DB
Danielle Bass
6 days ago
We have been rebuilding our 1991 Chevy truck for over 2½ years, so needless to say, we have made MANY trips to Advance Auto Parts and spent quite a bit of money along the way. We shop at both this location and the Sunset location, but this one has always been my favorite because, for the most part, the employees are knowledgeable, caring, and willing to help.
I especially want to recognize Mr. Carl, Mr. Isaac, and Mrs. Sheena. Every time I have dealt with them, they have been friendly, knowledgeable, and extremely helpful. Unfortunately, my last couple of evening experiences have been very different.
A few nights ago, I purchased an alternator online and picked it up at this store. I returned my old alternator for the core charge, installed the new one that evening, and immediately had a problem. The belt started squealing terribly, and we discovered the pulley on the new alternator was turning and stopping.
It was around 8:10 PM, and the store closed at 9:00, so I called to ask how I needed to handle the warranty since I had already returned my old alternator in the new one’s box. The employee answered and immediately put me on hold. I waited and waited, but no one ever came back. I finally hung up and called again.
When he answered the second time, I politely introduced myself and asked who I was speaking with. There was a long silence before he finally gave me a name I wasn’t familiar with. I explained the situation, and after some hesitation, he told me I would need to come back the next morning and speak with a manager.
The next morning, I spoke with Mr. Carl, and the difference was night and day. I told him what happened and the name that I was given, which was a fake name. He immediately took care of me, ordered another alternator because they didn’t have one in stock, and promised to call when it arrived. He did exactly that. I picked it up, installed it, and the truck has been running great. I even spoke with him the next day and he was amazing.
Then yesterday, I had another disappointing evening experience. I had purchased an oil pump online (8/11) but after using a manual oil-pressure gauge, we discovered the pump wasn’t the problem—the dash gauge was. The oil pump was still completely unopened with the pickup sticker attached, so on 8/12 around 8:10 PM I sent my son to this location to return it.
He walked in and found no one at the counter. After waiting patiently, he finally walked toward the back and found a young employee hiding behind the racks. My son asked for help and explained that he simply needed to return an unopened online order and had the barcode available.
The employee told him he couldn’t do the return that night because his manager was in the bathroom, he didn’t know how long the manager would be, and my son would have to come back the next morning.
My son called me at 8:28 PM on his way home to tell me he couldn’t return it.
I brought the exact same part back this morning, and Mrs. Sheena handled the return in a matter of seconds. She was kind, helpful, and professional—as she always is. And, like usual, I ended up buying more things before I left!
I’m not sure whether the employee my son dealt with was the same person I spoke with a couple of nights earlier, but two poor evening experiences in one week are disappointing, especially from a store we frequent so often.
I still recommend this location because there are some excellent, seasoned employees here who truly know their stuff and care about their customers. Mr. Carl, Mr. Isaac, and Mrs. Sheena, the red headed guy (sorry I didn't get his name) and the two older gentlemen are great examples of what customer service should look like.
My only advice? If you want the level of service that has made this my favorite Advance Auto Parts, go before 5—or make sure one of the seasoned veterans is working. The newer employees could definitely benefit from some additional training, because customers shouldn’t have to make a second trip simply because the person working doesn’t know how to process a basic return.