# PSA for Shop Workers



## AccordUno (Aug 7, 2009)

PSA for all those that have a shop or work at a shop:

Let me preface it with the following I might not be Gary Biggs, Fishman, Bing, Jeff Smith, etc or an installer at a shop, or some kid that goes around booming or some idiot off the street without a clue. I'm just a guy that has been in around car audio for a while, I have built a MECA Champion car in my garage (1 title, 2 - 2nd) and have installed a few systems. I'm currently working on an install in my apartment parking garage, that I'm going to compete with and demo Beyma Speakers.. I have competed in IASCA, USAC, and MECA and all the installs I did either in my driveway or in my garage, and did decent. 

Ok, now the PSA. No matter if it's a guy that walks into your store looking for AGU Fuses and a ANL fuse, please, please, be courteous and don't cop an attitude, when someone says, he I was here saturday and you got them. I can careless if you are the one the puts stuff up, the guy at the counter clearly stated they were there on Saturday, not to mention the other fuses that I was going to get are sitting on the counter.. 

Last item, If I tell you that I'm installing a multi amp setup and all I need is fuses, do not after the sale say, "you should have brought it to us, cause at least we would have done it right".. 

Know your clientele before you say something like that. I might have bought fuses from you today, but tomorrow it could have been an alarm, or some other other $$$ work.. 

So fellas, don't look down at your customers, some might have some experiences that exceeds yours or is more than capable of doing installs and just needed a small thing to finish their car and didn't want to wait for it to come in the mail. 

BTW, I went looking for 9 fuses (3- 30amp AGUs, 1-40 amp AGU, 200Amp ANL, 4- 5amp AGU), I did need to pick up a foot or 1/0 or 4ga, but now, I'm not sure I'll go back.. 

that's the PSA for the day, I return you to your regularly scheduled program. :laugh:


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Brad did that to you?


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## AccordUno (Aug 7, 2009)

Brad knows better than that, he's about Latino Jokes (to put them nicely).. Local Chain.. BTW, dude was in his 20s if that..


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## syc0path (Jan 23, 2013)

I love playing dumb when I walk into a shop and then listening to the endless line of BS that they spew. It makes u wonder if they don't know what they're talking about or if they're just trying to rip u off -- or both. Either way, it reminds me of why I do my own work and order almost everything online.


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## tophatjimmy (Dec 16, 2005)

syc0path said:


> I love playing dumb when I walk into a shop and then listening to the endless line of BS that they spew. It makes u wonder if they don't know what they're talking about or if they're just trying to rip u off -- or both. Either way, it reminds me of why I do my own work and order almost everything online.


I'd wager they just don't know about what they are selling. I work at a shop that has a couple of sales guys who are sales guys, not car audio guys. They barely know anything about the product they are slinging let alone what works with what in which car. 
Everytime they sell a deck or speakers or anything for that matter, they have to come grab one of us to look at the car for them and make sure what they are selling will fit the car.

It's infuriating and it makes us as an establishment look incompentent. But they just don't get that. . .


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## AccordUno (Aug 7, 2009)

Hmm, Best one yet, walk in to Best Buy (sorry Best Buy installers), ask if they have a radio harness for a B5 Audi A4. They say yes and guy tries to talk to me about getting an integration Kit instead. I say I'm not interested, because I have some OS gear to put in it. And he states, when I've been a installer for 20 years, to which I reply, I compete in Sound Quality and not interested in the Integration kit and have no need for the factory b(l)ose system in the car.. He did mention that the A4s look nice lowered and that we should lower it (been done), and there's a few more mods that can be done, yup (auto to manual swap, future other mods to be done).

Also, a previous stop at said store, I walk in there to see what they have in stock.. Was looking at getting the Pac SWI-X (I knew what I needed since the P9 combo needs to have IR instead of the jack in the back of the HU). Guy ask me why I need that one specific and I told him I'm going to be running a Pioneer P9 Combo. <Cue Deer in the Headlights look from him>.. I had to explain to him that I competed in Sound Quality and why I was running that.. 

Not bashing anyone, just getting old of going to stores and having guys play 20 questions when I go to a store looking for a specific thing. Unless of course, you have a product that is similar and cheaper than what I'm looking for.. Please don't try to upsell me either, I do my homework before shopping..


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## lsm (Mar 11, 2009)

I was working as an installer at a shop about 20 years ago and one day an older guy (prob my age now lol) walked in dirty and boots covered in mud and all the sales guys just ignored him. This was a high-end shop and we built a lot of competition cars, had trophies and pictures everywhere, and the sales guys actually wore suits. Anyway I walked in and out of the shop area two or three times for supplies, etc and this guy was just wandering around so I finally asked if I could help him. He was looking for a CD Changer for his daughters car for Christmas, no big deal, so I showed him what we had. While we looked around I found out he was a farmer, had a full shop at home, etc. He bought an Alpine changer cash and carry and split. About three months later he showed up again this time with a full custom Mazda B2200 extended cab truck on a trailer and asked what we could do stereo wise. Long story short he spent $38K on the system and won his class at the IASCA Finals that year. You can't judge a book by it's cover....


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## TXwrxWagon (Sep 26, 2008)

lsm said:


> I was working as an installer at a shop about 20 years ago and one day an older guy (prob my age now lol) walked in dirty and boots covered in mud and all the sales guys just ignored him. This was a high-end shop and we built a lot of competition cars, had trophies and pictures everywhere, and the sales guys actually wore suits. Anyway I walked in and out of the shop area two or three times for supplies, etc and this guy was just wandering around so I finally asked if I could help him. He was looking for a CD Changer for his daughters car for Christmas, no big deal, so I showed him what we had. While we looked around I found out he was a farmer, had a full shop at home, etc. He bought an Alpine changer cash and carry and split. About three months later he showed up again this time with a full custom Mazda B2200 extended cab truck on a trailer and asked what we could do stereo wise. Long story short he spent $38K on the system and won his class at the IASCA Finals that year. You can't judge a book by it's cover....


I cant remember his name. But I judged that B2200 several times aall over Illinois, Wisc., & Indiana. He beat me out of a guaranteed spot for IASCA finals one year. AMAZING little truck, phenomenal SQ. 

Its going to drive me nuts remembering his name.

Rob


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## TXwrxWagon (Sep 26, 2008)

ive been installing for 25+ years. When i moved from illinois to St. Louis I was shocked at the lack of small mom-pop shops. DIY install items, forget it. Internet here I went. 

Fast forward to 2005we moved to Dallas, or Car Audio Hell as I call it. NO shops. ALL chains, no one knows dik-squat about anything. 

I wasted an entire saturday trying to find 3ft of 1/0 wire.... once I found a shop with 1/0 they wanted $9/ft and wouldn't sell it to me without terminating it and installing it in the vehicle!! $150 to cut to length, strip, set screw 2 terminals and hook up my circuit breaker? REALLY? $27 for the wire and $150 labor.... dumb azzes

I've learned to plan WAY ahead, order from Trail @ Darvex.com for 90% of my install needs, and and stuff on ebay while I am traveling so its at home when I get back.

The glory days of the DIY guy/gal walkin into a shop, picking up all the pieces needed and an enthusiast waiting on you, excited to hear about your system are gone. 

Just a bunch of xbox-jug heads trying to earn min-wage.

Rob


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## jdsoldger (Feb 14, 2012)

Makes me greatfull to have an older shop run by older guys who more or less know what they are doing. I drop by regularly to get bits and bobs and was treated well. Guess where my dad bought his new head unit and install gear?


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## lsm (Mar 11, 2009)

TXwrxWagon said:


> I cant remember his name. But I judged that B2200 several times aall over Illinois, Wisc., & Indiana. He beat me out of a guaranteed spot for IASCA finals one year. AMAZING little truck, phenomenal SQ.
> 
> Its going to drive me nuts remembering his name.
> 
> Rob


His name was Richard Moss. Thanks for the compliments. Chuck Fowler was the head installer, he did some pretty advanced stuff in that truck...Focal home audio speakers in the kicks, the sub box was re-configurable for SPL and SQ, and my favorite feature the Audio Control EQ's that were hidden behind the ext cab windows. Loved that truck! Chuck was (and I sure still is) an amazing installer.


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## lsm (Mar 11, 2009)

TXwrxWagon said:


> ive been installing for 25+ years. When i moved from illinois to St. Louis I was shocked at the lack of small mom-pop shops. DIY install items, forget it. Internet here I went.
> 
> Fast forward to 2005we moved to Dallas, or Car Audio Hell as I call it. NO shops. ALL chains, no one knows dik-squat about anything.
> 
> ...


It's funny that you moved to Texas...that's where Chuck Fowler lives now. He works at Custom Sounds in Austin, TX. I can only imagine how good he is now considering he built the Mazda in 1991. I haven't seen him since USAC Finals in 2002.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

i used to work at the circuit city roadshop for a while some years back. they ended up hiring this kid that supposedly knew what he was doing. so we had a toyota tundra or some such big truck to do an install in. it had a clean sweep, two powerbass extreme DVC 4 subs, two amps, component speakers and wiring. i was heading up the amplifier install while another guy was doing the speakers, and the kid asked if he could help. i said yes, and i thought to myself that i should test his compentency by having him do something he cant really screw up. so i told him to install the subwoofers in the box.

while i was watching him from the corner of my vision, he goes to wire the subs into the enclosure - we needed a 1 ohm load at the amplifiers - and he started hooking the subs up to the enclosure with just one voice coil, and ignoring the other. he is about to start screwing the speakers in when i tell him to stop. i asked him if he knew what he was doing and he said of course. then i asked him what the final resistance load was for the subs and what should the amplifier be at. he looks at me dumbfounded saying all he had to do was put one red and black to each part on the amplifier (not being able to speaker\amplifier parts by their names) and i sighed heavy. i told him not to touch anything and i would explain it as we went.

TL;DR guy was hired to do installs. he didnt know anything about stereo equipment. guy didnt last long. 

so sometimes - you need to be mindful of who is working where - because there are LOTS of people who pretend to be knowledgeable in shops and outside of shops.


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## AccordUno (Aug 7, 2009)

Well, i hope you guys know that is a thread from back in april. but since ya brought it up, I have gone back since, different experience but I usually got from some parts that I need quickly, did get a chance to look at my future amps for a size comparison, will work nicely with my project.. still trying to sell me stuff I don't want or need..


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