...the customer is always right.../sarcasm

[Randy Savage 5,000+ posts]

So, last week, some guy calls up and wants to drop off his car for an install.

Wants a radio and 4 speakers installed in his 95 Saturn SL. Very easy car to do.

Drops off the car Friday night, and picks it up Saturday afternoon. I installed a Pioneer 4800 CD player and 2 sets of 6.5" Eclipse speakers. Everything went fine with the install.

Comes back Saturday, picks up the car, leaves, no problem.

Then, comes in Sunday morning, as soon as I walk in, he comes storming in. Tells me he's not happy with everything, and "the speakers are crackling and breaking up when he turns up the volume".

So, I say ok, let's go take a listen. As some of you know Pioneer radios go up to like 60 in volume. So, I get in his car. Turn it up to 30, 35, 40, 45, still sounds fine. He tells me to keep going. I go up to 50, sounds fine. 55, sounds ok, a little distortion, still sounds decent though. Tells me to go higher. I go up to 60. It's distorting. He tells me "see, it's breaking up!!".

I notify him that that's what happens when you crank a radio all the way up...it distorts. Everyone knows that. Only thing that will help prevent that is adding an amp for the interiors. He goes on to tell me he's been doing this for a lot longer then me and knows more then I do. I restate my point, when you crank up the radio, it will distort no matter what speakers are in the car. Once again, he knows more then me apparently. I tell him he's exactly right, that he knows much more then I do, and this makes him even more furious. (I was having so much fun with this guy).

So he tells me he wants the Polk speakers installed, and he's not paying any more money. I tell him he has to pay more money, as the installation is 100% fine and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. He flips out, and leaves his car and says he will call back when my manager gets in.

So, my manager talks to him about an hour later over the phone. He tells him he went out and listened to his car, and it sounds fine. He tells him the same thing I told him, that it will distort when the radio is at max volume, no matter what speakers are in the car. He argues back and forth, and my manager tells him that he will put in the Polks, and he won't charge him extra, but the Polk's are also $40 cheaper, and he's not getting that money back, as it's going towards the installation of the new speakers. He gets mad at that point, but agrees to have the Polks installed.

So, I install the Polks, and instead of distorting at 55 like the Eclipse's did, the Polks are distorting at a much lower volume (around 45-50 or so, which is still loud as shit).

He comes back to pick up his car as I'm working on another install outside. I hear him get into his car, crank it up, and I can tell it sounds like shit from 20ft away. He peels out behind our shop and takes off. I think he saw me giggling at him when he cranked it too //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

The other day I just found out that he wrote a formal complaint to corporate stating that we "insulted his intelligence" by telling him that distortion will occur from max volume, and that he will never shop here again because we wouldn't refund his $40 because we had to uninstall and reinstall a new set of speakers because he was not satisfied by his purchase...which he picked out himself, BTW.

Now, he came down and talked to another installer and wants him to look at his car for some odd reason. Doesn't want me or my manager touching it.

This guy is such a douchebag.

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[Johnny Drama 5,000+ posts]

Pwned...I see that everytime I walk into CC or BB. You have got to love ignorant people.

 

[954runner 10+ year member]

i lol'ed

 

[LoudCrownVic 5,000+ posts]

LOL what a moron. Good story, thanks for sharing LOL!

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

I hope someone with a modicum of actual car audio knowledge in your corporate office fields that complaint and has a good ole bellylaugh reading about a customer feeling they had their "intelligence" (I use that word lightly in this instance) insulted because they were told that the setup would distort at completely maxed-out volume......

 

[Ignatowski 5,000+ posts]

Its all in how you handle it - not so sure you handled it right but

fuggit,he drives a 95 Saturn and if he was so fvckin smart why is his car

11 years old,dummy

 

[ConcernedMember 10+ year member]

when he brings his car into the shop again be sure to cut the brake line.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Its all in how you handle it - not so sure you handled it right butfuggit,he drives a 95 Saturn and if he was so fvckin smart why is his car

11 years old,dummy

Hey now, I drive something that's 12 years old, but I like to think of myself as a reasonably intelligent fellow //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

If you had the time to show him, it might have been worth it to get a demo or spare amp, if you have any, and prove him wrong. But if you were working with a backlog that day, guess there wouldn't be time for a little "experiment".

 

[turn it up 10+ year member]

when he brings his car into the shop again be sure to cut the brake line.

or loosen the wheel nut...//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/naughty.gif.94359f346c0f1259df8038d60b41863e.gif

 

[bigbangtheory 5,000+ posts]

Yeah he seems to know alot about car audio.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

I would have been laughing right in front of the guy. I commend you for staying cool, calm and collected. I probably would have lost my job over something that stupid.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[mtdewelf 10+ year member]

and if he was so fvckin smart why is his car11 years old,dummy

that's a pretty dumb statement on more then 1 level

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

Hey now, I drive something that's 12 years old, but I like to think of myself as a reasonably intelligent fellow //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

*raises hand*

I was thinking along those same lines....

My car is 11 years old as well and I know without debate that my level of intellect is considerably above average.

My question is that if he was so bright and knew so much about car audio why was he expecting concert hall performance out of a Pioneer 4800, two sets of coaxials, and no amp outside of the HU's internal amp?

 

[SAG3 5,000+ posts]

lol

 

[iagrdshaka 5,000+ posts]

that's a pretty dumb statement on more then 1 level

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/word.gif.64b12e39f936af3b4fff38a1c0bd0244.gif

 

[Fast1one 10+ year member]

that's a pretty dumb statement on more then 1 level

I agree....8 year old car here. I know for a fact im smarter than anyone at my previous school. The ignorance is strong in that one //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif