I had an old Chevy Impala once. The carburetor was on its last legs, and I decided to upgrade it rather than merely replace it. I went to my local speed shop and bought a Holley carburetor and Edelbrock intake manifold. I completed my purchase and was walking toward the exit of the store when the employee who had taken care of my sale called me back to the counter. He took my receipt from me, took out a rubber stamp, and stamped my receipt.
The print on the rubber stamp read: Non-stock application. No warranty.
This was after he’d taken my money, remember.
Now, neither of these items came factory on any automobile. That they were non-stock items was an absolute given. However, what was up with the “No warranty” part? Both of these companies, Holley and Edelbrock, made huge names for themselves in the automotive aftermarket. They did and still do warranty their products. It was just this one store that decided to change the rules on me. As to why, your guess is as good as mine.
The really dumb part of this is that I probably would have been ok with it if they’d discussed it with me before they’d taken my money. Being up front with your customers is everything.
If you’ve guessed that this store never got another dime of my money, you’d be right. Undoubtedly related: While Holley and Edelbrock are both still around and stronger than ever, that speed shop closed years ago.
If you’re interested in repeat business – and you should be – don’t change the rules on your customers after you have their money.
