Did you try it first? (long)

[Ulrika]

Just to start out, I've been lurking for a while, finally got around to signing up recently, but only today have I really felt the need to post. Although i do work in customer service I signed a Confidentiality Contract of Doom, so I can't vent here. I do love reading everything though.

Anyway on with the story. Today is my birthday and my dad surprised me with a car charger for my phone. It's something I really needed, and I was really happy. It was one of those nifty ones from Radio Shack with the interchangable tips so you can have one charger that will charge several devices. Nice for me because i have a tendancy to get new phones.
Anyway he wasn't exactly sure what phone I had, he thought it was a Razr and the guy at Radio shack gave him a tip for a mini usb. When I get it I tell my dad it's a Razr2, and uses a micro usb instead of a mini usb. I showed him the difference and he went back to exchange it while I went to work... should be no big deal, he knows the words "razr 2" and "micro usb" between the two phrases it shouldn't be a big deal... guess it was.
I come home from work and he says there was a problem. Apparantly the guy at Radio Shack shad said that "all razrs use mini usb if this is what your daughter has this is what she needs". My father went on to tell the guy that i had held up the tip to the port on my phone and showed my dad that it was too big. The guy replies "Well did you try it? It will fit, that's the right one." He wouldn't so much as try to look for something smaller for Motorola phones, he acted like my dad was crazy.
Excuse me, no I did not try to shove the wrong charger into my 300 dollar phone, sorry. Totally my bad right? (sarcasm much?)
So I have my dad take me back there with him and it went a little something like this:

Me: birthday girl
SC: sucky clerk

Me: Hi, my dad said you didn't have a charger tip for this phone <holds up phone>
SC: <obviouisly annoyed and looking over my head at my dad> Did you try it first before coming down here again? That's the right one for that phone.
Me: I didnt need to, it's the wrong tip. See?

I show him the port and the tip he sold to my dad, he walks over to the wall o' chargers and picks up a micro usb charger. Not a tip for the nifty charger that my dad bought, just a regular old car charger.

SC: Here you go.
Me: Do you not have any interchangable tips in this size?
SC: No.
Me: <turning around looking down and picking the exact right one in less than 10 seconds> Here it is, and it fits. See not crazy.

I'm smiling at this point and trying to make nice and crack a joke even though he's been really rude, but when I said that he just looks at me with this 'I've got attitude' face and says "I never said you were." For some reason this made me really angry so I hit him back,
"No but you treated my father like he was. Now can i exchange this please?"

This should have been really simple, but this guy was just such a jerk, and obviously didn't know his products. Ugh, ok I feel better.

[Shabo]

But you're a girl. Clearly you know nothing about technology... /end sarcasm.

Radio shack shouldn't exist anymore. They sell junk, and they know nothing about it. They used to be good back in the day, but they are just spiraling down the tubes. I don't know how they haven't gone bankrupt yet.

[GolfCart34]

That is exactly why I go to the particular brand cell phone store that my phone is (in this case, my service is on AT&T) and buy the name brand charger for my phone. I have a Razr that looks about like C-3PO from Star Wars (yes, my phone is golden) and I took it straight to the AT&T store when I needed a car charger for it. I don't trust after market ones since they usually zap your battery (which is why you never leave your phone on the charger in the car for longer than necessary) and they sometimes don't work they way they should.

I went to Radio Schmuck to look for a new receiver for my satellite radio. The guys working there were absolutely no help so I went down to Circuit City instead. Not only did I get the unit I was looking for at a lower price than what the Schmuck was selling it for, but I scored a service contract and still paid less than what the Schmuck was charging! About the only thing Radio Schmuck is good for these days is for the purchase of police scanners (and let me tell you, ours gets plenty of use).