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And the MORON of the Year Award goes to.....

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CXXC

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So, as generally happens when one drives a vehicle as much as I do, (137,000 in 3 years) tires need to be replaced. This particular Friday, I was pressed for time, but needed to get my rear tires replaced ASAP. My weekend in Baltimore depended upon them.

 

Now, I knew better than to take my trusty vehicle to Wally World. Sure, they have the same tires everyone else carries. Yes, they sell them a tad cheaper than other places. Why the hesitation? Well, to be blunt, I swear Wal-mart hires people whose IQ’s could be tax breaks. I often wonder what the interview process is like for the tire center.

 

Manager: Last grade completed?

 

Applicant: Uhhh… I got a b in shop.

 

Manager: So you’re handy with tools?

 

Applicant: I helped my uncle change a tire once.

 

Manager: So you are familiar with the process of changing tires?

 

Applicant: Sure am! We take the car to Wal-Mart to get new ones!

 

Manager: So you could say you are a loyal Wal-Mart employee if Hired?

 

Applicant: You gonna hire me?

 

Manager: Only if you don’t mind working for minimum wage and as a part time employee to help us defray the costs of having fulltime employees.

 

Applicant: Where do I make my mark?

 

Manager: Just sign right Here. Here’s your smock. Go report to the tire center and start changing tires!

 

Applicant: Cool! Ummmm.. Where is the tire center and how do you change a tire?

 

 

This conversation ran through my head the entire time I was waiting for my tires to be changed. I got there by 9:00 but didn’t leave until just after noon! 3++ hours waiting for my tires to be changed is a tad ridiculous! When I brought the vehicle in they said there was only one person ahead of me and it should be no more than an hour. ONE HOUR! NOT THREE!!!

 

With the idea that I would be in and out in ONE HOUR, I decided to take a look at the electronics section. Trust me, I can spend an hour in ANY electronics section of any store. So, I happily browsed the shelves looking at the computer peripherals, games, stereos, TV’s, new DVD’s, the works. I even made a few mental notes to compare prices with a couple places on certain items. All was going well.

 

One hour had passed. I went to the Tire Center to retrieve my vehicle but ended up standing at the counter for no less than 15 minutes. AT LONG last, someone in the department decided to grace the customers with being at their post. I asked about my vehicle and was informed that it was not yet done but should be completed within the next 30 minutes.

 

Hmmmm…. 30 more minutes! Back to the Electronics department. You don’t realize just how fast time flies when you rifle through the bargain bin of DVD’s. With a couple in hand, I march back to the Tire Center. I had actually taken nearly 40 minutes picking out a couple movies that I wanted and figured that should be enough time to finish with the truck.

 

Now, wouldn’t you know, there is only one person at the counter helping customers while two other idiots stand back and chat about not being happy with something the manager had said or done. The conversation didn’t matter as much as the fact that there were 4 people standing in line and only one person was assisting them. I was getting a little miffed. After waiting 20 minutes (I timed it) I was next to be served. Just as I stepped up to the counter, the clerk stepped away and went into the garage without saying a word to me! The two clowns standing behind the counter continued to hold the meaningless conversation. I could take no more of this and excused myself by butting into their conversation.

 

ME: Can you tell me if my vehicle is finished? I brought it in TWO hours ago to get two back tires put on.

 

Thing 1: I don’t work in this department!

 

Thing 2: the manager just went into the garage. I’ll ask her when she comes back in.

 

I was dumbfounded. I stood there looking all around to see if I had fallen into a paradoxical universe where you got paid to do nothing!!! Had I some how messed up the space time continuum? Where was Pickard? Screw him! Where is my Ray gun? I want to blast these two idiots into the Delta Quadrant!

 

I think 5 more minutes passed. The woman who had been behind the counter helping the customers returned. SHE WAS THE MANAGER of the Tire Center. I calmly asked,

 

“Is my truck ready?”

 

Manager: “What type of truck is it?”

 

ME: “Burgundy F-150 King Cab”

 

Manager: “Oh! No sir. Its not! We had a problem with one of the locks. It should only be another 15 minutes though!”

 

With a heavy sigh, I thanked the lady and decided to stick close to the tire center. I walked the isles looking at air fresheners, chrome this or that for vehicles that really should not have chrome, fuzzy cup holders, every kind of dice known to man and assorted waxes. It really didn’t take too long to cover the auto section. However, I made the 15 minutes pass. I took the 20 or so steps to the Tire Center and again, stood in line.

 

After another 15 minutes of waiting for my turn, (Thing one and two had left) I stepped to the counter and asked about my truck. Remember, I am now looking at 2-1/4 hours here. The woman looks at me and AGAIN, asks what kind of vehicle I had.

 

ME: “The burgundy Ford F-150 King Cab needing 2 back tires!”

 

Manager: “That’s right! Ummm… They are still having an issue with one of the locks. It really shouldn’t take much longer. I’m really sorry about this! Have a cup of coffee in the lounge. Ill call you when its finished!”

 

She pulled the old Jedi mind trick on me! Coffee! My kryptonite! I can’t resist a cup! My olfactory senses kicked in and I immediately followed the scent! Damn weakness! DAMN JEDI MIND TRICK!

 

So, here I was pouring a nice cup of stale Joe when, like a bolt of lightening, it hit me! I DON’T HAVE WHEEL LOCKS!!!!!

 

I was dumbfounded! I just had to see what these mouth breathing morons were trying to do to my truck! I moved as quickly as I could out the door to the parking lot of the Tire Center. There, not one but THREE future TSA Agents were trying to pry the passenger side door frame open in an attempt to UNLOCK MY TRUCK! They had locked the keys in the ignition!!! I threw the coffee and ran toward them yelling, “STOP!!! You are going to warp my window frame!!!!!”

 

I reached the vehicle and assembled mouth breathers. They had a rubber wedge jammed into the top frame of the door and were attempting to hit the lock button with a metal rod of some sort. I instructed them to remove the wedge and rod. They did. I pulled the hide-a-key from the wheel well and opened the drivers side door. Handed the lead mouth breather the key ring and stormed back to the Tire Center.

 

Well, naturally, there were 3 people standing in line but I could no longer deal with this level of stupidity!

 

ME: They locked the keys in the ignition over 2 hours ago. I just opened the vehicle for them! I had a spare key! YOU should have told me this right off the bat! Get the tires changed on that thing IMMEDIATELY! Ill be back in 30 minutes!”

 

I was livid! So, what does someone who is livid in a Wal-Mart do? They go back to the electronics department and dig for more movies.

 

True to my word, I returned within 30 minutes exactly. My vehicle was finished and ready to go! I paid the manager for the tires and service but informed her that she, thing one and two and the three future TSA Agents will be mentioned in my letter to the home office. She apologized for the mess. She actually meant it. So, I think I will cut her some slack. But the rest of the short bus riders are in for a scathing letter!

 

And there they stood, prying my door apart, not even thinking to contact me or use the intercom to reach me in the chance that I had a key! And the Moron of they Year Award goes to……. ME! I went there to get tires!!!

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I avoid Wal-Mart like the plague. Had to go there ONCE and good Lord, that was quite enough for one lifetime.

 

Trixie

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:lol::lol::lol:

 

Sorry to laugh, but that was just plain funny. (Pathetic, but funny).

 

Luckily I am married to a master tech, so I don't ever have to deal with stupid mechanics and idiot shops, but I sure would never go to Wal-mart for tires!

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I had little choice as the smaller shops were all packed and I needed to get out of town quickly. I guess I learned my lesson!

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SW PA

As always, the trip was long, the weekend was too short and the friends/family were great. My neice graduated form high school. The last one. Now It starts all over with college graduation. HA HA HA! They are my neices, so I worry about them as much as I do my own daughter. Spring break, senior week, the summer parties.... Ugh, I need to breath...gasp. Oh how I remember the days.

 

However, The weekend was great! Lots of laughs, photos, memories and fun!

How was yorus?

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You just summed up so many of the reasons why we refer to Wal-Mart as "Hell" and avoid going there at all. Every once in a while I get this urge "oh but it's right on the way home it will save me having to go out of my way...." only to arrive there to discover that of the 3 items I needed to pick up they have 1 if I'm lucky and therefore to get what I need I still have to go out of my way and make that other stop. Now, I just bypass them and go straight to the "out of the way" place that I was trying to avoid... knowing I'll end up there anyway.

 

I don't care how badly I needed my tires changed, after discovering that they were trying to take my car door apart to get in the car... I would have unlocked it myself and driven away... to Sears... or anywhere for that matter.

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Julie

If I had not been pressed for time, I would have just driven off and taken my vehicle to another tire establisment. However, they had the vehicle, the tires and the work order. Once the "Lock" was opened (I still can't believe that) it took them a total of 30 minutes to do the work.

 

I NEVER go to Wal-Mart. They truly have NOTHING that i want and they are actually out of the way for my shopping needs. Granted, they have a Great Big Bin of DVD's to sort through.

 

I have learned a lesson. I will not use them agian for my tire replacement needs. It amount of money saved was not actually saved but spent in my waisting time and energy in that store.

 

I sent my E-mail and snail mail letters yesterday. I am fully expecting the issues to fall upon deaf ears. Jsut like my letters to the Mac Donalds corporation. Now that is a company to be pround of! ACK! Dont get me started!

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Guest warrencouple

Posted

For whatever reason, I've never been fond of Walmart, in general. Also not too fond of KMart. Stories like this, though, make me very glad that I take my car either to the local Midas, or to the dealership.

 

When we needed new tires, we wound up going to Discount Tire (yes, that's the name of the company), and had decent service.

 

The nice thing is, with the exception of the dealership, we can keep an eye on the car the entire time, so we'd know if they were trying something like what happened to you...

 

At least you caught them before they trashed the truck.

 

Jason

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Mr NC here, master auto tech.

 

Pressed for time or not, unforunately you bit it on this one. Walmart tires, while you may think you are getting the same tire for $5 cheaper per tire, it's not the same tire. It is a lower quality rubber compound. So it may have gotten you on the road to Baltimore (after almost 4 hours of waiting), but you would have fared better waiting 2 hours at another local shop for extra $.

 

The tires can carry the same name brand and part #, but they're not the same.

 

Mrs NC has been in plumbing wholesale for 9 years, and can give a good example. Delta Faucets. You can buy the same model # from me as you can buy in Home Depot. Home Depot is $20 cheaper per faucet. Big difference when buying 6 faucets. But are you really getting the same thing? No, you're not. The difference is that you go from professional grade, which has copper stems, to the Home Depot aluminum stems. Big deal? Yeah, if you plan to the house for more than a few years. And PS, tools are the same thing. Dewalt tools in Home Depot, versus Dewalt Tools in a plumbing supply house, are not the same grade. One is professional, one is not. And there is a big difference.

 

Sorry you got stuck so long in Walmart, and hope that you never are so pressed for time again that you choose them in the future.

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Jason

I wish you and Wal-Mart all the happiness in the world. Other than the DVD bin, you can have the entire chain. Nothing wrong with your choice, I just can't go there again.

 

Mr. NC

I have known about the tools and the faucets. I generally buy anything like that at a certified supply house for contractor or pro grade.

 

I DIDNOT know aobut the tires. DAMN! I saved a couple bucks, lost a great deal of time, only to get tires that are going to cost me more int he end! DAMN! I have been screwed! ACK!

 

Ok. I am going to boycott Wal-mart and Mac Donalds from now on. Funny thing, I dont think they will care one bit.

 

I have approximately 200 employees who work in the field. Where do you think they get their tires? Where do you think they get lunch? HA HAH A! Moving forward, I will not pay them back for any purchases made at either Wal-mart OR MacDonalds. HA HA HA HA HA! I get the last word! WOOO HOOOO!!!!

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You're right, they won't care. 100 people will replace you in a heartbeat to save $1.00 thinking they're getting the same quality. At least you are smart enough to know about the faucets and tools. Most don't.

 

We have personally done everything we can to boycott Walmart. Because in this economy, they are the only retail outlet with profits climbing, while everyone else declines. What does that say? It says they beat up their suppliers to the point that no one else CAN compete, and they own the market. And we all save $1.00, and cost how many jobs or local businesses?

 

Ok, sorry about the soap box. We do unfortunately have to use them at times. But we use coupons and sale ads as much as possible to avoid their monopoly.

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NCfuncouple98,

 

Wow, I wouldn't have thought that a product with the exact same part number could be made of two different things if supplied by two different stores. In my work I've dealt with Mil-specs and bills of material; and if any little teeny thing changes, even the inspection process, the part number would have to be different. But I was working in spaceflight stuff so I guess things are much more tightly controlled.

 

In the real world where we do our shopping, how are we supposed to know that the "same product", with the same part number and manufacturer, are not really the same? It feels slightly fraudulent to me.

 

We don't normally shop at Wal-Mart, and now here's one more reason.

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I was wondering the same thing, Mrs. Fuse!

 

So, when a person (not me) goes to Home Depot and buys a Delta faucet, which is of lesser-than-professional-grade product, and is then dissatisfied with the product.... wouldn't they just say "damn, Delta makes crappy faucets!" instead of "damn, this inferior-grade faucet was sold to me by Home Depot!"

 

Aren't the folks who manufacture the products shooting themselves in the foot here? So wouldn't people be lamenting their shitty "Name Brand" tires, vs. lamenting that they got shitty Wal-Mart tires?!?

 

It doesn't make any sense to me. I mean, from a name-brand, "we strive for quality" type of company, you'd think they'd want the name to mean the same thing, no matter WHERE you buy the product!

 

Trixie

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LMFAO

 

Sorry but but this one made my day. I can relate to your woes though. I made the mistake of going to Wally World for an oil change. 45 min to change my oil. I could have waited in line at the other places and been done sooner. Fortunately my keys didnt get locked in. Well at least I dont know abot it if they did. Maybe the morons here are better at breaking into cars. LOL

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Ed and Bunny

It does make me wonder just how far they would have gone to get that door open. Goodness. They could have thrown that sucker completely out of whack.

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