I'm not ready to make nice...(long)

[behrleiii at yahoo.com (Behrle Hubbuch)]

  Go get 'em Cathy!  It's amazing how much attitude guys who sell used auto parts can have!  I have encounered similar attitude in my junk parts excursions.  I usually say something along the lines of "I don't need this part this badly" when I encounter such stupidity.
   
  Behrle
   
  Sciroccoless at the moment until I get to Fraunkensteen's re-animation.
    
From: "C Boyko" 
Subject: I'm not ready to make nice...(long)

Well, here goes a nice rant. WAY too long since I had one, isn't it? 
Anyway, I went out seeking an intake manifold for one of the many projects
around here, and since I have time off this week, I get to be parts bitch.
The only place we could find one was two hours distant. So I phoned first
to determine that it was the correct one, he gave me a price that was $45
less than just the top half was available for locally. So I thought I'd
better clarify that it was both halves.
(His part of the conversation in quotes, mine between, actions in brackets)
"Which manifold do you want, intake or exhaust?" Intake, and I clarify
engine code/model years etc. "It's one piece, and that's the price" My
computer shows it as two parts. "(aggressive tone) M'aam, we do this all
day long and I don't care what your computer says, it's one piece". And you
have one? "Yes". So I'm thinking they remove it with the mid gasket intact,
as one piece, fine.
Off I go the next day (today), a two hour drive. I get there, there isn't
one already detached, but there's one bolted to a block on the floor. I am
then offered one of the black air intake hoses as the intake manifold.
Mildly insulting. Nope, says I, I want an intake manifold (point to
manifold). Which the nice guys with the wrenches then extract and place in
the box I brought. It's got all sorts of vaccuum stuff hanging from it, but
I figured they'd just as soon have me dispose of that stuff, since they
would have to anyway.
So now I wait for the nice guy I talked to on the phone, after a good
fifteen minutes of me patiently waiting in the narrow space between the
piles of car parts and the "counter", he finally comes out to collect
payment. "Where's the stuff" Here in the box. "This is the intake manifold
(picks up upper half) This is not the intake manifold (picks up lower
half)" I asked on the phone if it was both parts "(he stands up taller in
order to tower over me/spaces himself within my personal space/raises his
voice to a good yell) Ma'am, now don't you give me any attitude. THIS is
the manifold. Not that other stuff. So you told me you wanted a manifold,
not this other stuff" I explain in my best calm but firm teacher voice that
I'd asked if it was both halves, and this 'other stuff' is the lower half.
"No it isn't, this is the manifold, this isn't" (I extract the printout
from that 'software which shall remain nameless' from my back pocket) This
refers to it as the lower manifold. "(pause) So did you want the other
stuff or not?" Just the manifold, both halves, you can take the hoses off
if you like. He stomps off with the parts, to the back, tinkers for an
excessively long time to remove a few vaccuum lines. Leaves the injectors
in, they are not an issue it seems. But those vaccuum lines, wow those have
resale value....I pay the agreed upon price, and drive home hopping mad.
So the sum of that was that I asked for a price on an item, showed the guys
with the wrenches what I wanted, and got that item at the price quoted. Why
in the hell the attitude? I really thought he'd have felt better if he
could just hit me. And I do fights as a weekly part of my job (I work in a
rough school), I'm a pretty good judge of aggression by now. I did nothing
to provoke the attitude, of that I'm sure. Except maybe being born with
that one hunk of a chromosome that was a wee bit too long to suit him.

Anyway, I survived. Most parts guys are decent, but once in a while you hit
a beaut. What this man did NOT know was that I'd skipped lunch. And those
who know me understand that is not a good thing to mess with. I'm certain
that the legend of the "pizza rant" still lives around here :)
Cathy