NAPA screws with me again...$#@&!!!

[COBALT]

I definitely have a love/hate relationship with the NAPA store I go to (Lake City, north of Seattle if anyone cares). I don't go there exclusively, but if I need a part and I'm in Seattle then usually that's where I end up. Well, it's turned into a hate/hate relationship now.

They're one of these "know-it-all" stores where every clerk has been reprogrammed to act like the salty old parts counter men from days gone by. Every last one of them are like that there. It takes a while to figure out exactly who knows stuff and who doesn't. Literally, they all act the same! They all swagger around behind the counter. You know, like they're working too hard, and are bored with how easy my "complex" question is. They josh with each other like they're a bunch of sailors. It's really anoying, because you know a bunch of them are full of crap. 2/3 of the clerks are women, and they over-compensate by acting tough, and getting defensive when you correct them on something. The remaining 1/3 are guys of various age ranges who simply don't listen very well. They all sometimes act like they don't care if they're wrong about something or not.

4 months ago I went there to find some obscure part, and the manager was the only one there. He flat-out told me he couldn't be bothered right now because he had commercial customers to deal with, since it was friday afternoon and everything. I got so pissed I stomped out of the store. Shortly afterwards I started my suspension rebuild for 3 months, and wasn't in Seattle, so I went to a different NAPA for a while...but now I've got the truck back home and needed something there, and here's my latest experience:
===
Friday morning at 9:00 AM I called this store asking for a '67-72 non-A/C heater core. "Is it 2wd or 4wd?...6-cylinder or V-8?", one of the clerks asks. It didn't matter, because they only carry two: A/C and Non-A/C, but I play along anyway.

"We don't have it in stock but we can get it from the warehouse by 3:30. Is that ok?", they respond. What if it's not "ok"? Are they willing to get it faster???

"Sure, I'll pick it up later". I had to work anyway.

When I get there at 5:30 pm the part turns out to be for a truck with A/C. Totally wrong. They had a 50/50 shot of getting it right even if I hadn't told them I needed non-A/C, and they still got it wrong. Luckily they had the correct one in stock, so they sell it to me (I took a peak in the box to make sure it was the right shape), and I drove home.

As I'm coming in the house I put the box on the coffee table, when I hear a rattling sound, so I open the box again, and this time take the heater core out, and shake it. It sounds like broken glass inside. The one they sold me was broke, and now they're closed. Damnit!

Next morning I call them bright and early, and they say (you guessed it):

"We don't have it in stock but we can get it from the warehouse by 3:30. Is that ok?"

"No that's not ok. I'll go get it myself." It would save me two hours anyway. It gets dark here around 4:30-5:00 around here, and I had work to do.

"Well, then just take it down to the warehouse and they'll swap it for another one for you", they say.

"...so I can just show up with my receipt and they'll swap it outright? No call from you or anything? I thought you guys were independently operated?", I ask.

"Well, we are, but the parts distribution is shared, so...blah-de blah blah..." You know the rest.

"Ok....", I respond, and go out and get in my truck.

When I get to the warehouse in Kent (30 minutes south of Seattle), and after waiting in line for 20 minutes the guy gives me a funny look when I tell them I need to swap parts.

"Wha-? We don't do that. Where did you buy this?", the parts guy asks.

"Lake City NAPA", I respond with anoyance.

He sighs, and tells me how it's SUPPOSED to work.

Aparently, Lake City is supposed to charge me for the new part (even though I already paid for a broken one) attached to an invoice for a part that's at the warehouse. Then they're supposed to refund me for the broken one on the original invoice I have in my hand. The warehouse just hands over the part given the new invoice from Lake City, but doesn't want to see my original, because it belongs to a part they don't care about. Oops.

The parts guy rolls his eyes, but decides to help anyway. This happens a lot I guess. Then he tells me I should have come to the warehouse first, because they would have sold me the heater core for $8 less! You may ask why they just don't give me $8 in cash right now? Because the warehouse didn't sell it to me. Lake City NAPA did. In other word's I'm SOL. This just gets better and better.

When he returns with the new heater core (and takes my sad broken one) he takes it out of the box, inspects it (verifying it's not broken), and puts it in the box. I walk out of the warehouse $8 overcharged with half my day gone (and the previous night stuck in traffic from work trying to get the first core to begin with).

All the bone-head had to do at the Lake City parts store was:

1. Verify the part I ordered was for non-A/C.
2. Realize he has one in stock (of the right kind - see #1).
3. Inspect it to make sure it's NOT broken.
4. Find out it is broke and order a new one from the warehouse.

He could have done all of that friday morning when I first called him. The sad thing is if I bothered to go chew the guy out he'd act like he did nothing wrong. Nothing is his fault, of course. I either didn't tell him enough information, or I should have inspected the part myself before they sold it to me, or it's the warehouse's fault.

A$$holes. I'm not going back there again. It's worth the drive to go somewhere else, or straight to the warehouse from now on.

[imaindianoutlaw]

damm dude! need some better stores up there!

[dream68]

cobalt: up here in kelowna, the napa store is my last place i will shop at as well. their full of sh.........!

[flaco]

I know what you mean. I have gone through the same thing myself. Only I needed a carb kit and they gave me the wrong one. I live in denver and didn't find out I had the wrong one until I was at my dad's in Cheyanne. I t was a joke to try and find one up there. Have you considered buying your parts on line? If you don't need the parts right away it may be less frustrateing. I did all my christmas shopping on line and it worked out great. No crowds. No annoying sales people. No sales tax. Sure you have to pay for shipping but to me it's worth it to maintain my sanity.

[Blue_71]

i called Napa 1 time to ask about some part prices
j=me
n=napa
J"i need a brake line for a 71 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4"
N"auto or manual? 350?"
ok what the heck does this have to do with my brake line...
J"350 4 speed"
wait about 15 minutes
N"the computer doesnt show it and my books say its unavaliable"
J"um, ok, i just got off the phone with auto zone and they have it in stock, and i bought one from automotive parts & shop last month"
N"well we cant get it"

[Dan72cst]

Totally opposite here in Marysville. If I want it right I go to NAPA. Yeah sure they have different people behind the counter, but in general I've had great service and they stand behind what they sell.

[dmurphy68]

it is just as bad here you go to autozone and ask for a set of spark plug wires for a 68 chevy C-10 with a 350 in it they said well it caint have a 350 in it it can only have a 327. well dumb a$$ people change motors and it becomes a big ordeal. If the computer says it didnot come with it than it caint have one. what happened to the old chevy guy? you walk in and ask hi a ? and he says hold on and gets it for you. no we have to put up with some snotty nose 17 year old who dont know nothing about cars or dirves a suped up import. sorry just venting. I know what you mean no one cares about doing there job!!!! Just my .02

[mikep]

Want to know why you cant get people who know their ass from a hole in the ground working in parts stores? You want to pay someone $8 an hour or do you want to pay someone $24 an hour ? You're the owner. Make your choice.

[Fred T]

Most of the Napa stores are owned by people who own several stores, usually one guy owns all of the stores in an area. The owner sets the tone with the managers he hires and how much the manager is paid in comparison to how much the hired help is paid, which is usually set by the owner. My brother-in-law used to manage a Napa in Salina, Kansas and finally got fed up with working 70 hour weeks for only a few dollars more than his hired help. Even though he was able to show a vast increase in profits while he was manager, he couldn't get a raise. He left three years ago, and now the store has been replaced with O'Reilly's.

[Porkchop]

The same thing happens to me when I go into autozone- I ask for something small like a front cover seal for a 350. They go on to the computer and ask me all these irelevant questions like is the truck four wheel drive? or is it a half ton or 3/4 ton?
Also one time I went in there and bought a carbuerator rebuild kit. So, I open it up at home and find out its for the wrong carb. When I took it back the lady said to me in the most snotty voice, "You know I don't have to let you return this because its open, how do I know all the parts are in there." Hmmmmm.... well maybe if you knew what you were doing.....(I shoulda said that) The sad thing is that she is the manager of the store.
I really wish these people knew more, but then again I wouild not want to see the prices of things at these places go up because they have to pay for employees that actually know something.
-brad

[COBALT]

mikep: I know what you're saying. I worked in a ma-and-pa hardware store for minimum wage while I was in highschool. I go there now when I'm visiting my folks 12 years later and they remember me because I was a good worker. Doing a good job and being considered dependable meant more than the money I was making. You see, they remember me because I was dependable. What I was asked to do I did it better than they expected. In the long run I knew the knowledge and contacts would come in handy some day, and they have.

This situation is different. This store pays its people well, and their a neighborhood store. There isn't a bunch of useless punks working there. They're also a very good store, and NAPA stuff is great. They've been a NAPA for about a billion years with a connected machine shop, and I use their machine shop services all the time. The manager I'm talking about manages the machine shop. He drives me nuts, and I think he rubs off on everyone else. It's this arrogant "you have to make me like you before I'll be a good parts guy" thing that pisses me off. Just look up the damn part number for cryin' out loud! I don't need any of this personality crap that seems to be a requirement before I can get what I came to get. Now, I'm polite and stuff, but I'm not going to kiss anyone's a$$ just to get a decent heater core.

I order all of my big stuff online, and I can wait for that stuff, but for small jobs, or missing hardware or parts you need while you're in the middle of a job you need a place to go. My concern is they know they're a reliable source to go to, so they exploit that a little bit and make people play their games....it's stupid. I think I'll have better luck at a different NAPA, or I'll just go to the warehouse.

[mikep]

Well I know of at least one half decent parts store over in Kent just because I used to live there but if you are over there anyway you might as well go to the NAPA warehouse.

I Dont ever shop at Napa unless I REALLY dont have a choice. The one over here is staffed with morons. although there is one cute girl working there ( Your'e married Mike. I constantly have to remind myself of that ! ) I'll go to schucks for oil or cheap rebuilt starters or the other local parts store ( westbay ) if I want to get something from someone who knows what theyre doing and I feel like paying for it. Most everything I use is aftermarket speed stuff and that stuff is best ordered online. I'm cheap.

[Maximum Overdrive]

I have problems with every part store here. The most recent one was when I needed some u-joints for the 4x4 s-10 truck. I call checker up and check to see if they have the u-joints for the transfer case/front differential for my truck. The gal on the phone says they have them and they are 8.99 and have lifetime warranty. I go down to get them and she is busy with someone else so I end up with the manager and give him the same information. He brings them to me and says they are 9.99 and have a 1 year warranty. I tell him I had just called and was told 8.99 and lifetime warranty. Well he gets kinda pissy and asks me who said that and that he is going to chew their ass out for it. I kinda play dumb at this point as getting someone chewed out over 2.00 and a warranty just wasnt right. I tell him Im not sure who told me. Anyway I drive 130 miles down to my dads bodyshop so I can change the u-joints and use the hoist. Get the shaft off, go to put the u-joint on and the damn things are too big. He gave me the wrong ones! Here the manager gets pissy about people not doing their job and the JA gives me the wrong ones. I took them back and made sure then knew the reason for the return was that the manager screwed up by giving me the wrong ones. Hopefully they let him know that.

[RON WOODGEARD]

I posted a while back about counter guys/gals, It was a Napa auto parts also. 20 years ago Napa was very fussy about who they hired and their knowledge and background, I guess now days if you are standing,whether or not your breathing you're hired.
What a shame !!!!!

RON

[robby]

Here is what I do no matter where I go for service. I sincerly thank the good employee for their good service (not many people do that). I am civil as I am able and when the employee makes a bonehead move or has a crummy attitude I ask again like I didn't hear or understand. Then about 50% of them will be nice. The rest confirm my suspicion that they are jerks and I tell them calmly that I don't appreciate their behavior. If it gets nasty, I let them make a fool of themselves and walk away with a smile. Don't let others dictate your response. This is a lot of fun and can head off some real nasty exchanges. Good luck. Remember that if you end up acting like a punk, you lose.

[Jefe]

Being a 2 year veteran of Autozone I will let you guys in on a little known secret. You are completely right on the fact that most of the people don't know their a$$hole from a hole in the ground when it comes to older vehicles. Actually my store knew that they didn;'t know what they were talking about and actually would ask me to help their customer cause I knew a little more.

And it is sad that when I would walk in there and see a new guy (that doesn't know anything about cars/trucks just has an impressive customer service work experience) argue with a 30 year mechanic about how a part works or fits on his particular aplication...gets me evertime.

And as far as stupid questions that have no pertanance to what you are working on...most of the time (I am not saying all of the time), but most of the time the computer will not let us look up a part unless all info about the vehicle is given even though it shouldn't matter if it's a 1/2 ton or 3/4 when getting a ignition rotor for a 68 with a 307 sb. We couldn't get to that screen unless whe had that info. Most of the time if I knew that it didn't matter I would just put whatever in that screen to continue to the next screen so to save the aggrevation of the customer. Knowing fullwell that he/she probably spent about an hour to a day working on his/her daily driver trying to figure out the problem or take off/apart a part they need and then have to drive to the parts store to get it, the last thing I would want to do is sell them something they don't need, or sell them a busted part or tell them that they are wrong in such a way to aggrevate them even more.

So there are some good people out there working at some parts stores because they want to help people and enjoy vehicles whatever aspect that might be, just look for the best ones out there, most knowledgable and stick with them is all I can say.

And by the way, I was working there when I was 17-19 and have never owned an import, and am still working on and driving my first vehicle which is a 1968 Chevrolet(see pic under name), and aquired the highest raise in the store while being transfered from store to store to train the new employees because I knew more than the managers....becareful now.


Thanks,

Douglas.

[sub4rvr]

well said Jefe!

[oldiron]

Colbalt, Unfortunely the day of the educated parts person is over. When I'm buying parts I get a parts book and do my own research for the correct parts. You can get parts catologs from differant part houses and keep a data base of part numbers that fit your truck. These days the computer makes the parts houses slaves to someone elses programing. It doesnt let them think for themselves. Fortunately I was educated in the old school. Took four years of automotive & diesel school then two years of mechanics appreticeship with 10 years of being a jouneyman mechanic. Then two years of apprentice as a partsman and now over 15 years as a journeyman partsman. Find a partsman with over 15 years of parts experiance and not just at Shucks and you probably will get the correct part even if it isn't listed in the parts book or the computer because they have the knowledge that it does work.l

[Danny69']

I'm not a big napa fan, at all.

[Southpa]

Yeah , thats the problem, the staff of most of these general automotive parts stores have to find parts for everything from VW's to Fords. And if you want to deal with someone who specializes in your type of vehicle expect to pay at least 25% more than usual. Also, forget about asking for advice on what will work or what fits best, 95% of them simply don't know.
The whole training aspect of a new parts employee is how the inventory system works, how to operate the cash register and what books are found where.

You can bet that a lot of us have trucks that are made up of parts from different years. So if I'm buying front brake parts I have to refer to a 1971 (discs) rather than a 1970 (which the truck actually is).

I've had mixed results from all my local parts stores. I am lucky to have found at least one friendly parts guy who knows chevs, but even he has steered me wrong on occasion. If I'm replacing something I always bring in the old part for comparison now...just in case.

[Wasted Income]

A=Advance Auto Parts Guy
J=Me

J: I need a front axle seal for a '92 Suburban 1/2 ton.
A: 4 wheel drive or 2 wheel drive.
J: (Long pause)...............FRONT AXLE seal!!
A: Oh.

[dion]

I called NAPA once for an Altenator, I was on hold for 20 mins and after many questions he found one but told me I would have to make serious mods to put it in. All it took was a 1 inch longer belt.

[72 CustomCamper]

I think I had one of the brightest NAPA clerks one time. I asked her for a fuel pump for a 1974 blazer with a 350, her first question was "is that a full size?"... I told her she has no idea of what she was doing and wouldn't waste any more of my time and stormed out. a few months later the store went under.


Chuck

[Low68]

I went to a store and had the part number for a belt that I needed. I told him I needed a couple belts and told him the part number. He said what is the number? I said it is the number on the belt. I told him that my dad bought a belt there and it was the part number. He starts punching it into the computer. What the heck? I just gave you the part number stupid. He lookes it up and it is not listed so he just goes back and finds the number and brings it out. Why couldn't he just do that in the first place??? Oh well.

[PICKMUP]

I do so many odd, experimental, and old obsolete (like our 30 yr old trucks) jobs, that I have to work closely with these parts people to get them to be patient with me and my wierd requests. I try to take the old part in with me, explain some of the differences, know exactly what I am looking for, sometimes ask to search their old parts books...and I tell them how much I appreciate their time spent on my trivial special little requests. Works for me. I don't expect them to know much about my trucks, that's my job. I am supposed to be the expert. I own it. I sure don't know anything about their Hondas or...