I must really be out of touch

[VintageMusclecar]

with the way businesses are run these days.

I just called a parts house to place an order for a part for my Suburban. After innumerable button-pushing prompts I <span style="font-style: italic">finally</span> managed to contact an actual living, breathing human being on the other end of the line.

&quot;Can I help you?&quot; the young lady asked.

&quot;Yes, I'd like to place an order please&quot; I replied.

&quot;You can do that online on our website, I'd be happy to walk you through it&quot; she replied.

&quot;Thank you, but I prefer to speak with a person when I'm placing an order, I don't care to place orders online.&quot;

*Insert the sound of crickets chirping here*

&quot;Well sir, may I ask why you don't want to place your order online?&quot; she replied, with a clear hint of agitation in her voice now.

&quot;I just prefer to interact with a human being when I spend my money. I don't even use those self-checkout lines at the supermarket, I prefer to interact with a cashier.&quot;

&quot;Well sir, we're phasing out our phone ordering system, they plan to eliminate it completely by the end of the year, so you'll have to place your order on the website. Again, I'll be happy to walk you through it.&quot;

&quot;Thank you, but that's OK, I can do that myself. Good bye.&quot;

Call me old-fashioned, whatever, but dammit, if I'm going to spend my money somewhere like that I want to deal with a friggin' human being! This may be hard to believe, but I have <span style="font-weight: bold">never</span>, not even once in my life purchased anything online from a website shopping cart, and I have no intentions of doing so anytime soon.

I am sad to say this company has just lost me as a customer, and I've done quite a bit of business with them too. But if I am going to be denied the simple privilege of speaking to a human being when I want to order something then I will just have to take my business elsewhere.

I know someone's probably going to say I'm being curmudgeonly, but I don't care, that just bothers the hell out of me. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/mad.gif[/img]

If this is the present/future business model of America, I'm screwed.

[x Baldwin Motion]

I would have told her your intention to shop elsewhere with human interaction, it may save a few jobs. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/dunno.gif[/img]

[SS427]

The sad thing is, this is the way of the future. We were just talking about it the other day. Future generations will have no idea how to communicate with each other and what to do when they are face to face as everything will be done on line. Very sad. It will give new meaning to the phrase cyber sex as this will likely be the way couples have sex in the future as they will not know how to interact in person. At least it will decrease STD's. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[olredalert]

----Same as you but maybe worse. I wont even go thru the drive thru at the bank or Mickey Ds for that matter.....Bill S

[WILMASBOYL78]

My auto dealer clients think the internet is the &quot;magic bullet&quot;..the cheap solution to all marketing and sales. I have to occasionally remind them that no one has figured out yet how to &quot;e-mail a car&quot; to the customer...this is a reality check they don't like to hear.

wilma [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/scholar.gif[/img]

[MrsBillyBobcat]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: VintageMusclecar</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Call me old-fashioned, whatever, but dammit, if I'm going to spend my money somewhere like that I want to deal with a friggin' human being! This may be hard to believe, but I have <span style="font-weight: bold">never</span>, not even once in my life purchased anything online from a website shopping cart, and I have no intentions of doing so anytime soon. </div></div>

You are not alone there Eric [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif[/img] I know people who don't even have a computer, and some that do, but don't want anything to do with putting their financial info out there in cyber space.

Who I really feel sorry for is the elderly. What are they suppose to do if they don't even &quot;have a line&quot;? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/dunno.gif[/img] (as my mother would say [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img] )


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: wilmasboyL78</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have to occasionally remind them that no one has figured out yet how to &quot;e-mail a car&quot; to the customer...this is a reality check they don't like to hear.</div></div> That's a good one Wilma! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

[427TJ]

As stated earlier, this is the wave of the future. Actual human employees cost money so automation (add to cart, automated checkout at the supermarket, self-serve gas etc.) takes the place of that costly human voice on the other end of the phone.

[rubbinisracing]

We've done it to ourselves. Price has become the driving force for the vast majority. Service doesn't sell to the masses, they would prefer it cheap and to complain about it later. It's a cycle that will swing back the other way. If you ride the roller coaster up, you have to ride it back down. Best thing we can do is to adapt and find ways to make it work for us.

[Smokey]

I feel for you. I was at Costco the other day. My wife gave me her card and said here put it on her Costco American Express. She left to the bathroom and I went to go and pay. They wouldn't sell me our cart load because the costco card was in here name. Didn't matter that I had her Costco AE or even tried paying cash. I'm not her, they wouldn't sell to me or wait for her to get back.

[VintageMusclecar]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: x Baldwin Motion</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I would have told her your intention to shop elsewhere with human interaction, it may save a few jobs. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/dunno.gif[/img] </div></div>

I'm considering sending the company an email to let them know I <span style="text-decoration: underline">regrettably</span> won't be doing business with them anymore should they follow through with this plan. I doubt that they'll care, but at least I'll have made some sort of effort.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SS427</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The sad thing is, this is the way of the future. We were just talking about it the other day. Future generations will have no idea how to communicate with each other and what to do when they are face to face as everything will be done on line. Very sad. It will give new meaning to the phrase cyber sex as this will likely be the way couples have sex in the future as they will not know how to interact in person. At least it will decrease STD's. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img] </div></div>

Ever get the feeling we're seeing &quot;WALL-E&quot; and &quot;Idiocracy&quot; coming to fruition right before our eyes? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/frown.gif[/img]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: olredalert</div><div class="ubbcode-body">----Same as you but maybe worse. I wont even go thru the drive thru at the bank or Mickey Ds for that matter.....Bill S </div></div>

Don't even get me started on the subject of banks. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/mad.gif[/img]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: WILMASBOYL78</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My auto dealer clients think the internet is the &quot;magic bullet&quot;..the cheap solution to all marketing and sales. I have to occasionally remind them that no one has figured out yet how to &quot;e-mail a car&quot; to the customer...this is a reality check they don't like to hear.

wilma [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/scholar.gif[/img] </div></div>

Well-said my friend.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MrsBillyBobcat</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
You are not alone there Eric [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif[/img] I know people who don't even have a computer, and some that do, but don't want anything to do with putting their financial info out there in cyber space.

Who I really feel sorry for is the elderly. What are they suppose to do if they don't even &quot;have a line&quot;? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/dunno.gif[/img] (as my mother would say [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img] )</div></div>

The whole idea of paying bills online still freaks me out--I still pay almost everything by snail mail.

Eric &lt;~~~doing his part to help keep the USPS in business. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 427TJ</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As stated earlier, this is the wave of the future. Actual human employees cost money so automation (add to cart, automated checkout at the supermarket, self-serve gas etc.) takes the place of that costly human voice on the other end of the phone. </div></div>

Sadly today's business model seems to demand the highest bottom line at any cost (pun intended). If profits aren't up every quarter/year, heads will roll.

While it is incredibly tempting to go on one helluva rant at this point, I'll condense my thoughts down to this: Capitalism is the greatest economic system in the world...sadly it can be its own worst enemy. I pray this nation survives itself and doesn't slide the rest of the way into socialism/communism.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: rubbinisracing</div><div class="ubbcode-body">We've done it to ourselves. Price has become the driving force for the vast majority. Service doesn't sell to the masses, they would prefer it cheap and to complain about it later. It's a cycle that will swing back the other way. If you ride the roller coaster up, you have to ride it back down. Best thing we can do is to adapt and find ways to make it work for us. </div></div>

I'm glad you bought this up.

I used to be one of the masses who shopped primarily by price...until I started my own business. It's amazing how your perspective changes when you go from the outside looking in to the inside looking around.

Just like you said, when looking at things from the av'g consumer's perspective, the first thing most seem to notice these days is the cost. <span style="font-style: italic">&quot;Who cares about quality, I wann'a save a buck!&quot;</span> (China sends their &quot;thanks&quot;...straight from the top of their bank account)

Starting my own business immediately changed my perspective on determining the priorities I go by when making a purchase. Quality is now my first priority, suitability the second, and at a distant 3rd is price. Depending on what I am purchasing, country of origin may also be a determining factor, and if/when it does, price drops to 4th on the list. I honestly wish I could move country of origin up on the list, but sadly there just aren't that many American-made products to choose from to begin with. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/frown.gif[/img]

Quick example:

I'm right in the middle of building a new engine for my Suburban. It's not a hot rod engine by any stretch, but it ain't exactly a stocker either. I could've easily just bought a garden variety reman longblock from a local engine shop and been done with it, but since I'm hoping to do some traveling and towing somewhere in the not-too-distant future, I decided to build something myself with a strong emphasis on improving the lackluster low-end power of the factory L19 7.4. To that end I'm putting together an oval port 489 grunt motor.

So I sourced a GenVI block at a local speed shop and had them prep it to my specs. The pistons are SRP's, and I chose to go with them because (1) they are a high quality component, (2) they suited my needs in design and material, (3) they are American made, and (4) they are appropriately priced. The connecting rods haven't been purchased yet, but they will be SCAT H-beam rods. Yes, they are forged overseas, but they are finished in the USA. Same goes for the crankshaft--it will be a Callies Compstar, which is also an offshore forging but it is finished in the USA.

FWIW, in this instance, in order for me to have utilized a 100% made in the US rods, I would've had to go to either Carrillo, Crower or Oliver. Yes, the quality of these components is absolutely top-shelf, but they are <span style="font-style: italic">massive overkill</span> for my needs in this instance so their quality does not justify a 300% to 1,000% increase in cost. (see priority #2)

I could also purchase a 100% US-made crank from Callies, but again in this instance the 50%-300% increase in cost for one of their high-end cranks isn't warranted. By the same token, I could opt for a &lt;$300.00 cast crank from SCAT, and while it is a quality product in it's own category, it's not suitable in design and material for my needs in this instance.

Lest I continue on with this little novella...

While I could often save a considerable amount of $$ by buying everything from the big mail-order houses, I still purchase the vast majority of my parts locally from my friend &quot;Ohio&quot; George Montgomery. George does give me a break on prices when/where he can, but for the most part the mail order places are still less expensive. So why do I often pay more and shop with George? Because saving a buck isn't at the top of my list of priorities, and I want to support my local economy <span style="font-weight: bold">and</span> help George stay in business as long as he can. An extra $50.00 here and $100.00 there won't make or break me at this point, and if it means helping George keep his doors open for a little while longer, then it's a no-brainer to me.

WHEW!...how's that for a rant? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Smokey</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I feel for you. I was at Costco the other day. My wife gave me her card and said here put it on her Costco American Express. She left to the bathroom and I went to go and pay. They wouldn't sell me our cart load because the costco card was in here name. Didn't matter that I had her Costco AE or even tried paying cash. I'm not her, they wouldn't sell to me or wait for her to get back. </div></div>

Wait...they wouldn't let you pay cash??? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/eek.gif[/img]

How was this resolved?