Stone Life

I bet you thought that this was going to be another political rant by that title, but, alas there are other things worth reporting....except, do you think someone today told McCain that there is a difference between autism and down's....I'm just saying.

Stop me when you've heard this one.

You go to the repair-center because your car is in need of some sort of fixin' that you can neither understand nor possibly do on your own. - Check!

They offer you a low-ball quote: "I wouldn't worry about. We'll check it out, but it's probably only the battery." - Check!

A day or so later you get a phone call: "Uhm...Mr. Stone.... We were a little off. Turns out that it was a more serious problem than we first diagnosed." The long and the short of it is that if you want your car not to explode upon being driven from the shop, you need to sink a few rent-checks worth of money into their pockets. Sorta like being held up at gunpoint...so you agree. - Check!

You go to pick up the car, and, shockingly, the actual price is higher than the estimate. - Check, check, check, check, check!!!!!

You catch them on a technicality and cut the price in half. - Che.... What!?!

That's right. If only for today, I win. Turns out that the young guy (who may or may not have a job as of this evening) that they let run the place on the weekends isn't quite as competent as he thinks he is (Let me just say this; I realize I may be the most arrogant s.o.b. on the planet, but put up against this guy I would be a candidate for sainthood for my works of humility). He missplacd a decimal place in the estimate, and so instead of charging me for 1,100.00 part and service combo, he told me it was 110.00. OOPS!!

Turns out that they are decent people at the Mini dealership and took it like men. They swallowed hard and basically cut my total payment in half when it was all said and done. I tried not to giggle to hard as I left.

Today's Tally:

Automobile Racket: 0

Me: 1