Are customers really that thick?

[qprdude]

While swimbo was once more shopping for shoes, I took the opportunity to have a look round Halfords next door. I was kind of pricing batteries , and checking to see if they had LDS fluid in stock, .

My eyes were drawn to the selection of filters which I decided to price for future reference and on-line comparison. Above the filters was a shelf containing some water leak sealant products such as Radweld etc. I was amazed to see a notice in bold font reminding the customer "Please ensure that these products are added to the water system as instructions, and not to the oil system"

Is this a case of a*se covering, or do they think customers are truly clueless?

[Stickyfinger]

BOTH.......

As a kid |I worked at a filling station, screen-wash water top-ups into the oil happened a few times ....also one Gent who topped up his oil via the dipstick hole ! and the memorable lady who after buying a gallon of engine oil came back for another and then a third as it did not fill it up to the brim !...at this point we noticed and stopped her...she called us silly kids and tried starting it....nice messy Escort

[qprdude]

On thinking back,I once had an apprentice who was asked to check over a wheeled GM welder before taking it on-site.
I asked him to check the water and oil and top up if it was needed.
Yep he put two gallons of oil into it. Thankfully, he told me he had topped the oil up to the filler cap. I thought he was winding me up. No damage done as I eventually took a look, then drained the excess.

[Bannedbiker]

In the early 1990's I worked in a small garage in Norwich that specialized in Citroen's. A woman came in one afternoon and told us that her "submarine light" was lit on the dashboard of her BX. We all looked at each other and the head mechanic went out to look at her car.
He came back a few minutes laughing, the "submarine light" was in fact the temperature warning light which showed thermometer in some water. She thought it was a periscope!!!!

[Trainman]

Without a doubt............ here's a couple of usual one's...........

Does this platform got to London............... not today...... or it's not moved for the last 100 years so I don't think so
Do you know where I can get the train to Preston................. yes

and the best.....

Now where am I going

[vibes]

A friend of a friend of mine who works in a Ford-garage told us the best (or worst) he has seen was when a Mondeo was brought at the garage, engine filled full of diesel via oil cap. You really can't underestimate human stupidity...

[Peter.N.]

When cars were simple and has everything in the right place it was obvious where every thing went - not any more, now the engine is all covered in and there are just filler caps poking though it gets me confused - especially as I'm colour blind!

I think the average person knows less about cars now than they did years ago, when I started driving most people would have a go at repairing them, as they did with their radio's and TVs but now not only are they more complicated but people in general have a lot more money and can afford to send them to a garage.

You even get people on forums saying things like "the oil light came on so I checked when I got home" not this one I hasten to add

Peter

[VertVega]

Not all customers are thick but considering that there are a great number of car owners/drivers with lack of simple technical knowledge on cars. Since the product is freely available on the shelf, can be purchased by any customer. such precautions are added for that reason.

I buy Forte Motor Flush from a shop here and once a new seller was behind the desk. He asked me if I know that the product is poured inn engine oil and I must not drive the car with it added to engine oil I said thanks for the information and I didn't take it as personal.

Another example: Several years ago at a gas station a woman driver in the next gas filling place approached me with a liter of oil in her hand, asking me if can show where that product should be poured I recognized that she was actually our cities newly elected member of the parliament So I showed the place under the hood and even checked the oil level and added new oil.

Believe it or not but the spectrum of the drivers are extremely wide.

[Stickyfinger]

Aww come on guys your being too nice to that great collection of moronic thick brainless thoughtless pillocks out there we call "Mr/Mrs Average", they even colour code things now to make it "simple for the simple"....they cant even read a fecking manual for a £30,000 piece of metal. 99% of them deserve a Main Dealer..... " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and now an average man " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[addo]

People aren't thick, they are wilfully uninformed.

I'm still surprised voting doesn't require a series of IQ/comprehension tests. Goes a long way towards explaining the polling results.

[Stickyfinger]

In Scotland little Alex is letting 16year old's vote....I know one who cannot tie a shoe lace and has never cooked an egg . And he can decide the future of a Nation.....HELP !

[CitroJim]

When I was a callow youth and not long started work I was mentored by a cynical old sage who had many wise words and anecdotes.

Such as when his son asked him how much he earned and his reply was 'About half of it son...'

One recurrent theme was his declaration that 95% of all people at least were thick and stupid, possibly a lot more.

As a youngster I thought that a very unfair statement.

Sadly, now I'm in exactly the same position as he was all those years ago I now realise he was dead right.

The wheel really has gone full-circle. As I approach retirement I'm now that old sage and mentoring youngsters...

Incidentally, whist writing this I spelt 'mentoring' incorrectly and the spell checker offered 'tormenting' as a possibly correct spelling. Thinking on it well could be if some of our youngsters were asked what they thought

[Northern_Mike]

In Scotland little Alex is letting 16year old's vote....I know one who cannot tie a shoe lace and has never cooked an egg . And he can decide the future of a Nation.....HELP !

At least he won't have filled his head with sh1te from the likes of the Daily Mail, so not all is lost.

[Northern_Mike]

When I was a callow youth and not long started work I was mentored by a cynical old sage who had many wise words and anecdotes.

Such as when his son asked him how much he earned and his reply was 'About half of it son...'

One recurrent theme was his declaration that 95% of all people at least were thick and stupid, possibly a lot more.

As a youngster I thought that a very unfair statement.

I think it still is. People/kids are no longer taught, or in many cases, allowed to think for themselves, so they get out of the habit and this leads to them giving the impression that they're stupid.

[Northern_Mike]

In the early 1990's I worked in a small garage in Norwich that specialized in Citroen's. A woman came in one afternoon and told us that her "submarine light" was lit on the dashboard of her BX. We all looked at each other and the head mechanic went out to look at her car.
He came back a few minutes laughing, the "submarine light" was in fact the temperature warning light which showed thermometer in some water. She thought it was a periscope!!!!

At least she had the sense to stop and ask.