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I have read a couple pages worth of complaints and as the title says all I can say is wow. I have been working for Oreilly's for 2 years now and I'm in my 3rd store. I have never seen any of the things that people are complaining about. I used to be an inventory specialist so I've been in every store in my district to do inventories (that's 9 stores) plus the 2 other stores I've worked in and there has been a few minor issues but nothing like the problems people are complaining about below. The only complaint that has some merit is the pay. I used to make 3 times what I'm making as a mechanic, but it was flat rate. When the economy took a *** so did earning 100% commission. I took a big pay cut to go to Orielly's but at least I know exactly what is on my next check and I don't have to worry about making my hours to pay the bills. Here's what I have to say to all the whiners below...

1. To the current or ex-employees complaining about pay, you knew what it was when you agreed to take the job. Nobody forced you to accept the position. If you didn't like it then don't work here. To the ex-CSK employees, yes CSK paid a lot better, but there's a reason they don't exist anymore. Last time I checked even $8/hr is more than nothing...

2. To the customers complaining about returns, I have never seen an employee refuse a valid refund. Even without a receipt I have done a refund, as long as I can find the transaction history in the computer it takes a little research, but if the customer is patient then no problem. The only time I have refused a refund is if the part is has been installed. (think about it, If I return a used part I either can't sell it as new so the company takes the hit, or I box it up and sell it to the next guy, does either of those sound fair to you. Why should Oreilly's or the next guy pay for your mistake).

3. To the customers complaining about service, The guy behind the counter may be an overqualified and under paid employee or an inexperienced dropout who likes tearing his vehicle apart with no way to get it back together. Either way your getting free advice on how to fix your car. If you want to hold someone accountable go to a mechanic and pay $60/hr, or better yet the dealership and pay $120/hr, for a complete diagnosis. Every employee I have worked with is doing their best to give you the right part/info with the information you provide us with.

4. Almost every pissed off customer that has a small gripe with Oreilly's exaggerates and turns something small that happened into a huge ordeal and then tells anyone who will listen about it. I'll be the first to admit it, I've done it myself. Usually my wife calls me out on it and makes me look ***, but hey we've all been there. All I'm saying is tell it like it is.

I started at this company because my last paycheck as a mechanic was for $235. I lost my house, and my truck. I had to tuck my tail between my legs and move back in with mom and dad and start all over. Oreilly's gave me a full time job on the counter, then moved me to RSS, then Assistant, and last but definitely not least I recently moved 2000 miles away from my home and my family. I didn't know a single person here it was just a new adventure I wanted to start, and guess what? Oreilly's transferred me so I didn't have to find a new job. My knew store welcomed me with open arms and made me feel like I wasn't so alone. So unlike most people posting these messages I am grateful to Oreilly's. They have been a great company to work for. I have gotten everything out of it that I've put in and more...

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Guest

That is the thing about OAP, I have seen the very best and very worst out of this company. To be blunt, it depends on where you are.

As someone who worked for OAP for a few years, and CSK before that, I can tell you that OAP does indeed have it's absurd moments.

1.

I was helping develop bulk fluid sales for our area (oil, trans. fluid, etc). When it came time to work out the options for pricing and profit margins, I had to do a spread sheet by hand, with pencil and paper.

I know how to do this, not difficult for me at all (I am that old). But what Fortune 500 company still requires people to do spreadsheets with pencil and paper in the last twenty five years ?

It is a punchline to a joke, not how a modern company does things. It would cost the IT department nothing but a little time to allow even a zero cost, Open Source option to be available.

2. I actually believe everything you said about how you do returns, I did them the same way too. But when I was seeing people being trained poorly and in a rush, bad customer service is the direct result.

3.

8$ / hr ? They don't even start that high here ! If you pay cheap, you get cheap and won't keep good people. You don't need an MBA to know that.

In some markets, and this one is shaping up to be another one, OAP is a place where you get your foot in the door, learn a few things about car parts and GTFO to a better job. They also have a wretched habit of being serial liars about what pay rates come with promotions. If you lie and cheat it sets a poor example to the staff, to make a kind understatement. You also seem to be bothered by some customer expectations being too high.

But it is some of OAP's commercials I have seen that have raised them this high. OAP payed good money for ad time on TV to portray their staff as being almost psychic (to recall one ad I saw) and then wonder why customers are upset when OAP over-promises and under-delivers. In this case, OAP is part of it's own problem. And here, the competition does have, overall, sharper staff when it comes to knowledge.

And in this market, when a customer is asked if they want a distributor cap, rotor and wires for an engine with a COP ignition (for readers: COP= Coil Over Plug Ignition, has no cap, rotor or wires) it screams to the customers that the person has no clue as to what they are doing. This is a real life example that happened to a neighbor at our local OAP. I think it is a reasonable expectation that the counterperson not try to get "Add On Sales" by attempting to suggest parts your car does not even have. In this market, OAP charges significantly more for parts than the majority of it's competitors.

At one time, the knowledge and experience levels of the staff was the "added value" that justified this in the customer's eyes. But now, people find lower prices and better people at the other stores. Some people to exaggerate in their complaints, this is true. Some are unreasonable, this is true.

But this is not the case for all of them. When I worked for the company I often found myself having to straighten out messes like these. In some places, the company is run like you say it is, but not in this market. Here, it is considered a joke.

A very tasteless one. Just ask any of the many ISS accounts I took care of, as well as high margin retail customers. Bear this in mind when it was admitted in a phone conference with investors that there was no way that OAP was going to meet it's goal of a 50/50 ratio of Retail / Commercial sales. I think the 2012 call is still online somewhere.

PS: I am certainly glad you got the better experience. Perhaps the currently "fractured" company culture can be mended and it can go back to it's historically winning ways across the board.

Guest

I worked for Oreilly Auto Parts for 8 months...I was promised two promotions which never happened, and I didn't think they would happen since I had only been there a short time. I was a part-time parts specialist working over 45 hours a week (part time so they don't give me benefits).

I was given a monthly sales goal, a monthly related sales goal, and a monthly Cash Ticket Average (average dollar amount per sales ticket) goal. Although I was a parts specialist, my job every day was to do deliveries...Now about those goals I mentioned, I never met them because I was never in the store to do sales. And I was not allowed to bill out my deliveries because of some lie my manager made up (so their sales would be higher). I made decent money at 7.55 an hour, with commission, plus overtime.

My last day at O'Reilly, I got lost on the way to a commercial delivery 37 miles away from our store, and since we could not use our phones in the vehicles, I was forced to find my way back to the store using a map. When I returned, I was told that because I was away for so long (1.25 hours), I had cost the store over 2500 in possible commercial sales because there was no delivery specialist on duty. Which is ***, because there were 6 people in store that day, of which 3 used to be delivery specialists.

I finally said screw it, I quit. I left, and immediately applied to Advance Auto...I was hired within two days for full time as a retail specialist...And now, I am a full time mechanic at an auto garage.

Guest

That's a great way to put it man. This company is one of the best I've worked for, and I'm grateful for what they have done for me.

Guest

couldnt have said it better myself

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