# What happened to common sense!



## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

Went to visit the store I retired from and here is what I witnessed. A customer had purchased a set of extra long torx bits in a set. They carried a lifetime guraentee from the factory. Well he had broken one and wanted to get it replaced. The counter person could not find an individual number for that specific torx bit, so they called the company. this is what they told her. . They only came in a pack of 6 and shipping would be $16.00???????????????? each torx bit was $6.00 each. I asked the counter person to let me talk to the lack of common sense person on the phone. I asked the person on the phone, who offers the lifetime warrenty, they answered their company. I said then why should this store spend $52.00 to warrenty one wrench that you offer the warrenty on. I then proceeded to explain to this person how I felt it should be handled. I gave them the address of our store and suggested they put one wrench in an envelope and mail it. TAH DAH!!!!!!!!!!! The factory got it. The sad part is the factory was trying to make money off of shipping and then the warehouse would also make shipping money, besides the extra 5 torx bits. I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR THE VENDORS iN THE FORUM.


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## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

Common is the rarest of all the senses.


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## Nobodo (Nov 5, 2014)

I guess I'm a little confused reading this.

The customer purchased a product with a lifetime warranty.

The lifetime warranty wasn't with the store, but instead with the manufacturer of the product.

The customer probably had 30 days (or similar) return/replace with the store.

Why was the store dealing with the manufacturer in this case?


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## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

...from what it sounds like, this is one of those stores that actually values it's patrons, & doesn't just wash their hands of them & their problems as soon as legally allowed to do so.

They're rare, but do still exist.


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## bigron (Nov 29, 2012)

i found out a long time ago that common sense isn't very common,when you have to put a warning label on a hair dryer to tell people not to use it in the shower, :read: that kind of says it all


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## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

bigron said:


> i found out a long time ago that common sense isn't very common,when you have to put a warning label on a hair dryer to tell people not to use it in the shower, :read: that kind of says it all


...or on peanut butter, because that product "may contain peanuts"...


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## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

Tentacle post said it exactly, our store still tries it's best to serve the customer Nobodo. Ever since the big companies ate up the little companies that made the United States a great nation we all are buying from one source. With that being said the only hope a small Mom and Pop Store is the one on one personal service. Anyway I was just blowing off and tried to make it somewhat humorous.


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## ghost0311/8541 (Jan 6, 2013)

Know what you mean after the marine corp I sold smoked mullet and ice I had a guy come in and said he wanted a half bag of ice I told him I don't sell it in half bags he said he only need half I told him to buy one use half and put the rest in the cooler and I give it to the next person well he bought a bag used half dumped the rest on the ground it was his he payed for it but kind of a waste he then came back in and said he wanted a half a smoke mullet I told him I only sell them whole he said he only wanted half so I ripped one in half charged him full price and ate the other half


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## Nobodo (Nov 5, 2014)

Tentacle Toast said:


> ...from what it sounds like, this is one of those stores that actually values it's patrons, & doesn't just wash their hands of them & their problems as soon as legally allowed to do so.
> 
> They're rare, but do still exist.


But times have changed in a lot of ways.

It used to be that manufacturers carried out their warranties through the stores they sold from, so sent replacement parts to the stores.

Now they carry out their warranties with the person that buys the product, unless it is a product made by the store itself?

It just seems like continuing to do this when manufacturers no longer support it is a lose-lose.


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## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

I agree, things have changed, I just need to get my don't give a S### attitude and join the mainstream.


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## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

Tag said:


> I agree, things have changed, I just need to get my don't give a S### attitude and join the mainstream.


Its better that you don't. Too many people have just given up.


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## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

I won't, it must be the winter blahs


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## Nobodo (Nov 5, 2014)

Tag said:


> I agree, things have changed, I just need to get my don't give a S### attitude and join the mainstream.


There are a lot of ways that mom & pop stores provide above & beyond service that you don't get at big box stores.

But that service has to evolve with the times.

Computerization and competition among manufacturers have meant that largely manufacturers are no longer providing warranty service replacement parts to stores. Instead they are expecting the end customer to register products with them and contact them directly for lifetime warranty replacement, something that before computers would not have been possible. It's an awfully big financial burden the mom & pop store is taking on to buy those replacement parts directly and then provide them free to the customers.

Computerization of a lot of these processes has dehumanized a number of things, but also prevents billions of dollars of shrinkage and other associated losses. That doesn't mean that mom & pop stores can no longer provide way better service, just that they have to adjust with the times.


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Cheer up Tom. Spring will be here before you know it. Get a blowgun and do some indoor shooting . Good for the lungs and will help your slingshot shooting.


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## Nobodo (Nov 5, 2014)

Tag, I want to apologize for what I said also. I didn't mean to come off the way I did.

I design software for a living, and have designed a lot for companies to use for sales and inventory tracking, gl ledger, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, those types of things. I was just picturing the whole time the software interface the person on the phone was using, and ended up being kind of an a-hole in what I wrote. Sorry!


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## Tag (Jun 11, 2014)

No apology needed, it's the way times have become. That's exactly why I retired. I did not take offense to your comments. I have become too attached to this Forum and tend to post things I shouldn't. Thanks for putting up with me(-:


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

View attachment 76293


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## bigron (Nov 29, 2012)

Treefork that says pretty much all it needs to


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