Just a day in the life of.....Cooter. Warning, Long read. Part II (Wifey).

[Cooter]

Well, Today began like any other day....As I write this, I'm still amazed at how close this idiot came to getting delt with.

I get to work, things are fast paced as almost every Friday is, then about 2:00 PM, in comes this Busted, Fart cannoned Honda for State inspection. The guy called in earlier. Ok, so I go get the car and don't really know the guy as a customer yet, and begin my inspection. Of course, the old sticker went out 10/10 And it's been 2 years since it was last inspected by a gent that no longer works here. Well, As soon as I get the car inside, I notice those Stupid, Lighted Hood sprayer/nozzles for the washer. A No go here. Illeagal. I inform the guy those will have to be removed. He fights it, but agrees to remove them. No problem. I then get the car in the air and begin shaking the right front wheel. This is where the story goes sideways a bit.

As soon as I state that something like a Ball joint or something is moving, the "Gent" begins to shake the wheel himself at the 12:00 and 6:00 position and Very rudely states that there's "Nothing wrong" with it, and "That's not bad for the miles on car"....I begin to tell him that it's "Bad enough"...

This is when he "Exclaims", "Well then, just set it on the ground!". "Let the damn thing down then, your being a prick!"....Of course, me being me, this didn't sit very well. I have been cussed before, so that's nothing new, but it was what he did next that almost "did the trick"....

As soon as the car is down enough, he begins to slam the hood and the front "H" emblem falls off, so I calmly pick it up and tell him "I'm gonna set your emblem on the front seat OK?"
He screams "You just broke my car!" About this time, the boss who's standing in the next bay comes over and tries to calm this crackhead down. "Hey Scott, What's the problem guy? I've never seen you like this before?"

He states "You boy just broke my car!"
I state to him that when HE slammed the hood, the emblem flew off. So, in keeping with the "try everything before firing a customer" Thing, the office lady comes out and states she'll pay for his little POS emblem.
($20.00). This wasn't good enough. He begins with the "Your a prick! You wanna get sh*tty, I can get sh*tty too!!"
I never said a word as that was what he wanted me to do so he could claim I "Verbally abused" him.
Then, he begins to Exclaim that I didn't know what I was doing and there's nothing wrong with his "Wheel bearing".
This is when the boss came over and asked if he "Trusted HIM(Boss) to look at his car?".
He pulls it back in my bay as I had backed it outside and told the guy I wasn't working on his car.
He begins to shake the wheel at the 12:00 and 6:00 position. No play....
I inform him that "shake it at the 3:00 and 9:00 position and you'll see what I'm talking about".
He does and feels the front end moving around, calls the guy over to physically look at it.
This wasn't good enough yet, so the guy begins to tell the boss that He's gonna call the state police on me for being and ass. The boss informs him that YOU(The guy) didn't even let him(me) finish the inspection.

He then begins in again with the "Well, your guys being a prick about it" sh*t" again. By this time I've bout had enough.  The boss knows me and how I am about this type sh*t and sees me on the phone. Dude(the guy) thinks I'm calling the state police. [Actually, on the phone with another friend at the time, informing him that I may need his services later on]The boss comes over and states that he "Can't have "Anything happen" here. I can see his eyes are bloodshot and he's cranked up. You just drew the short straw today man. No need to bring in anybody else, so just Please try and let it go".. Well, After we kiss this drug infested POS ass for about 30 min., he still comes out to where I am and begins to come at me again. I'm thinking, I'm getting too old for this sh*t.

This is when I in my most calm voice inform him.....
"Listen, you drive truck right? "Yeah, WTF?"
That means you have a CDL license right?    "So! What about it?"
You got any idea what would happen to your ass if your truck just happened to have an air brake line busted, and DOT pulled you over?"

"I mean, you call on me, I call on you right?
License tag number XXX-XXX TL?"

About that time, he's lookin' like one of those balloons that I see being inflated at the fair, and commences to Inform me of how he will be "Waiting for me when I get off".....

I try VERY hard to calmly inform him yet again that that would be a very bad idea. Bout this time the bossman begins to informe me that "You need to calm down, just call the law".  So, bossman tells me he WAS a good customer and will probably call back in a day or two apologizing for his behavior, for me to try and overlook it. I tell him "I'll try"...The whole time dude is yelling sh*t and the boss is running interference telling him "Scott, it's time you shut the "F" up". I can take a whole lot, but this guy was cranked up on something. I have been cussed, had customers storm out threatening to beat my ass, had one guy tell me to "Get away from under there before you find something else" (on a Tandem axle dumptruck with a broken rear leaf spring shackle), I've had people squealing tires out the lot, etc., but this guy was terrible. I know it's a bad economy and people don't have much money. ME of ALL poeple know this, but if your junk won't pass, it won't pass.

I don't ask to borrow anybody's ol lady for the weekend, so don't ask me to put my State inspection license on the line for your ass.

So, to all who think that these inspection stations inspectors are "Being an ass" to them, remember, it's YOU and YOUR FAMILY that is riding in that POS you are pissed about not passing. Try not to take it out on the inspectors. They are only doing their job. Protecting you from yourself, because if you get into an accident and you are staring down a $1 million lawsuit, your gonna try ANYTHING to shift blame and you will hang that Inspector out to dry if possible.  You KNEW those brakes/front end/ball joints/etc. were bad when you asked the inspector "C'mon man, hook me up? I ain't got the money right now"..

I've even had customers come in and when we are doing a check over for trip, and inform them that their brakes are getting dangerously low, the FIRST THING they say is "Well, I just had it inspected!! That shouldn't have passed right??", Always looking to get something for free, when I look and the Inspection was done about 9 months ago.

People here tend to think that if their car passes inspection, they are good to go for a complete YEAR. This isn't true. The state allows only 2/32" on pads to legally pass. You could wear 2/32" out on one panic stop and be in the  rotors/drums..

This usually happens about once every two weeks....And you guys wonder why I post the way I do. Positive is a wonderful place, but positive ain't where I live. If it's raining soup outside, my bowl is upside down.


So, how's your Friday been?

[69 OUR/TEA]

Thankfully,here in Ct,we don't have those annoying yearly inspections.At least for myself,I know my cars are up to par.As far as emmissions testing,here in Ct when they hit 25 years old they are exempt.My 87 GN is now done forever as of last year,yaaaaay!!!!At one years test,the inspector dented my hood closing it,after that I insisted for them NOT to close the hood,and especially since 96 after I did the body and paint.I am truly one of those that HATE having my cars under anyone elses handling !!!!
The only thing we have is an "out of state" vin verification.
When I bought my B5 69 R/T in 98 we did still have safety inspections though,they tried failing me because of the side lights not working,LOL !!!!!Took getting the manager to come out,as the inspector 100% beleived I took the wiring out of the car.
Can see why you would have gotten aggrevated Cooter,should'nt have to deal with a-holes while trying to earn your living.

[Dans 68]

...A hell of a lot better than yours. Thanks for making me feel I had a great day! Good read. 

Dan

[RallyeMike]

Just smile, chuckle, and act joyful next time. It's easier on you and it will piss them off way more than arguing with them.

The percentage of accidents caused by faulty equipment compared to that of human factors is a tick above zero, so you are getting aggrevated for almost nothing anyhow.

[Silver R/T]

Wow that was pretty rough. I have crappy days at work but not quite as bad.

[Indygenerallee]

Should have punched the mouthy bastard...  ..... On the other hand thank God we don't have inspections in Indiana!!

[stripedelete]

I commend you for not embedding a wrench in his head.  However, your best move was writing it all down.  Now you don't have to carry it around.

[Cooter]

You know fellas, it may sound corny, but it really does help to have just one more person simply say something like "You did bout all you could do guy"....Thanks guys.

Troy, Mods, I know there's been times you've almost hit that "Button" on me, but I thank you for allowing me to Keep posting here as sometimes, when days are like these, it is good to come here.

[b5blue]

  You did good, jerks running their pie holes in overdrive should never get your goat. Protecting your professional license and public safety per your states requirements is something you should be proud of!  He most likely was hoping you'd fudge the inspection and pass him so he could go get really high and drive around bragging about how cool he was with his "connections" for inspections. Then your shop would soon be seeing every other looser like him with a crappy car.   

[Finn]

So, how's your Friday been?

I went to Disneyland....

[cdr]

COOTER you did better than i have in the past,been in the auto repair business most of my life,this is what i do when people do what happened to you 

[Cooter]

What got me out of the wole thing was how the boss kinda decided he would I guess, see how I handled something like this. I was looking at him the entire time, there's no way he didn't see/hear what was happening like he claimed. Claimed he wasn't even aware of anything happening until the asswipe came over after i walked away saying "You believe this sh*t?"...

Only then, did he begin to try and "Reason" with him.

If it weren't for going to jail, losing my job, and anything lawsuit wise, I'd have called in a few hard, pipe hittin' friends and took him round back and "Explained" a few things to him. Otherwise, it wasn't worth it.

However, i have since done some recon and found out where this jerkwad likes to hang out at the local Moose lodge and get tanked. Only a matter of time unti I catch him leaving tore up....

[cdr]

ring--------ring------------ring--hello,,, so & so poe poe department

[tan top]

 crikey  ,  you always get one  every now and again , had few days like that !     

[BigBlackDodge]

Wow............what an Idiot.............the other guy, not you Cooter.


I've never had to have a car inspected, but is it common practice to have the car owner right there with you while you inspect it? Seems like it would be better (for the inspector) if they had to wait in the office or something to prevent this kind of thing from happening to you. I know most shops will not allow customers/clients into the shop for insurance purposes, you guys have anything like that?


BBD

[Bob T]

Good read Cooter and yeah good effort for keeping your hat on, no prizes for filling in the village idiot even if he deserve a verbal at the very least. Heard it and seen it here too, guys berating the inspector like its his fault that the worn out part or p.o.s. car is the inspectors fault and yet the moron is happy to drive it around knowing or probably aware at least that it is not up to standard. And worse, likely with family inside it. Dickheads

We have fairly strict 6 monthly road worthy checks here, takes about 30mins and costs around $50, if your car is'nt up to standard it fails and is not allowed to be driven ( except to be taken to repair) and you have 28 days to either take it somewhere for repair or do it yourself if capable and bring it back for a recheck

I had to inspect a friends wiring & switchboard in his house on Friday, was just there to assess putting in an extract fan. The wiring was mostly 50 years old and very hazardous, insulation crumbling etc and a real fire risk. Had to tell him it needed a full rewire and upgraded compliant switchboard, probably $6kish. No one likes to hear that but its a fact of life & I cant sit on my hands and not say it after seeing the state of things. Fortunately he handled it well and realises its all about safety and his house not burning down...

[myk]

"Lighted, hood sprayer nozzles?"  They actually make such things?  Cooter I'm going to have to get back to your post after I drink a few beers and whatnot...

[rt green]

sorry about your day cooter. and yeah, we get those 'gifted' people in now and again. they  bitch and scream out the door and claim they'll never be back. a month later they're back asking for service.  we are not the only game in town so go figure.

[Paul G]

You did a good job maintaining your cool Cooter. In the long run it always pays off to avoid confrontation. The world is full of idiots, bound to run in to them at times.

I work for a public utility, a water company. We have our company name in big letters right on the doors of the trucks. Logo on our shirts, etc. Big targets. I have had people try to run me off the road, lots of dirty looks in traffic. Last week sitting in a restaraunt eating lunch an old guy comes up to our table and says "is this why my bill is so high, you guys just sitting here for hours". Makes you want to say something back. But we don't. Sometimes it can be amusing to say nothing and just ignore them.   

[Sgtwallace]

Could be worse Cooter...you could be a cop an deal with aholes like that all day

We don't have inspections in Iowa.  Kinda wish we did.  Everyone that you fail keeps some unsafe car off of the street that could run into your family or friend's.

Richard.

[Cooter]

Wow............what an Idiot.............the other guy, not you Cooter.


I've never had to have a car inspected, but is it common practice to have the car owner right there with you while you inspect it? Seems like it would be better (for the inspector) if they had to wait in the office or something to prevent this kind of thing from happening to you. I know most shops will not allow customers/clients into the shop for insurance purposes, you guys have anything like that?


BBD

That's just it, he wasn't supposed to be out in the shop, but the boss had known his family and we kinda don't make them go away when we think they are "ok"...
Thing is, the inspections here only cost $16.00.......And on some POS we have to take like a hour(Shop rate is like $90-100/hour) to fully inspect these things.
Newer cars are better becasue odds are, with only 20K miles on it, the body shouldn't be rusted out, or anything REALLY bad wrong. So, we lose BIG TIME on Inspections, but the state police tells us "well, too bad, as you signed up for it"...Really? We Want to lose money doing YOUR job? Thing is, if you don't do inspections, you won't make any money for other things as they simply won't come to you. So, it's kinda a catch 22.

Keeping them in the waiting room only delays the inevidable though, as we still have to inform them that their pride and joy really shoulda been crushed 10 years ago.

[nvrbdn]

holy cow cooter, i can understand that you try to keep customers in todays economy, but to not stand behind your employee is hard when he knows you do your job right.

[Cooter]

Could be worse Cooter...you could be a cop an deal with aholes like that all day

We don't have inspections in Iowa.  Kinda wish we did.  Everyone that you fail keeps some unsafe car off of the street that could run into your family or friend's.

Richard.

I asked the State Tropper here if he'd simply issue the inspectors a gun and badge. We'd never have to call downtown again...It's different when you Command respect with things like Mace, tazer, Gun, Badge, handcuffs, we have nothing but the telephone.

Officer: "Sir, please put your hands behind your back."
Offender: "no"...
Officer:"Sir, i'm going to ask you one more time, then you will be tazed. Do you understand?"
Offender: "No."
ZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTT!


Offender: "Oh man, please sir, don't taze me again! Please sir. I'll cooperate!"....


Inspector: "Please sir, refrain from calling me a Pr*ck and a POS that doesn't know what he's doing".
Offender: "No. PR*CK!"
Inspector: "Ok sir, I'll just call the state police and it'll prolly take the till tomorrow to get back to me on this, for you being rude".
Offender: "Ok, call 'em!"

[Sgtwallace]

I asked the State Tropper here if he'd simply issue the inspectors a gun and badge. We'd never have to call downtown again...It's different when you Command respect with things like Mace, tazer, Gun, Badge, handcuffs, we have nothing but the telephone.

Ever been hit with a telephone?....THEY HURT!!!...

Sorry, I didn't mean to ruffle feathers.  No one should have to put up with that sort of grief for doing their job.

Richard.

[Cooter]

No ruffled feathers here Sgt. I have law enforcement officers in my family and some in the military, so I know what you guys do. I guess I would have some reservations about staring at 9MM bullets flying all day long, with some aimed at me. So, I understand what you were trying to say, it's just different when we have to do their job and we have no recourse when the "Stuff" is happening right then.


BTW "Hit with the phone"...Classic!!!

[Cooter]

Well, Get ready cause this might take while.....

It all began back around 1996 when the wifey was working for a well known Clothing outlet store here (Jahay Krue) spelling off due to legal issues with written info these days, but you get the idea), and was one of their top employees. Packing 40 orders in 40 minutes. Now, some of these were 60 pieces orders each.
You can emagine then right?

Anyway, she was being praised for being top packer and a real go getter. This was until she got hurt. (Long story, but Re-bar sticking out of floor, been complained about numerous times, etc. got her knee, then told to go back to work, and got her back fom walking sideways for over 9 months), anyway, at the end of it all, she was "Laid off" after 12 long years. I was furious. She colasped at work from the back pain and had to be in a wheel chair. They rolled her ass into a broom closet because they didn't want her sitting in the lobby looking the way she did?! I know, it pissed me off too. So badly, that I had a police escort off the property when I picked her up to take her to the emergency room.

Moving foward to today. Bout a year ago, she begins working for a well known $1 store here. She made manager of her own store inside of one year.
I kept telling her when she would hear things from her workers like "Look at her, she's breaking her back for this sh*t hole", or "I'm not gonna work over for this place!" That hard work pays off...She did, and made manager. I thought FINALLY, a corperation that shows hard work can pay off.

Well, that was until tonight. She has rutinely pulled 70-90 hours/week trying to run the only store in the district that NOBODY wants because of the small stockroom. Now, for all those who are thinking, "WTF? Stockroom, why would that matter?"
Well, it's kinda like trying to put 50 lbs of sh*t in a 10 lb bag. She has a 2000 piece truck twice/week. She has to constantly pick up the same merch. and move it to get to what she needs at the moment instead of just stocking it up out of the way. This KILLS her time. Could be so much better if the store that moved out next door could be taken by the store and utilized. The landlord that owns the building has agreed, and tried like hell to allow this to happen for over 10 years.(Store has been there for over 30 years). Always been a problem. As sonn as a new manager gets stuck wit htis store, they fall into that category of "I don't care, I'm just here collecting a paycheck and nothing more". As soon as wifey showed a little "Gumption"(Spelling?), they say "throw her in that store and see just how "Motivated" she really is"....

Ok, so she accepts and turns the storee around into RECORD profits. Even the a$$hole district manager HAD to admit she was "Working wonders" with profits for that store. So, she asked her manager if she would go to bat and get the other stores back room as hers to use to help her run her store more efficiently, and her manager kept tip toeing around the question. So much so, that she almost had to "Demand" or else she'd have to be transferred out of that store. Finally, her manager went over the a$$hole districts head straight to corperate in order to bypass the BS red tape paperwork.
That leads us up to today.

Corperate(Head honchos don't go any higher. Kinda the "Supreme court" so to speak), "Sends" word down that they are NOT GONNA rent the other stores back room, and they have figured out a plan for her(Wifey) in order to make this work. She needs to come in at 4:30 AM and work all day until close @9:30 PM as they are bringing the trucks in at that time. This should solve the problem of not being able to get the truck stock up on time and her having to stock shelves 24/7...

District asswipe says "Well, we can't have her constantly stocking shelves. She needs to be out on the floor". WTF??? Her manager said "How do you think she's been doing the impossible to these "Record Profits" then?" "Well, we can't have that, and we've come up with a plan that should benefit everybody"...

Seriously? That's coperates big plan? Make her work 100 plus hours/week? WTF?
I just want to pose this question to all here that are some kind of degree holding, college graduating, "Managers", Why is it when dealing with corperate thinking, with all those degrees, the dummest idea gets the nod???

Why doesn't common sense even play a role nowadays??? I mean, do they teach these guys in business college to be idiots with degrees? This type thinking is why this chain of retail stores can't find anybody who wants to take the initative to make things happen. To even care anymore.

The wifey for the first two weeks after the previous manager was let go, has customers[Clients if you will], come up to her and THANK HER FOR BEING OPEN ON TIME? What the hell? Yep, the other manager wouldn't even open the damn store until sometimes an hour late. Was never there, and when she was, she was bangin her boyfriend out back.  Yet, when they get someone who gives a damn, the first thing in the managers handbook is to sh*t on that worker, then WONDER why they can't find anybody to run that store. Just last week, after the big storm, the wifey's store's power went out. Well, you can emagine how much was lost in food that went bad. No problem, act of God. Well, they get in a new freezer($4K) and stock it. It goes bad and another $1500.00 worth of food Goes bad.
Wifey says, "Hey, I got a guy here that is an electrician, and he says the wiring in the buiding has to be redone as it was never meant to have this many electrical devices run off the existinig power panel box and it's overloading". What do you think Corperate did?
Yep, Stock it again.. Another New freezer($4K) and sure nuff, another panel box breaker burns out and another $1000.00 worth of Ice Cream lost.

I'm just s simple wrench turner. I'm not a well educated man but damn I can spot an idiot when I see 'em and these guys take the cake. I don't have a bunch of degrees that say I'm all that. I didn't go to "College" so to speak, I went to a "Trade school" Nashville Auto Diesel College...Even a lowely mechanic can spot to stupidity in what coperate is doing. "Do more with less, and when they complain find someone else. Who cares if we have the turn over rate of a freakin football game. We are the managers, and we have degrees."

I just don't understand anymore. Try and give a damn, and you get sh*t on. Don't give a damn, show up late, give yourself a raise by NOT working the hours your supposed to, when questioned, LIE, and you are rewarded. WTF is wrong with the world? I don't think Hank woulda done it this way....

[resq302]

Youre absolutely right.  Cops I work with who are lazy, don't get crap accomplished, push off the work on the newer cops or dispatchers, they all seem to get rewarded with various awards and such like that yet the little people who actually do the grunt of the work or the hands on / dirty work get nothing in return.  Not even a thanks or a job well done.  Now granted, I did not get into this line of work to be thanked for what I am getting paid to do, but with all the criticism that my department does and how fast they are to write you up for doing a little thing wrong, it would be nice to have an "atta-boy" letter or so in your file also once in a while.

Sorry to hear that your wife is getting crapped on and that the typical corporate world is still as dumb as ever.  I keep saying that the human civilization will be its own demise. 

[Indygenerallee]

That's everything anymore and it's a damn shame no accountability and most importantly nobody has any as my granddad called it "street smarts".

[BigBlackDodge]

Cooter...

No good deed goes unpunished!

I had a co-worker who's brother managed one of those 'dollar store' type places. Corporate would send in merchandise to his store just make themselves look good on the books. They had inventory stacked in the isles with no other place to put it, the corporate guy looked great by moving all that stuff though! .....and probably picked a great commission doing it.

Sounds like she should go into business for herself?

I've never known a rich person who worked for someone else.


BBD

[Cooter]

Update:

Wifey's hard work didn't go unnoticed. Just when you think the world is full of asswipe people, a couple renew your faith.
A couple guys overheard Wifey talking bout leaving and mentioned her name to one of the owners of a well known snack food company here. (F.L.)...

Long story shirt, she has a meeting with corperate, and they start her out at almost double what she's making now. As soon as she got done with talking to the guys, her district Mgr. walked in and overheard the whole thing. She was "visually upset" as wifey puts it, because she knows she's gonna look like hell on paper when profits go in the sh*tter if wifey leaves. And Now begins what I like to refer to as "The great asskiss syndrome"...Of which, doesn't mount ot a hill-of-beans IMO, because if She is worth that to them now, she shoulda been worth it to them all along.

We'll see....Oh and thanks guys for reading my "Saga".

[Dans 68]

    

Dan

[nvrbdn]

  sounds like it may end well. they always seem to want to take care of you when its too late. good luck to the wife.