Mommy (David) and Goodyear (Goliath)

Normally Travis is in charge of all things car related, but this time was different, we have been so busy I could not give up my truck for a whole day. I needed new tires, so Travis ordered them from tirerack.com and put them in my truck. He instructed me to call Goodyear (I normally don't name names, but Goodyear sucks so bad I want the world to know it!) in the morning and schedule an appointment to have them mounted and balanced. Travis also told me to make sure that I got the Tire Rack discount. I figured this assignment would be easy enough...

On the phone:
Me: Good morning, I need to schedule an appointment to have tires mounted and balanced on my LR3
Jeremy (store manager at Goodyear): No problem, when do you want to come in?
Me: This morning would be best.
Jeremy: Our first available appointment is 3 o'clock
Me: How long will it take? (I need to pick Jack up at 3:45)
Jeremy: Well, it is hard for me to say because we might not be able to get you in right away if our bays are full.
Me: (slightly befuddled) Okay, I will try the 3.

Why do they schedule appointments if they don't save a place for you? When he said I might have to wait, I was thinking 20 minutes or so. I arrived for my appointment 10 minutes early hoping that would help my cause, I was wrong.

Arriving at the shop, with Ben and Lauren in tow:
Me: Hello, I am here for my 3 o'clock mounting and balancing appointment.
Jeremy: Are you going to be able to leave us your truck?
Me: No, that is why I made an appointment.
Jeremy: Well, like I said on the phone you are going to have to wait. We won't be able to get your truck in for an hour to an hour and a half.
Me: (sighing heavily) Okay...

Then, Jeremy presented me with a preliminary bill to sign off on.

Me: Does this include the Tire Rack discount?
Jeremy: No, we have to have a copy of the invoice to give you the discount.
Me: It is all on the tire.
Jeremy: I need the invoice, not the tire sticker.
Me: I haven't removed anything from the tires; it has all of Tire Rack's numbers on it.
Jeremy: I can't give you the discount without the invoice.

Frustrated, I called Travis.

Me: They won't give me the discount without the invoice.
Travis: It's on the tire.
Me: I told him that, he still won't give it to me without an invoice.
Travis: Let me talk to him.

I handed my cell phone over to Jeremy. I could tell Travis was explaining how things were going to go because Jeremy was doing a lot of "yes, sir". Then I heard Jeremy say "Well, your wife didn't tell me that". This is when I lost it!

Me: This is bullshit! I did so tell you, you are a liar!
Jeremy: It's okay I am going to give you the discount.
Me: NO! IT IS NOT OKAY! You were trying to take advantage of me because I am a woman! He didn't tell you anything that I hadn't already explained to you! You are a jerk!!
Jeremy: I am not trying to take advantage of you because you are a woman.
Me: Do you try to take advantage of everyone?!?!?
Jeremy: I am not trying to take advantage of you.
Me: I guess we are going to have to agree to disagree.

When I returned to Ben and Lauren's side Lauren had a few questions for me.

Lauren: Why were you yelling at that man?
Me: (loud enough for Jeremy to hear) because he is a pig!
Lauren: Like the kind that rolls in the mud?
Me: Yes, just like that!

This is when the best moment of my day occurred! Ben and Lauren stared snorting like pigs at Jeremy. Did I stop them? Oh no, I did not stop them, I actually considered joining in, but I decided to be the adult!

We continued to wait and wait and wait. Finally after we had been at the shop for over an hour I see them pull my car into the shop. 15 minutes later Jeremy comes to the waiting area holding my owner’s manual.

Jeremy: Do you know how to turn off the air suspension?
Me: No, shouldn't you?
Jeremy: Well, I have gone through the manual and I can't find anything about it.
Me: Let me call my husband...again!

This time Travis was in a meeting when I called so he didn't answer. I had to pull the emergency second call. Travis knows if I call twice back to back he needs to pick up. I quickly told Travis what was going on and again I had to hand Jeremy my cell phone. Travis explained to the grease monkey that the air suspension does not turn off so he would have to do each tire separately. I could hear Jeremy hemming and hawing about how that would take longer, blah, blah, blah. When Jeremy got off the phone he told me that it was going to take longer. I had already called Trisha and asked her to pick Jack up from school so I figured I had already been there an hour and a half, what's a little longer!

It wasn't long before my phone rang. It was Travis telling me that these people didn't know what they are doing and to get my truck away from them stat! I balked at first, because I already had nearly 2 hours invested into the tire mounting and balancing. But, Travis explained that they could cause $3000 worth of damage if/when they do it wrong. So, after 2 hours of hanging out at Goodyear I left with my same old tires!