Complaint Review: Advance Auto Parts - Wichita Kansas

I agree with both sides of this discussion. I began working for Discount Auto Parts, in Deltona, Florida, in 1998. I had minimal automotive knowledge when I was hired as a cashier. My manager and my assistant manager taught me every available second they had. Within 6 months, I was promoted to team leader. Within a year, I made assistant manager. I asked to transfer twice, with no problems. Was even able to switch districts twice. During this, Advance Auto Parts bought Discount Auto Parts. I then left the company voluntarily in 2002. I decided in 2004, to try and go back to work for them, and was hired right away. By this time, I was working in Lakeland, Florida, which is where one of the distribution centers is located. I had a sudden change in my availability due to child care. I called the distribution center to find out if they had any openings. They did, with better hours and an almost set schedule. Within two weeks they were able to transfer me to the d.c. Once in the distribution aspect, I was promoted twice in 8 months and my pay increased $2.90. Then after about 8 months in the d.c., I decided to move to Tennessee. I called and spoke to the store manager in McMinnville, Tennessee about transferring. I was told it was pretty much a done deal. When I called 4 days before moving, I got the run around. The manager said that our human resource manager called, but he thought it was someone else. He said he was sorry, but he promised the opening to someone else. Coincidentally, that person and I were both moving from Florida to the same small town in Tennessee. Funny, I thought. Well, I have applied at this store about 4 times since I moved here. I have never been called back. Mind you that every time I put in an application, they were hiring. I would go back in the store, and they would have a new guy working, most of which were worthless employees. Not helpful or knowledgable in the least. I do believe that different managers and division and district managers have different ways that they run things. In Florida, other than the fact that females were paid slightly less, I feel they did not discriminate. These small town managers are just set in their old fashioned, women are not equal, ways. I, however, do not think it is fair for us to discriminate against the company as a whole. Also, while working at the distribution center, I know of a trainer who was fired for sexual harassment. He grabbed a female team member on her rear. They did a serious investigation before they terminated him. They never accused him until his conduct had been confirmed by multiple other people. I knew a few others that could have been fired for their conduct, but nobody complained.

I have read & researched Advance Auto more than anyone, so I of all people can speak the truth. My husband was wrongfully terminated on 2/13/01. He was a division mangager & just received the Dm of the year award. He was terminated due to a manager within his division wanting his job. My husband was accused from having affairs within to forgery to not performing his job duties.We spent 2 long years in court to fight the injustice yet thousands of $later due to all but one count being dismissed by the judge, we lost. The jury was unable to hear any testimony from our expert witnesses, from our handwriting expert to key people who would have testified to the corruption that is allowed to exist. We uncovered severe sexual harrassment cases that were being kept separate from the media. One that the EEOC had taken over. A "high" up person within the co. has a sexual felony on his record. Yet my husband went to this same person for assistance & was denied. I also used to think that people who were fired most likely deserved it. I have to remind myself to remember one thing, what comes around does eventually go around. My husband lost any credibility that the courts could have given back to him. We are not rich by no means but yet are friends & family stuck by us & believed in us so maybe in the end we did win!

First hand experience has lead me to belive that this is true. Not only do they not tolerate women but, it is also known that that "they try not to hire too many women here". It seems that the majority of the stores have problems with women. Forget even going to human resources or the dm's, this will only lead to hostile work environments to those employees that do. They make it a point to hire in one or two females and keep them for a short time then fire them. There is a lot more that goes on in this business than meets the eye, but then again this is just a mans world and maybe women should not apply. A suggestion would be to put on the top of their applications women should not apply.

The division of this company from which the original complaint came has been in turmoil for several years. The Division Manager who the original posting is about is noo longer the DM in the market, but it has nothing to do with this post. The new Division Manager has made tremendous strides in the Teams at store level as well as the morale of the group. As was stated in the previous rebutal all it takes if there was truely any discrimination is one phone call to the Regional Office HR Manager or to the Home Office. This is one organization I know will not tolerate any type of discrimination. We have a ZERO tolerance policy when it comes to this subject. As to the statement about batteries the fact is you are listing to someone who is trying anyway they can to damage reputation and the battery product line of this company is a very high quality product manufactured by one of the largest battery manufacturing corporations in the world.

If anybody discriminates in any way while working for this company it only takes one phone call to the home office and that person is fired on the spot. I know for fact that a district manager was fired for makeing a bad comment and a customer overheard it. The customer called the home office and the district manager was terminated immediately. To work for this company is a pleasure. As far as bad parts its not advance auto that produces them its the vendors. If by chance a defective part is sold the customer is taken care of immediately with a refund or another part. There is sometimes people that work for companys and develop a grudge because they cant have there own way and will strike out to try to ruin or person or a company.