My rip-off report

I have come to the conclusion that car shopping as a single woman is not fun. I've done a lot of "guy jobs" on my own (thanks to a patient Dad who let me watch him fix things and also showed me how), like change my car brakes, caulk a bathroom shower, fix a broken VCR back when people actually had "tapes"...I even have a tool box and can name all of the tools in it :-) I enjoy being independent, but not when I feel like I'm being taken advantage of. I'm not saying everyone I've dealt with is out to rip me off or is lying. I like to believe that most businesses and their representatives are for the most part honest. But here are some of the claims I've come across in the past couple of weeks:

Salesman: "The check engine light is on? Oh that's weird. They must have bumped the switch when they were detailing it."
Me (in my head): "Does he really think I believe there is a check engine light switch?"

Salesman: "This is your out the door price ($3500 over the asking price). It only includes tax, our doc fee, and title and registration."
Me: "Then what's this $400 fee?"
Salesman: "Oh, that's required by law. It registers the car with the police in case it gets stolen."
Me: "What law is that? I have insurance if my car gets stolen."
Salesman: "Oh, well I don't know. I'll ask my manager."
Me: "Ok. Well what's this $150 fee?"
Salesman: "Oh that's the maintenance fee. I guess I can scratch that."
Me: "And what's this random $300 fee?"
Salesman: "Oh, that's required by law too."
Me (in my head): "Tax, our doc fee, title and registration, and over $1000 in bs fees."


Salesman: "We're actually losing money on this car at the price we listed."
Me (in my head): "Really? So you're just giving cars away now?"

Salesman: "Utah tax is 7.5% for cars."
Me: "Really? The DMV said in this county it's 6.75%. How are you charging extra tax?"
Salesman: "Oh, that includes our doc fees."
Me: "So that's a separate doc fee from this other $300 doc fee?"
Salesman: "Let me ask my manager."

Sorry shady salesguys, I've done my research! It's funny to see how they respond when I actually sound like I know what I'm talking about. They always have to "ask their manager." Oh well. Until I find something at the right price, I guess I'll just have to show them that blonde and female does not always equal stupid :-)

New favorite talk

Occasionally I get on lds.org at work and read the First Presidency Messages. Last week I stumbled across this one by Elder Uchtdorf and I have to say it's exactly what I needed to read and I highly recommend it!

http://www.lds.org/liahona/2012/07/always-in-the-middle?lang=eng

This is my favorite quote from it:

"Being always in the middle means that the game is never over, hope is never lost, defeat is never final. For no matter where we are or what our circumstances, an eternity of beginnings and an eternity of endings stretch out before us. We are always in the middle."

I love that idea!

Don't judge me, but...

I've been taking Zoey to day care.

I just feel horrible leaving her alone all day when I'm at work, especially since the commute adds another hour and a half to the amount of time she's by herself. When I move I can go let her out and play with her during lunch, so it won't be bad then, but for now I've been dropping her off at Ruff House in Orem on my way to work. (The picture is one they took of her and put on their facebook page.) I was nervous that she'd be miserable because she has such separation anxiety when I leave the house, but she LOVES it! She loves playing with all the other little dogs. It's so cute when I pull into the place she immediately starts jumping around and getting excited. She doesn't even look back at me when I drop her off! Then when I pick her up she falls asleep on the way home because she's had fun playing with her little friends all day. It's worth every penny to me to know she's not lonely and bored all day long and is having fun and socializing with other dogs. I know how this probably sounds, but what can I say? She's my baby :-)

First Half Marathon!

So for a variety of reasons I have not really posted much (or at all) lately but I have had a lot going on that would be fun to document, so I will get started. I did my first half marathon in June! It was a lot of fun! We had to be at the buses at 5:30 AM and I was so worried I wouldn't wake up in time that I kept waking up in the middle of the night. Anyway I made it no problem and it was so much fun! I'm so glad I did it. I hadn't done a ton of training so I was just concerned with finishing but I was proud of myself that I didn't even stop to walk until the 10 mile point, and then it was just for the length of a song. Anyway I'm glad I did it. Next up is the Halloween Half down Provo Canyon, so I'll need a costume!

Self Defense!

So, Trent taught a self-defense class for his ward and it was really interesting! He did a great job and I learned a ton! I learned how to get someone off of me from a full mount, avoidance techniques, getting out of a headlock, gouging eyes, shopping for a taser, etc etc. Just things all women should know!

Longest. Week. Ever.

Easter was just a week ago but it feels more like a month! It was fun though...I wish I had taken some photos. Trent and I went to my Aunt Stephanie's house, and it was fun to catch up with all the cousins and aunts and uncles and see my grandparents. I do miss my family but I love having extended family around. Then we went to Trent's parents' and had an Easter egg hunt with his cute nieces and nephew. His family really does make me feel like one of them. They are all so sweet and a lot of fun! This has been such a long week. I think partly because we had our big yearly conference at work, which meant very long hours. The plus side was that it was in downtown SL this year, so I didn't have to drive 40 minutes like I usually do. It was actually pretty fun...I was in charge of writing a few of the executive speeches, so I had to make sure their presentations were set and make any changes to the speeches as needed. We were working long hours getting those set up but it was fun. It was also fun to see all of the different cultures that were there. Next year it will be in Hawaii! Woo hoo, can't wait. I really feel blessed to have the job that I have!

Congratulations!

My little brother Zach got engaged a few weeks ago. His fiance Brittany is adorable and they are so cute together. Here is a photo of them at the Bombay House, where we went a few weeks ago:



They are getting married in Dallas in July. I'm very happy for them! Brittany is a lucky girl and she is marrying one of the funniest, most easygoing, caring people I know. I have so many funny and happy memories of Zach growing up. He has always been a wonderful brother and friend. I love that he lives close. We go and get fro yo all the time after work and catch up...that better not change! :-) Well, I guess Brittany can come now too ;-)

As a funny side note, everyone is asking me if I'm "ok"...maybe because I'm 31 and the last one in my family (even behind my baby brother who I used to babysit) to get married? I'm very happy for them!

And here are me and Trent at the same place and time:



<--Look how cute he is!

A Word of Caution....

So, I Often leave online reviews for places of business I visit. Some good, some bad. Well, I left one last year for a company that I took my broken laptop to. He diagnosed the wrong problem then charged me for his mistake and took a whopping $28 off the bill. That's it. Said he was 99% sure the problem he fixed would take care of it, but it didn't at all. All he said was that I was the 1%. So...because of the horrible customer service I experienced, I left a 1-star review that said it wasn't a good or honest business to work with because he fixed the wrong part and charged me for it. All true. Well the owner literally hired an INVESTIGATOR to track me down and wrote a letter to my new home address asking me to contact him. Included copies of my invoice and bill even though i had zero problem with the pricing. So I emailed him reiterating my beef with his company, then told him it was upsetting and off-putting that he tracked me down. Well, then he emailed a little bit later referencing where I grew up, where I went to college, and made it known he knew where I lived through an investigator because he's going to file a defamation charge against me. He then copied and pasted some arbitrary definitions of "slander" from a website saying I fit all the criteria. LOL! If he had an attorney, he needs to get a new one...preferably one who understands the difference between "libel" and "slander." Anyway, obviously he creeped me out. He was very insulting and rude and clearly didn't know what he was talking about. He prob got on ehow and looked for "How to sue someone for defamation" without actually knowing that no matter how rude a review is, if there's any truth to it he can't win. lol. But anyway, I talked to several defamation lawyers in Utah, showed them the email threads and documents and review, and they said not only was I completely within my legal rights and nothing I said was libelous, but I had a strong harassment case against him. I also talked to the police, who told me to file a police report if he said anything to me again. I'm temped to just leave the review up and tell him good luck, since he won't win, but it's not worth my time and I could care less. Also who knows what length he'll go to.

Moral of the story? Be careful what online reviews you leave, because there are psychopaths out there who will track you down!