What angers you about todays businesses?

[Chuck 1935]

I HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEM ! I buy everything on the internet. No more dealing with the inept, none english speaking, nose picking, cretins in the stores. Every thing I need is always out of stock or they can't find it or, or, or, No Problem. I can have it shipped for the amount of fuel it takes to go get it.
Like codgerbill does at restaurants, if I get good service, I tip well and tell the management.

[Perry White]

I'm with Chuck. Take good care of th UPS driver. That's the only one you have to deal with.

[Route 66]

I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon.com. Great prices, large selection and free shipping on most items.

[Chuck 1935]

Originally Posted by Perry White

I'm with Chuck. Take good care of th UPS driver. That's the only one you have to deal with.

Yup, me and Bobby are buds, Hi5

[wnytaxman]

Originally Posted by Route 66

I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon.com. Great prices, large selection and free shipping on most items.

That's fine but what do you do when what you bought at Amazon needs service?

I grew up in a family lumber business. It's still around after 100 years and now on its fifth generation of our family. How has it survived all these years? Service, service, and more service. Survival in an area loaded with Lowes, Home Depot, and 84 Lumber. Quality products at a good price with service can actually pay off, but for how much longer? The standard American perception is that the big box is cheaper. I bought a lighting fixture from a local retailer whom is "perceived" to be expensive. The fixture was $19.95. It didn't fit so I stopped at Home Depot (my family's store does not sell lighting fixtures) and found the same fixture I paid less than $20 at my local store listed in Home Depot for $36.95. If you buy Anderson Windows from Home Depot, they won't service them but will try to get some local dealer to service them.

We claim we want service but we still end up stopping at the boxes where we get lousy service, lousy products, and ripped off. I try to stay out of the boxes all I can and shop locally. I don't have any big box retailers as clients, but I sure do have some local folks!

[Route 66]

Originally Posted by wnytaxman

That's fine but what do you do when what you bought at Amazon needs service?

To be quite honest, nothing I have bought from Amazon has needed service. Any item I buy from them could be sent back to the factory for service. There's many things that are not serviceable or are consumables that can be bought online at considerable savings.

I buy large appliances from a family run dealer whom I know and although they may be higher than the big box stores, their service is unbeatable.

Lawn equipment I buy from dealers that do their own service.

[RVNeophytes2]

Originally Posted by Billieg

What has happened to these business owners? No common sense and they all complain about low sales.

So what is your pet peeve? I can't be the only one and I could go on and on...

I keyed in on the ZTR issue... We had a place like that here, it burned down. Up the road, some retired professionals opened a Toro dealership and hired enthusiastic people to staff it with them. Everyone seems to possess a PhD in mowerology, and they bend over backwards to help. Service is prompt, the place is immaculate, prices are fair. Yes, there is a WalMart, a Home Depot and Lowes all on the same road, all within two miles. But, that small dealership kicks their butts.

Along the same stretch of highway, a Goodyear store with the same reputation; consumers pay a few extra dollars for perfection and service that follows tires bought there to their grave.

What I like about today's young people: they're more polarized than were those of our generation; while indeed the lower echelon seem worse, I believe the bright ones would outshine our own, if you could put us all together at the same age.

[Chuck 1935]

[QUOTE=wnytaxman;873840]That's fine but what do you do when what you bought at Amazon needs service?

I grew up in a family lumber business. It's still around after 100 years and now on its fifth generation of our family. How has it survived all these years? Service, service, and more service. Survival in an area loaded with Lowes, Home Depot, and 84 Lumber. Quality products at a good price with service can actually pay off, but for how much longer? The standard American perception is that the big box is cheaper. I bought a lighting fixture from a local retailer whom is "perceived" to be expensive. The fixture was $19.95. It didn't fit so I stopped at Home Depot (my family's store does not sell lighting fixtures) and found the same fixture I paid less than $20 at my local store listed in Home Depot for $36.95. If you buy Anderson Windows from Home Depot, they won't service them but will try to get some local dealer to service them.

I agree with you. My problem is really with the Big Box stores. The independently owned stores such as Ace, care about their business's and appreciate your business. In my working life we had Home Depot as a customer. They are whores and will peddle you prices to all the other suppliers. In the town that I live, Home Depot wanted to buy an old Kmart store. We were able to prevent them from doing it, thereby preserving a number of indepndently owned stores. What most folks don't realize is that stores such as Home Depot will price their mechandise at what the traffic will bear. They are not priced the same in all of their stores for the same items.

[Wayne MD]

So many ripoffs , so little time. Why is it people protest the big box store from building , and once they build, everyone goes there?

[melvonnar]

Originally Posted by Wayne MD

So many ripoffs , so little time. Why is it people protest the big box store from building , and once they build, everyone goes there?

Did the same here; walmart was going to bulild a store; protests went on for over two years; walmart built the store anyway.

Now you can't find a parking place in the walmart

[JMonroe]

Some very good friends of ours own a 'Mom and Pop' paint store. Their prices are significantly higher than the Menards or Home Depot 40 minutes away, but the business keeps them hopping, has been growing steadily since they bought the store, and they have a large following of repeat customers. Why? Because one, they know paint, what product to use for what applications, where you need to spend more to get a durable result and where you can save a bit. They can and will help you learn how to create the popular faux finishes, can help you figure out why your last attempt may have failed, or needs redoing after a relatively short time and what you need to do to 'fix' a pre-existing problem. There's probably not a paint or coating related issue they can't help with. Or, you can try to find someone at the big box store that even knows what a 'primer' is.

Every once in a while they'll get someone accuse them of trying to rip them off with their 'high' prices. Trying to explain that Menards buys a bazillion times more paint than they do, and therefore gets a much better price, is usually lost on them. They deserve the service they end up getting.

I don't need a lot of help or service buying paper towels or underwear, but there are a lot of things we all spend money on where it would be nice to talk to someone that knows their product and is genuinely interested in your getting just what you want or need, even if you're not sure what it is when you walk in.

[DonavonP]

Originally Posted by RVNeophytes2

What I like about today's young people: they're more polarized than were those of our generation; while indeed the lower echelon seem worse, I believe the bright ones would outshine our own, if you could put us all together at the same age.

I'm also impressed with the top tier young people. The young people working at the company I use to own are super. The company is really growing in this slow market and my old competitors are out of business.
They say it's because they got rid of some dead weight about 10 years ago.
I retired 10 years ago. You don't suppose................?

[Billieg]

Originally Posted by DonavonP

I'm also impressed with the top tier young people. The young people working at the company I use to own are super. The company is really growing in this slow market and my old competitors are out of business.
They say it's because they got rid of some dead weight about 10 years ago.
I retired 10 years ago. You don't suppose................?

Just might be. It's hard to keep up with new technology and young folks.... BUT, I don't know if they have the same working headset that we older folks have... and maybe they don't need it in today's market... Maybe we are a dying breed that needs and expects good products and service...

[tmh462]

I've had a couple of things just this week.
First, I have a hobby that seems to be obscure, and requires either traveling 50-100 miles to get what I need locally, or buy online. Up until last Saturday, I made the drive to buy locally, and support the "local" business. Saturday, I bought a piece of equipment from them, took it home (100 mile round trip), and found out the thing didn't work. I called them to make sure they had another one in stock so I could exchange it. I was summarily told to send it back to the manufacturer. So, they lost a customer, and all further purchases will be from the internet or mail order. Customer service will suck, but it will be no worse than what I got in person, plus it will be cheaper, and I won't have to pay for gas to go get it.
Second, and I will name names here, I went to my local Radio Shack to get an adapter for a TV antenna we were installing on an old RV. The part was $5.99, so I was expecting to pay about $6.50 or so, with sales tax. Not so. The total was $8.44. Sheesh, how much sales tax is there on 6 bucks? Seems there is a promotion right now for an internationally known athlete, and Radio Shack is adding a donation on your behalf to every sale, unless you specify in advance you don't want to.
I guess I will be going everywhere else first before going back for any additional purchases.