Frustrating trying to buy things

Box stores-the first procedure is check every item you pull from a bin. Most, it's like the grocery store,
your pushing your cart along and there on a shelf is a can of Tom Thumb Chili nestled in amongst the
Charmin and the Quicker Picker Upper-decided they didn't want it so rather than put it back where it came
from just toss it there, although the TP isle is the proper spot. People will just toss anything in any bin.
Local home ranch supply is where I go, they know me, 25 years worth.

The problems with bad service, lost freight, and out of stock is the norm now. You really don't
want to know what's in your not so fast-fast food. We just hauled a new blend of higher salt/sugar coating for
french fries to a food processor of potato products for {burger stink}. They are working overtime to get
people hooked on their food--that's a real problem.

Finally found all my parts and got the ok from my customer..
Parts were shipped out Monday w the arrival today..
Got a notification from Fedx that they won’t be here till FRIDAY.!!!
I paid for 2 day delivery.!!
I’m not even gonna try to get my money back.. I’ll be happy with the parts..

Fedex is terrible if you bring something into Canada. Extra brokerage fee's and import fee's that I didn't get when shipped by UPS or through the mail. Got charged brokerage and import fee's a 2nd time on a replacement water pump that was a free warranty replacement.

I was testing IBC’s at my favorite Chevron distributor the other day. The warehouse was looking the best that I’ve seen it since clown world began. The Manager told me most flavors were in stock and available except all brands of 75w-90 synthetic. There is one particular index improver necessary for that lube that isn’t available anymore. You can find quarts. Especially, Valvoline. Good luck getting a drum, IBC or bulk.

Well now I know what a index improver is.

Probably won't hold my breath waiting for someone to ask me though.

Joe H

thepumpguysc said:

Finally found all my parts and got the ok from my customer..
Parts were shipped out Monday w the arrival today..
Got a notification from Fedx that they won’t be here till FRIDAY.!!!
I paid for 2 day delivery.!!
I’m not even gonna try to get my money back.. I’ll be happy with the parts..

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Man, if Fedex makes a delivery only a few days late in rural SC, count yourself lucky!

It gets better. I saw the same shelf unit I bought at Lowes in a Rona on clearance for $111.00. $39.00 cheaper is a good deal. Rona and Lowe's are sister companies and are going to merge. They both have exclusive rights to Craftsman products. I took a pic. of shelf with the lower price tag. I talked to the manager at Rona and she agreed it was worth going to Lowe's to see if they would match the price and give me back the $39 instead of buying another shelf to actually return it for a refund. Went to Lowe's and nope their "policy" won't let them just refund the difference. I drove back to the Rona and bought another shelf for the lower price. Unknown to me at the time, the original receipt fell out of my pocket when I took my wallet out. Rona said the store I bought it at might be able to reprint a receipt. I called the Lowe's where I bought it and they said they couldn't reprint a cash receipt with their new system. They said they could give a store credit for the lowest price it has sold for in the last 6 month's. I called another Lowe's that was closer and they said they would give a store credit so I went there and got a full credit for the $149.00 price. Then the girl who was very nice said because Lowe's is a sister store is why they can't just give the difference in price. If I had bought the same product at Home Depot, Canadian Tire or any other store they could just give the difference in price back! I would think it would make more sense to be able to refund the difference with a sister store. What a stupid policy. You'll match price with a different store and give a refund of the difference but not with your sister store. Seems stupid that I had to buy another shelf to return and get my money back in order to get the lower price. I think sometimes you can make exceptions to what the "policy" is. We need to buy some blinds and stuff so will use the store credit but what a bunch of BS. The manager at Rona agreed with me.

Pay the minimum expect the minimum. Pay peanuts expect monkeys. I dont expect that employee making minimum wage and getting **** on by people all day to give a crap about the product i want and i do not know the proper name for. Our local hardware store the old guys working in the back make $29 a hour and know what they are doing. I have no problem going there and paying a little more when i have stupid questions and they know the answer.

I've had no better luck, many times worse from the suppliers then the big box stores. I pretty much avoid going to one electrical wholesaler. I went in asking for main service feed cable for 200 amp, guy brings it up and says price I said no that's not right I know it's not that cheap, he goes on and on and says yes it is finally I said fine bring it out. Cuts it brings it out and know instantly it's wrong it's some 1/2" cable, they still refused to do anything because it's cut cable. Go into another wholesaler say exact same thing and they get it right no problem.

I prefer the box stores in that I can get go get what I need and not bother with employees most of the time, and there is so many little things I wouldn't know where to get elsewhere anyway. It's just frustrating when the website says they have stock but you go there and they don't. I do find the majority of the employees put in the effort to find things in a situation like that though, you just can't expect them to be knowledgeable about most things.

Oil distributor for the shop has 5 gal and 55 gal at all times.

Coaldust said:

of 75w-90 synthetic.

Click to expand...

We don't have overnight or 2nd day delivery here, I don't even think they can get it here in 3 days from next town over. Mail gets here 3 days a week at most as I have said before, Columbus Day was on the 10th, nope no mail running on one of the 3 days they were supposed to show up so got to wait till Wednesday. Monday Wednesday and Friday is the days mail "might" get here.

I just don't go anywhere anymore expecting to find much of anything I was after. But I always keep
at least two options in mind.
That way I'm not let down-but sometimes it's better to be a pessimist rather than a optimist,
less anxiety that way.

I’ll have to check that out. I know of a oil field customer that ordered 40 drums of 75w-90 and was allocated 7. Sometimes it works like that. Aeroshell 6 was unattainable over the summer, but I found six cases in Medford Oregon at a helicopter place.

I have not had big problems lately. But my shop is stuffed to the gills with all the oil and filters and fluids I use on a regular basis and I keep it that way. If it takes a while to get something it is no matter. I figure it's better to keep the money tied up in stuff than in paper dollars that are evaporating, anyway.

However, it makes me wonder if we will ever go back to normal. Back in the day I used to just keep what I needed like everybody did. My suppliers deliver within hours of placing the order, but now that is subject to availability. I would like to go back to having the shop for working on stuff instead of stacks of stuff I might need someday.

No rhyme or reason regarding availability of parts. One week, it’s a particular filter and next week, it’s an impossible to locate U-joint.

Once you do find it then the price variance comes into play.

Now I’m running into: “ obsolete with no replacement”.!!!!
I guess these guys just HAVE TO buy a new tractor.??

That is so true, Truck Shop. Most commonly used parts were very competitive amongst venders and brands. Now, I notice huge variations, for the same item.

“Now I’m running into: “ obsolete with no replacement”.!!!!

Is fuel injection going to become the Achilles heal, or main challenge of keeping old engines running?

There's many ways of keeping a fuel injector engine running such as mega squirt or speeduino replacement ecu's