Valentine's Day......

I am your average everyday female.......well, maybe not.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day.....if you're female - you know this. If you're male and in a relationship of ANY kind - you better know this!!! UNLESS......you are my boyfriend, because if you are MY boyfriend then you already know that I think....

Valentine's Day is a Hallmark holiday!!!

YES!

You read that right!!! H-A-L-L-M-A-R-K Holiday!!!!

I actually feel badly for the masses of the male sex that run out like chickens with their heads cut off.....trying desperately to find that perfect gift for their mate. The whole hour between the time they get off work and the time they get home...is a mad dash through whatever mall or store is on their way home........I especially feel bad when I see them en masse at Walgreens pouring over the already scoured greeting cards, just looking for that one card left that doesn't say - "I love you Mom". They're usually standing 3 deep, reaching over each other, snatching card after card until they hit gold. THEN...comes the mad dash through the candy aisle where they dig like mad for a heart shaped box that is not crushed, torn, or smashed......and so on and so on....This same scene is played at the grocery stores where they do the previous but added to it is the florist department dig, petals every where.

I feel badly but I have to tell you, it's very comical!!

They do all of this in a sad attempt to please their female counter parts. Knowing that if they arrive empty handed, the wrath of all time will come crashing down around them. The crying will ensue, doors will be slammed, and things will be broken. It is their inevitable fate.

The interesting flip side to this is the female.....

While the males are doing their Valentine's Day freak out, the females are lying in wait like lionesses waiting to pounce. While they have been, what they think, as subtly dropping hints for two weeks about this love and romance filled day, they are POSITIVE their mate has forgotten. Secretly in their minds they are already forming the tirade that will no doubt happen when the men come home empty handed. The females are going over, in detail, EVERYTHING they have done for their mates....from home cooked meals to the lovingly red foil wrapped gift adorning the entertainment center......Then suddenly they start to imagine that the men actually put forth effort this year!!! It won't be like last and maybe they all got those diamond necklaces or earrings they hinted at.....just maybe!!!

Then the time comes.........

He walks in the door......

She excitingly runs to greet him......

He hugs her and hands her his hard fought for gifts - a rumpled card, box of no name chocolate, and roses that will die tomorrow......

She fakes a smile and says "oh...you remembered"........

It's the same scene played year after year. After many years, I came to a conclusion.......

I don't need a single day of the year for someone to prove to me that they love me.

Nope. I prefer to look at the little things that happen everyday. Such as:

Doing the dishes when I'm tired.

Washing my car because it's nice outside.

Throwing in a load of laundry cause you saw it needed to be done.

The hug and kiss for no particular reason.

These are the things you should be happy about, things you should be grateful for......not over priced flowers or candy that people feel forced to buy on this holiday that makes us all crazy!!!

If you're a guy and reading this....I know what you're thinking.....

THIS IS A TRICK!! If I listen to you...I'm a dead man!!!

If you're a gal and reading this....I know what you're thinking....

SHUT UP!!! I might get those diamonds this year!!!!

Don't bet on it.......

What happened to customer service????

I'm pretty sure you have a good idea on what I am going to write about today....uh huh....in fact, you're all probably bowing your heads in agony as I prepare to tell you the next chapter in my little on going saga with.............TA DA:

SOUTHTOWN DODGE!!!!

You knew it didn't you????

I'm sure you did, and if you didn't.......well then you haven't been paying attention.......

It all started with a single little sunroof.....it is now spiraling out of control....Let me refresh your memory......NO, wait.....if you need a memory refresher.....please go back and read a few of my older posts.....I'm all out of patience for rewriting the things I already wrote......I'm feeling a bit lazy these days...

I will start with Friday.....I wrote that my lovely sunroof is indeed, NOT fixed. Nope....not even close. SO.....I made the dreaded appointment for Tuesday( this past Tuesday, in fact) to take it in and YET AGAIN have it "looked at" by the incompetent staff at Southtown Dodge......at that same time, I also left a some what "pleasant" voicemail for one of the owners, asking her to return my call. THAT has not happened.......I am very annoyed by this on Monday.....but THAT was just the beginning, I was soon to learn....

My Monday evening came crashing down as I was driving home.....Imagine, if you will, a calm serene me(yes, it is possible) relaxing on my drive home.......SUDDENLY, my cell phone rings.......have any idea where this is going??? I answer the little beckoning device....

Me: Hello?

Voice: Hi! This is Eric from Enterprise Leasing.

Me: Yes?

Eric: I see here that you are bringing your vehicle in for service tomorrow and are in need of a rental?

Me: Yes, that is correct.

Eric: Well, there's been a little problem with tomorrow. It seems that we are short 5 or 6 cars for tomorrow.........

WAIT!! STOP RIGHT THERE!!! - Someone, PLEASE tell me how the biggest rental car company here in St. Louis can be OUT of cars??? Are you trying to tell me that every car in your inventory just happens to be rented on that one particular day?!?!?!?!? Really?!?!? COME ON!!!

Me: Are you serious?

Eric: Yes Ma'am, I was hoping that you could work with us..

Me: Work with you? I have to work that day, this is the 3rd time I am bringing my vehicle back there, and I have to have a car.

Eric: I understand Ma'am, but maybe we can give you a ride to work and hope that we get a car in that afternoon.....

WHAT?!?! So they wanted to drive me to work with NO guarantee that I would even get a car?!?!? Really?!?!? Are you kidding?!?!?

Me: I can't be stuck at work with no guarantee on how I'll get home or if I'll have a car.

Eric: Well, we could always play it by ear. You can drive up here in the morning and we can cross our fingers that someone drops one off early?

Is he completely an idiot??? Why would I get my butt out of bed EARLY, to drive up there and HOPE they have a car for me??? Knowing....that if they don't I'll have to reschedule......where's your brains, man????

Me: No, that won't work. I will call the service department and reschedule - due to your "lack" of cars.

Eric: Okay, thank you ma'am.

You would think THAT was the heart of my story......uh nope....guess again.

After I hung up with "Mr. I don't have any cars".....I called good old Southtown Dodge's service department. They are open until 7pm Monday - Friday. It was 6pm.......

The phone rang and rang for what seemed like forever. No answer. I tried this THREE times and got the EXACT same result each and every time. So I accepted the fact that I was just going to have to call back in the morning and reschedule. I was fine with that, not happy, but dealing.

Tuesday morning comes and I awake to a lovely little voicemail:

Eric: Hi, this is Eric from Enterprise. I just wanted to let you know, we still don't have any cars......

Like I would have expected anything else?!?!?

So off to work I go. We happened to be fairly busy during the day, so I did not get the opportunity to call to reschedule. Funny thing - nobody even called me to find out WHY I hadn't shown up.....Not that I'd expect them to, I guess........

I got off work at 5pm and figured I would call Southtown - YET AGAIN. First time I called it rang and rang and rang....then SUDDENLY a voice filled the other line!! It said:

Service. Please hold...........

and I did.....for 15 FREAKIN' minutes!!!! I had to listen to the most horrible muzak ever!!! Finally another voice came on the line:

Hi, how can I help you?

I explained to him my situation and he asked me to hold a second......THEN...I heard it!!! That deadly little click.........

I had been DISCONNECTED!!! UGH!!! Are you kidding me??? Really??? Now, I am angry. So I call back........rang and rang......got bounced to the receptionist TWICE!! FINALLY a different voice:

Service. Can you hold?

Do I have a choice??? No, I don't. I sit and I wait for the disconnect.......

Voice: How can I help you??

Luckily this time I got a nice service department lady who apologized - yes, I said apologized. It was a shock to me, as this has been the first one since all this started!!! She gladly rescheduled me and then placed me in the other owner's voicemail, where I left yet another message.

I just want to know - WHAT HAPPENED TO CUSTOMER SERVICE???

In this day and age, you would think that businesses need to keep the customers they have and do everything in their power to provide quality service to get customers to return. But NOT them. If I had a nother dealer close, I swear I would go there!!! I'm still waiting for my return call and I promise you this......If he doesn't return my call, I'm marching my happy butt in there to see one of them IN PERSON!!

POSTAL!!

This little post is going to be short but sweet!!!

I just wanted you all to know that if you hear a news report of some deranged customer going POSTAL at Southtown/South County Dodge.....Well.....IT'S ME!!!

I have had it.

I am SOOOOO angry I can't even see straight.

All of you know, by now, that I had to have my sunroof replaced. You also are aware of all the drama that has come along with it.......well we can add another little chapter today!

This afternoon was beyond beautiful. We finally had enough people here at work that I could actually take a lunch!! Whoo Hoo!!! So, I go out to my Jeep and I think to myself - Hey, I should open my new sunroof!!!

Wrong thing to do. I opened it and to my dismay, found out that it no longer opens all the way. NOW it only opens 2/3 of the way!! This beyond unacceptable!!! How can my sunroof go from open all the way to this and I'm just supposed to be ok with it??? I don't think so.

So I called. I got one of the service writers and I asked for the service manager. I was told he was out and could he return my call. The gentleman that answered my call was well aware who I was. I said that would be fine and then I asked who the service manager's supervisor or boss was. He tried to tell me that no one was above him?!? Really??? Do I appear to be that stupid? Come on. He tells me that corporate is the next step up........Right. So I said "ok, he can call me at......". Then I hung up. I IMMEDIATELY turned right around and called and got the receptionist. She was nice enough to give me the OWNER's name and place me in her voicemail.......corporate huh? Yeah, I got your number......I promptly left her message because she was out of the office for the day. I will be calling back on Monday. I placed my original call at 2:30 pm. It is now 5:40 pm and I have JUST gotten a return call and have made yet ANOTHER appointment to take it in.....UGH!!!!!

I'll let you know how that pans out on Monday!!!