Everyone is very tense in this day and age due to the events happening around us. Let's not let that attitude take over here. If someone has a negative encounter, we should listen and not take sides but just understand that isolated event was not what it should have been. I don't think this is a place for flaming, at least that is not what I come here for. Let's get this place back to where it should be, a positive place to get ideas, share triumphs and defeats without worrying about whether someone is speaking out of turn. GET BACK ON TRACK!

[70_F100]

"Pay It Forward"...

[R.Smith]

You need to engage the guy in mental combat and blow his mind.

"I'm not a parts store.."

But what is a starter, if not "part" of the engine? And what is the engine if not "part" of the drive train. And what is the drivetrain if not "part" of the truck? Am I to assume you sell complete trucks only?

Then leave and let him figure it out.

[rjewkes]

I still think you got gyped that autozone or whatever parts place you bought the kit and bushings from sold you the wrong kit, and you didn't force them to make it right you went and bought the correct parts from elsewhere.

[dustman_stx]

Sounds like someone was having a bad day...

Even at $10 for $4 worth of parts and the half hour to look them up, find them, complete the sale, then order replacements for stock is just a quick way to go out of business.

I'm not a parts store, I do have junk piles that folks rumage through. Me saying, 'it might be in there' is usually followed up by 'how much time you going to waste looking for a $5 part, go to the store knucklehead', especially when there are 4-5 stores within ten minutes of the house...

Jamie

If it takes a guy 30 minutes to find a couple of parts for a starter and his business IS working on starters, he won't be around long anyway. I would say he could've sold the guy the parts, gotten a $10 bill, not even worried about a receipt and been on his way in 5 minutes tops and had a happy possible future customer and some free word of mouth advertising. He most likely buys in bulk and just reorders periodically when supplies get low, anyway.