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thechadmaster
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30 Sep 2012, 3:47 pm

Greetings fellow WP'ers.

Perhaps this belongs in the work/job forum, I think its relevant here but I will let the moderators decide that one.

I started a new job about two months ago. I now work in a an automotive parts, tires, and service store. My background is general retail with a focus on convenience/gasoline (hereafter referred to as "C/G". I was a store manager for a convenience store chain for about 9 months, but thats a story for a different thread.

This new job is difficult to say the least. It is a retail establishment but has a MUCH higher sales aspect than the C/G business. For starters, my boss has been dx'ed with OCD, his attention to detail is astonishing. I am less detail oriented, but detail oriented in different ways.

One of my biggest issues is dealing with people on the phone. People call in with vague questions and get upset when I cant give them an exact answer. The most common call I get is "my car wont start, whats wrong with it?". I explain that there could be a hundred different causes that I cannot diganose without seeing the car. I had someone say "well smarta** i cant bring it in if it aint starting so you're gonna have to give me an answer"

My biggest pet peeve is being talked down to, cursed at, and generally being treated like crap. I now have to call people and tell them that their car is fixed or it needs whatever repairs. Of course the people have questions that I dont have answers to. I had a customer ask me to get someone on the phone "who isn't a complete ret*d". I am now afraid of answering the phone, even my own.

***

As for my dealings with management.
1.)They knew when I interviewed that my automotive knowledge was very limited. They hired me based on previous retail experience and gave me a generous pay rate. I got into it with the manager the other day after having to repeatedly put a customer on hold to get answers to his questions. The manager told me that customers are going to get tired of me putting them on hold, which I understand. I asked him what the best course of action would be if I don't have the answer to the customer's question. He told me that if I cant handle a little criticism then we need to go have a talk.

2.)In our store, there are specific employees who are "tire experts", nobody else is allowed to prepare a quote unless the TE is standing next to the employee. I had a customer ask me for tires, I explained that I could not prepare a quote but if he could wait a minute, the TE was finishing up with another customer. That customer took longer than expected and by the time TE was ready to help my customer, he had left. The manager started telling me that I lost us a tire sale which usually averages $400. He told me I needed to do more to keep the customer in the store, and that I could not under any circumstances "walk away" from him. I explained that another customer had approached me with questions about an oil change and I reassured the tire customer that a TE would be right there.

3.) We generally do not return used parts to a customer unless specifically asked. I was handed a completed work order for a replaced tire pressure sensor, there was a small box on the counter that the part came in. There were no notes on the work order that the customer needed the old part back. I cashed him out and he was on his way. An hour later, the manager asked why I did not give the box to the customer and that it was his old sensor. I explained that I was not aware that it was to be returned to him, nobody told me he was taking it back. The manager told me that "I should have made the connection automatically and that I should know these things without being told".

At my 60 day review on Friday, I was told my sales performance was lacking, that I was walking away from customers. I was "reminded" of how generous they were paying me, and that if I was honest about my management experience, I would know more about the sales aspect. Nevermind the fact that C/G merchandise sells itself. You pull up to a gas station, its safe to assume you're there for gas, and maybe a snack or drink. There is no real "sales drive"

I did not disclose my AS when I was hired, for one, it has not affected my job abilities until now. Two, I did not want to sound like I was making excuses. Three, that business is dominated by NT's. Customers do not make "reasonable accomodations" they just call me a "ret*d". By disclosing, I feel that I would continually be pressed for details and explanations of why I can do some things and not others, and would be perceived as dishonest and fired. I have no documentation of my AS other than school records now more than eight years old.

Perhaps im better suited to pumping gas...

Any thoughts on how I should proceed?

thanks.


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theWanderer
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30 Sep 2012, 4:08 pm

thechadmaster wrote:
One of my biggest issues is dealing with people on the phone. People call in with vague questions and get upset when I cant give them an exact answer. The most common call I get is "my car wont start, whats wrong with it?". I explain that there could be a hundred different causes that I cannot diganose without seeing the car. I had someone say "well smarta** i cant bring it in if it aint starting so you're gonna have to give me an answer"

....

Any thoughts on how I should proceed?


If you're going to have to go out, I'd say go out in style. The next time this genius calls, tell him the magic crystal in his engine is cursed, and he has to have it exorcised - by a circle of naked shamans dancing around his car. :lol:

Sorry - I don't have any useful advice, but that story just jumped out at me. I take my car to guys who are pretty good at what they do - and if all I told them was it wouldn't start, they're not even going to try to guess what it is. Give them enough symptoms, yeah, they can make a pretty good guess - but even then, they let you know they're guessing. This place sounds like a bunch of quacks, if they let their customers expect they can work miracles.


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2wheels4ever
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30 Sep 2012, 4:26 pm

Death to these kinds of places.

I can comment as far as returning used parts to customers: any mechanic worth trusting will supply the old part back to the customer without asking, unless there is good reason for the old part to not be there. I think this business of making customers ask for their old parts is suspicious, at the very least it creates an exploit for potentially cheating them. No integrity= big red flag

I would leave too if I had to be handed over to another department. There's not too much expertise to tires; read the sidewalls, check for leaks, dismount, check rim for burrs or scratches, replace with same size you learned from reading the sidewall, balance, install. Done. Occasionally you'll have a tire with a narrow bead and it takes a certain skill to mount it without blowing your own head off, but really, it's not rocketry

Restaurants have different staff for different functions but how often do you wait around for the wine steward to finish writing up a customer? Even at the end of dining one bill is presented, without some special extended food warranty shoved down your throat.

If I were OP and didn't get the feeling that place was a sinking ship, I'd have myself transferred to the tire section; any cold contact is likely to be focused on more specific issues and you're more apt to spend your time just carrying out the tasks at hand


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ravenloft68
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30 Sep 2012, 4:35 pm

That's why I avoid Sales and Customer Service jobs, I know for sure I cant hack those. My niche seems to be Computers and electronics repair in a Shop. But yes, that's not always available so you have to work where you can.
That many times means in an unsuitable job field where an array of aspie unfriendly situations crop up.
I would say, If you happen to search for and land a job that: 1. Is a job you love and do well in 2. Pays Well 3. Has a good retirement system. Make sure you keep it.
I think many aspies would do well in government sector jobs such as School District, University, City, County,State and U.S. Government. Try to avoid (At Will) employment jobs wher they can fire you over ridiculously small mistakes. From what I understand, the academic environment is also quite aspie employee friendly.



thechadmaster
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30 Sep 2012, 4:40 pm

2wheels4ever wrote:
Death to these kinds of places.

I can comment as far as returning used parts to customers: any mechanic worth trusting will supply the old part back to the customer without asking, unless there is good reason for the old part to not be there.
Most of the stuff we do is tires and oil changes. Few people want their old tires (unless its snow/summer tires) and fewer people want their old oil filter back.

As for tires, I was talking the sales side of it. People ask how a Pirelli compares to a BF Goodrich, which tire is good for trails vs street, that sort of thing. There is actually a 16 hour course to be certified a TE in this company.


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MrObvious
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30 Sep 2012, 5:42 pm

That is an unrealistic expectation just because you don't have all the answers. Your boss isn't answering your questions to a satisfactory degree and he probably doesn't want to deal with you. Have you tried discretely talking to his boss?



chris5000
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30 Sep 2012, 6:02 pm

thechadmaster wrote:
Greetings fellow WP'ers.




One of my biggest issues is dealing with people on the phone. People call in with vague questions and get upset when I cant give them an exact answer. The most common call I get is "my car wont start, whats wrong with it?". I explain that there could be a hundred different causes that I cannot diganose without seeing the car. I had someone say "well smarta** i cant bring it in if it aint starting so you're gonna have to give me an answer"


I know how to deal with questions like these. you say, what do I look like a charity? I dont work for free.



Sanctus
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30 Sep 2012, 6:41 pm

That's why I would never do a customer/sales-oriented job.

Customers can be such idiots. I'm in the IT sector myself and usually discussions go like this:
"My computer isn't working, why?"
"Well can you tell me what exactly isn't working?"
"Everything."

Or: "There's an error message".
"Okay, what does it say?"
"I didn't read it."

... :roll:

Also, about the "you should have known what to do by yourself": Stuff like this happens to me all the time. It's frustrating. How the f*ck am I supposed to know what other people intend me to do.



thechadmaster
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30 Sep 2012, 7:39 pm

Sanctus wrote:

Also, about the "you should have known what to do by yourself": Stuff like this happens to me all the time. It's frustrating. How the f*ck am I supposed to know what other people intend me to do.


All I can figure is that its an NT thing. Aside from innate biological functions given to us by our Creator, the concept of knowing what was never taught to me just baffles me. Im not a mind reader.

And yeah, i run into that all the time too.


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thewhitrbbit
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30 Sep 2012, 8:54 pm

I think it would be good to try to get some more automotive knowledge. Tell your boss that you understand you don't have a lot of knowledge but you'd like to learn more. Maybe get some books.

In regards to the car not starting, the most common cause is a faulty battery. Ask the customer if the car is making a clicking sound when he turns the key, and if the interior lights don't look as bright as they normally do. The car prob needs a jump or a new battery.

The tire thing sounds a bit silly. Computers can do almost everything.

It is very common for customers to request old parts back. It prevents disreputable mechanics from cheating customers.

Customers are idiots, customers are as*holes, but you have to keep your composure and be respectful.



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01 Oct 2012, 7:04 pm

I'm considered an excellent Customer Service employee. Customers love me and management trust me completely. My clients pay millions of $$, so my service has to be VIP top of the line.

You: "Our TE seems to be tied up right now. I'd hate to make you wait. Do we have your mobile phone number in our office? If so, I'll make sure the TE calls you as soon as possible. Will you have a couple minutes for him in, say, a quarter of an hour from now?"

You "TE, please call this guy, he's shopping for expensive tyres and we don't want to lose this sale"

TE doesn't call the customer. Your boss comes yell at you. You show the boss a slip of paper you kept with the customer's phone number and explain you begged TE to call him back soonest so as not to lose the sale. Since TE didn't do it, you're sure TE is too busy, so you'll get the info from TE and call the customer yourself. You get a pat on the shoulder from the boss and you get to start learning from TE how to quote tyres. A few months later you're asked to do the course and after the course and some experience helping TE when "too busy", you become a TE at another company where the boss isn't such an ass.

Customers are not just idiots. They're tense and anguished about how much the new little noise will cost them. Your task, if you want to be a brilliant employee, is not to make the car work over the phone, but to provide some kind of reassurance, solace and make the customer feel it's worth his while to cooperate with you, answer your questions and bring the car in asap.

"What's not working?"
"Everything!"
"I understand. Well, that doesn't necessarily have to mean the problem is a big one, it could just be the $1 light-bulb. If I were you, I'd come here as soon as you can make it, get the car checked and then we'll take it from there together. Ask for me when you arrive, I'll be personally waiting for you to make sure your car is thoroughly checked and we find the best solution together."


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01 Oct 2012, 7:13 pm

If a customer won't be calmed down and abuses you no matter how hard you try to find ways to sooth him, DON'T TAKE ABUSE.

You: Sir, I see we're not communicating well, and I'd hate for you to feel badly serviced. I have your mobile phone number in our office and I'll make sure one of my best colleagues calls you within the hour to continue assisting you, I'm sure you'll feel more at ease with them.
He: You don't do that, you assho-
You: You'll be called as soon as possible. Thank you. AND YOU HANG UP.

Don't take abuse and don't work at a place where your boss forces you to take abuse.

Be service-oriented, always try to give something to the customer, even if you can't give what they want.

Maybe you can do a course in Customer Service. I never found one where I live. I learned from trial and error to discover what works.


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01 Oct 2012, 8:24 pm

Moondust wrote:
"What's not working?"
"Everything!"
"I understand. Well, that doesn't necessarily have to mean the problem is a big one, it could just be the $1 light-bulb. If I were you, I'd come here as soon as you can make it, get the car checked and then we'll take it from there together. Ask for me when you arrive, I'll be personally waiting for you to make sure your car is thoroughly checked and we find the best solution together."


If anyone ever tried this line on me, I'd be complaining to their boss. Why? Because if everything is not working, it isn't a light bulb. (It might be the fuses; a mechanic I trust once - after he knew I figured I was going to have to spend at least eight hundred bucks - charged me twenty-five to replace all the fuses, and that cleared up the problem completely. But the car ran well enough to get up there in the first place; I didn't have to get a tow.) I don't mind being reassured, when the guy knows his stuff and he's telling me the truth. I do not want to be patted on the head, given a doggie bone, and fed a line from someone who doesn't know his stuff. I'd a lot rather just be told he doesn't know, and he has to check with someone who would.

I can handle "I don't know". I can handle an honest mistake. But I know just enough (in a lot of areas) to catch it when I'm being fed outright bull - and I do not like that. It is patronising, dishonest, and infuriating. That, and the customer service rep who has a simple script to follow, and is not allowed to transfer you when they can't handle your problem, are the two things most certain to set me off. If you can't handle a problem, admit that, and pass me on to someone who can. I respect that; it was the best you could do. None of us is perfect. But don't lie to me (even if you call it "reassurance") and don't run me in circles.

Perhaps you were just sloppy in thinking of an example. At least, I hope so, because if that kind of treatment will keep people who are spending millions happy, that scares the wits out of me.


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thechadmaster
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02 Oct 2012, 7:33 am

Thanks for all the helpful advice.

The thing is, when it comes to retail, American culture is so accustomed to, for lack of a better word, "worshipping" the customer, that in many situations, customers no longer see employees as human beings. We have become punching bags. Consider the events at walmart on any given black friday. I recall an employee being trampled to death, and when the police showed up and closed the store, everyone got entitled and indignant.

What im getting at is, my refusing to be verbally abused is worthless. Every retail job Ive held, Ive had more than my share of abusive customers and managment refuses to do anything about it, because customers=money. Nevermind that the labor laws prohibit abuse and harassment, including from customers, the almighty dollar must be worshipped. [sarcasm]

I was opening the store one day, it was 15 minutes to open and I was sitting in my car, i had a guy come upand knock on my window and berate me for not opening the store 15 minutes early. Even though I was off the clock, I was still not allowed to tell him off.

I have been called a ret*d at work by customers, and correct me if Im wrong, but calling someone with a nonverbal learning disability a ret*d constitutes verbal abuse.

****
I gotta quit talking about this, i work in two hours and im already getting pissed off. This job has literally driven me to drink.


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Moondust
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02 Oct 2012, 1:06 pm

thechadmaster, that's no way to live. If you're not positive about finding and trying out new ways to improve your situation, better not stay in retail. Sales is the worst kind of work for aspies after all.

By the way, I'm in international sales, meaning my tips work with all cultures and of course a big part of my work is with American customers.


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Jinks
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02 Oct 2012, 1:46 pm

I just wanted to sympathise, I spent three years working in sales and it was a terrible Aspie job - I suggest you do what I didn't and start looking for a new position. I also suggest that, in future job interviews, you are up-front about your AS, in case difficulties come up for you later - explain that this gives you certain limitations but also certain ADVANTAGES as an employee. Explain what your strengths are and why you are leaving your current job - simply because it is not a position which allows you to use your strengths and you feel you have more to offer in a different job role. Be honest but put a positive spin on things and make it clear that you want to be able to perform as well as possible in your job.

I think the fact that you were not honest from the get-go is part of the problem you are having (I understand that your boss is part of the problem too, but remember he is working under the incorrect assumption that you are a neurotypical person, to whom many of his demands may seem more reasonable). You may have taken a risk in disclosing it at the interview of not getting the job, but in not disclosing you also took the risk that your co-workers would expect you to be equally capable in your position as a NT person, and you are seeing the result of that now. I am sure that if you are patient and keep looking you will find a potential employer who would be happy to have someone of your experience and skill and a more suitable job role for you.