Damn...I didn't think it was a full moon tonite :rolleyes:

Not that anybody wants my opinion, but personally I don't have a problem with people having...ahem..."strong personalities", as long as they know their $h!t and are willing to back their words up with honest real-world deeds.

I will be the first one to admit that I'm only maybe 20% up the 914 'learning curve' at this point, but in my day job, I deal with a whole lot of people who fall somewhere in the spectrum of (a) total incompetents, (b) BS'ers who think they know it all but can barely find their own way to the bathroom , and (c) the 'real deal'.

Dealing with types "A" and "B" over and over and over can eventually get to you, and it is hard to not develop an attitude that can rub people the wrong way, even the 'real deal' folks. I spend a huge amount of my day wasting time dealing with complete crap...the difference is that my company is getting paid a lot of money, in advance, to deal with this crap.

Many folks in the auto parts & service industry (esp with us 'cheapskate' 914 types) deal with a ton of 'crap' they are not getting paid for (directly...you could arguably count it towards goodwill/marketing...but I dunno if I buy into that). People looking for free tech advice, dirt cheap parts deals, unreasonable warranty coverage, etc etc. Time is money. Throwing it away gets old, and is ultimately unsustainable. Opportunity cost is a very real concern if you are running a small business.

Let's say you are running a small biz with a $300K/year burn rate (expenses)...that means to squeek out a very meager profit, you have to bring in over $2.50 every minute of every 5x8 work day. You do the math...is this easy to do when you spend countless hours on the phone and email answering questions for free, or selling $20 914 parts? Hell no.

So, to make a short story long, I completely understand when I run into some attitude and 'prima donna' vibes when I'm dealing with the best in the business. If somebody trying to sell me something doesn't have at least a confident, slightly cocky, 'I am god's gift to the xyz industry' attitude...now THAT worries me. Many of the best business people in the world are *********s, just plain freaks, or some mixture of both...and they have every right to be.

nice post...

I never said he didn't have the right to be an idiot, just not sure why he brings it into posts where there are completely innocent parties involved. if so many 914'ers over the years made B this way, maybe he should take his attitude out on them, or not deal with those people anymore (remember his post where he said he chooses who he takes money from??). I mean before our heavyweight title match tonight, I'd never talked to him before. the HAPPY guy with his new rust free chassis has probably never talked to him before. but B, being the superstar that he thinks he is, feels the need to jump in as the first reply and make the guy feel like he has nothing. look at a lot of B's posts, MANY of them have a negative and belittling tone to them. sure, maybe this is the one place he try and gain some self confidence in life, I guess what we see is the result.

FWIW, I'm not saying I like it when things take on a negative tone, or think it's necessarily the best way to go about business...just that I think I understand why it happens sometimes.

So let's all grab another cold one and --=-=-=- mellow out -=-=-=-=- http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/wat6.gif It's all good, tomorrow is still the weekend.

hey B and I will probably end up being best friends someday. I'll even take my car down to PA when it's done so he can tell me what a piece of crap it is! LOL.

Chris, I have to disagree with you - competence (real or presumed) does not justify arrogance.

Campbellcj,
I guess that explains why CB Performance told me "Check the trash bin." When I asked about 914 parts. Now these guys will piss you off! They told me that the Type 4 was nothing but an anchor and that I needed to build up a Type 1.
I think BRM9148 is writing with tongue in cheek most of the time, maybe not. I have a friend who gets ripped for his emails all the time. Most of these people would take it completely different if they could see the expression on his face and hear the tone of his voice. People at work get all fired up over emails........So I now look at written words with a grain of salt. What gets me is when I am face to face with someone with an attitude, then there is no excuse. I think at the next roadglue I am gonna mess with BRM9148 and introduce myself as derek_sf......then duck.
JUST KIDDING.:D

Campbellcj,
I guess that explains why CB Performance told me "Check the trash bin." When I asked about 914 parts. Now these guys will piss you off! They told me that the Type 4 was nothing but an anchor and that I needed to build up a Type 1.
I think BRM9148 is writing with tongue in cheek most of the time, maybe not. I have a friend who gets ripped for his emails all the time. Most of these people would take it completely different if they could see the expression on his face and hear the tone of his voice. People at work get all fired up over emails........So I now look at written words with a grain of salt. What gets me is when I am face to face with someone with an attitude, then there is no excuse. I think at the next roadglue I am gonna mess with BRM9148 and introduce myself as derek_sf......then duck.
JUST KIDDING.:D

There is a fine line between exuding confidence, and coming across as arrogant. And there's an art to being confident or arrogant without completely pissing people off.

Is Brad an ass? Yeah, I guess, but he has earned that right. Plus, ask anyone who really knows him, and they will say he our ass and we like him like that.
I for one know that he goes out of his way to help people for FREE all the time with no expectation of any return. he just does it. He has a lot of friends. He didn't buy them, he earned them.

Problem with chat rooms and boards is all you see is the words. no body language, no smiles, no winks. It's really easy to miss the writer's meaning, especially when it comes to sarcasm or pulling someone's leg. I read Brads post and didn't take it as a slam on anyone, but more like a very dry joke with just a hint of arrogance. typical Brad. I wouldn't expect or want it any different.

Derek obviously doesn't know brad and took it the wrong way. Fine. But I think he crossed the line when he attacked Brad instead of asking for a clarification or explanation.

This thread is closed
 

I'm closing this thread. Maybe it's too early and I haven't had coffee yet, but I've had enough of it. I will not let this sort of thing continue.

Play nice, kids.

--DD