Where is the Customer Service?!?!

[DJ_B_Easy]

I was just on the Advanced Auto Parts website looking around for something as I always do before actually going down to the store so I can be sure they have it in stock somewhere local. I was prompted with the option to Live Chat with a representative. Since their website is terrible and I was going in circles looking for what I wanted, I said what the heck and initiated the chat. Here is what transpired:

Thank you for choosing Advance Auto Parts. A representative will be with you shortly. Thank you for holding.

Thank you for chatting with Advance Auto Parts and Batteries. You are now chatting with Daniel. How may I assist you today?

Daniel: Hello! How may I help you today?

You: Im looking for something that can essentially be used as a junction box. I am going to be wiring some lights in my front bumper and I want there to be a dedicated place I can park the wiring in the engine bay and connect to the power source from the switch in the cabin.

You: Wiring should be like this: Battery to inline fuse, inline fuse to switch in cabin, switch in cabin to junction box in engine bay, junction box in engine bay to lights in bumper.

Daniel: And what are you asking from me?

You: If you carry anything like that.

Daniel: No sorry we dont.

You: Wow you are pretty bad at this. I found this item in the time it took you to respond. How much are they paying you?

You: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp ... fragment-1

You: Did you even try?

Daniel: More than you think

Daniel: Is there anything else I can help you with today?

Daniel: Good bye and thank you for chatting with Advance Auto Parts. Join us on FaceBook!

Daniel: Would you be willing to please complete a short survey of the service that I have provided you with today? If you click on the End Chat button it will prompt you to complete a survey in reference to the service you received. I would appreciate your feedback. We will use your responses to provide even better service in the future. Thank you for chatting with Advance Auto Parts. We look forward to serving you in the future.

You: No, considering you didnt really help me. Thanks Daniel, I'll be sure to pass this chat along to corporate.

You: And rate you terribly on the survey.

Daniel: Thanksd maybe they will give me a raise.

Daniel: Good bye and thank you for chatting with Advance Auto Parts. Join us on FaceBook!

Thank you for chatting with us. Please click the End Chat button on the top right of the chat window to tell us how we did today.

SERIOUSLY? I should note that the time lapse between my initial 2 submitted messages and when he asked what I was asking of him was about 60 seconds. The time lapse between when I asked if they carried anything like that and his response of no was about 5 seconds. It was blatantly obvious that he didnt even try and that pissed me right the hell off. So of course after I snap at him he comes back with remarks clearly derived from a juvenile mind intended to piss me off even more.

Am I just old school or is customer service GONE? Can I even be considered old school at 29 years old? When I was working retail"ish" type jobs through high school and college I bent over backwards for customers. If this happened in store what would this kid's manager say? Is the lack of customer service a direct result of the interwebz? Or is this kid getting paid to troll me all day? All of the above?

[zacmil]

I was just on the Advanced Auto Parts website

Here's your problem.

Seriously, there are like two older guys that I'll deal with at one of our local Advance Auto Parts store. If they aren't working, I just take my business elsewhere.

It seems like every time I buy something there, they somehow manage to give me the wrong part. Just a month or so ago I had to replace the brake pads on my Eclipse. Somehow the guy managed to give me pads for a 2G Eclipse rather than a 3G. When I figured out what they had done I just picked up some pads at a different local store and gave the Advance pads and receipt to my dad to exchange toward a battery he needed. Long story short, they gave my dad a hard time about exchanging them and finally just refunded the money after he argued with them for a while. I think we're both pretty much done with Advance.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Training customer service is a huge part of my job. I have some cardinal rules for things you should never, ever do, that I drive home with a moon-sized hammer with every new employee. This guy broke them all in one go, and he only typed 5 sentences. Well done.

Lots of parts stores have idiots and jerks working in them. It's pretty frustrating. It makes the ones with good staff all the more valuable, though. The key thing all bad parts stores seem to have in common is also the thing that I have the least tolerance for: telling me you know what I'm talking about better than I do. Most of the time there's not even any tact in it. Back in my Maxima and Q45 days, I knew those cars and their FSMs better than most trained Nissan mechanics. So going to AutoZone and being told I was ordering the wrong part or looking for the wrong solution in a condescending way was beyond intolerable. Even these days, I know the LS8 very, very well, and I get sick of being condescended to. You've got a computer in front of you listing parts numbers. I've got nearly three decades of diagnostic and wrenching experience telling me it's full of s***.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Well yeah, like I said I was only on the website to make sure they had what I wanted in stock so I could just swoop in and grab it. My local store also only has 1 or 2 knowledgeable employees and they usually only work weekends. I assume they actually have some sort of full time mechanic career and the weekend shift at Advanced is just for some extra scratch.

I just couldnt believe how obvious this kid made it that he gave not a single f!ck, and then essentially bragged about it.

[krash]

I think he would have helped you if he knew anything about anything. Thats the problem with parts stores like Advanced and Auto Zone, they're employees rarely know what they're talking about. When I go to Auto Zone I end up helping customers next to me while the "parts lookup" guy bumbles around on his computer.

One time I went into Advanced Auto and asked if they had any manual transmission fluid (like 75 or 80 gear oil) and he goes in the stockroom and brings out some ATF. I say "Oh thats ATF, I need gear oil for my manual transmission."

His reply, "Nah man, this isn't ATF, its Castrol."

[numbnuts240]

i like going to the parts guy and directing him where to click on his computer. it's bad when a customer who has never worked there can navigate their system better and faster than the employee.

[frapjap]

I'm really lucky to have both an Advance and an Autozone with extremely competent employees. Most the the guys and one girl at The Zone are customer service oriented and car-speak capable. They're also there 90% of the time. For the time they aren't I don't even bother and go right next door (literally, cross the parking lot) to the Advance where theres a couple of knowledgeable employees, too. Only downside is that the Advance doesn't stock car parts for the demographic community that their store is in- Autozone does. 99.8% of the time they have parts for my Corolla, T/A, and Miata. Lots of old Toyota's rolling around out here, a number of mazda parts because of the crossover between models, and a s*** ton of SBC based vehicles.


That being said, the guy on the other end of your conversation probably wasn't an employee of Advance at all. Most companies typically source out that type of work to a consultant, who in turn goes to another employment agency who writes those ads that you see in the local papers and internet popups that say,
"Are you customer service oriented? Enjoy working from home? Helping others? Then you'll certainly enjoy answering questions in your pajamas while you stroke yourself to a streaming video of milf on midget p0rn and earning money while you do it!"
Its likely that you got that particular person. IMO, don't blame the company themselves...at least not 100%.

[DJ_B_Easy]

I can sure blame them for outsourcing the work. I understand that happens often (heck my employer does it, we have a virtual receptionist) but how does someone with an attitude like that keep their job? It has to be completely unmonitored, and if that's the case, Advanced can be blamed. No quality assurance is ridiculous. My company outsources, but we are ISO certified so everything is checked and balanced annually. If there is a problem we find it and fix it.

But now that you mentioned the kid was probably fapping while replying to me, I feel bad for interupting him. Hope I didn't ruin his mojo.

[300ZXttZMAN]

Wow the fact that he was a smart a** just blows my mind.

[DJ_B_Easy]

Wow the fact that he was a smart a** just blows my mind.

Yeah, but I did call him out first. Granted that doesnt excuse it (for either of us), but I was already angered by his complete lack of effort. Even if he had said, "please hold, let me check for you." and then continued to fap, it would have been a better response.

[300ZXttZMAN]

Wow the fact that he was a smart a** just blows my mind.

Yeah, but I did call him out first. Granted that doesnt excuse it (for either of us), but I was already angered by his complete lack of effort. Even if he had said, "please hold, let me check for you." and then continued to fap, it would have been a better response.

[Dattebayo]

I think your problem is that you were looking for a electrical supply house part in an auto store.
You were also being a big old jerk to the guy all up front with the challenge:

"Wow you are pretty bad at this. I found this item in the time it took you to respond. How much are they paying you?"

Considering the description of what you wanted was nowhere near what you presented to him from your search, what did you expect? You requested a box, and you showed him a rail. Derp. If it weren't for his rude response, I'd say you should apologize.

Seriously. Next time, go to Radio Shack, Home Depot (they actually sell those rails there in 6 and 8 post as well) or your local electronics hobby store and save the attitude for something that really matters (like the internet).

[Dattebayo]

I'd also like to amend to that post without editing:

YES, the guy didn't know his product very well. But have you ever seen a guy at the advance auto who did working a computer terminal to help people on the internet?

Nope. Like everyone else, they hired an IT guy who said he likes cars. And you can't expect anyone to be really good at wiring just because they like cars either. MANY of you avoid auto wiring altogether like the plague.

[DJ_B_Easy]

TL:DR?

The part I linked was found by searching electrical junction. "I'm looking for something to essentially BE USED AS a junction box." It's exactly what I wanted. You understood, didn't you?
I already said I was in the wrong for snapping at him so quickly.
The post is about the obvious lack of effort put in by this particular customer service representative, and most other CS reps one might come across in recent times.