Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

venture

jipster said:

driver100 said:

driver100 said:

I had a bump on one toe
Chiropodist says leaking fluid build up, 3 choices 1) I can jab it and it will leak out, may have to repeat 2) go to hospital and have removed, - pretty permanent, or 3) do nothing.
I chose 2, go to hospital and have it removed.
Get an appointment about 5 months later....go to hospital, wait for about 2 hours.
Doctor has me go into operating room, lie down on bed, and I say what is going on here. She says, I cut it out, you will wear a boot for 8 weeks! I say, your joking, how will I drive and play tennis with a boot on? She says you can't.
I say let me out of here, do I have to stay. She said no. I ran as fast as I could and left....I could hear the pretty doctor and her assisstant LTAO (T for their).
I went to another chiropodist and had it lanced. She did it about every 4 months....4 times....then it didn't come back.

THE LESSON: Sometimes these things fix themselves.

(My stories are getting as long as JMonroes)

Did the hospital charge you anything for cancelling? I had second thoughts about some stinkin furniture I purchased a few days ago, at Ashley Furniture,  Called to cancel. They are charging me a 10% cancellation fee, which would be $180. Should have read the fine print. But , I cancelled just 2 days after buying. Delivery not until February 16. Talked to store manager. Adamant I pay or I could select something else. Said their furniture is made to order, which sounds like a bunch of bull. Waiting to hear back from district manager. Don't buy from Ashley Furniture!!! Tell them the ole Jipster did NOT send you. 

I didn't pay when i cancelled the foot surgery....but remember, we don't pay in Canada (I know, we do pay but through taxes etc., lots of them). My cousin just had some new heart valves put in.....$0's except for his wife to park the car.
That is very low of Ashleys. Why did you cancel? If it is because you want to wait for something else or want to wait for finances you might tell him you will be back when the time is right...but not with a policy like that one. That is low in this day and age. A good way to lose customers....leaves a bad impression on me, I will remember that!

Well, we were shopping for a bedroom suite for my 16 year old son...with a mattress and box spring. Should have left son home, as he was just wanting to get out of there. Saleslady directed us to a bed and dresser, which when later that day in looking at website, is designed for younger children. I asked saleslady specifically if this furniture was designed for someone my son's age. She said yes. But it really isnt. My son is about 5'10" and 170 pounds. I told store manager I thought salesman did a poor job, and it was not our fault for having to cancel. I said the cancellation fee was not mentioned, through it was on the second page of contract. I said,  "youre going to charge me $180 and all you have to do is get on your computer and push a button to cancel?" She said it wasn't that easy. That the furniture was " made to order". So I guess as soon as I ordered the furniture, they had a group of guys go out and chop down trees to make it? LOL. I'm guessing they stock their warehouses and when one item in inventory gets low, they order more to be made. Doubt district manager will call back. More than likely just giving me the run around until I get tired and drop the matter.

Thinking of cancelling the furniture, keeping the mattress and box springs($600), and pick up myself instead of having it delivered, to minimize my losses.

I'm not a fan of Ashley. Although we have bought stuff there in the past, I try to avoid the place,

The last time we bought anything there it was a dining room table and chairs for my daughter and her kids. The "made to order" thing came up. I pulled my daughter aside and said that if we had to wait that long, we might as well just order something on-line because it would be cheaper. Of course the manager was walking past when I said that and he overheard me.

We got a great deal then, but I still don't like the place.

Here's another one. When we were looking at couches last month, Mrs. Venture wanted to, at least, go look at Ashley. I wasn't impressed and when the saleslady finally realized I was resisting she walked away...LOL. She dropped us like the proverbial hot potato.

stickguy

We have stopped there when shopping. But never saw anything we liked. Generally have better luck at raymour and flanaggen for moderate priced stuff that fits our style.

graphicguy

I rent a lot of cars. Used to rent a lot more. I get a corporate rate with Hertz, so I stay with them. Normally, they take good care of me. They upgrade me liberally from the standard "midsize" to a couple of tiers above that. And, on occasion, they'll put me in their "prestige" collection for no charge (CLAs, Q50s, etc). But, with UBER, I've probably curtailed my car renting by ½.

As I've cut back on my car rentals, I've noticed a steep decline in Hertz's service. Don't know if it's just me, and the fact I've cut back on my rentals? Or, generally speaking, their business is down overall and they are in the beginning stages of "nickel-diming" and cutbacks because more people are using UBER instead of renting cars.

In any event, case in point, I was in Salt Lake City last week. Given the stops I had to make, and the city being so spread out, I decided to hit up Hertz. They didn't offer me any "freebie upgrade", but that's OK. I never expect one. They did suggest I get an SUV becasue of the snow. Being IN the airport, I could see snow piled up outside, but couldn't tell if there was any on the road. I asked the rate for an SUV, and they quoted me $90/day for a GMC Yukon Denali XL. I'm sure that's not a bad rate for that vehicle, but it's just me driving. I declined.

Then the agent suggested something smaller, a GMC Acadia, for $60. OK....I'm early in my expense budget, there's snow on the ground, I'll go for it.

BTW.....pretty darned nice vehicle. I'm sure it was the standard version, but it still came with a peppy V6, Apple Car Play, 4WD, nice seats, etc. Drove sprightly for an SUV....still a lot of body lean, and the steering wasn't all that accurate, but it tracked true, braked fine. Not bad!

Anyway, I was supposed to be in SLC for 3 days, but a conference I was going to attend had the "main guy" (the guy I needed to talk to) became ill and had to back out. I did meet with his staff, and was able to meet with a couple of other tech companies, didn't want to make it a terrible trip. But, that allowed me to leave early.

Instead of 3 days, I was able to get a standby seat back home on the 2nd day.

Returned the Acadia, and got my receipt.....for $380, or about $200 more than renting it for the entire time. Well, apparently the $60 charge was ON TOP OF my regular rate (gate agent just pointed out the $60 to me). And, since I was 20 minutes past the time I could have returned not to be charged for another full day, they charged me anyway.

I was irritated. Told them so. They didn't care....not even the manager I spoke to.

Part of this is my fault. I should have read the ENTIRE rental agreement (all 4 sheets of tiny print). Moreover, this is the type of thing HERTZ used to be understanding about. Not any more.

So, what's the end result? I'm moving my business to National or Avis....and increasing my use of UBER. Know what? Hertz doesn't even care. Neither do I!

cdnpinhead

National has been pretty good to me over the past couple of decades. My company has a contract with them that offers the same sorts of perks that you mentioned, but a couple of days ago when I turned in my car at the Denver airport I was told that the grace period was no longer an hour, but was now 1/2 hour. I was 40 minutes over, and the person who checked me in removed the charge for the extra hour. Anyway, National may also be cutting back. I'm pretty low maintenance, though -- I just grab a full size and hit the road.

stickguy

I rarely rent, but if I do travel I usually things through AAA travel, so that means hertz. Never really had any issues. Other than a few cars with 40k on the clock, but that really doesn't matter, just seems odd. Now, budget I think in Orlando, they tried to cheat me. What a nightmare (had to fight to not get charged for a half tank of gas).

Michaell

@graphicguy - ouch, that story with Hertz in SLC is frustrating.

My company has a deal with Hertz, so I've been using them on my travels lately. The service is just OK, the prices are a bit, um, dear. Looks like everything is extra - I rented a Santa Fe a few weeks ago in the Bay Area. The receipt listed $40 for XM! Too late for me to do anything about it.

I'm thinking we should start a thread for "Rental Car Review" - goodness knows there's enough of us here that travel and rent often enough to keep the thread moving along nicely.

Thoughts?

stickguy

Hopefully hertz is better in Ireland. I'm renting for a week there in April!

sda

I was at a body shop getting an estimate to repair the Pilot and within their lobby is an Enterprise booth. I heard them talking about midsize cars and the customer was offered a Honda Fit. A Honda Fit midsize? I would think compact at best. Good grief.

PF_Flyer

sda said:

I was at a body shop getting an estimate to repair the Pilot and within their lobby is an Enterprise booth. I heard them talking about midsize cars and the customer was offered a Honda Fit. A Honda Fit midsize? I would think compact at best. Good grief.

Looking at the car classes from Enterprise, I guess the fit would be somewhere between their Economy and Full Size sizes. No category named Midsize, but maybe they generically refer to Compact/Intermediate/Standard as "midsize? When we rent, it's generally from Enterprise, but I've never heard them use any term other than what's on their site

sda

PF_Flyer said:

sda said:

I was at a body shop getting an estimate to repair the Pilot and within their lobby is an Enterprise booth. I heard them talking about midsize cars and the customer was offered a Honda Fit. A Honda Fit midsize? I would think compact at best. Good grief.

Looking at the car classes from Enterprise, I guess the fit would be somewhere between their Economy and Full Size sizes. No category named Midsize, but maybe they generically refer to Compact/Intermediate/Standard as "midsize? When we rent, it's generally from Enterprise, but I've never heard them use any term other than what's on their site

I heard the customer say midsize and he wasn't thrilled with getting a Fit, maybe he was having one, ha. He thought he was going to get an Accord and reluctantly took the Fit. Looks like the Accord is 'Full Size' Thanks for the chart.

I will be interested to see what I get for a rental when I take the Pilot in for repairs. The insurance only allows $30/day and my goal is to stick with that.

suydam

Michaell said:

@graphicguy - ouch, that story with Hertz in SLC is frustrating.

My company has a deal with Hertz, so I've been using them on my travels lately. The service is just OK, the prices are a bit, um, dear. Looks like everything is extra - I rented a Santa Fe a few weeks ago in the Bay Area. The receipt listed $40 for XM! Too late for me to do anything about it.

I'm thinking we should start a thread for "Rental Car Review" - goodness knows there's enough of us here that travel and rent often enough to keep the thread moving along nicely.

Thoughts?

Isn't there already a thread called Rental Car Experiences? Why duplicate?

28firefighter

I use National almost exclusively over Hertz. Every Hertz experience I've had has been lackluster in terms of customer service, vehicle type and vehicle condition.

fintail

Something about Hertz and basic cars - these zero option vehicles must be built especially for them. My two last Hertz rentals were a Charger and 300 both with virtually no options. In my experience, National has better odds of higher equipped vehicles.

I've rented a few higher end cars from Sixt in Florida, more pleasant even if basic, as the cars are better equipped as standard. I've had fairly loaded cars from Sixt in Germany.

dino001

sda said:

I heard the customer say midsize and he wasn't thrilled with getting a Fit, maybe he was having one, ha. He thought he was going to get an Accord and reluctantly took the Fit. Looks like the Accord is 'Full Size' Thanks for the chart.

I will be interested to see what I get for a rental when I take the Pilot in for repairs. The insurance only allows $30/day and my goal is to stick with that.

Long time ago (about five-eight years), when rental companies turned into a three-sided oligopoly (Enterprise, Avis, Hertz, rest of the national brands is in their "care"), they all reclassified vehicle sizes, essentially raised prices without saying so. Advent of small cars, like Fit, Fiesta, slight growth in size in compacts, and midsize vehicles, allowed them to call Ford Focus now "intermediate" (which suggests-midsize) and Camry "full size", even though it has nothing to do with retail market perception. Things can go really funny at neighborhood locations - my experience was I would usually get a larger vehicle than ordered, like Ford Escape, Chrysler 300 as "standard". For my private rentals, I go with Avis through Costco - great prices. It also pays off if you want a vehicle for more than a week to rent outside of the airport. It's not just about the surcharges, it's often also rates themselves. There are some airports with just insane prices - Denver, for example, many other airports in the West (not as much in say Florida, where airport rates are quite inexpensive). The difference really add up for 10-14 day rentals. So what I often do when going on a road trip vacation with starting point away from home, I fly to the destination, stay one night in a hotel there and rent at the nearby neighborhood. I'll usually find a hotel with a free shuttle from the airport, so that covers the transportation, or figure out other cheap public transit option from the hotel to the rental place, if necessary (depends on the place and distances). It will let me sight see the city, rest after a trip and it often cuts the bill in half. Avis will even let you return the car at the airport. Did that four times already - SLC, Denver (twice) and Calgary. End up paying around 300 bucks (ALL in, not just rate) for over 12-14 days, with airport prices often close to double of that.

dino001

Michaell said:

@graphicguy - ouch, that story with Hertz in SLC is frustrating.

My company has a deal with Hertz, so I've been using them on my travels lately. The service is just OK, the prices are a bit, um, dear. Looks like everything is extra - I rented a Santa Fe a few weeks ago in the Bay Area.

When I was shopping for car rentals in the past, Hertz's quotes were often from the Moon. Sometimes three times higher than the average of the rest, four times then the lowest. It was like they really didn't want any business. Didn't understand (still don't) how they even arrived with those rates.

PF_Flyer

The Fit is about the same size as my Versa, so it might be in the Compact category. Description of Compact is "5 passengers/1 bag". Economy is "4 passengers/2 bags". We've had 5 passengers in the Versa, no experience with trying to fit them in a Fit

suydam

dino001 said:

Michaell said:

@graphicguy - ouch, that story with Hertz in SLC is frustrating.

My company has a deal with Hertz, so I've been using them on my travels lately. The service is just OK, the prices are a bit, um, dear. Looks like everything is extra - I rented a Santa Fe a few weeks ago in the Bay Area.

When I was shopping for car rentals in the past, Hertz's quotes were often from the Moon. Sometimes three times higher than the average of the rest, four times then the lowest. It was like they really didn't want any business. Didn't understand (still don't) how they even arrived with those rates.

That's been my experience too. And once i got used to the Orwellian classification of cars that they all use, I learned to book one class up so I can get what I want. There's also a " standard" size which seems to be intermediate.

uplanderguy

Back in the '80's, when I rented cars for work every other week, I remember having a full-size requested and I got a Pontiac Phoenix. I said to the 21 (probably) year old counter girl, "Who calls a Phoenix a full-size" and got a canned, "Sir, cars have been downsized for awhile now and....". I wanted to smack her upside the head but of course didn't.

Got a similar young-female-counter response when I brought back an otherwise-pretty '80 Grand Prix V6 which only had one interior light--on the right front floor--and I had to put three quarts of oil in it it ticked so loudly. I said it was probably the worst rental car I've ever had and she just "Oh really, the worst rental huh?". Duh.

Only rental to ever leave me stranded--Ford Fairmont.

I laugh at the Edie McClurg character at the rental car company in "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles", because I've had experiences not unlike that. I've definitely gone to my space number to find the parking space empty, like Steve Martin did.

Michaell

suydam said:

Michaell said:

@graphicguy - ouch, that story with Hertz in SLC is frustrating.

My company has a deal with Hertz, so I've been using them on my travels lately. The service is just OK, the prices are a bit, um, dear. Looks like everything is extra - I rented a Santa Fe a few weeks ago in the Bay Area. The receipt listed $40 for XM! Too late for me to do anything about it.

I'm thinking we should start a thread for "Rental Car Review" - goodness knows there's enough of us here that travel and rent often enough to keep the thread moving along nicely.

Thoughts?

Isn't there already a thread called Rental Car Experiences? Why duplicate?

Oh yeah. Guess it's been so long that anyone has posted there that I forgot about it.

jmonroe

driver100 said:

Nite, Nite @driver100

jmonroe

I couldn't stay up that late....had to read it this morning.

Were you absent the day they taught you how to write a precis in grade 6?

Are you kidding? 6th grade? With all the trouble I had in 5th grade, 6th grade was damn near like grad school for me. They almost didn't allow me to attend but I did although it didn't do me much good as everyone in here can attest. :@

jmonroe

abacomike

I went into a specialty shop at Boca Raton Town Center that is dedicated to everything "walking" from shoes, sneakers, walking shoes and "orthotics".

I poked around and this nice sales lady came over and asked me what I was interested in. I explained that I was diagnosed with a spur on my right heel and it was painful, on and off, to walk. She asked me if I used orthotics. That was a somewhat foreign word to me except I knew it had to do with bones (ortho). She had me take off my Rockports, pulled out the cushion and had me walk over a mat that recorded my walking anomalies. First the right foot (heel to toe) and then the left foot (heel to toe) and then she had me stand on the mat until the computer analyzed the data. It showed more "red" on my right heel than on my left and other aspects of my walking.

The computer readout also showed a code. She went into the back of the store and came back with inserts for my shoes - a different code for the left foot and a separate code for the right foot. She inserted the inserts and had me tie my shoes and walk. At first, it felt a bit uncomfortable, but the more I walked, the less painful that right heel became. It has an accentuated arch, but the insert itself is pretty stiff with almost no padding. She said that the arch support will reduce the reliance on the right heel.

So, for $43.00 including tax, I bought them. I've had them on now for a few hours and I'm still getting used to them. Hopefully, this is just what I needed to reduce the stress on the right heel. We shall see.

Thanks to all of you for your input and feedback - I am going to try to avoid surgery at all costs even if I have to live with pain for the rest of my life.

abacomike

@cdnpinhead

Hey, pinhead, I really enjoyed your recap of your Subaru buying experience. It was obvious the dealership and your sales associate were honest/up-front with you throughout the entire process - a true rarity in the car business.

I noted that the F&I process was ill-equipped to handle you in a timely manner. I guess they only had one employee that handled F&I at the dealership, but that is not out of the ordinary. At least while you waited, you were able to accomplish quite a bit which made the time fly by more effortlessly.

There remains one process that invariably drives me nuts when I buy a new car (which means I've been driven to lunacy at least once a year for the past 10 or so years) - and that is F&I (Finance and Insurance). The process not only is quite time consuming, but there never seems to be a quick in-and-out of that office. I realize the deal has to be loaded into the F&I software by the sales manager and then the F&I employee has to continue data entry into her F&I system. In most dealerships, the sales data system is not compatible with the F&I data system. Additionally, when forms are printed, they still are required to use dot-matrix printers to make sure everything lines up properly.

If the car sales industry could come up with a more expedited system of getting car buyers in and out of that office in under 15-20 minutes, it sure would make the car buying process less taxing.

I've already extended my best wishes to you for complete enjoyment of your new Subaru, but I am going to repeat those wishes to make sure "it takes" if you know what I mean. Have fun, pinhead!!!

suydam

abacomike said:

I went into a specialty shop at Boca Raton Town Center that is dedicated to everything "walking" from shoes, sneakers, walking shoes and "orthotics".

I poked around and this nice sales lady came over and asked me what I was interested in. I explained that I was diagnosed with a spur on my right heel and it was painful, on and off, to walk. She asked me if I used orthotics. That was a somewhat foreign word to me except I knew it had to do with bones (ortho). She had me take off my Rockports, pulled out the cushion and had me walk over a mat that recorded my walking anomalies. First the right foot (heel to toe) and then the left foot (heel to toe) and then she had me stand on the mat until the computer analyzed the data. It showed more "red" on my right heel than on my left and other aspects of my walking.

The computer readout also showed a code. She went into the back of the store and came back with inserts for my shoes - a different code for the left foot and a separate code for the right foot. She inserted the inserts and had me tie my shoes and walk. At first, it felt a bit uncomfortable, but the more I walked, the less painful that right heel became. It has an accentuated arch, but the insert itself is pretty stiff with almost no padding. She said that the arch support will reduce the reliance on the right heel.

So, for $43.00 including tax, I bought them. I've had them on now for a few hours and I'm still getting used to them. Hopefully, this is just what I needed to reduce the stress on the right heel. We shall see.

Thanks to all of you for your input and feedback - I am going to try to avoid surgery at all costs even if I have to live with pain for the rest of my life.

Was this RoadRunners? I love that store. Those custom insoles really helped my spouse's feet.

jmonroe

sda said:

PF_Flyer said:

sda said:

I was at a body shop getting an estimate to repair the Pilot and within their lobby is an Enterprise booth. I heard them talking about midsize cars and the customer was offered a Honda Fit. A Honda Fit midsize? I would think compact at best. Good grief.

Looking at the car classes from Enterprise, I guess the fit would be somewhere between their Economy and Full Size sizes. No category named Midsize, but maybe they generically refer to Compact/Intermediate/Standard as "midsize? When we rent, it's generally from Enterprise, but I've never heard them use any term other than what's on their site

I heard the customer say midsize and he wasn't thrilled with getting a Fit, maybe he was having one, ha. He thought he was going to get an Accord and reluctantly took the Fit. Looks like the Accord is 'Full Size' Thanks for the chart.

I will be interested to see what I get for a rental when I take the Pilot in for repairs. The insurance only allows $30/day and my goal is to stick with that.

I've said this before. When Mrs. j's Subie was in the shop this past Spring, for the right front fender replacement, the dealer's body shop had an Enterprise right there in the lobby. That's when I got the black '15 Atima. Not sure what category that is considered but I got a couple compliments about it for the 2 days I had it.

My suggestion is to try for one of those.

jmonroe

roadburner

My dealer is going to sell something like 100 X3 xDrive 28i trucks to Enterprise this calendar year; Enterprise picked up 15 on Monday and I clocked in 10 more yesterday.

driver100

jmonroe said:

sda said:

PF_Flyer said:

sda said:

I was at a body shop getting an estimate to repair the Pilot and within their lobby is an Enterprise booth. I heard them talking about midsize cars and the customer was offered a Honda Fit. A Honda Fit midsize? I would think compact at best. Good grief.

Looking at the car classes from Enterprise, I guess the fit would be somewhere between their Economy and Full Size sizes. No category named Midsize, but maybe they generically refer to Compact/Intermediate/Standard as "midsize? When we rent, it's generally from Enterprise, but I've never heard them use any term other than what's on their site

I heard the customer say midsize and he wasn't thrilled with getting a Fit, maybe he was having one, ha. He thought he was going to get an Accord and reluctantly took the Fit. Looks like the Accord is 'Full Size' Thanks for the chart.

I will be interested to see what I get for a rental when I take the Pilot in for repairs. The insurance only allows $30/day and my goal is to stick with that.

I've said this before. When Mrs. j's Subie was in the shop this past Spring, for the right front fender replacement, the dealer's body shop had an Enterprise right there in the lobby. That's when I got the black '15 Atima. Not sure what category that is considered but I got a couple compliments about it for the 2 days I had it.

My suggestion is to try for one of those.

jmonroe

Under 50 words!

driver100

The computer readout also showed a code. She went into the back of the store and came back with inserts for my shoes - a different code for the left foot and a separate code for the right foot

I mentioned those about 3 pages ago. Better than an orthotic guy who makes a plaster mold and charges $400. This is scientific with 1000s of impressions.

Glad they seem to be working.

driver100

There remains one process that invariably drives me nuts when I buy a new car (which means I've been driven to lunacy at least once a year for the past 10 or so years) - and that is F&I (Finance and Insurance). The process not only is quite time consuming, but there never seems to be a quick in-and-out of that office.

We waited 2 hours just to get into the office....there were other more complicated transactions before us. Once we got into the F&I office things went quickly though Florida has more forms to sign than any other state according to the F&I guy....I believe 25 documents, and we were paying cash.
The actual process went pretty fast once we got in, it was all done on a tablet. Even signatures all got signed on the tablet....no actual paper.

dino001

fintail said:

Something about Hertz and basic cars - these zero option vehicles must be built especially for them.

That's my experience with Enterprise. I know for a fact they have had their own versions of certain vehicles in the past, stripped down from retail base versions. For example, previous generation Chevrolet Impala had standard side-impact airbag in retail version, but did not the "Enterprise" version. Imagine somebody buying a used Impala from Enterprise fleet and having impression from research it would have one. I can understand need for savings, but lowering safety does not invoke a lot of goodwill on my part. It was legal at the time, as side impact airbags were not mandatory yet, so the vehicle was "safe" to the federal standards, but the market expectations moved on, yet Enterprise simply did not want to pay. It was legal, but not particularly nice.

Most of my Avis rentals were vehicles with nice options - many had leather, sat radio, etc. Definitely not base model strippers.

abacomike

suydam said:

abacomike said:

I went into a specialty shop at Boca Raton Town Center that is dedicated to everything "walking" from shoes, sneakers, walking shoes and "orthotics".

I poked around and this nice sales lady came over and asked me what I was interested in. I explained that I was diagnosed with a spur on my right heel and it was painful, on and off, to walk. She asked me if I used orthotics. That was a somewhat foreign word to me except I knew it had to do with bones (ortho). She had me take off my Rockports, pulled out the cushion and had me walk over a mat that recorded my walking anomalies. First the right foot (heel to toe) and then the left foot (heel to toe) and then she had me stand on the mat until the computer analyzed the data. It showed more "red" on my right heel than on my left and other aspects of my walking.

The computer readout also showed a code. She went into the back of the store and came back with inserts for my shoes - a different code for the left foot and a separate code for the right foot. She inserted the inserts and had me tie my shoes and walk. At first, it felt a bit uncomfortable, but the more I walked, the less painful that right heel became. It has an accentuated arch, but the insert itself is pretty stiff with almost no padding. She said that the arch support will reduce the reliance on the right heel.

So, for $43.00 including tax, I bought them. I've had them on now for a few hours and I'm still getting used to them. Hopefully, this is just what I needed to reduce the stress on the right heel. We shall see.

Thanks to all of you for your input and feedback - I am going to try to avoid surgery at all costs even if I have to live with pain for the rest of my life.

Was this RoadRunners? I love that store. Those custom insoles really helped my spouse's feet.

No, that was not the name of the store. The name of the store is "The Walking Company". Like I said, it seemed like she knew what she was doing. Just hope these work out.

isellhondas

I've told this story here before so I apologize for the re-run.

Many years ago I flew into LAX and I rented a car from one of the budget companies. I didn't care what it was since I wasn't going very far. I was handed the keys to a ratty Monte Carlo that reeked of cigarette smoke.

It was a busy Friday afternoon and I headed down a VERY crowded Century Blvd. I had gone less than a mile when one of the rear tires had a blowout! Big bang and all! It could not have happened in a worse place!

I put on the hazards and climbed out fully prepared to put on the spare EXCEPT I noticed that both rear tires were completely BALD and I mean BALD! This ticked me off so I left the car right there, blocking traffic and I grabbed my bags and I walked back to the Rental Counter!

" I need another car!" " Where is the one we gave you?".. I explained that it was currently blocking Century Bld and since they chose to give it to me with bald tires they could deal with it!

Two managers (both jerks) later I got a different car! When I got to where the Monte Carlo was a tow truck was trying to navigate through thick traffic. Cops were everywhere directing traffic, horns blowing etc.

It was almost worth it!

jmonroe

@abacomike, that is good news about the inserts.

Once you get used to them give me a call and I'll race you to your car. Since I know you don't want me touching your car, you will probably win the race. Then we will know you are the old Mike we used to know.

jmonroe

jipster

venture said:

driver100 said:

driver100 said:

I had a bump on one toe Chiropodist says leaking fluid build up, 3 choices 1) I can jab it and it will leak out, may have to repeat 2) go to hospital and have removed, - pretty permanent, or 3) do nothing. I chose 2, go to hospital and have it removed. Get an appointment about 5 months later....go to hospital, wait for about 2 hours. Doctor has me go into operating room, lie down on bed, and I say what is going on here. She says, I cut it out, you will wear a boot for 8 weeks! I say, your joking, how will I drive and play tennis with a boot on? She says you can't. I say let me out of here, do I have to stay. She said no. I ran as fast as I could and left....I could hear the pretty doctor and her assisstant LTAO (T for their). I went to another chiropodist and had it lanced. She did it about every 4 months....4 times....then it didn't come back. THE LESSON: Sometimes these things fix themselves. (My stories are getting as long as JMonroes)

Did the hospital charge you anything for cancelling? I had second thoughts about some stinkin furniture I purchased a few days ago, at Ashley Furniture,  Called to cancel. They are charging me a 10% cancellation fee, which would be $180. Should have read the fine print. But , I cancelled just 2 days after buying. Delivery not until February 16. Talked to store manager. Adamant I pay or I could select something else. Said their furniture is made to order, which sounds like a bunch of bull. Waiting to hear back from district manager. Don't buy from Ashley Furniture!!! Tell them the ole Jipster did NOT send you. 

I didn't pay when i cancelled the foot surgery....but remember, we don't pay in Canada (I know, we do pay but through taxes etc., lots of them). My cousin just had some new heart valves put in.....$0's except for his wife to park the car. That is very low of Ashleys. Why did you cancel? If it is because you want to wait for something else or want to wait for finances you might tell him you will be back when the time is right...but not with a policy like that one. That is low in this day and age. A good way to lose customers....leaves a bad impression on me, I will remember that!

Well, we were shopping for a bedroom suite for my 16 year old son...with a mattress and box spring. Should have left son home, as he was just wanting to get out of there. Saleslady directed us to a bed and dresser, which when later that day in looking at website, is designed for younger children. I asked saleslady specifically if this furniture was designed for someone my son's age. She said yes. But it really isnt. My son is about 5'10" and 170 pounds. I told store manager I thought salesman did a poor job, and it was not our fault for having to cancel. I said the cancellation fee was not mentioned, through it was on the second page of contract. I said,  "youre going to charge me $180 and all you have to do is get on your computer and push a button to cancel?" She said it wasn't that easy. That the furniture was " made to order". So I guess as soon as I ordered the furniture, they had a group of guys go out and chop down trees to make it? LOL. I'm guessing they stock their warehouses and when one item in inventory gets low, they order more to be made. Doubt district manager will call back. More than likely just giving me the run around until I get tired and drop the matter.

Thinking of cancelling the furniture, keeping the mattress and box springs($600), and pick up myself instead of having it delivered, to minimize my losses.

I'm not a fan of Ashley. Although we have bought stuff there in the past, I try to avoid the place, The last time we bought anything there it was a dining room table and chairs for my daughter and her kids. The "made to order" thing came up. I pulled my daughter aside and said that if we had to wait that long, we might as well just order something on-line because it would be cheaper. Of course the manager was walking past when I said that and he overheard me. We got a great deal then, but I still don't like the place. Here's another one. When we were looking at couches last month, Mrs. Venture wanted to, at least, go look at Ashley. I wasn't impressed and when the saleslady finally realized I was resisting she walked away...LOL. She dropped us like the proverbial hot potato.

Driver and Venture, yeah, I'll never go back to Ashley's Furniture. They are the sleazy stereotypical used car lots from the 70's. The stores are in individually owned Ive since read. Each sets their own policy on returns. Reviews were horrible. One guy bought $4k in furniture, got injured the next day to where he couldn't work. Tried to cancel. They still insisted he pay a 20% "restocking fee." 

 Annoyed at myself for not listening to that little voice inside. It just didn't feel right. A bit rushed. My son had ants in the pants because he didn't want to be seen shopping with his mom and dad. LOL.

imidazol97

suydam said:

Isn't there already a thread called Rental Car Experiences? Why duplicate?

I thought I remembered that one. But I looked and couldn't find it...

So now I searched using google and found it:
https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/comment/5270975

I couldn't find it using the search of titles in Edmunds. I probably did something wrong, again. LOL

Actually I enjoy reading the rental experiences from within this group of people reporting their experiences.

PF_Flyer

imidazol97 said:

suydam said:

Isn't there already a thread called Rental Car Experiences? Why duplicate?

I thought I remembered that one. But I looked and couldn't find it...

So now I searched using google and found it:
https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/comment/5270975

I couldn't find it using the search of titles in Edmunds. I probably did something wrong, again. LOL

Actually I enjoy reading the rental experiences from within this group of people reporting their experiences.

Interesting. If I searched the forums for "rental", that discussion was hidden way down the list of results because the word rental is used in a LOT of discussions. Make it "rental car" and it moves right to the top. Thanks for pointing it out. I've added some tags to that discussion to improve things (I hope)

It also got pushed down the list by new discussions being created all the time.

Always appreciate the "extra eyes" around here! Part of what makes it my favorite online group.

suydam

The categorizations of the forum leave something yo be desired. Results in new forums being created but old ones aren't shelved, so it gets worse and worse. I can only find forums I already know about.
The Walking Company is excellent as well.

driver100

.

Driver and Venture, yeah, I'll never go back to Ashley's Furniture. They are the sleazy stereotypical used car lots from the 70's. The stores are in individually owned Ive since read. Each sets their own policy on returns. Reviews were horrible. One guy bought $4k in furniture, got injured the next day to where he couldn't work. Tried to cancel. They still insisted he pay a 20% "restocking fee." 

 Annoyed at myself for not listening to that little voice inside. It just didn't feel right. A bit rushed. My son had ants in the pants because he didn't want to be seen shopping with his mom and dad. LOL

.

I look at the ads for Rooms To Go and the furniture looks sleek and modern and is reasonably priced. Check out reviews first, but they seem to be like IKEA+ type furniture, but without the hassle of trying to assemble it yourself.

Jip....I know what you mean about kids not wanting to be with their parents. When my youngest daughter was about 16 I took her and a friend to this dance club. I turn around to tell them we are at the club and they are both in the back on the floor, ready to open the back door and slide out of the car without being seen.....with me

sda

driver100 said:

.

Driver and Venture, yeah, I'll never go back to Ashley's Furniture. They are the sleazy stereotypical used car lots from the 70's. The stores are in individually owned Ive since read. Each sets their own policy on returns. Reviews were horrible. One guy bought $4k in furniture, got injured the next day to where he couldn't work. Tried to cancel. They still insisted he pay a 20% "restocking fee." 

 Annoyed at myself for not listening to that little voice inside. It just didn't feel right. A bit rushed. My son had ants in the pants because he didn't want to be seen shopping with his mom and dad. LOL

.

I look at the ads for Rooms To Go and the furniture looks sleek and modern and is reasonably priced. Check out reviews first, but they seem to be like IKEA+ type furniture, but without the hassle of trying to assemble it yourself.

Jip....I know what you mean about kids not wanting to be with their parents. When my youngest daughter was about 16 I took her and a friend to this dance club. I turn around to tell them we are at the club and they are both in the back on the floor, ready to open the back door and slide out of the car without being seen.....with me

Yep, my daughter is like that some times. I will drive her to an event, and she will say you can drop me off here, that will be fine. Nope, I will drop you off and watch you enter the building..

ab348

The last car I rented was back in 2013 at the airport in Norfolk Va. Thrifty gave me a Mitsubishi Galant, felt like I had flown back to about 1986. I'm pretty sure Thrify must have been Mitsubishi's biggest customer.

PF_Flyer

I always like the way the movies have envisioned the vehicles of the future, like in today's background movie

qbrozen

Forbidden Planet
Robby the Robot

I have a reproduction toy of him at home, sans vehicle

jmonroe

driver100 said:

.

Driver and Venture, yeah, I'll never go back to Ashley's Furniture. They are the sleazy stereotypical used car lots from the 70's. The stores are in individually owned Ive since read. Each sets their own policy on returns. Reviews were horrible. One guy bought $4k in furniture, got injured the next day to where he couldn't work. Tried to cancel. They still insisted he pay a 20% "restocking fee." 

 Annoyed at myself for not listening to that little voice inside. It just didn't feel right. A bit rushed. My son had ants in the pants because he didn't want to be seen shopping with his mom and dad. LOL

.

I look at the ads for Rooms To Go and the furniture looks sleek and modern and is reasonably priced. Check out reviews first, but they seem to be like IKEA+ type furniture, but without the hassle of trying to assemble it yourself.

Jip....I know what you mean about kids not wanting to be with their parents. When my youngest daughter was about 16 I took her and a friend to this dance club. I turn around to tell them we are at the club and they are both in the back on the floor, ready to open the back door and slide out of the car without being seen.....with me

Smart kid. Short enough?

jmonroe

oldfarmer50

jmonroe said:

explorerx4 said:

The PA turnpike is really expensive. 250 miles costs about $25. This was 3 or 4 years ago.
How do I know? The bill showed up on my EZPass statement and there were 2 PA Tpk trips on it.
I told my kid to take I-80 instead, a little longer, but a lot cheaper.

I don't want to make this too long because @driver100 has to get to bed.

As of January of this year the PA Turnpike toll is 9 cents per mile with E-ZPASS and 13 cents per mile using cash.

When PA started E-ZPASS they did not offer a discount for getting it. They figured the convenience alone was worth it. I was driving the pike every day but I didn't fall for that line so I decided to teach them a lesson. So I didn't get it.

To make a long story short because @driver100 has to get to bed, after about a month of sitting at the toll booth behind at least a dozen vehicles every night coming home from work, I figured PA had learned their lesson so I decided to let them off the hook and I broke down and bought E-ZPASS.

About 2 years later (I think) PA instituted the discount for E-ZPASS customers. I'm pretty sure my hold out helped to get the discount and I am proud I helped them see the light.

Oh, one more thing (sorry @driver100 I almost forgot about this. Glad I didn't). Driving I-80 in the Winter is not going to be too safe. That area constantly creates its own weather, lots of snow there this time of the year.

Nite, Nite @driver100

jmonroe

Thst Ezpass nonsense is a pet peeve of mine. MA, the state next door has eliminated all cash payment on the Mass. Pike. If you don't have a MA EZpass you get charged more. If you don't have any EZpass you get charged DOUBLE. So some poor low income sap like me gets taken to the cleaners.

Very discriminatory, very unfair.

suydam

Except you pay less if you get the EZ Pass. You aren't charged unless you use it.

explorerx4

@oldfarmer,
You are right about now MA changes tolls(tiers). Will try to stay off the Turnpike in the future.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

@cdnpinhead

Hey, pinhead, I really enjoyed your recap of your Subaru buying experience. It was obvious the dealership and your sales associate were honest/up-front with you throughout the entire process - a true rarity in the car business.

I noted that the F&I process was ill-equipped to handle you in a timely manner. I guess they only had one employee that handled F&I at the dealership, but that is not out of the ordinary. At least while you waited, you were able to accomplish quite a bit which made the time fly by more effortlessly.

There remains one process that invariably drives me nuts when I buy a new car (which means I've been driven to lunacy at least once a year for the past 10 or so years) - and that is F&I (Finance and Insurance). The process not only is quite time consuming, but there never seems to be a quick in-and-out of that office. I realize the deal has to be loaded into the F&I software by the sales manager and then the F&I employee has to continue data entry into her F&I system. In most dealerships, the sales data system is not compatible with the F&I data system. Additionally, when forms are printed, they still are required to use dot-matrix printers to make sure everything lines up properly.

If the car sales industry could come up with a more expedited system of getting car buyers in and out of that office in under 15-20 minutes, it sure would make the car buying process less taxing.

I've already extended my best wishes to you for complete enjoyment of your new Subaru, but I am going to repeat those wishes to make sure "it takes" if you know what I mean. Have fun, pinhead!!!

When I bought the Mustang the F&I didn't even mention extended warranties or even mop&glow. They came up with a lower financing rate than my credit union. A nice experience.

oldfarmer50

PF_Flyer said:

I always like the way the movies have envisioned the vehicles of the future, like in today's background movie

The first self driving car.

oldfarmer50

suydam said:

Except you pay less if you get the EZ Pass. You aren't charged unless you use it.

That would be fine if you were a regular user but if you go on an unanticipated trip you get hosed. Also I don't like that they are tracking my movement with cameras. Guess that's a given everywhere these days.

andres3

If you tailgate another vehicle it might hide the front license plate.....

Of course, then there's the rear plate....

abacomike

jmonroe said:

@abacomike, that is good news about the inserts. Once you get used to them give me a call and I'll race you to your car. Since I know you don't want me touching your car, you will probably win the race. Then we will know you are the old Mike we used to know. jmonroe

JM, if you promise to wash and wax my car, I'll let you win that race. Driver tells us you spend afternoons waxing your car and Mrs. JM's subie- but since it's so cold up there this time of year, c'mon down here and I'll put the both of you up - then you can take care of my car!  DEAL or NO DEAL?