w00zie

I'm generally a pretty easy going guy, very patient, but I just had a really horrible experience with the parts dept guy at Pfaff Porsche and I need to vent

Here were the chain of events and I apologize for the length of my post,,,,but I actually took the time to write them down while they were fresh in my memory, I walked away thinking "I'm a long time Pfaff customer, from cars, service to parts, did I really get treated this way over a $14 item";

• Arrived at Pfaff in Vaughan with my 2 kids (2 & 5 yrs old)
• Ring the Bell for service
• Guy comes out, asks what I'm looking for
• I tell him 997.1 catalytic conv gaskets
• He asks for which year.....I tell him 2007 Targa 4S
• He shows me the PC screen, I point to him the end of cat as the gaskey I'm looking for
• He asks me for my VIN, I tell him I dont have it, but its just a standard triagular gasket
• He tells me he needs my VIN, as the gaskets can vary by 997's (I thought all NA cats excluding GT3/RS used the same gaskets)
• I tell him I don't have my car nor my VIN, but that I bought the car here, and asked if he can look it up, he quickly says "NO!"
• He says, "I can't help you without the VIN", and that I would have to come back when I had it
• Thankfully the nice girl next to him steps in, and says she can look it up
• She get my VIN, he enters it in the computer, and finds the gasket
• He says "I'll be right back" and goes in the back
• Now, while he was in the back my 2 year old was talking to me and I didn't realize my 5 year old had rung the bell a few times, he came back out, took the bell and I apologized for it and he went back through the door........maybe this is what set him off
• While he's in the back I pull out my PCA membership #
• He comes back out, says follow me, and I mention to him I have a pca membership
• He stops in his tracks, gets pissed off, says "you should have told me that before, I've already printed the invoice, theres nothing I can do now, we'll get you next time"
• He proceeds to start walking fast again to the girl at the front with the POS
• As we're walking, I simply say, "I didnt know you were printing out an invoice in the back, otherwise I would have mentioned my PCA # earlier"
• He seems to get more irate, says "well theres nothing I can do about it, you should have told me in advance, I'm not voiding this invoice"
• I say "I never asked you to void the invoice I was just trying to say I didnt know you printed out the invoice"
• He quickly and abrubly responds "yes you did ask me to void the invoice" (I never once asked him, essentially calling me a liar in front of the lady at the front)
• He now seems to get more pissed off and say its only 10% off, do you want these or not, and once again says, "next time say you're a member"
  
  If it wasn't for the fact I had just driven 45 min with my 2 kids I would have walked out, but I said I guess I have no choice to take them
  he puts them down on the desk with the girl and walks away

He started off being very standoff ish, it felt like I was wasting his time and that he had better things to do. It's hard to describe the situation, but probably the best way is he was talking down to me, with a mixture of sarcasm while being condescending.

In the past, whenever I've bought anything at their parts counter, they go back, bring it to the front, ask your name and number to make an invoice, and it's at that time I've given them my PCA #, while they ask me for my name and info. This is the first time I've had them print it in the back.

For that matter, this is the first time they don't ask my name etc...

The invoice he printed out was to 'CASH', again, first time they don't ask me for my name.

I've had another "interesting" incident with this guy a few month ago. I stopped by to get a price on a 997.2 key head for a 997.1, he had asked for a VIN, I said it wouldn't help, looking for a 997.2 key head for a 997.1 VIN. He told me it wouldn't work so it wasn't even worth pricing, I told him i had already done it before to which he answered "I don't think so, it won't work, but if you want spend money and risk it that's your choice."

I wish I would have got his name, but I had two kids with me and wasn't in the mood to stay

Am I overreacting?

From now on I will go out of my way to buy my parts at DFC or Suncoast

Thanks for letting me vent

porsche0nut

Not overreacting in my opinion. Sure he may have had an "off" day or something else going on - but that's no excuse for poor customer service. He should be willing to bend over backwards for you, go above and beyond the call of duty. Voiding an invoice shouldn't even be a discussion, as soon as you said "I have a PCA membership" he should have said "great" and done whatever necessary to make it happen.

That's disappointing. It's difficult to find good service... people don't understand that a customer's business is earned, not deserved!

PbPedis

Here's what I would do:

1) copy
2) cpfaff@pfaffauto.com
3) paste

Even if this guy was having an off day, that is no way to treat a customer, especially one who purchased their car there.

Sciloh

I would have asked for the parts manager...one thing i can't stand is bad customer service.

jumper5836

I don't know, but if I was in the back with some *** wipe dinging the bell. I would have come out and kicked your *** to the curb. Then again I am not a great service person and doubt I'd keep my job under those circumstances.

Sounds like the guy doesn't want to work there. If he did he would pretend he wasn't annonyed. Sounds to me like you should write the dealer and tell them you were displeased with that service person and that he wasn't treating you with respect.

boraiv333

I agree with PbPedis, contact Chris at Pfaff and ask him to find another individual that appreciates his/her job.

Having a client facing job with a bad attitude is inappropriate. If you decide, send me a private note of the individual or I could look up your invoice to resolve the issue if you wish.

petee1997

You would be doing them a service to send them a copy of your post. Address it to general manager with copies to the parts mgr. and service mgr.
As far as ringing the bell, it's there to let them know there is a customer at the counter.
That parts guy should be out of there. Give the dealership the invoice #. That should help them identify the axxxhole.

BioBanker

Sounds like they've got the wrong guy dealing with customers.

Chimcu

Yup I've noticed it's really bad now after the Reno ... Sigh I am in Monday for bulbs replacement

911 Crazy

Go right to the dealership manager and report to Porsche Customer Care.

DHI

This type of service wouldn't be acceptable at an open air flea market let alone a Porsche dealer, where you regularly spend big dollars might I add.

I am much like you... Pretty tolerant and not one to stir the ****, but from where I am sitting... Cut and paste your message to the administration as suggested by Pbpedis above.

GT3 KID

Hey, I am not defending any one for there actions, But please allow me to explain.
I work at Pfaff as a Tech. We recently found out that one of our co- worker/ friend died this past Sunday. He worked with us as a parts consultant. His funeral was yesterday, so we are down one parts guy. Its a very tragic loss and its very hard for those guys at parts to be looking at this empty desk everyday this week and knowing that our co worker will not be returning. I am very sorry for your bad customer service. You can PM me and if you need anything in the future with any work that needs to be done in your car or parts that you may need. Or you can come and see me at work if you need any Porsche related tech help. Thanks so much and sorry once again. Cheers.

Brian 162

I purchase oil filters from them sometimes. That bell set up is pretty lame in my opinion. There should be no door so they can see you. Some dealers have a counter for the mechanics on one side and another counter on the other with the parts guys in the middle. Everything is in the open.
All my bills say cash as well.
The parts guy that served me there was always helpful not looking down on anyone, and I show up in dirty coveralls.

LastMezger

You're a better man than I.

I would have told him to get the f*%! back in there, do a new damn invoice and if he ever spoke to me like that again that gasket would the last f'ing god damn thing he'd ever see.

Arguably I need to work on my people skills.

aviography

I dealt with Jason there a few times when I first got my car, he was very helpful when I asked if I bought 4 regular lug bolts will they let me borrow the correct key to loosen the lock bolt since neither the PO and myself could locate the lock key initially, he said absolutely and in fact offered to take the car into their shop and do it for me.

He later arranged to have a couple of small items I ordered delivered to Phaff Oakville so I can pick them up convinently on a Saturday.

I sure hope and wouldn't think this person would be Jason........

Regardless that a close coworker has passed away, the attitude described here by OP is simply unacceptable in a Customer Care capacity this individual is entrusted with.