Do not EVER go to PLAZA INFINITI - EVER
This post is an angry rant. Nothing useful here. Just venting, so please move on if your time is precious. Thanks to power outages, this is the fifth time I've tried writing this and fortunately I've calmed down more every time.
I usually avoid Plaza Infiniti (also Lexus, Porsche, Audi, Cadillac, BMW, MB, Rover, and Infiniti is in a separate building). These jerks always overcharge for parts and have a serious attitude problem. My parents avoid them too. They bought $165,000 of new cars in the last two years and drove across town in stop and go traffic just to deal with someone else. These guys are snobs, for the most part.
Today my mom sent me to get new tabs for my sister's car. Not a bad deal since she offered to fill up my tank. I waited in line forever (freaking government offices), got the paperwork done, and it started pouring. I was out of gas so I went to fill up at a nearby station, and discovered that the gas cap was missing.
All up and down this busy commercial road, there is not ONE auto parts store. Plaza Infiniti, however, is only a few blocks away. So I sucked it up and went there. Usually, Infiniti owners are snubbed. The showroom and service bay are tucked in a corner off a side street, but at least the parts counter was in the main building with all of the other brands.
I went inside, walked up to the counter, and waited. There was a guy 15 feet away shuffling papers. I knocked and got no response. I stared, knocked on the counter some more, finally he looked up like I was interrupting him and said "Can I help you?" He said the Infiniti parts counter moved to the other building, and so I got in the car and drove down the driveway and made a left to the Infiniti showroom. There wasnt ANYWHERE to park, except on the public street, which was already full. There was a pay-park garage across the street, but I wasnt about to pay to park in the suburbs to buy parts.
I drove back to the main building and WALKED in the rain to the Infiniti showroom, and found a service advisor. I asked him if I could get a gas cap for a 92 Q45. Him: "Sorry, our parts counter is now in the other building."Me: "I JUST CAME FROM THE OTHER BUILDING. They sent me HERE."Him: "Just go down the driveway and make a left. You cant miss it."
So I walked BACK UP the driveway and made a left to the main building, IN THE RAIN.
I looked around, finally saw a guy with a Plaza Motors shirt outside smoking under an awning. "Hey, I've been walking up and down here trying to find Infiniti parts. Im getting a little pissed. Its wet and no one seems to know where the heck anything is." He goes, "Well we made some changes. Go down the driveway and make a left and you cant miss it."
#$%#@$%@#$%!!!!!!!!!
I explained to him that I was JUST DOWN THERE and they sent me BACK. He said "Try again, you cant miss it."
At this point I was livid. Here I was SOAKING WET in torrential rain, walking around a ****ing car dealership. I want to GIVE THEM MONEY FOR PARTS but they didnt seem to want my business. But I was determined. At this point it, finding the god damn parts counter was just an issue of pride. I walked into the parking garage across the street to get out of the rain and called the dealership on my cell. Someone answered, and at this point I was pissed... "Hi, your damn employees sent me on a scavenger hunt around the lot looking for the FREAKING PARTS DEPARTMENT FOR INFINITI. I've been BACK AND FORTH and Im SOAKING WET and I CANNOT find it. Your parking lot is so crowded there's nowhere for me to PARK.""Calm down sir, its inside the parking garage in the basement."I was SO angry... not only did the other goons fail to tell me this.... but...I said: "What the hell is your PARTS DEPARTMENT doing underground in a parking garage? Do you damn people make UFOs down there or something? What the hell!"She said: "Just go down the OTHER driveway and make a left."
Why didnt anyone before tell me to go down the OTHER driveway? Why didnt someone tell me it was inside a parking garage off the lot? That would have been much simpler. Of course, I doubt they had a damn clue anyway. Typical second-class treatment for Infiniti owners at Plaza.
I walked down the "other" driveway, made a left, and BAM! There it was. Tucked away in the corner of a parking garage on a side street.
I walked in, so VERY pissed, and blew up at the girl at the front desk who looked at me as I was dripping water from every finger and hair folicle and said: "How can I help you?"I replied, in a very stern, volume-rising-with-every-angry-word tone: "I just got ****ed around and wandered around your damn lot looking for INFINITI PARTS. I just need a GAS CAP for my 1992 Q45. WHY IS THIS SO FREAKING HARD? Everyone here gave me horrible directions. I'm SOAKING WET as you can TELL and A LITTLE TICKED OFF. What the HELL is wrong with you freaking people?"
She asked me to calm down and said someone would be with me shortly. I quickly apologized to her over and over and said it wasn't personal, but other employees had given me bad information and I was soaked as a result.
I waited 5-8 minutes listening to some horrible music by Prince that was on the radio. I cant freaking stand Prince. What a day for me to have to sit around listening to this fruitcake.
Finally, a guy called me back, and he looked up the part. He then said "Sorry, we're out of stock. We have no Q45 gas caps." I asked how long it would take, he said a week.
A WEEK?
I was so angry, so annoyed, that I found myself unable to respond in an appropriate manner that didnt involve going to prison afterwards. I looked at him in the eye, turned around, and left.
I stopped by at a fabric store, bought a towel to dry myself off, and went to a parts store 30 minutes away. Normally its about 15 minutes down the interstate, but back to back traffic doubles that.
I picked up a gas cap for $6, filled up the tank, and went home. As I was pulling into my spot in the driveway in front of the house, hail started to fall. Then it started to POUR. And then the hail got bigger. I frantically started up the car again and drove up to the garage. Thankfully only my stepsister and the nanny were home, so there was an open spot. UNFORTUNATELY the garage wouldnt open, since power was flickering on and off. I got out of the car, ran inside and jerked around with the button until I thought it was opened far enough to pull in. But it wasnt. I got out of the car, as my head was pelted with golf ball sized hail, and ran back in, trying again to open the garage door further. I dont know how long it took, but it felt like forever and I finally got it halfway open. There was debris flying ALL OVER the neighborhood, and a large branch just broke off in the back yard. My mom called and said power was out in a lot of places, and stoplights were dead. She was driving at the time and everyone on the interstate pulled over as the hail came crashing down.
Here's pics:
Broken branch.
Hail.
Hail falling, Q45 protected.
My stepsister's Civic and my minivan, which I hope wasnt terribly damaged.
Broken branch. I get to clean that up this week.
I think I'll go make some hot chocolate.
-Jesda
Dont Go To PLAZA INFINITI - EVER
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Touchdown038
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elwesso
- Posts: 30810
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- Car: 94 Infiniti Q45t 5 spd
2007 BMW M Coupe
2007 Infiniti G35 S 6MT - Location: Indiana
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Sorry bro, I cant help but laugh..... I can only see you blowing up at this girl at the parts counter..... FOR A GAS CAP!
That was a hell of a day, sorry!!! Rain, hail, bad dealerships. Just go redline the Q a few times and It'll all be better.
I know what we should do, we need to get together about 5-10 infiniti owners, caravan in and show them who's boss.
Absolutely incredible how they will treat people. If I were you id carve the general manager a new ***!
That was a hell of a day, sorry!!! Rain, hail, bad dealerships. Just go redline the Q a few times and It'll all be better.
I know what we should do, we need to get together about 5-10 infiniti owners, caravan in and show them who's boss.
Absolutely incredible how they will treat people. If I were you id carve the general manager a new ***!
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maxnix
- Posts: 22627
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- Car: 1995 Infiniti Q45
1995 Infiniti Q45t
2000 Infiniti Q45
Always call Joe
Hey, fruitcake is a holiday treat! Right? Hope your head didn't hurt the hail too bad. It probably melted on contact you were so hot by then anyway.Jesda wrote:I waited 5-8 minutes listening to some horrible music by Prince that was on the radio. I cant freaking stand Prince. What a day for me to have to sit around listening to this fruitcake.
But it wasnt. I got out of the car, as my head was pelted with golf ball sized hail,...
One more reason to have Joe overnight parts! Reduce the justifiable homocide rate.
Sounds like you got the storm that I got here in Lawrence on Monday night, same-size hail, pouring rain, etc etc. Everyone thought we were getting a tornado, but none touched down until it was 4 miles east of us. It's funny cuz you can tell the Kansas-born people from the non-Kansas-born people. The "outsiders" run to the basement or the TV to see where the storm is. Us Kansas folk stand out on our porches and say, "Damn, we're sure getting one helluva storm!"
Sorry about your dealer experience Jesda. I should take this time to note that Steven Infiniti in Wichita is awesome.
Nick
Sorry about your dealer experience Jesda. I should take this time to note that Steven Infiniti in Wichita is awesome.
Nick
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boomstriker
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2003 9:30 am
I know what you mean about Plaza- I was just in there myself and went though the same thing (without the rain).With all the remodeling and 15 brands packed in one autoplex, it's very tough to find your way around without any signs. There is no parking and your feet are sore by the time you get back to your car.While I've never bought a car there, I deal with the Porsche, Infinity, MB, BMW and Lexus parts guys on a regular basis. Most have been great.Kirk
Hail
My 97 Tahoe got crushed by hail 2 years ago! $1500 at dent busters for the paintless repair. Couldnt believe it but they actually got them out. No matter what angle light anything, you couldn't see anything.
90Q45Blue, how's Lawrence? Went to Baker U in Baldwin City, KS. Always went to Lawrence to do stuff. No storms like that here in AZ. Dust Devil blew through my back yard the other day dumped my grill and shredded my pool cover.
Alma, Kansas best Bass fishing in the world! At least if you have a friend with a 28K acre ranch with the best ponds and watershed lakes in the world! All Private too.
Matt
90Q45Blue, how's Lawrence? Went to Baker U in Baldwin City, KS. Always went to Lawrence to do stuff. No storms like that here in AZ. Dust Devil blew through my back yard the other day dumped my grill and shredded my pool cover.
Alma, Kansas best Bass fishing in the world! At least if you have a friend with a 28K acre ranch with the best ponds and watershed lakes in the world! All Private too.
Matt
Re: Hail
lfootmatt wrote:90Q45Blue, how's Lawrence? Went to Baker U in Baldwin City, KS. Always went to Lawrence to do stuff. No storms like that here in AZ. Dust Devil blew through my back yard the other day dumped my grill and shredded my pool cover.
Lawrence is always awesome. So much to do there, never enough time. What do you get when you put 25,000 college students in a town of about 80,000 for 9 months out of the year? The number 8 party school in the nation!
Nick