| Author | Message | ||
     Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 881 Registered: 05-2003 |
This may seem like a dumb question, but I am still troubled by an experience I had late this afternoon. I don't know who or where else I might ask about this. Street trucks are very popular around here. I don't even know if that is the correct term for them. They are very fancy, have lots of glittery accessories, tanks are being mounted in them, and I don't think I've ever seen a speck of dirt on them (even the wheels are shiny and spotless). I witnessed some snottiness of owners toward a jeeper once and I did not think that was very nice at all. There is a store here which is not near me that specializes in trucks and accessories. I have heard the name of it often, but only recently became aware of it's location. I finished up my day earlier than expected and decided to drive over there because I have been looking for some tie down straps that will work better than what I have been using. I drove up to the "store front" of this place and there were a few fancy looking trucks parked out front. They looked like they had tens of thousands of dollars of accessories on them, perhaps for shows, and all were labeled with the companies name. I'm not one for "street trucks" but I thought they looked pretty cool and wondered what alot of the parts were as I passed them. Walking by the garage area I was impressed because the workers were diligently working appearing to be paying close attention to what they were doing. The garages were spotless. I started to look forward to going inside and seeing what this place was all about. So I go in, there were 4 or 5 employees there behind a big fancy counter. The place was decorated with floormats that had this silloute of a woman without any clothes on and believe it or not, so are their business cards. I went in there cheerful and I don't think I had an attitude of any kind. I was nice and clean and coincidentally so was my truck. However, they looked at me like I was pond scum or something. They literally had their noses up in the air. I am sure of this because I was dumbfounded by it. They asked me what I wanted and I told them I was looking for some straps. I was condescendingly told to go to Home Depot if I wanted straps. I was also told that they could not get things like straps. I could not help but think that they did not want my business because they had several copies of the Reliable Source in front of them and I have been told that they can order anything (they do this for other customers). They stood there looking snotty and mean and I left the store confused by their elitist attitudes. It kind of hurt my feelings too. Driving away, I knew that I would never ever give them any of my business, even if they did have something I needed. On the way home, I stopped by a jeep 4x4 shop (where there are NICE and HUMBLE people) to order a peice of recovery equipment that I need. I told the owner about my experience and said that I felt like calling the owner to tell him that due to his employee's attitudes I would never shop there. The jeep store owner said that the owner wouldn't care in a way that I think may have meant that the owner was the same way. Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone understand the dynamics of street truck owners vs rovers/jeeps? If so, do you know what it's all about? Is it this way in other parts of the country? Again, I apologize for this question that may seem silly. I've seen this attitude before but have never personally been on the receiving end of it. It did not feel good and it was not a pleasant experience. It's like I walked into extremely hostile enemy territory. I was very kind and I don't understand why they were so mean spirited and snotty. There was a definite attitude in that store that they were better than anyone else. What's up with that?? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Jamie | ||
| KJ (Karen) Senior Member Username: Karen Post Number: 224 Registered: 02-2002 |
Jamie, It's always a shocker when you go into a place of business and are treated as inconsequential. Sometimes things (and some people) are not worth pondering past "Mean People Suck" and moving along. You did the right thing, you voted with your feet. I guess there are a lot of doors to walk in and out of in life and you found the exit there. How can you quantify and explain the treatment you got today? It's imponderable really. Try as well as you can to shake it off, don't give it more head-space than it deserves, and be glad you found a better place to spend your hard-earned money. You're having too much fun with your truck to let some oafish morons ruin your mood. Karen  | ||
| Sergei Rodionov (Uzbad) Senior Member Username: Uzbad Post Number: 306 Registered: 08-2003 |
Jamie, its not just you. I had nearly same experience with couple of shops around these parts. Including some scuffing from jeep shops Just do not pay attention to such things. Pointless to waste any nerves on that. Idiots will be idiots no matter what you try on them. However - you driving british truck, so you can always put on some accent and use English english to put them in some serious spin and have some fun Something to watch to pick up nastiness and relieve stress: Black Adder, Fawlty Towers Can go for Red Dwarf and Father Tedd afterwards.. | ||
| Alan Yim (Alan) Senior Member Username: Alan Post Number: 1068 Registered: 09-2002 |
Jaimie, I'm not sure if this is relevant or not but around here, the are different little groups of truck/4x4 drivers. There are those with fancy "street trucks", guys who own jacked up Fords, Chevy's and Dodges with huge tires on them (they look like mini-monster trucks), mall crawlers and off-road enthusiasts. Usually when you encounter the off-road enthusiasts, they have Jeeps, older Toyotas, etc and they're pretty open. They in fact find Rover guys to be oddballs but in a nice way since there are so few of us so they're curious. They'll come around and check out the rigs and ask questions but they generally know the history to LR and respect them. The guys with the old jacked up Fords, Chevys, Dodges tend to have a bit of an attitude and almost a reverse elitist attitude and their idea of fun is to raise the crap out of their truck and go blasting through mud holes for fun. Skill doesn't seem to really enter into it. In fact, one day a couple of guys at work were watching the "Rubicon" DVD that I lent them at work and one of these jacked-up Ford guys walked in and watched a bit of it. I wasn't present when this happened but one of the guys told me that this fellow watched a bit of the DVD and laughed and said "my sister could drive through that easily with my truck. It's not hard at all!" and walked out. Some of these guys are also the same guys who own a tricked out street trucks too so it's not uncommon by the looks of it. Just ignore it and take your business elsewhere. | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 883 Registered: 05-2003 |
Thanks, your words are reassuring. I do not like it when people act superior to other people for any reason at all. It was shocking to see this displayed so strongly at a place of business. Not to sound mean, but I told the nice jeep guy that they needed to get their trucks stuck somewhere in deep mud to straighten out their attitudes. Thanks again, Jamie | ||
| Mahn England (One_iota) New Member Username: One_iota Post Number: 32 Registered: 02-2003 |
Jamie, I once went into a shop to buy a Silva compass for bushwalking. The shop was founded by Paddy Palin, a gentle man who helped to pioneer bushwalking as a recreational activity in Australia. His legacy is profound in that he helped to nuture in city dwellers a love of the country. I was served by a lad with Attitude (maybe just because he worked there) I was treated with comtempt and disdain because I wanted to find out which was the most appropriate model to buy. If only he had realised that if I knew what I wanted I would have bought one over the internet and he wouldn't have had a job. Attitude is ubiquitous and is usually adopted by people who don't have the character to form their own views and rely on a front to avoid the strain and effort of understanding who they are let alone their relationship to other human beings. My mum says of these experiences that she wished she had a gun (she really doesn't mean that but I know how she feels) | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 886 Registered: 05-2003 |
Your mom sounds like a neat lady Would you like to hear something totally absolutely ridiculous about my experience? Their truck was seen a few times checking out my truck a few months ago. From what I understand, whoever it was has shown a very strong interest in mine. The more I think about it, I don't think they ever saw what I was driving yesterday. I did not park in an area that was visible to them when I drove in. Had they seen my truck, I have a funny feeling that I would have been treated totally differently. When I started on this, I was a total dumb bunny. Sometimes I still am. The further I progress, the more I find out how fortunate I have been to have been put in touch with Bill and Rachel Burke at bb4wda and John Lee at Expedition Exchange (among others). They were nice, kind, helpful, patient, and instructive long before I ever spent a single penny. If only all businesses recognized that they win their customer loyalty before they make their first sale. My business stays with the nice people Thanks again, Jamie | ||
| michael burt (Mikeyb) Senior Member Username: Mikeyb Post Number: 659 Registered: 03-2002 |
i am willing to bet that 12 to 24 months from now, they will be out of business. their business will dwindle down to their buddies as no one else will go in and sooner or later they will not be able to pay the rent. darwinian economics will win the day! | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 888 Registered: 05-2003 |
Hiya MikeyB! Good to see your post!! Tonight was a much much better 4 wheel drive vehicle day. I hooked up with the jeepers tonight and had good fun. They talked me into going up their articulation ramp. I was scared to do it since I've never done that before. They were reassuring, encouraging, and had excellent spotters that were really on the ball. I didn't know my truck could go up on one of those. They took measurements of every rig before going up, then measurements when the first wheel started spinning. I don't know what all the numbers meant - but once my truck was up there, I got out and jumped down to go see what it looked like sitting there up on the ramp. I was sure I would smack my rear bumper on the way up or down, but I didn't - I had plenty of clearance. They all have pretty incredible rigs and they didn't mind having me tag along at all. | ||
| Matthew A. Barnes (Discoveryxd) Senior Member Username: Discoveryxd Post Number: 406 Registered: 08-2003 |
It must have been an RTI (ramp travel index, I think if I remember right) ramp. Did they tell you what your certain "RTI score" was? I've always wanted to try one of those. You know, just for fun... | ||
| Matthew A. Barnes (Discoveryxd) Senior Member Username: Discoveryxd Post Number: 407 Registered: 08-2003 |
http://www.offroaders.com/info/tech-corner/rti.htm Some reading for you Jamie... Enjoy | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 890 Registered: 05-2003 |
There were several numbers. There was some division involved for final numbers of something. I didn't ask what the numbers were because I wouldn't have understood it anyway. I think they put the numbers to work for making adjustments ahead of time for terrain expected on the trail, but I'm not sure. Club keeps them on file so I could get them. Since it was first time for me, they allowed me to have my full wheel on the ramp and also allowed it to be 2 inches from the ramp edge. Next time I won't be afraid to do it, so I will do it the regular way without my entire wheel on the ramp. Thanks for the link | ||
| michael burt (Mikeyb) Senior Member Username: Mikeyb Post Number: 661 Registered: 03-2002 |
hey jamie...! glad to hear you had some better wheelin' days! we had a ramp at the texas rovers thanksgiving party, but i did not get on it...too bad, we could have compared numbers! | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 899 Registered: 05-2003 |
How come you didn't get on it? Did you build a snowman today? Today was an even better wheelin' day. On the way home today, I found a "trail" that I didn't even know that was here that runs through the mangroves and along the water. Actually, I think it was a service road. I decided to run it twice, well run is not a good word - I creeped along two times. I found out for sure that when I have solo trail ride that I am more comfortable sideways when the drivers side is up. I found that out when I came back out on the trail the first time and had to cross sideways with drivers side down - yuk. I was thinking maybe my idea wasn't so bright after all. I was so please when I made it back out ok that I decided I needed to go back in for one more practice round. When I was just about to come out the last time and nearing the end of the trail where it would intersect the road, a small car (a tourist) crossed my path 100ft ahead and drove right into the water. Why do tourists feel the need to do this on a regular basis? This one didn't do it the usual way and drive off a bridge or seawall, it just drove straight thru the bayside beach area and into the water. Duh!! | ||
| michael burt (Mikeyb) Senior Member Username: Mikeyb Post Number: 662 Registered: 03-2002 |
i was washing down the turkey with vast amounts of beer and figured it was best to leave all wheels on the ground and the keys in my pocket! no snowpersons! and it will melt by sunday! having spent a fair amount of time in canada for the last few years, i have lost my normal texans amazment with snow! if i can't climb it, i don't frolic in it! so did you have to rescue your tourist friends, or did they make it out on their own? | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 904 Registered: 05-2003 |
No, I didn't pull them out. I followed them far enough to see that they were not in any immediate danger after they went around the bend. There appeared to be some method to their madness since they continued driving a straight course down the beach with one half of the car in the water and the other half on the beach. I saw a few sailors out there loading their gear back into their vehicles, so I knew someone was around if they did get into trouble. Driving in saltwater is never a good idea. | ||
| michael burt (Mikeyb) Senior Member Username: Mikeyb Post Number: 663 Registered: 03-2002 |
they say it takes all kinds, but i don't believe them, snows all gone and it will be 70 by thursday. gotta love winter around here... | ||
| Peter Matusov (Pmatusov) Senior Member Username: Pmatusov Post Number: 1346 Registered: 09-2002 |
Jamie, if it makes you feel any better - the dumbest store in San Diego (that I've cared to shop at) is Off Road Warehouse. Unfortunately, this one's relatively close to where I live (don't want to drive 22 miles to 4WheelParts) - so I am stuck with having to explain the guys what do I need, where to find the stock number, and... that "YES, YOU HAVE IT IN STOCK". And that experience is not only rover-limited, they don't know jack about jeeps, too. Seems more like a dune buggy outfit. | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 917 Registered: 05-2003 |
I can relate I can laugh about this now, but when I was preparing to attend my first off road event, I had been given a short list of what I needed to bring along. I didn't know the items were more of a "specialty item" and were not kept in stock. The guys in the stores didn't know what they were either. I can't tell you what kind of looks I got when (as a girl) I walked in and asked for snatch straps and shackles. The guys in the stores would start looking at me like I was some kind of sick kinky pervert. It's hilariously funny now, but it wasn't then. | ||
| Peter Matusov (Pmatusov) Senior Member Username: Pmatusov Post Number: 1349 Registered: 09-2002 |
did you specify "snatch" when you asked for straps? | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 919 Registered: 05-2003 |
Yes, I read it exactly from my list: 30 x 2 Snatch Strap At Home Depot, the guy there went pale and looked horrified when I told him that I needed 2 shackles. I became concerned and asked him if he was okay? He thought I was going to try to use shackles as leg irons to transport prisoners. Where in the world do people come up with these crazy conclusions? I told the guys that in the future when they needed me to get something with weird names that I wasn't going to do it. I'll give them the money and they can do the shopping. |
