Tool Truck Etiquette

[gagreen]

Topics pop up all the time of off the route guys or hobby users buying or receiving broken truck brand tools and what the best way to warranty them is. A lot of guys instantly want to hunt down an illusive tool truck and get instant satisfaction or get something for nothing. This idea is not terrible, but you need to understand the tool truck business. Here is a quick rundown of the illusive trucks.

-Why are the drivers so hard to find?
Truck vendors are hard to find because they are on a strict schedule. These guys work extremely long days and have to hit every shop on the schedule for that day or risk missing out on payments. This means that a driver cannot always afford to meet you some where convenient to you or afford to wait even 10 minutes extra at a shop waiting for you to arrive.

If you are planning on meeting a driver at a shop make sure you are waiting when he pulls up, this will make them much happier to help you. A happy driver can mean discounts and special stops for you in the future.

-Why won't this driver warranty my tools
Sometimes they just cannot afford to do so. Trucks are given a credit limit, this means most the time the tools on the truck are all the driver has for that week or longer if he is getting dodged by bad customers missing payments. Every tool you take off the truck in a warranty is selling power taken away from that driver until he gets a replacement. Many of the truck brands have it written into the contracts with the driver that they are not required to actually replace tools. Most will with a smile, but we have all had months where we were extended and business is slow. The driver will be wary and maybe downright rude to someone who has never spent a dime on his truck that is demanding a replacement. These drivers make their living off selling tools, not warrantying a piece you found for .50 cents at a yard sale.

Your best route for warrantying tools, if you have never stepped foot on that brands truck in your area, is to simply find the customer service information listed on their websites. Most of the time a simple phone call is all it takes to get a new tool heading your way. It will most likely be easier than finding a truck and getting the timing right anyway, save some frustration.

-First time on the truck for a purchase
Drivers personalities vary. Some don't mind chewing the fat for a while and letting you browse, but realize that diesel isn't free and they are on a strict schedule. Get on the truck with at least one tool in mind that you are ready to pay msrp for. Grab that tool and then let your eyes wander and go for an impulse buy or two. You don't have to spend thousands to start a good relationship with your dealer, they appreciate customers who know what they want or have a very good idea of what they want.

Off route guys should not expect to get truck credit. The reason truck credit is so easy is that the driver knows your boss, knows where your tools are, and knows an exact time every week to expect payment. Off route guys are a serious financial risk to the driver if he were to start you on an account. Some will tho so ymmv.

-Haggling
I generally save any haggling for after the first few times doing business. If the driver knows you are a regular customer and sees a benefit in giving you good deals he will be more likely to work on prices with you. This is where spending a little every few weeks and paying cash will work in your favor.

-"I found a truck, but he doesn't want anything to do with me"
Again drivers make money on consistent customers, not the casual. Some drivers are so busy with their pro's that they almost refuse walk ons. Find another truck that will work with you, or order online. Enough online orders will generally prompt a regional manager to get in touch and ask if you'd like an appointment or meeting time with the truck in charge of your area.


I welcome replies that forward this conversation. Please do not soil this thread with truck brand hate. This is just helpful information to keep feelings from getting hurt and that will help your tool buying experience. I see a lot of misunderstanding on here about tool truck franchisee's and while a lot of the hate is warranted there is quite a bit of hate that is misguided by lack of information on the way these guys do business.

Keep it on topic please guys.

 

[rsanter]

We do not get a regular stop at my work
I call and ask if he has what I want on the truck
If he says yeas he stops by and I buy it
If he does not have it I ask him to,order it and he stops by when he gets it

So far a good working system

Bob

 

[gagreen]

We do not get a regular stop at my work
I call and ask if he has what I want on the truck
If he says yeas he stops by and I buy it
If he does not have it I ask him to,order it and he stops by when he gets it

So far a good working system

Bob

My driver does that with his farm guys. Some drivers can swing stops especially to smaller, matured stops where the driver knows his sales will be few and far between. I'm in a small shop but I brought my keurig in, and my driver is hooked on the three continent blend

 

[Canadian Charlie]

Well said, I've never bought anything off the truck. Bought I've bought from Snap On online

 

[bareass172]

I would very respectfully submit that this is why I think the truck brand business model is inherently flawed. For a company that runs such strict QC on their tools to allow such an insanely varied quality of service to be the way they interact with their customers... It just seems silly to me. I'm not trying to hate, I've had good drivers and bad ones and that's the reason I am so critical of the entire system. How would I do it differently? I have no idea, but I don't get paid to figure that stuff out...

To echo your post and try to end positive, I have had great success when dealing with warranty stuff by contacting the company directly (as you mention). Knowing what I know about the way these drivers operate and make a living I often go out of my way (unless I'm in a time bind) to skip them as a part of the warranty process and just involve the big company directly. Typically a 5 minute phone call nets me whatever I need, mailed directly to my door.

 

[FunkyfullWidth]

I went from one extreme to the other. I had a snap on driver that would show up or tell you weeks ahead of time that he wouldn't be able to make it. He would always order what you wanted if he didn't have it and you'd always get it in a timely fashion.. This guy would meet you somewhere in a pinch on an off day.

Now I have a guy that barely shows up once a month and usually just to collect a payment. we close at 5, he shows up at 4:55. Then proceeds to tell you about hookers that he's been with. He'll rush in, look around for the boss then say he's gotta go. Whoah buddy, warranty this **** that we've been asking you about for 6 months please... Oh god... He goes on to say how busy he is and that he'll get us next week. He told us he had this crazed medication that made him trip just like the good acid did in the 70's...

This guy apparently has no credit with snap on, so it literally takes months to get a socket or wrench replaced. He had an air tool for a rebuild for almost 6 months.

 

[Art From De Leon]

After I went back to the oilfield after working as a JD 'technician' for 3 years, I kept in touch with the Snap-on dealer, up to the point that he would come by my personal shop every now and then.

I would offer a couple of tips, IF you meet up with a dealer at a shop, do not take up parking space in front of the man's business, and don't be afraid to mail payments to your dealer.

I always tell the dealer that I am not in a hurry, and that there is no need to break a set, although they insist it is not a problem. I don't ask for a discount, since for me it is buying 'toys', and he is in business to make money. My last major purchase was my KRSC46 service cart, paid for before it showed up, and delivered to my storage unit, all on truck credit, and my past purchase history.

 

[bsaint]

Im interested in seeing how both my new Snap-On guy and Mac (if there is one) will be when I open my new shop in June. The guy near my old shop dropped the ball plenty of times probably because I was a one man shop.

 

[Sam'sAutoParts]

To the OP, that was a very thoughtful and helpful post, thanks for taking the time.

I have not had any dealing with trucks, I usually buy everything on line, and if I need to warranty anything I just call customer service, MAC and Snap On have both been great, have not tried MATCO yet.

-Sam

 

[Davefr]

-Why won't this driver warranty my tools
Sometimes they just cannot afford to do so.

Are you sure about this? I thought it was in their franchise agreement that they had to provide warranty service.

-First time on the truck for a purchase
Drivers personalities vary. Some don't mind chewing the fat for a while and letting you browse, but realize that diesel isn't free and they are on a strict schedule.

That a very good point. I can't imagine any driver that wants a bunch of time wasting "Lookie Lous" being wow'd by every tool and then walking out empty handed with sticker shock.

 

[trpearcy]

I'm just gonna add here some of my experience and say that when you get a really good driver, it can be a really beneficial relationship. My current driver is great. He's met me places when I'm off on weekends, he gives me a discount on almost everything, and he never questions a warranty . But he also knows I'm almost 100% brand loyal, I always always pay on time and never just the "minimum" payment, and oh ya, he loves old tools just like me. Whenever I take in some old ratchet or something that I found at a yard sale or swap meet, he loves it. He looks up date codes for me, gives me spare rebuild kits, etc.
Point is, if you've got a good driver and you're good to them, they'll probably be good to you.

 

[Robert Haas]

My old guy was a fine man. He cared about his customers and it showed. He retired and his route was picked up by a young guy that was full of energy but pretty much never really connected with us old timers. He gave up and closed shop after a couple years. The next guy is terrible. He rarely arrives on any regular schedule and when he does he is always in a hurry. I get it. I understand he needs to hustle in today's economy but dang buddy, We need your service right here. right now and we waited for our turn.

It all came to a head when after waiting for 3 weeks for a special order to come in I asked directly what the status was. He shuffled through his dog eared note book, (grumbling about how foolish these old accounts were) Banged some keys on his computer, then informed me he would have to get back to me as he could not find the order right then.

Here is the thing. I am rural. I ave 4 employees and they are all customers of this truck as well. That means 5 active accounts this guy is showing up to service. 4 of us carry no balance on there. (We pay on the spot for everything) the 5th is a new guy and he has a sizable balance and a good portion of his paycheck is going to the truck every month. So when this employee gave notice and took a job at another shop our driver became rare as hell around here. So for being fiscally responsible customers that pay our bills our driver penalizes us by not showing the hell up.

So yea times are tough and the tool truck guy ain't rolling in cash like days of old,.. tough ****. No one is. I buy tools from the truck for 2 reasons. Quality and service. Funny how when you lose one the other gets drug down with it.

 

[fatfillup]

OP, well stated!!

For a pro, a good driver is a real asset and needs to be paid timely and purchased from regularly. And I tell my used tool customers this even though I compete against the trucks. If you expect service, you gotta buy from them.

Bareass, you make a good point about the wide levels of service given by different drivers. Doubt anything can be done about it unless the routes go from independent businesses to company owned with company employees. That's the only way they will have any control.

 

[sberry]

Why would anyone bother with it?

 

[Steinmetz]

Why would anyone bother with it?

Exactly. As obsolescent as the neighborhood milk man.

 

[macgyver37]

I have a great respect for tool truck dealers. My Dad has been an auto tech since I was little and he had a great dealer for many years. When I got into high school I got a few jobs in shops as a helper and decided to spend any extra money on tools. I bought a top box that I still have and was given credit to do so. I bought alot from him, almost all of my tools of that brand are from him. Looking back I am sure it was as much because he knew my Dad as because he was a great guy. I also mailed him payment when I switched jobs and he didn't come to the new place, wasn't a big deal. He was the area dealer for app 20 yrs.

I have since moved and my area dealer has been great as well, I am not doing any work for others so I rarely need anything new. I caught him at a local shop and introduced myself and explained the situation and asked him how he would like to work it. He said anytime I saw him stopped somewhere I could come in. I have bought a few things from him and it has been good for both of us I think. I know that he is on a schedule so I will converse while shopping but I keep moving as to not waste his time.
Honestly the only things that keep me from buying more are that I have most everything I need and will use and the cost, I just don't have the extra money right now to buy anymore.

 

[jjjrmx5]

Are you sure about this? I thought it was in their franchise agreement that they had to provide warranty service.

In "theory", yes.

But then again,we are back to the "Are you the orginal owner" question, "did you buy it from the dealer?" question which can be thrown back at the customer. Especially if the dealer is in arrears in pmts from truck accounts or his route is slow.

Busy routes and busy drivers never say a word as they are banking coin and placing orders . I have a current local driver that suffers teh slow income/sales problem and had a Mac driver that suffered that "big-time" years ago.

I think the OP did a good job of summing up the typical route driver.
Just in teh same way you don;t see USPS Postal Carriers or UPS drivers sitting around chit-cahtting over a latte on thier route.
Time is money and buyers expect you to be at a certain place at a certain time. And in alots of cases, waving cash or needing to pay thier bill. That's money on the table (or a re-po's box---LOLZ)

As for Bare, I see Snap-On as if you slammed a McDonalds and a food truck together but only allowed each to cover a certain region but did not have restarrants but only the vechicle. You can't be all places at all times in a truck, and brick and mortar is not the business model for SO , so you seek out the highest density of buyers with the most financial pull and base your route accordingly.

Selling one-sies and two-sies of tools will not cut it, but hit up the mfg. cores and large staffed shops and fill in with the smaller owner businesss and there ya go.

It's far from perfect but at least the interwebz has allowed those without a truck access to the tools.
Decades ago it was not even an option.

I'd love to see majorly populated cities get a SO store, but I doubt the franchisees would like it.

It's a "good ole boys" club currently, like it or not.

 

[Steinmetz]

"...Now I have a guy that barely shows up once a month and usually just to collect a payment. we close at 5, he shows up at 4:55. Then proceeds to tell you about hookers that he's been with. He'll rush in, look around for the boss then say he's gotta go. Whoah buddy, warranty this **** that we've been asking you about for 6 months please... Oh god... He goes on to say how busy he is and that he'll get us next week. He told us he had this crazed medication that made him trip just like the good acid did in the 70's…".

So that's why you paid the premium price for an item in the first place, right?

 

[BK13]

Huh, silly me. I never thought this stuff would need to be written down. I just figured the driver's time was valuable and tried not to waste it. To his credit, he never tried to rush me, and always tried to make me feel comfortable. I guess the fact that every time he saw me, within a couple of minutes I had dropped $100-200 cash in his truck...

 

[orangefury]

I'm on my second Snap-on driver in 2.5 years. I met the first one while picking some parts at the Yamaha dealership. I politely asked if he would deal with a walk-up and he said come on in. I told him I was getting back into building bikes and was in need of tools. I know a lot of people order off the internet, but I just can't do it. I rather support my local businesses. I would always pay in cash and never haggle on prices. He would always give me good deals. In December he sold his route, but he put me in touch with another driver. Great guy and a bigger truck, always has bogo's. I have been buying off of him for the last six months, no problems, haven't paid full price on anything. He even gave me truck credit, probably because I'm dropping $400-$500 a month with him, I have a son in tech school.

 

[Kracin]

This means that a driver cannot always afford to meet you some where convenient to you

isn't this the whole point to the truck system? when did drivers become too good to meet somebody to make a sale? they drive a truck full of tools for a reason

-Why won't this driver warranty my tools
Sometimes they just cannot afford to do so

the whole point of the truck brand stuff as i've heard it is that when you break something you get it ASAP! that day even!. why would a driver not be able to afford to warranty a tool for somebody but somehow all of the fans of the trucks say they get their stuff that day, is this more of a he doesn't have the money unless you pay him upfront for a warranty?

Your best route for warrantying tools, if you have never stepped foot on that brands truck in your area, is to simply find the customer service information listed on their websites. Most of the time a simple phone call is all it takes to get a new tool heading your way. It will most likely be easier than finding a truck and getting the timing right anyway, save some frustration.

again, this defeats the whole purpose a truck in the first place, paying a "premium price for customer service" etc etc. you can order any other brand and have it at your place of business or home in 1 or two days also, at a fraction of the cost with the same quality.

Get on the truck with at least one tool in mind that you are ready to pay msrp for. Grab that tool and then let your eyes wander and go for an impulse buy or two. You don't have to spend thousands to start a good relationship with your dealer

if the guy didn't want people browsing, he wouldn't be taking up valuable space with "displays", a display is meant to be there to catch the eye. there isn't an entrance fee to walk on the truck (that i know about lol, maybe there is a 1 socket purchase per entry per person fee i didn't realize).

This is where spending a little every few weeks and paying cash will work in your favor.

so in order to keep having him treat you like a customer, you have to continually give him part of your paycheck, or else?









i'll be honest with you, i'm not a fan of the truck way of selling for these very reasons, this thread is meant to help people but it just outlines the poor mentality of the people who sell these tools and the people who stand behind the way they are sold. ie. they don't want your business, or your referalls, they just want your money, and if you show up without money in hand to throw at the driver then you aren't coming on the truck, and you aren't getting 5 minutes of his time to find out whats new and how good it is.

i'm awaiting the day when snap-ons truck system fails because they put customer service second and relied on the loyalty of their people who are aging fast, while the rest of the consumer world uses 1-2 day shipping, online ordering and discounted prices for everything. with just as quick turn around on warranty. where they can browse without being given a stink eye for not buying first before browsing, and can safely decline a sale after having spent 20 minutes mulling over eating, or dishing out 200 for that new deep well socket set.

 

[jjjrmx5]

Poor poor Kracin.
Ya still don't get it do ya.

The truck is there for customers, but customers who BUY.

Ever been to Amsterdam and perused the "red light" district?
Lots of lookers. Fewer buyers.

If I;m a driver heading to an industrial client with 300 employees and a monthly tool crib allotment of $10k and I;m held up by a "dude" who walks on my truck "heming and hawing" over the price of a $80 F80 ratchet or a $60 ratcheting screwdriver and just trying to get an "overview of what I sell,", then hellz yes, you, as a customer, are a waste of my time.

Period.

Which is why drivers screen walk-ons.

This is NOT an ice-cream truck.
They'll do just fine without your business.

Meanwhile the "big boy" deisel shop, city repair facility, military base or mfg. plant has workers that need tools, need tools fixed or need to order tools NOW (and have likely already callled the dealer and are waiting for delivery at industiral prices) that far usurp any argument you can bring.

Money talks. More money talks louder. Sorry
Business 101.

You pay-to-play in the snap-on world.
It's not news.

 

[1950mercury]

Ive never been on a truck but that sounds insane to me. Im not going to **** up to anyone to buy or exchange a tool at snap on prices. Ive worked in retail before and if they ran there company like you make the tool truck sound they wpuld be out of businesses...

 

[RCStocker]

The driver represents the company. If he dose not want to back up the companies warranty he should find another line of work. I understand about replacement tools coming out of inventory. I don't believe the drive has a limit on replacements. That makes no sense and is total BS. I can see him not having an inventory or money to replace but the warranty laws apply to the truck rout owners. They are the company.
I have had many friends who own garages and to aircraft repair. They turn in my tools because I am never around. We have had several Snap-on drives not wanting to replace old ratchets that they could not repair. They only did so when the party purchased something big. We told him not to come back. My Mac drivers are great. No questions ask. I buy huge lots of tools and businesses. I auction them off and I also do estate auctions. I buy everything then hold the auction. I have been doing it as a side business for 40 years. I have turned in many tools that were defected or worn out. I have gotten everyone replaced with no questions ask except for Snap-on. That is my 3 cents worth. The tool has the warranty not the owner. That is the bottom line and if anyone says differently they need to read their warranty and talk to the local DA.

 

[jjjrmx5]

Ive never been on a truck but that sounds insane to me. Im not going to **** up to anyone to buy or exchange a tool at snap on prices. Ive worked in retail before and if they ran there company like you make the tool truck sound they wpuld be out of businesses...

What?

Like pizza, where you offer BOGO offers?
Yep. Snap-On does that.

Like girls buying $500 shoes at Macy's or buying LV purses or Coach handbags at retail prices unless you buy a "knock-off". Goodluckwiththat.
Hell, I had an ex-gf buy a LV purse for $1k and then spend another $250 for the shoulder strap.
She never winced once when clicking the "buy" icon.

Sadly, purses nor shoes don't last a lifetime in most cases. Nor, LOL in most cases, can you make a living off of them.
Tools... well...

Good drivers are good sellers with good customers.
It's a business, not a hobby. Time is money. It's retail, but NOT brick and mortar retail. They don;t spend all day in the truck polishing combo wrenches waiting for customers to walk on the truck. Ha.

#Abercrombie & Fitch. LOLZ.

 

[jjjrmx5]

The driver represents the company. If he dose not want to back up the companies warranty he should find another line of work. I understand about replacement tools coming out of inventory. I don't believe the drive has a limit on replacements. That makes no sense and is total BS. I can see him not having an inventory or money to replace but the warranty laws apply to the truck rout owners. They are the company.
I have had many friends who own garages and to aircraft repair. They turn in my tools because I am never around. We have had several Snap-on drives not wanting to replace old ratchets that they could not repair. They only did so when the party purchased something big. We told him not to come back. My Mac drivers are great. No questions ask. I buy huge lots of tools and businesses. I auction them off and I also do estate auctions. I buy everything then hold the auction. I have been doing it as a side business for 40 years. I have turned in many tools that were defected or worn out. I have gotten everyone replaced with no questions ask except for Snap-on. That is my 3 cents worth. The tool has the warranty not the owner. That is the bottom line and if anyone says differently they need to read their warranty and talk to the local DA.

Funny.

All I see is warranty abuse by YOU per the legal and current SO warranty guidelines and some lawyer wannabe talk.

Yep. I;m sure your local District Attorney will be right on this.

Tool abuse/replacement is up to inspection and scrutinization by SO corp. or an SO driver. It's not Craftsman RCStocker. Sorry to burst your bubble.

 

[Matt_C]

So how does it work for the non shop boys? I don't work in a shop, but I'm a professional, and I buy tools for professional use. I've bought SO tools from many different truck guys; some I've only ever bought from once, and some (well, one) I bought from repeatedly. But it doesn't make me any less of a customer because I don't deal with a single driver. And when I break a tool, I need a new one.

So should I need to flag down a passing SO guy, and buy something from him before expecting my tool to be replaced? F that! I paid for that tool, and I expect the company's warranty promise to be upheld - regardless if I've never seen that guy before in my life!

Likewise, I expect to be able to walk up to a truck I see parked up and buy something if I need it. Just because I don't work in a static shop doesn't make me any less "pro" than the guys that do, and I don't expect to be treated any differently (except the credit line - I understand that, and accept it. However, I always pay in full anyway, so it's not a problem to me). The only time I'd expect a truck driver to turn me away is if he was on lunch - and rightly so. But turn me, my money, and my business away because I'm a walk up and not a shop guy? I'd have his name and reg number called into corporate so fast he wouldn't have a chance to apologise!

 

[frugalscotty]

If I;m a driver heading to an industrial client with 300 employees and a monthly tool crib allotment of $10k and I;m held up by a "dude" who walks on my truck "heming and hawing" over the price of a $80 F80 ratchet or a $60 ratcheting screwdriver and just trying to get an "overview of what I sell,", then hellz yes, you, as a customer, are a waste of my time.

There has to be some middle ground here. If the tool truck doesn't take care of ALL their customers they will be SOL when that "industrial client" closes down and moves production to Mexico or Asia. That is also Business 101.

Agree that drivers time should be respected but driver should also respect that for many those tools are not insignificant purchases.

 

[gagreen]

there are 3 or 4 people who are ruining this thread the way they ruin every informational thread on this forum.

This is direct information that regardless of your opinion, is what it is.

Please vent your negativity somewhere else.

Keep this open as a guide to help someone who wants to use a tool truck as an off route patron.

Bash somewhere else

 

[Davefr]

The tool has the warranty not the owner. That is the bottom line and if anyone says differently they need to read their warranty and talk to the local DA.

If you read the SO warranty, it's between SO and the original purchaser. (not the tool)

 

[joel63]

Poor poor Kracin.
Ya still don't get it do ya.

The truck is there for customers, but customers who BUY.

Ever been to Amsterdam and perused the "red light" district?
Lots of lookers. Fewer buyers.

If I;m a driver heading to an industrial client with 300 employees and a monthly tool crib allotment of $10k and I;m held up by a "dude" who walks on my truck "heming and hawing" over the price of a $80 F80 ratchet or a $60 ratcheting screwdriver and just trying to get an "overview of what I sell,", then hellz yes, you, as a customer, are a waste of my time.

Period.

Which is why drivers screen walk-ons.

This is NOT an ice-cream truck.
They'll do just fine without your business.

Meanwhile the "big boy" deisel shop, city repair facility, military base or mfg. plant has workers that need tools, need tools fixed or need to order tools NOW (and have likely already callled the dealer and are waiting for delivery at industiral prices) that far usurp any argument you can bring.

Money talks. More money talks louder. Sorry
Business 101.

You pay-to-play in the snap-on world.
It's not news.

^^^^Can't be put any better.^^^^

 

[Wakefield]

there are 3 or 4 people who are ruining this thread the way they ruin every informational thread on this forum.

This is direct information that regardless of your opinion, is what it is.

Please vent your negativity somewhere else.

Keep this open as a guide to help someone who wants to use a tool truck as an off route patron.

Bash somewhere else

The tool truck is interesting,a reason for me to go to my mechanic instead of just anywhere is that I might get to go to the shop where he works during the time that the tool truck is there. And I just might need to bring some extra pocket money.

 

[MrJason]

Respect your tool truck, as a businessman.

A person who has overhead problems, collections issues and limited time to get everything done in the day.

I built a relationship with my Snap-On rep, that has taken more than a year.

I found him, met him on site, and yes, over time I better understood his challenges.

Respect works like a boomerang. What you throw out to the world, comes back to you.

This thread, beside everything negative, is largely beneficial to those who are getting used to the truck dynamic.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[atwageman]

As a industrial tech who works directly out of the home and travels across 5 states, I've never had issues with being able to spend money on the trucks. I have back ups to most all of my hard line stuff. If I need something warrantied, I just mail it to SO or MAC HQ. Any time I've bought ratchets they throw in extra rebuild kits for the hell of it without me asking, because they know I'm a road warrior.

Heck I've had trucks stop at the hotel I was staying at just to get my business while I'm in town. When I'm home, I just phone up my local drivers and they let me stop by their houses in the evenings or on weekends.

Had a driver in Knoxville TN once offer to order me something he didn't have in stock at the time and have it shipped overnight just so I'd have it the next morning. I declined, but I appreciated the effort on his part.

 

[PugetDude]

Please vent your negativity somewhere else.

Snap-On Dealer?

 

[jjjrmx5]

There has to be some middle ground here. If the tool truck doesn't take care of ALL their customers they will be SOL when that "industrial client" closes down and moves production to Mexico or Asia. That is also Business 101.

Agree that drivers time should be respected but driver should also respect that for many those tools are not insignificant purchases.

And frugalscotty, you prove my point.

Some weeks I am off site and need a tool or SO driver and do not have access to the weekly route.
Fine.

I find a local SO drive via my "down the st." repair shop from my home.
Order the tool. ON his &*&^ truck. I was there as he typed it in.
Gave him all my info.

One week goes by. Two weeks go by. Three weeks go by. No info. Call . email. No response.
Shop says he is in arrears. Thus: an answer.

Another shop up the road has a different SO driver that I wanted to buy from or order a ball pein hammer handle for a hammer jeffmoss26 sent me last year. I was not gonna even ARGUE the warranty. Just buy a BP handle.

i tried to do a walk up and the dude thought I was from Mars.
No time for me or even my question (and I was in a suit and tie).

Back to the "all depends" portion of our quiz.

I have access to a good driver depending upon my locale, but not weekly in many cases depending upon job ticket schedule.

I'm not ******* in anyones Cheerios. Just sayin' it's not so simple and SO drivers are on a route and on a schedule. Good ones keep it. Bad ones, well, piddle. And wilt.

But the really good ones have free Jolly Rancher candies as ya leave.
Just sayin'

 

[Hiball]

i'll be honest with you, i'm not a fan of the truck way of selling for these very reasons

Who'd thunk it... Unlike you I don't wish for all local business to fail and have to place a online order and wait 1-2 days for a part to show up on my doorstep. It's no surprise, the cost of doing business is much cheaper via the online giants, but you seem to live in a cloud where poor customer service doesn't exist outside of a tool truck, too much bias in your posts for me to even think of taking you serious. <--- that's my opinion only, carry on fellas.

 

[Plombob]

No time for me or even my question (and I was in a suit and tie).

I spent years in the auto insurance claims business. Sometimes I was required to wear a tie and learned that when I did, I had more trouble settling claims than when I didn't. I've noticed something similar with tool trucks. When I walk on dressed nicely, they are less friendly. Just my unscientific observation. I don't harbor ill will to any truck brand.

 

[Steinmetz]

there are 3 or 4 people who are ruining this thread the way they ruin every informational thread on this forum.

This is direct information that regardless of your opinion, is what it is.

Please vent your negativity somewhere else.

Keep this open as a guide to help someone who wants to use a tool truck as an off route patron.

Bash somewhere else

Why would you say something like that? Because the "3 or 4" won't endorse your particular point of view?

 

[Hiball]

Why would you say something like that? Because the "3 or 4" won't endorse your particular point of view?

Based off post #1, the Op didn't create this thread to entertain the opinions of those who feel the tool truck is a ripoff, overated and feel the need to impose there opinion and reasoning over and over in countless threads. It was more to assist the people who don't understand how a tool truck operates and why things are done. It's really simple, if patronizing a tool truck doesn't fit your needs, stay off the truck.. Well maybe it's not so simple for some. Crazy interwebs..