and here’s why [AL]: (reprinted without permission, ‘cos she moved her blog, and i’ve gotten a gang of searches on this recently)

For some reason unbeknownst to me , I decided it’s finally time to actively start looking for a new car. I said to myself “this is the week, you’re going to get a car this week”. Since my accident almost a year ago and the subsequent negligent driving ticket, I’ve been afraid to pursue this because I feared how much money I would be spending. I’ve been pretty lucky and up until now, I got around when I needed to. My co-worker picks me up and takes me home from work everyday and when I need to go places like the grocery store or to the doctor, I would use my sister’s car. Now I don’t have that option anymore (that’s a different story altogether) and it became time for me to really get serious about this. I had been doing the research and applying for financing for months but I never completed any offer I had, if I did, I might have had a car by now but I always had my last experience in the back of my mind. I was lucky that things didn’t turn out the way the bank had planned but it was still enough for me to be weary about buying another car. Tonight though, topped that experience.

When I got home from work, I decided to pick up the phone call Bill Pierre Ford. I had previously talked to them months ago and I kept seeing their ads so I thought I might as well give it a shot. I thought they might have some real buying power since they’re a well known dealership in Seattle. For some reason, I thought I had some sort of assurance that they would be honest and treat me fairly because my company does for work for them and donates to their causes. I was wrong and should have known better based on past experiences with that company but we’ll see how things end after I talk to our contact. I filled out a credit application online then Patrick in finance called to chat about what I wanted and how much I was I wanted to pay. He was so nice and offered to help me fix my credit. We arranged for them to pick me up so off I went. I didn’t go alone though, I brought my sister with me, I figured she’s fiesty enough for both of us and would let me know it if I was making a bad deal. It was an ackward ride, here’s this salesman trying to sell me and I hadn’t even set foot on the lot.

The first sign that something was going to go down was that he past the used cars lot and pulled up to the new cars lot. I went inside and met with Patrick. We went over my application again and even he guided me through my credit report and told me how fix things on it. If nothing else, at least I gained knowledge that will help me in the long run. I told him what I was looking for, a specific used car on the lot then he asked if I would consider a new car if they could stay within my desired monthly payment. I said yes, I actually envisioned driving another Focus home but this time a brand new one with that new car smell. I owned a Focus before and I’ve done the research on them so I knew more or less what I would be in store for money wise. Then we walked around the lot and looked at what I could “get into” with my financing. I kept asking about pricing but they wouldn’t give me a straight answer, second sign. I actually asked about the figures at least 4 times. Finally they sat me down and brought out the obligatory piece of paper with the price of the car, amount of rebates, term and monthly payment written down in chicken scratch. I was floored by what I saw and my attitude completely changed from nice and polite to irritated and defensive.

They were serious and wouldn’t budge at first, they really wanted me to buy this 2005 Focus ZX3 for $20,000 with $2,815 in rebates for a 72 month term for $465 a month. I couldn’t believe it. I tried asking them about the interest rate out of curiosity and all he would say is low teens. Low teens can mean 11% or even up to 14% and that would make a difference in my monthly payment if I was actually considering it. Did they think I was stupid? I saw the sticker price on the car, this wasn’t anywhere close to it. When I mentioned that, he said I was wrong that I read the MSRP price but since I didn’t know anything that, I didn’t have a response. Then the negotiation started. I think Patrick the finance guy really thought he was going to get me to sign on the dotted line but after awhile he realized I just wasn’t going to say yes to this so he brought in his closer, Joe from New York.

Joe the closer started off really well, he was trying to reassure me by saying he has bad credit too and life happens. He starts asking me if they brought it down to $350 a month if I’d for it and my answer was still no. I told him in at least 4 different ways that I would not pay more than $250 a month and he didn’t like that. So then he started looking through my credit report and starts talking about the negative things on it. I was getting angry by then and told him I wasn’t there for him to review my credit report with me, they’re either going to get me something in that range or nothing at all. He goes on to tell me that I have to help him to help me and blah, blah, blah so I told him no, I had enough and I’m going home. I get up to leave and tell the salesman I want to be taken home and Joe is walking behind us and says “well if you paid you’re bills…”. I couldn’t believe what I heard so I stopped, turned around and gave him the loudest “fuck you” I could. “What do you want me to say?” he says. I told him he could shove his financing up his ass, that I came there for help getting a car not to be lectured about my credit and be made to feel like shit. My sister started getting loud and asked them if that’s how they really treat people but no one had a response. When we got in their car for the ride home, she was still talking and the salesman pretended to be shocked at what happened but I didn’t buy his apology. She kept talking, being a smart ass and making comments which made it an even more ackward ride home but I’m glad she said what I couldn’t say. After that “fuck you” and “shove it out your ass”, I was just ready to cry.

When I actually got in my apartment, I cried. Not because I didn’t get a car, I can deal with dissapointment, but because they made me feel like scum and they had no right to. I already know my credit isn’t perfect but I’ve skipped out on paying something I owe and I’ve done great over the last 4 years. I went to Kelly Blue Book, looked up the car and saw it’s retail price at $13,400. With rebates, I could have had the car for $10,585 but they were really intent on ripping me off. Had that been the price, I actually would have agreed to it even it if was a few thousand more. I sat here and thought about it and decided to call Patrick. I told him what I found and his response was “well Kelly Blue Book doesn’t sell cars”, well they sure do know how to refer to it when determining the value of a used car, don’t they? I also told him Joe made me feel like shit and that I want an apology. He gave me a lame apology and Joe is from New York. What difference does that make? Is everyone from New York an ass? Don’t think so…

What bothers me the most is that this is probably a common practice at that dealership. I could complain to higher ups about what happened and I don’t think it would make a bit of difference. Deep down I want this guy to get in trouble over this but I know he won’t. I can only imagine what they all said about me after I left, I’m sure someone called me a fat ass. It’s one of those moments that I wish I could just revisit and handle differently. I want some sort of honest apology from them but I know I’ll never get it. I only wish there was something more I could do, yes it would be out of spite but it would make me feel better. Anyone have any good ideas? ;) Salesmen are assholes and further more, Bill Pierre Ford in Seattle is full of assholes. So if you’re from around here and thinking about getting a new car, avoid them any and any of their stores like Bill Pierre Dodge and Bill Pierre Chevrolet like the plague!

Update: Before you leave a comment telling me that I deserve the treatment I got, please keep in mind you know nothing about me or my credit. All you know is what I let you know so please don’t make assumptions because we all know what that does… :) I now have a car with great financing (better than this place offered me) and was treated fabulously. I haven’t deleted negative comments (even my horrible responses) on this entry because I’m not trying to make everything seem positive in my favor but I have closed comments so assholes like Manuel Chorizo can’t harrass me anymore.

movie in the u

uploaded from flickr.

OK…finally to bed. a few more pics scanned & uploaded. some catchups from seattle, some new from indy.

You have cited software maker SAS as an example of a company actively promoting a more connected, humane workplace, with perks like a seven-hour workday and on-site day care. The interesting thing is that it is a private company and doesn’t have to answer to Wall Street. Aren’t most publicly traded companies too paranoid and bottom-line-driven for such niceties?
Hallowell: And yet (SAS) is highly profitable. Its bottom line is robust. It’s just that it doesn’t have to meet quarterly numbers. It’s almost a metaphor for the problem. If you’re only working from quarter to quarter, then it’s very hard to have a long-range strategy. Hard to weather when you take a dip. This quarter-to-quarter management succeeds in the short term but fails in the long term.

touche’!

from: Why can’t you pay attention anymore?

i hope to expand on this (given my personality i probably won’t :), as it dovetails with some stuff i’ve picked up this week, concerning musicians, ‘christian music’, and hip hop, as well as some personal goings on.

its interesting to have different people view a situation:

one feeling relieved, and grateful, to have a burden off of their backs

another feeling upset, because in addition to the burden being off, they wanted more. they’re still heavy.

is the former not aiming high enough, and just “settling”, setting themselves up for a life of under par achievement? or is the latter setting themself up for a life of discontent?

i want to do what God appreciates the most.

(not) earnest tubb

uploaded from flickr.

i have 10 rolls of developed lomo film i’ve gone through and picked the ones that will currently be uploaded to my flickr account. i’ll do a few each day as not to saturate my account as i’ve done the past few days ;) all sorts of flicks–from seattle to alki beach to indianapolis to nashville. all in a 2 week span.

definitely digging how well a lot of these came out.

Birthday Breakfast

uploaded from flickr.

of course i’m a tad biased…:)

i got about 6 rolls of lomo lc-a shots from tennessee–of about 5 rolls of things i really liked. it would have been much less, had i not taken some time writing down settings for particular shots. i ended up creating a lomo notes worksheet (PDF) for specifically this task–maybe you’ll find it useful.

i’m in the market for a slide/negative scanner most definitely–not looking forward to setting two at a time on my scanner and scanning these shots in!

i’m currently in the middle of a round trip from seattle to nashville, via chicago. my flights back are from nashville to chicago to seattle. i’m currently in indianapolis visiting my family, and would love to go back up to south bend to say hi to my friends there. since i’m up so far, i’d much rather just catch the chicago->seattle leg of my trip.

this cannot be done on United (or on any other airline, i’d gather), without paying a fee ($100), because if i don’t get on the nashville->chicago flight, it’s booked as a no show.

do they do this kind of crud on purpose? or are they really that inefficient?

when feeling threatened, i find this in particular with people ‘in authority’ — they have a tendency to want to speak their piece, and not allow for the other point of view to be voiced.

just an observation after taking two pictures of a shelf of books in the public library in my hometown. :) granted, i understand she immediately assumed that i was taking or looking to take pictures of *people*, but any words that came from my mouth were blocked by her “but”s.

reference: the photographer’s right, by Bert P. Krages II, Attorney at Law.

ItÂ’s maddening and confusing that [Downhere] arenÂ’t signed to a label, but then again if fear and inexplicable choices were gold lots of major Christian music labels would be branches of a Fort Knox franchise.

–anthony barr-jefferey

I don’t have much to say just yet–I’m still in the middle of my vacation, currently seeing my family in Indianapolis (yay). I’m sitting here while moms is fixing us some oatmeal, and reading anthony’s GREAT commentary on GMA week, via CCM magazine, no less. CCM magazine is basically the “biggest” publication covering the music classified as music made by christian people. This gives a pretty good glimpse into the weird world of folk who primarily sell music that speaks primarily on the free gift of the Gospel (okay to be fair, there are some who’ve realized that much of this is indeed *entertainment* and are approaching it as such–i’m going to write on all of this later, though).