Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Lug nuts anyone?


I have been told that when someone has a good experience they tell one or two people but when you have a bad experience you tell everyone you know. So, with that in mind I am going to "shout my bad experience from my Blog". LOL

Sams Wholesale club moved out of their old Rivers Avenue location in North Charleston to a new and improved site near the Charleston Convention Center and the Charleston International airport. I always get tickled at the name of the airport especially since the only international thing about it might be a coffee shop that has more than two flavors of coffee. I think that our airport has a sum total of 6 gates if that many. Come on people, International Airport?? Giggle....

Oh yeah, I need to stop chasing rabbitts and get back to "Lug nuts anyone"?
Last Saturday we decided to go to the new Sams Wholesale to get two new tires for the Caddy. I had replaced the other two tires several months ago and the tires on the back were starting to have the familiar "steel belt separation" problem and causing the car to vibrate when you get to a certain speed. So, I finally quit procrastinating and took the car over to have the tires replaced and rotated. Once we checked in we started doging the thousands of other holiday shoppers that had arrived before us. OH MY GOSH, I was astounded by how many folks were in there stocking up on this and that and then some.
I know this is going to fall under the TMI category but I am in the mens room taking care of business and I hear my name being called to come to the Tire Center. So, I think GREAT here I am all tied up STILL talking to mother nature and I cant get there. Katy hears the page and goes over to investigate. I finally get out of my conference with mother nature and go over to the tire center. Katy tells me that they are refusing to work on my car because lug nuts are missing off of the tires. I am thinking. You have got to be kidding me people. Sure enough, here comes the mechanic who advises me that ONE lug nut is missing off of the back right rear tire and therefore it is deemed an unsafe vehicle that they can not touch. I asked them to find me a manager who came and insisted that their policy states that if you are missing one lug nut your vehicle is deemed unsafe and therefore we wont work on it. Well, to say the least I am steamed at this point. Of course we had already paid for the two new tires. So, off we go back to where the OLD Sams Wholesale used to be to go across the street to buy a package of lugnuts that cost a whopping 2.99.

The whole point here folks is that I was inconvenienced by having to drive my UNSAFE vehicle back to North Charleston to buy something that cost next to nothing to drive back to the store to have tires put on and ONE NEW LUG NUT so my car would have its new tires, tires rotated and make it SAFE according to Sams Wholesale. Good grief Grady, is there something wrong with this picture? I understand that Sams Wholesale is not in the business of providing the general public with Auto parts. However, if you are going to have a policy that states that ONE missing lugnut is going to make your car unsafe in their minds and their policy states they wont work on it WHY can't they have a kiosk with lugnuts for different makes and models of cars? Does Sams Wholesale NOT sell anything else for cars other than tires? While I am ranting and raving over the sheer stupidity of this ridiculous policy let me share one other thing with you. When you buy the new tires and go to drive it down the street you will notice that the BLUE junk that is on the white walls is still there. Sams Wholesale does not provide you with the simple service of washing the blue stuff off. That is an extra service that is no longer provided. If you want the blue junk off the white walls you can go wash it off yourself. How special is that folks? How long would it take to slosh a rag or brush around in a bucket of water and wash off the blue stuff? All of 45 seconds MAYBE? The bottom line is this customer service is a thing of the past. Do you remember the gas stations where you would pull in, sit in your car and the attendant would fill the gas tank, look under the hood and check your fluid levels and the air pressure in your tires? Well, you guessed it, you had to dig back in those dusty brain cells quite a ways back huh? Now , we are lucky if the gas station has a restroom sized floor space where the attendant sits on the inside and has one of those automated drawers that you put your money in while you look at each other through 5 inch think bullet proof glass. Now they have gas stations that are fully automated and there are NO employees around whatsoever. If you need help for whatever reason you can pick up your cell phone , walk over to the street away from the pump and dial a 800 number that is probably not toll free anymore and leave your message requesting help into a voice mail box that is probably never checked. Now, that is customer service folks. LOL....

Sams Wholesale and other merchants need to get a clue. Customers want to buy their goods and products but we do not care to be made angry over stupid policies nor do we care to be totally inconvenienced and have to drive all over Gods creation trying to purchase a 2.99 package of lugnuts just to appease their policy and make them feel safe that I am not goint to sue them when one of my tires falls off the car because of ONE missing lug nut. LOL... One missing lugnut does not make a vehicle unsafe people....

Well, I think I feel better now. I see that it is time for me to quit blogging and go do the shower and shave routine and throw myself into my caddy and drive those two new tires with matching lugnuts down to Ashley Phosphate road to my office so I can provide world class customer service to my customers today.

Have a great day ya hear !!!