I had to wait too long

I wanted to get some maintenance done on the van Saturday, so I made an appointment at the Firestone franchise. Most of my vehicle maintenance is done there and I am usually very happy with their service.

This time I wanted to have the tires rotated, which is free-a great incentive, and an oil change. 

I made the appointment for 7:30 AM so I could get on with the day. (Early bird, and so forth.) I arrived at 7:20 hoping to get the whole thing done in an expeditious manner. 

Walking in the door, I saw 3 or four other customers with the same idea. It's a good thing I made that appointment, I reminded myself.

At the desk, I was told that it may be a minute or two before they get my van into a dock. I said that was why I made an appointment, so I would not have to wait. No reply. Then I was told that I should be out after 8:00 AM. OK. Great, that is not so bad, I thought.

I waited and watched my van sit in the parking lot for over an hour before it even got moved into a bay. It finally made it into the bay an hour and 10 minutes after the appointed time. 

There was a managers special on oil changes and I wanted to take advantage of it. It turns out though, I needed to fill out an application for some promotion in order to get the advertised rate. 

Disappointment number two.

I gave specific instructions on how I wanted the tires rotated, but the job was done differently. 

Disappointment number three.

I have been going to Firestone for 5 years now and this is the first real complaint I have had. It is just plain annoying to get up and out of the house on an early Saturday morning for an appointment and have to wait for over an hour for a service that takes less then 30 minutes to do.

What do you think? Am I whining over nothing or do I have a legitimate complaint?

Let me know what you think.

olc

This beginners view of how I understand the Conservative view

I was watching Netflix's House of Cards and I had a kind of epiphany. 

During the pre-show credits there is a montage of Washington, D.C. views, some of which show a positive outlook while others show the underbelly of the city. Two times during the opening, the image of the Lions at the memorial for U.S. Grant are shown. These are proud beasts on their posts of honor, with heads held high. More than any other part of the program these images seem to personify the power of American pride (see what I did there?   ;-O).

I have been struggling lately trying to understand how those on the right can be so obtuse. I just cannot understand how a large segment of our society can work against a segment of their very own society. I have been trying to bend my brain into excepting the thought that they just don't care about those not as fortunate, or lucky or forceful.

As I understand it, Conservatives and Libertarians, among other things, pride themselves on their independence and self-sufficiency. They picture themselves as the lone wolf (or lion, as the case may be)...the leaders who need no support, only they can do it right.

Now lets remember, I am not a part of this political movement, so what I am saying here is my interpretation, or observation.

The Conservative right wing of the Republican Party seems to think that a smaller government will be the best thing for our country as a whole. There is no doubt that a smaller less regulated society would be better for, in the short run at any rate, many members of our society. Business 101 says that a business needs to do whatever it takes to create a better bottom line. This is a sound business practice that has worked for a long, long time (long before the Earth has gotten as populated as it is, with its resources becoming scarce as they are now).

This thinking does not take into account the environment, or the socio-economic world we live today, it only rewards the making of money equalling success. Nor does it, in my opinion, take into account the ability to keep making money while growing a powerful base for the future.

I have a whole lot more to say on the subject, most of it is progressive in nature. What I have to say looks out for the future of our world and society. So lets get a conversation going and see what we can do for the future of our kids!

As in the opening credits of House of Cards, lets understand that we have a beautiful and powerful country, but there is an underbelly of corruption and filth that we, as citizens of our great country, need to purify!

olc