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Hoosier Cardinal
| | Posted on Monday, August 19, 2002 - 11:51 am: | 
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Why are a lot of radio techs so snooty and wierd acting towards customers? I know Jack 292 out in Ariz is a poster child in this aspect but even some of the local techs i know are snottty acting. Some get really defensive if you ask them a challenging question about radios and antennas or show them that you know as much as they do about antennas and radios (BOY oh BOY dont do that to Jack! LOL!) and some get snotty when you ask them if they can do a certain mod to a radio or tell them "my radio or amp will not do this or that on my meter". I dunno i guess most of them all try to make the end user CBers all look and feel dumb i guess!. some of these guys are just well, oddballs!!!! LOL Anyone have the same experiences as me?
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bruce
| | Posted on Monday, August 19, 2002 - 6:39 pm: |
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Hooser i seen that in radio shack nothing frosts me faster than to see someone riped off. Now i know there are lots of stupid sales guys i watch one showing a 2 meter moble to a cb'er and was telling him this is 25 watts and will go father than a REGULAR cb. Ive also seen people walk into a rad-shack and DEMAND to be sold a linear and realy go irate when i explaned they could not do that AFTER the sales man had tried first. The problem always has been the cb end user for the mosr part knows little about what he is buying and " TECHS" and sales guys know that At work i have imployees come to me all the time few know anything past puching the button and many tell the same story you just told.... i got treated like i had the iq of a rock. One even showed me a gaggit he bought from a "TECH" it was a ring of steel with 3 short antennas at 120 deg apart and this thing was a " GROUNDPLANE " for his wip! so just for the heck of it i grabed a meter and measured it at 10 foot from his car no change with or without. Calling them ODDBALLS is a insult to that group better know-it-alls. But its in ham radio too no diffrence. |
BIG FOOT
| | Posted on Monday, August 19, 2002 - 8:56 pm: |
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...tried some thing different last Spring, went to local RADIO SHACK store to apply for PART-TIME work for extra dough... filled ouot app. talked to manager..he sez..got to go to District office the next tuesday night 6 pm..gave directions & px # in case of problems finding it... went to DISTRICT of ice for seminar with other potential employees from other stores scattered through the district... this meeting took 4 hours.....called the store I applied at 3 days later for info on whether I had a job with them or not....( this is the good part) MANAGER tells me IN PERSON that "since I have used cb radios & scanners for over 20 PLUS years, plus tha fact that I have an AMATEUR radio licence, that I am OVER-QUALIFIED for work at RADIO SHACK "...and that " hiring ME would make the other employees at this store and other local stores feel INFERIOR to my knowledge of radios ". Believe it or not, it is TRUE....BIG FOOT |
bruce
| | Posted on Monday, August 19, 2002 - 10:21 pm: |
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HA HA HA IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS THE OVER QUALIFIED SALES MAN WORKS FOR SOMEONE ELSE! Love it !!! |
ss8541
| | Posted on Monday, August 19, 2002 - 10:55 pm: |
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hoosier the reason is because they know that they really don't know jack(no pun intended, but i do know 292 and have had my clashes with him). so when a customer who knows as much as they do or even more approaches them, they quickly get defensive and get a 'snooty' attitude. what better way to stop the questions that they can't answer. or better yet, they know that you know the answer, are asking to see what they will say, and they know that their lines of bs that they use with other customers will not float with you.
the bottom line is that they don't know, are afraid that you do know, and are scared of you. when i was in h.school and the military i would stop into shops to 'talk' and i got this attitude quite often. it didn't take me long to find the cause. there was only one guy semi-locally that understood radios. when i went to his shop as a teen, he would let me come in the back with him, and see what he was doing. if he couldn't answer my questions, he told me he didn't know. but there weren't many that he couldn't answer. his name was harry binder and he was the owner of golden star electronics of fayetteville nc. if it wasn't for him, i may not have kept my ambitions of being a radio tech (he retired while i was in the military and told me that the area needed another good tech). and because of him, i got my ham license. so there are 'techs' out there that can turn you off of radio, or really turn you on to radio. i myself prefer to follow my mentor, and be the latter. |
BIG FOOT
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 20, 2002 - 12:52 am: |
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...yes, told some of my amateur radio friends about it at HUNTSVILLE hamfest...we had a commotion for about 15 seconds!!!...one said if the word got out that a amateur radio operator worked at RADIO SHACK, it would be a GIANT step BACKWARD for amateur radio !!...so I guess NOT getting it was a great move..they hired a MEXICAN to handle the increasing spanish population in this area ( that may explain the increasing cb spanish speaking folks from ALABAMA )....PRAISE the LORD...BIG FOOT |
Hoosier Cardinal
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 20, 2002 - 2:49 am: |
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Good GAWD!!!!!!!!!
All those radio shack guys know to do is sell, sell, sell, sell, sell. "Wanna buy a $19.95 golf scope to go with that pack of resistors?" |
bruce
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 20, 2002 - 7:25 am: |
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Hey Mr Hoosier want to buy a slightly used 2 meter radio to go with that golf scope? |
Hoosier Cardinal
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 20, 2002 - 1:56 pm: |
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Naw. Not interested im not a ham sorry. LOL I used to know a tech that was actually a mentor for me too. He was a retired NAVY radio technician and served in the Korean conflict. The guy was a master at anything radio and he was one of the guys that got me hooked into radios and antennas! Unfortunately hes gone now passed in 1997 but he was one of the best. I also once was practically kicked out of a techs shop once for challengeing him on the famous NPC/RC mods. He argued that it was a waste of time and it would never work. When i took him in a radi that i did the NPC mod to myself to have him see it for himself on his meters he got mad and asked me to leave or he was gonna call the cops on me for trespassing. Well to say the least he no longer works on radios because of his snotty attitude no one likes the guy! In a sense i think some of these guy are so smart that they actually are stupid in the PR department. They dont know how to handle people and their different personalities(IE Jack 292) so they act they way they do. |
Bigbob
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 20, 2002 - 9:55 pm: |
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The sales peeple up heer are reel onest,i dont no,i dont no,i dont no,ad infinitum.reel simple ansers to all yor kwestions.im hookt on fonics. |
Hoosier Cardinal
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 2:48 am: |
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One thing about radio shacks around here is you almost never walk in and spend a lot of $$$ because they NEVER have what i want!!!! LOL! I walk in and right back out i walk with the same amount of $$$ i had 10 minutes before!!!!! |
BIG FOOT
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 9:26 am: |
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..(duh),,,we aint got that item IN STOCK but we can ORDER it for you and you can come by in 2 WEEKS and it may/may not be here...that was the way it USED to be...now it is " we do not have that item in stock, but we can order the wrong item and have it sent to your home in less than 2 days "......since " we really dont care if you are happy or not, just so long as we get our commission and of course, the next pay check."...hey applying for a job at radio shack was an inside joke from day ONE, but now with CHRISTMAS in a few months, they may "lower their standards " and hire ME, should I re-apply ?..go to a different store and start from scratch ? |
Triplecguy
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 10:37 am: |
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RAT SHCAK is bad here COlorado too. They never ever have what you ask for, and they always say "Well , I can sell you the display" , then if you ask for 10 or 20% off, they say, I'm sorry that's against our policy. As for techs, I put them into the same category as I.T. people. They're usually too smart to be able to socialize, like artists or musicians are. It's almost like the part of the brain that houses social interaction is used to house technical stuff. No offense to anyone intended.
DAN |
B1kshad0w
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 12:38 pm: |
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Triplecguy you might be correct on people that are technical being antisocial. I think part of it is because you tell someone the truth and they get mad. I personally hate going to radioshack. The people there are usually less than friendly and very uneducated. I went there and asked if they sold lighted fiber optic cables. (I've bought them before and use them to light my power supply meters. You just hook them to 12volts and run the cable around the display) They said they've never heard of such a thing and said they had cable but it was $30 dollars. They proceeded to laugh at me saying you can't buy lighted fiber optic cable. I guess they've never even seen those lighted flowers and such at the mall around xmas. Either than or it is beyond their mental capablity to figure out what they are. Anyways, be smart, stay away from radio shack. If you have to buy parts, there are lots of good catalogs and long time dealers. You will save alot of money and get higher quality parts. |
Hoosier Cardinal
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 12:56 pm: |
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triplecguy.
I agree. It seems like some of them adopt the "computer geek school of thought" with in regards to social interaction kinda like being "socially retarded" i guess... But ive found out most techs (NOT just radio techs either! Ever try to talk to a tech from Gateway or Dell or wherever they have a techs service dept for computers when you have computer problems?HA!) are NOT good at social interaction and dealing with peoples different personalities and differences not my tech is NOT that way hes just, LOL, himself! |
Cuddlebear
| | Posted on Friday, August 23, 2002 - 2:30 pm: |
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"You've got questions, We have idiots."
I hate my local Rat Shack. It really irritates me when I go into a Rat Shack and they say "Sorry, we are a private store and don't carry that item here." Then I have to travel 50 miles to a REAL Rat Shack that has the item. Our local store here is a joke. |
Hoosier Cardina
| | Posted on Friday, August 23, 2002 - 7:13 pm: |
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"Youve got questions, we are totaly clueless!" Ther that should be their motto or "youve got questions' we have no answers!" |
Neilb4me
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 03, 2002 - 12:32 am: |
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In a different light , but along the same lines.
It seems that this attitude is not just limited to radios but to all things electronic.(maybe even all things period)
I used to have a small DJ service and was always the guy with the biggest stereo in town. I used to make a game out of going into the electronics and stereo supply shops and asking to see the new lineup of stereos. Always some kid who either dropped out of school or was working part time while attending would rush over to the display area keen on showing me all the expensive junk and hoping I would buy some. they would always pick out a tape or CD to show off with,and then I would take the volume control and roll it up a bit higher than they had it set. Then a bit more and always they would reach over and turn it down.Usually they would say to keep from bothering the other customers and if there was no one else in the store I would say so and turn it back up a bit. Often times ,this would enrage them and the more diplomatic would start trying to appeal to you as the real connisour (sp?) and start trying to bull*&#@ you with a bunch of technical stuff that didnt really mean much but kept you busy talking til you gave up and left.
The others would just get mad and tell you to leave before you blew something up. " Why does the dial go to 10 if you cant use it past 6? "Where do you keep the good stuff then?,because I have a better stereo at home already than this junk". These were questions they did not want to hear. If they even had contacts to get better equipment, the best they could do was show you a brochure as most of the stock they move is purely consumer grade home electronics and the largest reason for most of the sales of any particular item is lack of any other choices. How many times have you asked for something only to be told ,"You dont really need that..Why this little baby right here will do all you are looking for". You will never be sorry for putting out the little extra to buy the best based on what information you have to work with at the time,but you will curse daily the purchase that fails to live up to expectations.Fact is ..most of them only tell you word for word what the boss or the brochure stated and don't have a clue what they are talking about. Just the fact that they were on the other side of the counter put them above the average guy walking thru the door, in their estimation. To conclude a long story I have a pair of Klipsch "La Scala's" that I have had since 1987,and a Nikko Alpha 2000/Beta 600 that have stood the test of time and now reside in my basement. They are definitely not the biggest on the market...but they sure rock my world!! Thanks ...Neil
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Scrapiron63
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 03, 2002 - 10:33 am: |
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Haha, I guess Stero is like computers and radios, someone that's never turned one on, becomes an expert in 6 months after his first purchase. Speaking of Klipsch speakers, Paul Klipsch the inventor of the Klipschorn and founder of the company, just died this year at the age of 98. He was still active in the company until a short while before his death. He still lived down there near the Southwest Proving Grounds at Hope, Arkansas, where he was stationed in World War II, and started his company in one of the old abandoned buildings after the War. |
Deadly Eyes
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 12:38 am: |
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Re Big Foot And HC...
Big Foot:
It does not surprise me that you should say that you were told you were overqualified. Because you were. Remember the average radio shack employee is paid only to direct you to a rack on the wall. You, I guess, are expected to know what you need. The best place to get parts, believe it or not, is a commercial electrical supply house. The employees there are usually know what goes where and why.
After all in todays world they cannot put numbers on the cash registers. They put pretty pictures on the keys.
And the world spins on.
HC:
Hmm I do not think that it is deliberate snooty in most cases. Consider, I as an accountant, have to from time to time talk to people who are not accountants. As an individual I have a hard time making my intentions clear when I have to talk accounting in non accounting terms. Others can do this very well. I, unfortunately, cannot.
I think perhaps that in most of the cases of what seems to be snootieness is just a person like myself who just cannot speak in terms that most people understand readily.
Think of it this way. A lawyer talks in legalease terms that fly over our heads as if they were jet aircraft rather than simply ask "So John, did you punch the poop out of this guy?" I guess some techs are better at explaining things better than other techs. |
Chris142
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 11:11 am: |
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My local Radio Shack should be called "Cell phone shack"....seems that is all their interested in selling.
Went there to buy a 102'steel whip reciently.Guy had no clue what that was.I had to tell him to find the longest roundest tube in the storage room.The first one he brought out was a fiberglass whip.......at least he got the 102' part right. |
MrDelaney
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 11:01 pm: |
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Maybe he didn't get the 102" part right. Aren't fiberglass whips 96"? But what do I know. I don't have the edumucation of a radio shack employee... |
DeadlEyes
| | Posted on Thursday, September 05, 2002 - 12:17 am: |
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Re Chris...
The best way to handle this is to get the catalog and point to the picture of the item.
;-)
Signed
Now were did I put
that 102 steel whip??????
DE |
Dimstar
| | Posted on Thursday, September 05, 2002 - 6:53 am: |
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Radio Shack...... You have questions, we have blank stares |
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