Saturday, December 29, 2012

Car Shopping FAIL!

So, after 10 years and 100,000 miles on my 2003 Honda Civic, and the fact that I can't easily get up my new driveway when it's covered in snow, I decided it was time for a new vehicle.  A four wheel drive one.

I am a Honda girl.  I've bought three in my life and it's the only brand I have driven except for my first car, which was a Pontiac Sunbird that was a hand me down from my Grandma.  I decided that I wanted to get a Honda CRV LX.

I did my research online.  I found one in the color that I liked at Honda North in Butler.  Mr. Bruises is on vacation, so he went over on Thursday and worked out a deal with "Jerry".  I was between two colors, since Mr. Bruises was trying to talk me into the Kona Coffee color instead of the Mountain Air Blue one that I liked.

We were to return the next day, which was yesterday, to look at the two colors and sign they papers and drive off with it, since I was already pre-approved.

We arrived at Honda North at 9:30, at 9:30, I sat at the salesman's table after making my color decision.  Jerry wasn't there, he was out sick.  I ended up with "JJ" who is a Jonathan Penner (From Survivor) look alike.  All was going well, I had to be at work to start for noon.

Then everything took a shit dump.  First, I was going to trade in my Civic.  The link to the trade in value from their website said that it would be work $3,177 in Fair condition since I need the front bumper replaced.  We would have been happy with $3,000, even though we could sell it for more if we replaced the bumper.  Well, he came back and started the value at $3,000 an deducted all these amounts for ridiculous things like my brakes are half worn, yet they are one year old and no one removed the tires to look at the brakes.  He said my drivers seat wobbled, which we verified on the way home that it didn't.  All in all, he offered me $1,100 for it.  I looked at him and loudly asked if he was smoking crack.  We said that we would be leaving with the car.

At 10:30, nearly an hour later, I told him that I needed to be on the road by 11:15 to go to work.  He assured me that we would be on time.  At 10:45 I reminded him again.  At 11:00, I said he had 15 minutes and he wanted to give me a tour of the service area.  At this point, we have not even seen the finance guy.

At 11:15, I grabbed my stuff and we left.  at 11:25, he calls me and asked "Where did you go?"   Seriously???!??  I gave him an earful and told him that we would NOT be back.  10 minutes later, the Manager called and wanted to let him know what happened.  I told him that they have serious problems if they can't get a car off the lot within 2 hours when it was pretty much a done deal.  He offered me $250 off for my trouble.  WOW!  I told him that even if the car was FREE, I no longer want it, we would be going somewhere else.  He then tried to blame the delay on me, saying that I misspelled my name on my online credit application I filled out.  I told him that was funny, since I used AutoFill to fill in most of the areas.  I guess I am misspelling my name all over the Internet.

Mr. Bruises drove me to work.  I called Delaney Honda in Indiana and talked to a wonder salesman named Matt.  I gave him the story and told him that if he could match the price I was given, including the $250 they were going to give me for my troubles, and the interest rate, that I would be over on Monday to sign the papers and leave with the vehicle.

Not only were they able to match that price, they will be able to give me 1.9% financing.  Now THAT is customer service.  All done over the phone.

Honda North needs to work on their customer service.  I should have went to Delaney's to begin with since that was where I got my first Honda.

Monday, I will be driving a Mountain Air Blue Honda CRV LX and can't be happier.  Thank you Matt and Delaney Honda for treating us like we should have been treated at Honda North.  When Mr. Bruises purchase his Honda Pilot, we will definitely be coming back!!

Saturday, December 22, 2012

You're UGLY - Contributing to Today's Delinquent Youth

I'm exhausted.  I've worked my ass off this week.  I am not feeling 100%, yet I still had to stop on my way home to get Swiffers and garbage bags for the salon as well as cat litter.  So, I braved WalMart.

I knew it would be horrible.  I put on my cheerful face. I was patient, maneuvering my cart around people, blocking aisles while bullshitting with others, people who stop in the middle of a main aisle for no apparent reason, you know, just a typical trip to WalMart times ten because it's December 22.

I was polite.  I was cheerful until I could take no more.  I followed a mother and her two children along the ENTIRE length of WalMart to get to the section that had my three items.  During this long walk, her son bounced a ball.  Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce.  Bouncing it off of shelves.  Bouncing it off of the mother, bouncing off of other people.  I stopped counting the bounces at 252, because that is when I snapped.

I turned into the cat food aisle and she came in behind me.  Even after giving her "The Look" twice, she was clueless.  I told her that it was annoying.  She replied "The ball?", I said yes, to which she replied, "Tough, deal with it".  Then I really snapped.

I told her that it was annoying everyone and that this is not a playground, it was a store.  She looked at me and said "YOU are not everyone".  I told her, lady, did you not notice the looks that just about everyone that passed you gave you, because I did.  It is annoying many people.

She didn't say "Kids will be kids" not "Honey, don't bounce the ball" no, she said "Your UGLY".  I think I would have had more respect for her had she said "You're a bitch!"  At which point I said, well you are a crappy mother, allowing your kid to act like an asshole in public.  I told her that people like her are what's wrong with this world.  You need to teach your kids to have respect for others while in public.

At this point, the boy had already put the ball into the cart.  I looked at him and smiled and thanked him for doing so.  See, was this so hard?  The child obviously knows things and just needs some guidance.

I am sick to death of people, who have kids, and just turn a blind eye to them, it's like they ignore them. This is just the beginning, they are young and not respecting others, next it will be them doing heroin, all while the mother turns a blind eye to it.

Parents are responsible for giving their children a moral compass.  They need to teach them the difference between right and wrong.  They need to teach them to have respect for others.  I guess it is kind of hard to teach your children that, when you, yourself, don't possess those things.

My mother ruled me with an iron fist.  I was not allowed to act like that in public and if I did, she beat my ass.  Guess what?  I've never been arrested.  I've never shot and killed anyone.  I've never taken drugs, hell I've never even assaulted anyone, unless you count that one time I slapped Gin Harmon across the face while working at Jamesway, but she asked for it.

Start parenting.  Stop the promotion of delinquency in America.  Your children want your guidance and attention.  You birthed them, you owe it to them to give them at least that.