Consumer Rant #1 For 2009

Yesterday morning, after noticing that I had gone way over my usual 3000 mile oil change, I went out to Farm King for my usual Super Lube for $24.95. They change the oil, check my tires, filter and replenish my fluids (I love talking dirty). As luck would have it they had some sort of technical malfunction at the shop that prevented changing the oil on trucks. Drat! OK, I could have waited another week but decided to go to one of those quickie oil change places. My impression from the past was they find everything under the sun that is wrong with your vehicle to pad the final cost. I told myself to stay firm and just go for the absolute basic change, I figured $19.99 plus tax.
I pull in and no other cars so I thought, alright, this is your lucky day. Well, once I got into the office, in they came. !st trip in, my battery is in good shape. Great! Next trip, I need a new filter, they even showed me an old one, supposedly mine. Reluctantly I said OK. That couldn't add much more than $8-10 bucks. Next trip, my gas filter needs changed. I said, no. Next trip, my coolant needs flushed. Again, I said no. Next trip the guy asked if I had noticed a missing in my engine and I said no. he said he found a loose wire but replaced it, and I said thanks.
Finally, it is over and I get a bill for over $49.00. Cussing at my inability to wait another week for Farm King, I drive out the place having been fleeced and positively vowing NEVER to pay for a fifty buck oil change again.

Comments

Flashback Friday

Class, Or Lack Thereof The Dwight Vice gravestone in Oquawka, Illinois. I bring this old chestnut out every so often just to remind me that class is classless. Dwight Vice was killed in his home near Oquawka in 2001. It was one of those things that can generate crime: two guys thought Dwight had a lot of money stashed at home because of his pot-selling sideline to supplement his fishing job. Not really one of those big drug deals gone-bad things. Marijuana was, according to the trial, about the only stuff Dwight sold. But these two guys barge into the house and killed Dwight and attempted to kill his 11 year old kid, Darryl, before they took off with what money they could find. His son, now 23, was stabbed in the back and left for dead. He survived and is wheelchair bound and has undergone several surgeries to repair his wounds. He will be paralyzed for life. None of this is pleasant. Reading the facts of the murder and attempted murder are most unpleasant

Summer Swim

It's Monday and the start of another work week. Except for me. I have the week off because the parents of my daycare charges are taking the week off, too. This is one of those wordless posts I love on Mondays so I can put my laziness in full view of loyal readers. These pics need no words. Why muddy the waters? They were taken at the pool at Sinkhole Estates aka Death Valley. The nice thing about this pool is it is heated in winter. If one must find positives in one's situation, I suppose that is one. But, please, no more.

Florida Air Museum - Part 3

Welcome back to a pretty neat tour of the Florida Air Museum in Lakeland Florida. There's a lot to see and a couple of the old Geezer Gold Wing guys are already sitting down instead of walking around looking at the exhibits. That's John who is wore out and making a call to his wife. In all honesty, John was pretty well bushed before the ride. He told me his daughter's family was down from one of the Carolina's with the grand kids and he must have played with them too much. He's about to take off on his own and head for home, but he's going to miss a couple of neat things out on Hangar A. But, before we walk over there, we have lots yet to see here. If you saw The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio playing Howard Hughes, you'll remember that he went up in a plane during the filming of one of his movies to prove a point about flying. He crashed trying to execute a roll and this is a picture of the plane he crashed. Note the propeller

Existing In BFE

Search This Blog