I need oil for my 3-stroke outboard!

[Waterfoul]

Honest... had a customer ask me for 3 stroke oil yesterday.  Swore up and down that he had a 3 stroke motor.  When we told him there is no such motor, and that he had either a 2 stroke or a 4 stroke he litterally swore at us and said he'd just go to a boat store that actually knew something about motors.

See ya and good luck!

I'm not even sure you actually can have 3 strokes... seems like it would take everything out of balance.

[cameraguy]

Maybe he meant 3 cylinder?

[BSB]

Rotary (Wankel) are kind of a 3 stoke motor. Not sure if they put it in a boat motor. I had an old Arctic Cat snowmobile with a Wankel in it when i was much younger.

[fasttrack]

That's why I got out of retail a long time ago. First customer I ever helped at my first (sporting goods) retail job asked "what kind of gun powder do I buy that will give the biggest explosion in a homemade cannon?" Soon after I was showing a couple guys handguns, then an undercover cop came to ask what they were looking at and chased them out of the store.

Although some people/clients know more about my current job than I do, just ask them!

[motocross269]

Stihl makes 4 stroke motors that your still have to mix oil in the fuel. ltd is just standard 2  stroke oil....Maybe it was something like that. I have never heard of it in outboards though. Maybe some off the wall brand..

[djkimmel]

I sometimes get told what I'm doing wrong on one website or another by people who have never run one. I listen just in case they really are a genius or something?!?

I would have sold him a gallon and a half of oil and told him if you use it all at once it converts to 3-stroke oil!!!

I take it he didn't identify the brand?

[Mike S.]

Hmmmmmm.......  Maybe you should just get with it. The customer is always right. Except for the stupid guy with the 3 stroke outboard.

[Manxfishing]

The easy way out
Would be to ask the make, year and model and then sell him the right stuff
But never mention that they don't make a 3 stroke
but charge double for the special 3 stroke oil. It's very hard to find these days

Botom line would be
He would be happier then hell to find the 3 stroke oil
and you'd make double. it's a win, win opportunity in my book

The customer is allways right!

[dartag]

Guess you could have taken 2 stroke and 4 stroke oil, mixed them together and then sold him 1/2 of it.   

[Dan]

Now that's a good solution!

[Waterfoul]

Guess you could have taken 2 stroke and 4 stroke oil, mixed them together and then sold him 1/2 of it.   

Now that's a great answer!  Maybe he'll come back and I can take care of him.  Or maybe he won't (this is more likely).

[djkimmel]

The easy way out
Would be to ask the make, year and model and then sell him the right stuff
But never mention that they don't make a 3 stroke
but charge double for the special 3 stroke oil. It's very hard to find these days

Botom line would be
He would be happier then hell to find the 3 stroke oil
and you'd make double. it's a win, win opportunity in my book

The customer is allways right!

You should be in customer service! There's a shortage of decent customer service-oriented peopled based on my experiences anymore with quite a few different companies.

[Skulley]

I may believe that there is a 3 cylinder engine but never a 3 stroke engine. I'm with manxfishing. Ask make and model and sell him the right stuff and tell him it's the special oil that's hard to come by. I would charge him triple and the knock 30% off the price. Then he thinks he's getting a deal. Best part is that he will be a return customer because he got such a great deal. He would tell all his friends about the great deal he got and before you know it, I got new customers increasing the clientele for my store. I got that University of Michigan degree I got in Finance & Marketing working for me. I guess all that college wasn't a waste after all.  My Dad would be proud of me. He was a Michigan man too. Final score Saturday:  Michigan 28.  Alabama  17. Denard throws for 230 yards and the team rushes for over 350 yards.     GO BLUE!!!!



BD.                  

[Waterfoul]

Now that's a coincidence... I'm a Michigan Grad as well.  I majored in Marching Band though... did manage a degree in History too.

[Rangerman]

Mercury made some three cyl engines, I believe they were 65 hp.  My uncle had one on a runabout

[Waterfoul]

Yeah, that's a 3 cylinder... not a 3 stroke.

[Skulley]

Yeah, that's a 3 cylinder... not a 3 stroke.

I'm so confused......


BD.                     

[djkimmel]

Maybe he meant 3-cylinder? Or maybe you were on candid camera?!? If so, let me know when it is on!