Does life have you in a choke hold!?

[00:00:03] Speaker A: Where are they? [00:00:04] Speaker B: They're probably upstairs. They never answer the door. Oh, wait, it's Monday night. They're on the second floor. What's up, guys? We're back again. Second floor. Today was wild for me. So in business when since I've, you know, I've been doing it for nine years now, I am super, super comfortable at selling my product, selling myself, selling, you know, everything that I do. Nine years. I'm, I, I'm, I can sell. I could sell you on something. So we started up a different division in the business. So. And I mean, when we first started, I knew, I knew automotive and then that's how we started. And then, you know, a year down the road, we decided to do small engine. That was kind of a learning curve for me. [00:01:13] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:01:13] Speaker B: And that took me a little while to do and figure out, but it's wild that, you know, and it wasn't, I guess, what we've started and I'll get into that in a minute. Where the small engine side, we picked up on it pretty quick, but we didn't have anything really any kind of product going out from it except just what we sell. But see, now we have a rental division at the store. [00:01:46] Speaker A: And I know it's been killing me. I've been about to explode for months now, trying not to say anything about it. [00:01:53] Speaker B: I have, I have. You know, like I was saying though, I have. I can sell you. I can. That's what I do. And you come in my store and I am super confident in what I've got and what I'm doing. This thing has got me in a chokehold. It's like you're very uncertain. Yeah. And I have never been like that. Even with working at the shop on cars and everything else, I'm pretty, you know, I was pretty decent at what I did, so I was very confident what I did. This right here is a different level. It's not, it's new. We started it this week, you know, and we're halfway through the week and, and we, you know, today was just like a punch right in the mouth right off. I mean, soon as we opened the doors of the place. Are you one of my customers now? Listen, one of my customers. It was like 7:45, 7:50. I'm putting stock up and I see somebody pull in. And it was the same dude I talked to the day before that was questioned me about my rental stuff. And my heart sank when I seen him. I was like, oh gosh, he's back. He's going to want. He's going to want a rental. Sure enough, it was like, I don't. I guess he went and got breakfast or something. He come back about 30 minutes later after I'd already opened. And then from then on, it was just game on. We rented four pieces of equipment today, and I was so uncertain about everything. It's just everything's brand new. And you have to. Here's the thing is you have to explain to the customers why I'm charging you this, why I'm charging you that. Why is this? This is this, this is this. When this needs to be back, this is what needs to happen when you bring it back. It needs to be clean, it's be full. It needs this, this, this, this. And I'm afraid I'm going to miss something or, you know, it's a learning curve. [00:03:54] Speaker A: So there's a lot of details. [00:03:55] Speaker B: There's a lot of details too also. But I. In life, I have just always been pretty. I've always been pretty certain about things, you know, felt good about stuff. [00:04:07] Speaker A: So what makes you uncertain? Is it. [00:04:09] Speaker B: I think it's because it's all of it. Because. Okay, what if the customer calls you and asks something about an insurance question? Well, well, you know, when we go to other places, we do this type of insurance. I don't know. You know, I ain't thought of I. Again, I don't know. Let me figure that out for you. You know. You know, because, you know, some of these people that rent this stuff all the time, construction guys, they've got their own. They've got their own insurance for rental. I didn't know that was even a thing. So if you was a contractor, you have, you know, a certain top that you pay monthly that when you go rent this equipment, if you flip it off the trailer that rent that, what I'm paying for or what he's paying for covers that machine. So he's not liable for it. I didn't even know that was a thing. [00:05:00] Speaker A: It's like renters insurance, basically. [00:05:02] Speaker B: Yeah. Because when something like that leaves your property, you're 100% liable for that machine. Everything that happens, that machine from when it leaves until it gets back is 100% on you. And it's just one of those things. It's coming, it's going to get easier. It is just like when we opened, I was a little nervous, but I was automotive, so I was, I could, I could get my way through it and I was fine. And then. But it's going from working on cars to actually selling the Car, the parts for it. And then it was a small engine, and now it's this, you know, So [00:05:41] Speaker A: I think it's just because it's totally new. [00:05:44] Speaker B: Well, it is, and it's just like a whole nother business. [00:05:46] Speaker A: Even mowers were new, but it's still all the same concepts. [00:05:51] Speaker B: Absolutely. Here's the other thing is you have people that come in to rent something, like today, and they have no idea how to use it. [00:06:02] Speaker A: Oh, gosh. So. [00:06:04] Speaker B: And, well, they just need this. They need this, Doug. They need that, Doug. They need to. You know, they need to. So you gotta show them how, kind of, sort of. But I mean, they're. In a sense, you don't really, you know, you don't really. You don't. You don't really want to tell somebody because you're going then, and then something happens. Well, you told me you got to be careful with that, so. Okay. [00:06:27] Speaker A: Yeah, that's. [00:06:27] Speaker B: I guess that's true. So there's. There's so much. There's not gray areas because technically, all I could say, if you want it, here it is, you know, But I'm not that person either. [00:06:37] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:06:37] Speaker B: I'm going to help coach you through it and get you, you know. You know, but it is what it is. I just. I've always been certain with everything I've ever done and felt very confident with everything I've ever done. And this is literally feels like it's got me just in a chokehold, will not let go. But. But after everything. After today and everything come back and it was. [00:07:00] Speaker A: It was like, okay, all right, so what about tomorrow? Would you feel better? [00:07:06] Speaker B: I'd feel a little better, but I would still feel like I was in that chokehold. [00:07:09] Speaker A: Okay. [00:07:09] Speaker B: Yeah. I still. I kind of feel like it's gonna [00:07:11] Speaker A: take a little while. [00:07:11] Speaker B: Absolutely. It's gonna be a month or two before I'm like, boom, boom, boom. I'm selling you on it, and you're gonna want it. You know what I mean? That sort of thing. I've just, you know. [00:07:20] Speaker A: Have you. Have you ever rented stuff like that? [00:07:22] Speaker B: Never. [00:07:23] Speaker A: I. I've rented. I'm rented a lift when I was building my bar. [00:07:26] Speaker B: Okay. You know, like one of them, just a. Where you put you four riggers down, like a nifty lift or something. [00:07:33] Speaker A: Yeah, it was so handy. [00:07:34] Speaker B: Yeah. Those are nice. Those are nice. [00:07:37] Speaker A: But, yeah, I rented one of them one time, and I've ran, like, small carrying truck bed type stuff before, like drain snakes that are powered, you know, that are. Right. You need to have one of them. Yeah, you got one. [00:07:47] Speaker B: Well, that's, it's all work. A work in progress. Yeah, I'm gonna, I, I will enjoy it after I figure it out. It's just one of those things, but it's just being certain, you know, you can, if you're confident, you don't really have to worry about it. If you're confident, you can sell it, it don't matter what it is. Yeah, that's what I've found out. Working in public, if you're good at what you do, you can sell it, you can do it, you can make it happen, you know, and you have to trust in the product too. It's just like you working at a shop. You have to trust your guys. So, so you're going to be confident enough to, to, to, to tell that customer it's fixed. [00:08:26] Speaker A: Well, see, my problem with sales is this. I'm, I mean I'm good at it because I'm honest. You know what I mean? That automatically is going to make you, you know, you're like if, if the range is here, you're like, you're like at a medium level immediately if you're honest, you know. Yeah. Cuz people sense that naturally. Right. And then you can pick up on what you want to do to make it be better or make it go down. But for me, I don't know if I look too much into it and I, maybe I do, maybe I don't, I don't know. But I've always said if that's all I did was be a salesman, I'd be a great salesman. If I didn't have to worry about will those tires last? Will the guys take good care of it in the back? Will, you know, with everything be right when they leave? Will they be happy if all I got to do is sell it? Shoot. [00:09:15] Speaker B: Yeah. And I don't have to worry about you after. [00:09:17] Speaker A: I don't have to worry about nothing [00:09:18] Speaker B: else after the sale. It's after the sale that you have to worry about. [00:09:22] Speaker A: Exactly. Well, yeah, I mean, and the sale may be me, right? You know, I'm not saying I'm not there doing it, but yeah, I would be much quicker to say absolutely, that'll do. Good for you. If I didn't have to. I guess it keeps you that part of it. It's like a lock on a gate. It just keeps an honest man honest. That keeps an honest man honest. Having to be the one to worry about that. [00:09:44] Speaker B: I like that. Because you're like, if somebody asks you on you think these tires will get 80,000? I mean, depends on how you drive it. I mean, it's. [00:09:54] Speaker A: Are you going to take care of them? [00:09:55] Speaker B: You going to go. [00:09:55] Speaker A: Are you going to live here in east Tennessee your whole life? Probably. Probably. [00:09:59] Speaker B: Probably not. Absolutely. [00:10:00] Speaker A: If you're. [00:10:00] Speaker B: Are you going to. Are you going to drive the highway, you know, for the next four years? Yeah, they'll probably do it. Absolutely. [00:10:07] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:10:08] Speaker B: But I. It's just one of those things if you. If you're not in sales or you don't do stuff like that, then you don't realize, like what. What. What we're talking about or, you know, or customer service. Customer service is like that, too. [00:10:22] Speaker A: So that. So to bring up something that kind of piggybacks off that, we got a guy that's training right now with us. It's actually somebody. You know who she is, but it's her son and he's kind of working there sort of like a. Just a summer job, sorta. But why he's going to UT anyway. And I'm trying to explain to him. And it. But it's the same for everybody when it. [00:10:47] Speaker B: Up. [00:10:47] Speaker A: Up front for me, you know, when you tell somebody something, it's not what you're telling them, it's how you tell them that makes all the difference in the world. In A good example of that is you. You know this firsthand. Firsthand, without a doubt. You know this. We have a vehicle comes in. We put a set of tires on it. Actually, we were going to fix a tire on it for a lady. It was dropped off overnight. Well, tire could not be fixed. It needed tires. We got tires there that morning, had it fixed, ready to go, and was like, picked up during lunch. Like, that's how efficient it was, you know? Well, in doing that, it made its way over to the alignment rack after the tank tires got put on it. And when Jacob went to start it back up, well, it wouldn't start and he had to jump it off, which happens all the time on an alignment rack. If you've got a weaker battery, you have to have engine. Engine off, key on, brake, pedal depressor. In a lot of things running when the car is not maintaining the battery. So if it's got a weaker battery, it will pull it down. [00:11:53] Speaker B: Yeah, it's going to show a battery in her. Yeah. [00:11:55] Speaker A: So everybody knows, too, if you test a battery at its weakest moment, what is it going to do? It's going to be bad. Just fail. Right? It's going to fail a test. It's not going to have everything it needs to have. So another thing is, you know, so it's a, it's a two fold thing for us, okay? In this situation, it's exactly what it was because what happens was he goes up front, he goes, hey, you need to tell these folks it needs a battery. Here's the test results, you know, of this battery. I got an alignment. I wouldn't start, start afterwards. I only had it over there for like just long enough to really check it, maybe make some minor adjustments and be done. You know, Normally if it sits there a longer while, it's more chance of that happening. So anyway, he goes up front, tells Amber up front, he says, hey, you need to call these people, see if they want a battery, you know, so. And I don't know, I wasn't there because it was like lunchtime sort of, I guess, or maybe I just wasn't involved with it. It was right before lunch. But. So she calls and she just says, hey, it needs a battery. Got a lim rack, wouldn't start. Here's your, you know, here's test results. I'll send them to you if you want me to. She takes them over to him. He can see him. He's like, no, don't, you know, I don't think I want to do that today. These tires are enough. Whatever. I haven't had any trouble out of that battery. And she's like, okay, well then just keep an eye on it. No, keep an eye on it. And when she shows up to pick it up, your wife, you know, whoop you if it won't start. We'll jump her off for her, you know, let her go somewhere, whatever. Let her go home. So he goes home, he, he calls back, he's like, man, I've had an uneasy, I had an uneasy feeling about. He called looking for me, looking for a manager, you know, he's like, here's what happened. You know, I got called out of the blue telling me I need a battery. I get it home. Like it don't seem right because it started when she picked it up. I take it down to autozone, have it checked. It, it tests good. Things ain't looking good right now. And I'm like, agreed? Yeah, completely agree with you. Completely 100 agree with you. Now the problem is all the delivery of the information right there. [00:13:56] Speaker B: Okay? Oh, yeah, absolutely. [00:13:57] Speaker A: The way it should be done is, hey man, this bow, you know, got your wife's car done. Got it online. Rack alignment was out. We fixed it. Got the tires on, everything Looks good. But I got a question for you. What's that? You know, have you had any trouble out of that battery? Like, has it ever not started or seemed slow to start to. [00:14:17] Speaker B: No, no, no. Immediately, you know. [00:14:19] Speaker A: No, I ain't. Okay, well, so we've experienced that today. However, this is common. If a battery is on, like, the weaker side of things, and you're on the alignment rack, key on, engine operate, pillar, all those things, you know, so could be just because we had the key on, maybe it don't give another problem for a little while. We did go ahead and throw a tester on it. However, we're testing it at its weakest moment, right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. It may be fine once it gets a charge back to it, you know, but totally different outcome if it's. If it's just given. [00:14:52] Speaker B: Presented differently. [00:14:53] Speaker A: Yeah. So I was told in sales a long time ago, if you want to offer criticism to your, to your employees, you have to, you have to wrap it like a gift in a way they can receive it in a good way. It's the same thing. It goes for that. Right. Because if you're just telling them something and they don't receive it the right way, there's no point. [00:15:10] Speaker B: Oh, no, absolutely. No, I agree. [00:15:12] Speaker A: I agree with that. But that is the biggest thing about [00:15:14] Speaker B: customer service, you know? [00:15:15] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:16] Speaker B: That's. Throw an extreme load to it. You're. You've got every single. [00:15:20] Speaker A: We get the headlights on, dash lights are on, brake lights, doors are on or open and closing. [00:15:25] Speaker B: Yes, brake lights are on, everything. It's a stupid hard load. [00:15:29] Speaker A: It's hard on it. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. [00:15:31] Speaker B: So, but it does, it does also let the customer know if you can't make. If that battery can't make that in, in 10 to 15 minutes, you probably need to look at getting something new, you know, getting a new one. Absolutely. If it won't hold it for 10, 15 minutes, don't go out in your car and listen to your music. [00:15:48] Speaker A: Here's both sides, though, for us, you know, it's like you don't want to be that person that calls and says, hey, you need something totally unrelated to what we're doing. [00:15:59] Speaker B: Oh, no, Ever. [00:16:01] Speaker A: You know, if you don't have to be, you don't want to be. And. But at the same time, if we just jump it off, pull around front, and it don't start for you, and we don't tell you, well, then you show up to pick it up and it don't start. [00:16:11] Speaker B: Yeah. Then you're mad. [00:16:12] Speaker A: So now what Are we gonna do. [00:16:13] Speaker B: Right. [00:16:13] Speaker A: So you're mad because we tried to tell you and now. Now you're mad because we didn't tell you. There's a fine line right between there. Yeah. That you have to land on. [00:16:23] Speaker B: That's the customer service side of it that you need to. You need to talk to that person. Absolutely. Then let them know. [00:16:29] Speaker A: Yeah. Yep. [00:16:30] Speaker B: Yep. The delivery. The delivery. Swords at. [00:16:32] Speaker A: It's all about it. It's all just about how you say it. [00:16:35] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:16:35] Speaker A: You know, in the end, she was saying the same thing I ended up saying. The same message got across just in a totally different way. [00:16:44] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:16:44] Speaker A: That made it acceptable. [00:16:45] Speaker B: Yeah. Right. [00:16:46] Speaker A: You know. Yeah. [00:16:47] Speaker B: Well, that's, that's it. I mean, that's. [00:16:49] Speaker A: And it's much easier to do it that way at the front than to come back behind somebody and trying to covering up stuff. Oh, yeah. [00:16:55] Speaker B: Well, I had a guy. I had a guy had purchased a. Purchased a mower from me for two. It was two years ago. Well, the parking brake bolt has broke. Why'd it break? Well, I don't really know, man. [00:17:06] Speaker A: But you know what? My excuse is made late on a Friday afternoon. [00:17:08] Speaker B: I said, that bolt. I said, any bolt can break. I said, I, I don't. It's very rare that I ever see something, especially on a parking brake. I said, but it absolutely can happen. And I said, I don't know that that bolt that I put in there ain't going to break. [00:17:20] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:20] Speaker B: And I said, what could have happened is they could have over torqued it. I said, I don't know. I said, it just make weak. And then I said it over time and you know, and, and he was fine with it. It was just the, you know, and I told him, I said, he's like, well, do you think all the other bolts are okay? And I said, look, man, I said, all the other bolts should be fine. I said, if you go out here and it breaks a bolt off in five minutes, there's nothing I can do. I could stick all new bolts in that thing. He's like, okay, okay, I understand what you're saying. I said, there's no way to tell. I said, the bolts are bolts. I said, they going to fail. They going to fail. But the delivery, it was where it was at. He just needed to hear that, man. Everything will be okay. You know, and it ain't. It wasn't life or death. What happened anyways. I mean, it literally just. It's. It's one of those things that it's, it's. It's it's an easy fix. You know what I mean? It's a bolt sitting right there. [00:18:11] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:18:11] Speaker B: You know, but it's, it's just, it's the delivery. Yeah, but it's like we've said before, you know, with, with customers and customer service, I think now more than ever, if you've never done customer service. And I mean, I mean, we push. We push somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 to 70 customers a day. [00:18:39] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:18:40] Speaker B: That's a lot of people. And to you and to me, they're always. And it is part of the business, but you don't realize it. Okay. Yeah. Your people. That's in customer service. I'm not taking away from the, the grocery stores and the Walmarts and this and the that. That's all good. [00:18:58] Speaker A: And. [00:18:58] Speaker B: Well, they're pulling product off the shelf and you're ringing them out and you're saying, have a good day. Is that all you need? [00:19:04] Speaker A: Totally different. [00:19:04] Speaker B: That's. No. Every single from 50 to 70 people have a problem, and they've come to you to fix that problem. So now it's on. You have to still continue to be that nice customer service, and you have to be nice to the customer themselves. You've got to explain it to them. And then you have to address the issue and figure out. [00:19:29] Speaker A: And you've got to do it all in a way that they're okay hearing it that way. [00:19:33] Speaker B: Right. [00:19:34] Speaker A: And everybody's so different. [00:19:36] Speaker B: Oh, you got, you got to feel those people. [00:19:37] Speaker A: Grocery store, and you're ringing something out there. Ain't somebody going, when were these bananas made? How far did they ship here? [00:19:44] Speaker B: Where'd they come from? [00:19:45] Speaker A: One's rotten. How do I know the rest of them ain't gonna go wrong? [00:19:47] Speaker B: Yeah, it don't work like it. [00:19:51] Speaker A: Yeah, it's. It's just, you know, and one thing just snowballs into the next when it comes to that stuff. [00:19:56] Speaker B: Oh, it does, absolutely. I, I think if that. That is because customer service, I get it. Everybody's like, well, I worked. I worked at a grocery store. I work. I used to work at Walmart. Well, it's not the same. It's not. [00:20:08] Speaker A: There's way more than just a. A smiling face saying, have a nice day, or, can I help you? [00:20:13] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you have to have those, too. But it is not the same as what we have to deal with on the day to day. [00:20:19] Speaker A: No, it's terrible. [00:20:20] Speaker B: Everybody. Everybody is on fire. They have a fire when they come in your door, and you have to [00:20:26] Speaker A: put that fire out well, think about this. You go to the grocery store because you need to live. You may be excited about buying some food that you're going in there to get because you're going to go to a cookout or you're going to get something that your kid needs. You know, just. They're there because they want to be. They chose to drive there and go in. And there is probably from time to time a level of excitement and if there's not, they're just like, oh, you know, how are you today? I'm tired. I've been working all day and the last thing I want to do is come store. I hear you. Let's get you out of here. Right? You know, done. That's it. That's all you get. When they come into us, no one wants to be there. Not even for. [00:21:09] Speaker B: Very true. That's very true. [00:21:11] Speaker A: Not even. [00:21:12] Speaker B: That's very true. [00:21:12] Speaker A: Like they're there to do an oil change. Like the, the, the easiest, simplest thing that they can, they could possibly do, routine wise. And ain't nobody wants to be there for it. They've rearranged their schedule, they've changed meetings, they've done all these things to come in just to have to get an oil change. And what do we have to do? We have to inspect the car, tell them if there's anything wrong. That's the last thing they want to hear today. [00:21:37] Speaker B: Hopefully that all, all what they brought it here for, that's all it needs. And if it needs something else we've got that's got to be addressed in the correct way. [00:21:46] Speaker A: It's not a good situation to be. [00:21:47] Speaker B: No, it's not. It's tough. It's tough. Okay. When people walk through my door of my store and they say, you know, and I say, hey, how's it going? How you doing today? Or whatever, and they're like, I'd be better if I wasn't in here. That sucks. [00:22:00] Speaker A: Yeah, I hate that. [00:22:02] Speaker B: You know what I mean? [00:22:02] Speaker A: I don't ask, you know, I hate [00:22:05] Speaker B: that, you know, and. But it is what it is. It's one of those things. They don't want to be there. They don't want to have to come in and spend, you know, something unexpected at a battery or this or that, that, you know, so it's just, it's always just putting out fires with, with a bit our line of work, I [00:22:23] Speaker A: feel like always it's terrible. And, and, and they, and they want to hear one word. They want to hear one word and not the other opposite. They want to hear yes. [00:22:34] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:22:35] Speaker A: Not no. [00:22:35] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:22:36] Speaker A: And if you don't say yes. [00:22:38] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I've got that. Absolutely. [00:22:40] Speaker A: There's a problem. [00:22:42] Speaker B: I've got that ready to be had. Uhhuh. [00:22:44] Speaker A: So. [00:22:44] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:22:45] Speaker A: Ain't a whole lot you can do about that. [00:22:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:22:49] Speaker A: But be fair and just try to do. Try to do your best and be as fair as you can be. [00:22:53] Speaker B: Yeah. It's tough though. It's tough. Sometimes it's just, it's very trying because you just don't. You just don't. Sometimes you just cannot even. No matter how you do it or how you can't fix the issue that they have because it has to have. You know, because people just come in and assume. Me and Dave always say this. People come in and assume that what they have is. Of course. Yeah. That piece is, you know, the piece that they have. Yes. Somebody makes that piece. Absolutely. Because it's in your hand. [00:23:32] Speaker A: Well, all I want to do is made. [00:23:34] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Or you know. Yeah. Still made today. But all I need is this piece that goes on it. And, and, and if I could adapt this piece to that piece. Well, what people that. They just think. And then you tell them that they don't have it. Well, I know, I know, I know. I can find it. [00:23:53] Speaker A: Okay. [00:23:53] Speaker B: Well, it's, it doesn't exist. There's a tool and die for that. And they're not going to build a ten thousand dollar tool and die for this. This, for this one thing right here. It's just not gonna happen. You know what I mean? And, and you know, we say it all the time, you know, we try to be as nice as we can, but when people come in with those issues like that and they just assume that all it needs to be is. Goes from this to this. That's it. Well, that's not made. That's not. [00:24:22] Speaker A: You know, go see the dealer. Yeah. You know, ask them about it. I mean, there was a 2008. I think it might have been a 12, and I believe it was an 8. Yeah. Because it wasn't 20 years old yet. It was a 2008 F150 in work today or this week. And it had a fuel line leaking on. He had a water pump leaking too. He had a coolant leak and he smelled fuel. Well, the water pump is leaking on it. You know, easy enough. We can fix that. That's what you want. But he had a fuel leak too. And it was coming from the fuel pump to something else. A hard plastic line with quick connect fittings. Ford don't make it no more. Does not make it no more. Now, we have made fuel lines in the past and put quick connects on it. And maybe every now and then you get one that'll work. Right. And not leak. [00:25:16] Speaker B: Right. [00:25:17] Speaker A: But, you know, we're like, I don't know. Yeah. [00:25:20] Speaker B: What are you gonna do? [00:25:21] Speaker A: Maybe. Maybe a junkyard. I don't know what to tell you. [00:25:23] Speaker B: Yeah. Oh, yeah. [00:25:24] Speaker A: So, yeah, but like I said already, it's. It's about being honest, you know. [00:25:30] Speaker B: Oh, absolutely. [00:25:31] Speaker A: That's what. That's what's going to make or break it. Is that. [00:25:35] Speaker B: Well, I had a. I had a customer in the store a week or so ago, and they had. And I don't know the issue exactly, but they had some fraudulent charges on their card. Well. [00:25:52] Speaker A: And like, they volunteered this information two years ago. [00:25:56] Speaker B: Well, cards was being declined. [00:25:58] Speaker A: Okay. [00:25:59] Speaker B: And I don't know, I have still noted this. I don't know to this day. He was buying some brake cleaner and. And some other. I mean, like one other item, and it's just boom. Just boom, boom. And he told me he was. He had been hacked from overseas. Whether he was or not, I don't know. [00:26:18] Speaker A: Okay. [00:26:18] Speaker B: And I said, well, I'll tell you what. Again, it was, you know, I don't know the exact dollar amount. I said, and the customer service side, most nobody else is going to do this, but he was needing this to get whatever he was. Had that he was on fire about to get back and get it fixed. And it was like, literally like 11 bucks. Yeah. Super good customer comes in the store a lot. And I was like, I'll tell you what, just take off. We'll get it next time you come in. Don't worry about it. You know, it's 11 bucks. Whatever. So he told me that he, you know, said he'd been hacked and there it was. And that's why everything but. I mean, tried four or five cards, but that's besides the point. Whatever. And I told him, you know, just come back and see me. And he come back in Monday or Tuesday and paid for it. And. And he just couldn't believe. I mean, it's 11 bucks. [00:27:19] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:27:19] Speaker B: To put that kind of trust in him. [00:27:23] Speaker A: Or. [00:27:23] Speaker B: He said, man, he said, I don't know that another place would ever done that for me. And he said, I really needed to get this done so I could finish what I was doing, you know? And he said, I really, really appreciate that. That's why I always come to you guys. So I was like, no problem. You Know, problem. But I mean, something that simple. [00:27:39] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:27:39] Speaker B: Made a huge impact for that guy. [00:27:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:27:42] Speaker B: But anyway. [00:27:43] Speaker A: Well, I'll tell you what. Audience needs to hear this. [00:27:48] Speaker B: Okay? [00:27:49] Speaker A: Forewarning. Okay. Get ready. He heed this. Listen to this. Because this could happen to you. [00:27:56] Speaker B: Okay? Okay. [00:28:00] Speaker A: Talking about scammers. Okay. Okay. Now, one day, we will have our good friend Boom hire on here. Okay? [00:28:06] Speaker B: Boom. [00:28:07] Speaker A: All right. But something happened to him this weekend. He may tell this story, but I'm going to tell it first on my podcast. [00:28:14] Speaker B: Okay. [00:28:15] Speaker A: All right. So Eric's got a Toyota Tacoma. Okay. [00:28:22] Speaker B: New or older? [00:28:23] Speaker A: I don't know what year it is. It's newer. [00:28:24] Speaker B: Okay. [00:28:25] Speaker A: Yeah, newer. He ain't had it that long. He's decided that he's going to sell it. Okay, well, like, Saturday morning, something like that. He is getting ready to go to a birthday party. Has to be at a birthday party about 45 minutes away, hour away, at, like, noon. Well, this is like 11. He gets a message on Facebook or something, you know, you know, wanting to buy the truck, whatever. Would you take this for it? I can meet you in 15 minutes. Whatever. Okay. Dang. All right. I'm gonna go sell a truck. I'll be back. I may call you and have you come get me. And so tell Sydney. And he goes to meet him at a gas station, you know, public place. And he said, he's like, well, I can go to the birthday party late if it means selling the truck today, you know? So he goes, and he was almost out of gas. So he pulls up to get gas, gas pump. These two dudes are walking over to him, and he's at the gas pumps, and he sees him coming. He's like, okay, it's probably guys, you know? And they walk over, they start talking to him a little bit, and he's like, well, let me. Let me put a little gas in it. I'll pull over there out of the way. So he does. He pulls over there. Well, it's these two dudes. They're of a different nationality. I don't. He didn't really know. But this is important part of the story for people to watch out for. So I don't know if they were like, Arabic, Indian, something like that. I. I don't know if that's right or wrong, but something that looks like those people do anyway pulls over there, and all of a sudden, there's five of them. Yeah, five still look at a truck. So Eric's like. And now all of a sudden, I have this uneasy feeling, you know? [00:30:16] Speaker B: So they probably owned a gas station. [00:30:18] Speaker A: No, they didn't. Oh, it was a. It was a w. Gas station. Okay. So anyway, they all come up, they start talking to him. All of them shake his hand and all that. And they've got these, like, fanny pack things that goes over their chest, like, man purse type stuff, I guess, or whatever. [00:30:34] Speaker B: And. [00:30:35] Speaker A: And he. They all shake his hand or whatever and start talking to him. Well, they want to. I guess the first guy that initially started talking to him, he said his brother's the one that's interested in it. That's how he said who he was or whatever. And he's like, can we. Can we go for a ride? Yeah. He's like, well, you. You drive and I'll ride with you, you know? So they drive down the road. He's like, so how long you had this? You know, just talking to him, like normal. Get down the road. He's like, well, get on it, you know, and, you know, see how it runs, whatever. So they do that a few times and come back and park. And he said on the drive, the guys asked him, like, so you got kids or anything? He's like, yeah, I got four. He's like, yeah, I've got. And here's the crazy part. The guy says this. Yeah, I've got. He goes, I got two girls myself, man. You know what scares me? Thinking about the man they'll marry. That's what this guy says to him. Okay. Seems like a decent dude, you know? Seems like. So he gets there, he gets back, and he called his wife and he said, I don't know what's going on here, but something does not feel right. And he had his pistol with him. He's like, something don't feel right. See if your dad will come down here and, like, just park over on the other side. Park and like, just watch, you know, just in case. So he does that. He goes down there, whatever. And Eric's been talking to these guys. They're like. And they tell him, we'll get. You know, let's start it up. I want to listen to it again. They pop the hood, you know, and he starts it and listens to it and all that. And they're like, rev it up, you know, they revs it up a little bit, rev up again, revs it up some more, and then they shut it off, and they're all just, man, this is such a nice truck, clean truck, you know, and want to know the normal things, like, why are you getting rid of it? You know, and all that stuff. Well, Eric's up there in the front of it looking out of the hood with him or whatever. And the other guy goes, tell me about this camper top. You know. They start walking to the back of the truck. Well, and he had shut it off and gotten out, you know, is what had happened there. And then he walked to the back of the truck and they're all walking, you know, just around it looking at stuff or whatever. So he thought. And, and he's. Yeah, this is getting good. Yeah. So he's, so he's, he's at the back of the truck. He's like, so how does it, how's this camper top come off? He's like, well, you gotta unbolt it, you know. He's telling him about it or whatever. He goes, what's this thing? He's got like a little built in thing in there for coon, hunting dog, dog box and like a little some other stuff in there, drawers and things like that. That's a built in thing. And he's like, well this, this comes out if you want it out, blah, blah. He's explaining all that stuff to him and he's like, okay. And Eric says, and they're like, well, let's, let's see it one more time, you know, let's, let's listen to it one more time. Start it up again for us, you know. And he goes in there to start it and he starts it up and they're like, all right, we'll give it a little gas. Yeah, again. And then all of a sudden his out from under the hood, it just starts boiling smoke. And they, they holler, shut it off, shut it off, shut it off. And Eric's like, what the heck? You know. And he shuts it off. Is it. I mean it's never been nothing wrong with truck, you know, and all this, the smoke starts coming out from under the hood and he's like, what the heck's going on? You know, he got out and he looks, he's like, oh my gosh. He's like my valve covers were leaking, but geez, I guess they just started pouring all of a sudden, you know, or something. He's like, no, no, no, look at this back here. And look. And his oil just running out of his exhaust onto the ground. Just like a puddle of oil has ran out of it. And he's like, what the heck? And they're like, well try to start it up again, it won't do nothing. And he's like, they're like, oh no, man, what happened Doing all that, you know? And he's like, I don't know. I guess freaking motors just locked up and blew up on me. I don't know. Ain't never seen that like this before. So then they're like, golly, this is. This is crazy. You know, like, we'll sit. You know, we still like the truck. What do you take for it? Like this. He's like, I'm not gonna sell like this. It's not. It's not worth anything like this. He's like, well, just. All right, well, can I give you a deposit? And you put up. He's like, I guess I'm about to replace the motor in it, you know? And he's like, well, can I pay you to. So you won't sell it to somebody else? And once you get the motor in it, I'll give you the rest of the money. And Eric's like, no. Like, no, I'm not. I'm not doing anything now. I'm pissed off now. I'm not selling it. Like, it's over, done with. Y' all can go away. I'm just gonna tow it and it's over with. I got a birthday party to get to, so. Done. Well, over the weekend. That was, like, Saturday or whatever. Well, he's still, like, messaging this guy. Still messaged him on Sunday, you know, what will you take for the truck? Can I have the. Can I buy the body then? Or, you know, just all kind, you know, and offering. Offering money and stuff like that. Well, Eric goes to this birthday party. Well, his uncle's there, and he's like, hey, Cindy. Saying, you sell truck? You know, he's like, no, getting it towed to the shop right now. And, you know, he's telling all this. He's like, oh, my gosh. You didn't. You didn't sell it, right? He's like, no, I'm towing it to work. I'm gonna have to look at it and say, oh, thank God. Thank God you didn't sell. He's like, what? He's like, there was an old man down here. [00:35:52] Speaker B: He lives in Philadelphia. [00:35:53] Speaker A: Uncle does. He's like, there's an old man down here. Dustin had the same thing. [00:35:58] Speaker B: Yeah, okay. [00:35:58] Speaker A: He said had the same thing happen to him last week, and he sold his. Like that. What they done all them little fanny packs. They had, like, little syringes full of oil in there, and they had. And Eric got back to work after that birthday party, went back, fixed it and drove it home. But what they were done. I mean, of Course you had to figure out what it was. But what they actually did to him was they took those. You know, everybody's got them on them, you know, and they're all around the truck so they can do whatever and he'd never know, you know? So they sprayed his exhaust manifold up there with oil, so it's smoke like crazy. Look like oil everywhere, you know, Pulled his. Pulled his fuse out for, like, his tip them or something so it wouldn't do nothing. Power would come on, but it wouldn't start at all or. I don't know, something like that. And then they squirted oil up in the exhaust for it to run out when he started it again. And they're doing this as a scam, trying to get you to sell it to them dirt cheap and then turn around doing that. Yeah. [00:37:02] Speaker B: Gosh. [00:37:02] Speaker A: How about that? [00:37:04] Speaker B: That's crazy. [00:37:05] Speaker A: Yeah, that's crazy. He called Cindy. He's like, I'm facing. Shoot one of these days or something. Wrong fast. Yeah. Wow. They said once that happened, it was just a no sell instantly for me. He said I was so mad. [00:37:20] Speaker B: Did he ever message the dudes back? [00:37:22] Speaker A: I don't know. He's been messed. He's been talking about it all week, messaging back, saying me beat up and sell it. Just whoop a heck out of them, all of them. So I. I don't know what he'd do. [00:37:34] Speaker B: Wow, that is n. That's the first I'd ever heard anything like that. [00:37:37] Speaker A: I said what you ought to do is message them back and just say. [00:37:40] Speaker B: It would be hilarious. [00:37:41] Speaker A: Just say, hey, figure out what was wrong. You know, somebody had sprayed oil all over everything and pulled my fuse out for this, you know, so I just fixed it. So I'm ready to sell it now. You want me, you know, and just see if he can say anything. I guarantee you guarantee he goes. Full goes. [00:37:55] Speaker B: What would be really good if get like. Get like, you know, you and Brody and Dustin and. [00:38:02] Speaker A: And, you know, Eric said these dudes were big dudes, too. [00:38:05] Speaker B: Oh, really? [00:38:06] Speaker A: That's what he said. [00:38:07] Speaker B: I don't want to do that. Okay. [00:38:11] Speaker A: Never mind. I ain't needing to get my honeymoon. [00:38:12] Speaker B: Okay. [00:38:13] Speaker A: He wants to sell the truck. He can sell. [00:38:17] Speaker B: Oh, I was fixing to say I thought they. Well, you said the way they were. [00:38:21] Speaker A: Usually those guys ain't too big. Yeah, but he. These guys were big. He said they were big dudes. [00:38:25] Speaker B: Be hilarious. All right, then get Bradley Paul and get all these other guys that are just monsters and. Yeah. Meet me back and about seven of Them pile out a truck. [00:38:34] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, boys, [00:38:38] Speaker B: I want to play games, but. Yeah, I ain't never heard anything like that. I bet you they do that a bunch. People don't. [00:38:44] Speaker A: I mean, they said they got some old man and it's. It's Toyotas. I think they bought a Tundra from him that way. Gave him like, you know, like Eric was. I think he was wanting to sell that truck for around like 11 or 12 or something like that, you know, [00:38:56] Speaker B: so they was probably starting to lowball him. [00:38:58] Speaker A: Yeah. Like, we'll give you 4.4800-WAY it is or something, you know. Probably. Yeah. Just trying to take advantage of people tricking them. But that's why they had five. You know, they can easily be everywhere they need to be. [00:39:09] Speaker B: They manipulate. Yeah. He t. Pull him back here and do. [00:39:12] Speaker A: He said they were just flashing wads of. Of hundred dollar bills out of them. Pulling them out of the things, you know, and just like, you know, he's like. Cuz when he got there, he seen that. He's like, these guys are serious, you know, they're real. You know, they're really serious. Well, they probably had four or $5,000 there rolled up or something because they're. [00:39:29] Speaker B: They're. [00:39:29] Speaker A: That's how they're ready. [00:39:30] Speaker B: They're making money. [00:39:31] Speaker A: They. [00:39:31] Speaker B: They. Golly, dude, that's. No, I never heard anything. [00:39:34] Speaker A: I had neither. So in case the audience hasn't heard that you're getting ready to sell something, you better beware. I have not heard that. But yeah, it happened to him Monday. He came into work. He was. He was still. He's like, I've got. He was just sitting in Scott's office. That's where I'm working at on Mondays. He's sitting in there with his head down like this. And I walked in, he goes, I've got to tell you something that happened to me this weekend. I said, okay, let's hear it. [00:40:00] Speaker B: Oh, shoot. [00:40:01] Speaker A: I wasn't expecting that. I'd never heard anything like that. [00:40:03] Speaker B: No, that's nuts. [00:40:05] Speaker A: That's. [00:40:05] Speaker B: That's a next level there. I mean, but I mean, it would easily be done. I mean, if. If you have a motivated seller, like, I like, you need money or I want to sell it or I need to get rid of it. And then they're like, okay, this guy's already. This guy's already wanting to get. [00:40:20] Speaker A: Or you have no knowledge about cars. Yeah. [00:40:23] Speaker B: At all. Absolutely. [00:40:24] Speaker A: Trying to sell something. Yeah. [00:40:25] Speaker B: Golly, that's nuts. [00:40:28] Speaker A: Yeah, tell me about it. Tell me about it. [00:40:34] Speaker B: I, I, you know, Eugene, you know, when I bought my truck. Yeah, yeah, this was in 12, you know, and I had every intention, you know, as a 00373 power stroke, last half year of the stroke, 7.3s. And this was when Walmart used to park all their cars in little city down there. And I had every intention of paying the guy 8,500 bucks because that's what he wanted. I mean, he wanted 95, but it had 300 and something thousand when I bought it. Yeah, but it was a super, super clean truck at the time. [00:41:15] Speaker A: I remember it. We went, looked at it. I think I did. [00:41:19] Speaker B: And well, Eugene, you know how he was. You just have to know the man. And he, he said, he said, now we gonna get down here. And he said, I'm buying this thing. He said, I'm, I'm going to buy it. He said, you just, you just lay low and watch or something like that. So he gets. Now, he wasn't scamming nobody, but he knew how to work the system. Yeah, you know, I did learn from him. He was like, the guy was wanting to sell it. I mean, he was very interested in selling it. His truck had high mileage. It was hard. It'd been sitting there for three weeks. Nobody ever jumped on it because of the mileage. And I just took the gamble and jumped on it. And, well, I had, I had $8,500 cash I was going to get. I pulled it out of the bank. I had a. So me and him go that evening. He takes his scanner, he goes out there and plugs it in. And it had a glow plug code, whatever, you know, like a glow plug relay code. And so we go out and drive it and he dogs it all the way through Lenore City. I mean, all the way back, other way. The hardest you can drive the thing, you know, he gets back out and he, you know, hey, he is, he grab his shirt, you just tickle you to death. And he slams that door shut. Me and him get out of it. And he told me the whole time, he said, don't say a word. Just let me, just let me buy it, okay? He said, he said, count out $6,000. Okay? I counted out, you know, I took 15 out of it. He's like, now put that in the other pocket. We get out of the truck. I'm like, what's this guy doing? [00:42:49] Speaker A: You know, what is he doing? [00:42:52] Speaker B: He slams the door, he goes over and like I say, you just got to know. You just had to know Eugene. He Said, he said, bank's only going to loan six on it. He said, that's all we got. He said, you can give. You can give it or, you know, take it or leave it. And that guy's like, well, you know, he's like, I'm just telling you what the bank gave us. Too many miles on, he said, runs good. It's a good looking truck. He said, it's nice. He said, but that's just. It's all we can do. He said, take it or leave it. That guy's like, well, you know, and I'm over here and I'm like, dude, I got 1500 more dollars. [00:43:24] Speaker A: Get. [00:43:24] Speaker B: Hang on a dang minute. It's a nice truck. [00:43:27] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:27] Speaker B: You know. And that guy's like, well, I mean, I guess. I mean, if that's all they'll give you, I guess that's what it's worth. Now. He wasn't scamming him, he was just jewing with him, you know. And he said, pay him. He said, if you want it, pay him, he said. He said, he brought me out here. He said, he brought me out here to check the truck out. And he said, he said, pay the man. So he's talking to me, you know, he said, that's my boy, you know. [00:43:53] Speaker A: Yeah, that's my boy. [00:43:55] Speaker B: And so we get back in the truck. Of course he's in his truck. He's, you know, we do the deal and get the title and all that. And he said, come by the house before you go home. I was like, okay. I mean, I lived it at that time. I was. [00:44:11] Speaker A: He probably went. He probably went, give me 500. [00:44:14] Speaker B: No, he said, he said, we got to his house and he's like, what do you think about that? And I was like. I said, yeah. I said, I said, well, I need to pay you something. He's like, you know, he was. He wouldn't take nothing. He said, you just need to learn from me or something like that yet. And I said, well, I did learn. I will give it that, you know. And so the next morning I went by and got him a carton of Red Marboro Reds. [00:44:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:41] Speaker B: Oh. Tickled him to death. And he said, he should have got me three or four packs or three or four cartons of my. So I will if you want me to. I don't care. But he was just. It was just one of those things I'll never forget. [00:44:58] Speaker A: I didn't know he went down there with you. [00:45:00] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, he. He bought it for me is what he did. He Bought that truck for me. I gave $6,000 for it, and I probably could get 6,000 for it today, if I was guessing. [00:45:10] Speaker A: Yeah, you probably could. How many miles that thing got on it? [00:45:13] Speaker B: 407, 460, or 470. I ain't drove it in three months. Yeah, it's probably got about. It's either four. I think it's 460. So it's got on it now. I've put about a hundred thousand on it since 2012. [00:45:27] Speaker A: Yeah, that's been a good truck. It's good. Good purchase. [00:45:31] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. I remember my mom, she told me, you know, she works at the. She worked at the clerk. Clerk's office then she was the county clerk. And I told her what I was buying, and she absolutely lost her mind because it had 100, 360,000 miles on it. And still to this day, I aggravate her about it, about the truck. When I go, like, we go. Go somewhere, whatever, and we'll drive the truck, and I'll be like, hop in this old piece of junk that you sold me, not. You told me not to buy, you know, and all that stuff. So she was. I mean, she was. She was a county clerk, so she. Anything over 100,000 miles is considered high mileage, you know. [00:46:08] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:46:08] Speaker B: And, you know, I'm getting one that's got 360 on it. 368. [00:46:13] Speaker A: But I remember you. You called me about it. I remember. [00:46:17] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, you've had one. Yeah, you had one. So that's. He did, though, and Eugene had one. He had a. Yeah, but his. [00:46:26] Speaker A: Nothing. [00:46:26] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, they sold it. It. They sold it at like 30, 000 miles. Yeah, 30 or 40,000. After he died, after he passed away. Yeah. Yeah, they sold it. I think it's. It was. It wasn't a scam, but he was a. I. He. He taught me. He taught me something. I. I had the man. 8,500. [00:46:49] Speaker A: Well, that's what made me motivated to sell my. My last camper because I, you know, I went to a place when they. And I was looking at trading it in, and I decided to see what they'd offer. I'd had it on Facebook for sale, I think, but I decided to see what they would offer us there. And when they offered whatever it was, you know, and we talked them up just a little bit more, and they're like, I don't think we can go any higher than that, you know. Well, what did we do? We called our bank, see what they'd loan on it, and we're like, it was like $1,000 more than a bank said it was worth. And I'm like, golly, we're really going to take the risk of sitting on this. Let's just trade it in. Yeah. Get out, get away from it and get what we want and just walk away. [00:47:28] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:47:29] Speaker A: So we did. So. But yeah. So that's a motivator. [00:47:32] Speaker B: Absolutely. Yeah. [00:47:33] Speaker A: Motivated me. Thanks for joining us. Second Floor sessions. Catch us next week. [00:47:38] Speaker B: See you guys. Appreciate you. [00:47:40] Speaker A: Good night.