Stories from the Sales Frontlines

tjc78 · January 2013

I think the gas company fixed it once before. I was able to relight it, but the last time I tried I ruined the wicks. One day I will get it straightened out for them.

snakeweasel · January 2013

Ah the book, well it's a spy novel that takes place just after WWII, the main character is a Soviet spy.

As for retirement I was thinking either Kentucky/Tennessee area (spent some growing up in Nashville and I like that part of the country) or maybe Mesquite Nevada. The wife and I were there not long ago and really liked it plus two of my sisters have talked about retiring there.

The wife has brought up a plan to move to the Philippines for a year or two (she is Filipino) and tour Asia a little before returning stateside for good. I have also looked into Belize as they have a rather large expat community there, the weather isn't bad and it's not that expensive to live.

Either way I will have to shop for a new mattress and refrigerator and worry about if I have a gas or electric stove so I could then join the conversation. :shades:

houdini1 · January 2013

OK, you guys did pretty good on the hotel problem, so here is another one for you:

An old Arab man passes away. His entire estate is composed of 17 camels. In his will, he states his wish is to divide the camels between his 3 sons. He wants his oldest son to get one half of the camels, his middle son to get one third, and his youngest son to get one ninth.

The executor of the estate cannot figure out how to divide the camels in this manner to he calls on the services of the local wise man to help him out. The wise man comes up with the following solution:

First, he borrows a camel from the old man's neighbor, giving him 18 camels to work with. He then gives the oldest son 9 camels, the middle son 6 camels, and the youngest son 2 camels...then he returns the borrowed camel to the neighbor. Problem solved.

How did he do that?

snakeweasel · January 2013

The neighbor is one of the sons.

houdini1 · January 2013

Nope. Plus that would violate the terms of the will.

By the way, I just finished my first book last week. Now I am thinking about reading another one.

Seriously, good luck with your novel.

snakeweasel · January 2013

Wait a second, did you say that the sons got 9, 6 and 2 camels?

Well that's 17 camels. 1/2 plus 1/3 plus 1/9 does not equal 1.

thanks for the wish for luck, right now I am doing the editing and afterwards comes the work of looking for an agent.

houdini1 · January 2013

You got it !!

kyfdx · January 2013

If I bought a $7,500 mattress I couldn't sleep at night.

This.. :P

A couple of years ago, bought a new platform bed for our teenager, and bought a Sealy mattress from Sam's Club... I forget the model name, but it's the Eurotop model (pillow top, with edges sewn down).. It sits right on the platform, with no box spring.. We paid $400, I think, and it's the most comfortable bed in the house..

If it only lasts four years, I can do it two more times, and still save $6K over that $7500 bed....

oldfarmer50 · January 2013

"...when are you going to Largo..."

Since Snake can't wait to get out of Chicago and I can't wait to get out of NY I thought we'd share a ride down to Florida and sleep on your couch. :P

Seriously, Florida wasn't in the budget this year but as the economy slowly improves maybe I'll have some movement on selling my place. After that we'll be heading south.

bwia · January 2013

You know, until just recently nobody ever cared about tires neeeding to be replaced due to time.

Sorry to revive this topic but I thought I would share this observation.

I was just watching Pat Goss, the Dean of automobile mechanics, on Motor Week. He gave a long dissertation on tire replacement and recommends that tires should be replaced after five years of ownership, or six years at most.

His argument for such a short replacement time period is that a so-called new tire could be sitting on the shelf for up to eight months before being placed in service. He also recommends that modern tires should be replaced with 4/32 tread depth life left rather than the customary 2/32. According to Goss, 2/32 tread depth is a potential serious road hazard as the tires lose traction and susceptible to hydroplaning and wheel spin.

Nothing new here except it reinforces what most experts have been saying all along that tires should be replaced based upon the number of miles driven or time in use.

sterlingdog · January 2013

Well, that puts my tire man right on the money. It's been five years and I have 4/32 tread depth life left. He suggested an April or May replacement time. I trust his judgment.

Richard

bwia · January 2013

The attached Boston Globe article turns our beliefs about gun violence on its head, and should change gun debate in Washington and elsewhere.

"In 2010, the last year for which complete numbers are available, the number of gun deaths by suicide in the United States outnumbered homicides 19,392 to 11,078.

If you add up all American gun deaths that year, including accidents, 3 out of 5 people who died from gunshot wounds took their own lives. Those figures are not an anomaly: With just a few exceptions, the majority of gun deaths in the United States have been self-inflicted every year since at least 1920.

This is a startling fact, and one that forces us to realize that, no matter what we may believe about the Second Amendment, the debate over how to reduce the death toll from guns is, to a great extent, a debate about suicide prevention."

http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2013/01/20/the-gun-toll-ignoring-suicide/xeWBHD- HEvvagfkRlU3CfZJ/story.html?camp=newsletter

driver100 · January 2013

It sits right on the platform, with no box spring.. We paid $400, I think, and it's the most comfortable bed in the house..

It's a European style bed, made with a platform or slats to support the mattress. The mattress won't last as long, but who cares, you don't have to buy a box spring. That's the same idea as most of the mattresses at Ikea.

You can try them in the store and you can return them within 90 days if you aren't satisfied. They even have memory foam.

I will say, it isn't for every one though. It isn't soft and cushy like an old Buick. They should sell you a mattress based on your preference in car makes. Maybe buy the car, get a mattress at 50% off!

driver100 · January 2013

I thought we'd share a ride down to Florida and sleep on your couch.

This is a true story. I have a friend who bought a place in Florida last year. His neighbors, a block away from him back home in Canada, who he doesn't really know....phoned and asked if they could stay a few nights just to use their place in Florida as a base to see other people. They brought in everything, said they would use the second bedroom, and they stayed for 6 weeks!

They also sat around and drank coffee all day long and decided what the meals would be. And then the woman said her husband was using the car and she wanted to use their car to go shopping. He didn't give them the car though. The visitors were both chain smokers and my friends don't smoke.

He says he gets worried if he hears a car coming close to their house.

driver100 · January 2013

the number of gun deaths by suicide in the United States outnumbered homicides 19,392 to 11,078

Interesting statistics, but not sure that is the only conclusion to be reached. Why were their 44 murders committed with a gun in Great Britain last year, population 61 million?

I'm not arguing for or against, just saying, what is the explanation for that?

On the otherhand, a pro gun person made a very good point. He asked anti-gun people if the would be willing to put a sign on their lawn that said "This is a gun free house". Personally, I wouldn't, I think my chances are better if bad guys think I have a gun. :confuse:

stickguy · January 2013

some people are way too nice (or wimpy) for their own good.

after a couple of days, I would have thrown them out. Give them a couple days notice, and if they try to impose, put their stuff on the driveway and lock the door.

and if they tried to smoke in my house or car, immediate eviction.

driver100 · January 2013

some people are way too nice (or wimpy) for their own good.

I'm kind of with you. My friend isn't really a wimp...he's actually pretty tough, but, he has a good heart...probably too good, especially in this case.

I just couldn't have lived with these freeloaders at all. We kind of make it known we don't really want people to stay over. I sometimes joke that we were really looking for a one bedroom place so we couldn't put up visitors.
People get the idea. I don't mind people visiting, but, there's not too many people I can have hanging around 24/7.

if they tried to smoke in my house or car, immediate eviction.
That would happen with me too....I am surprised they allowed that.

I guess that's the downside of owning a place in Florida....now, I may have oldfarmer dropping in....hope he doesn't smoke.

driver100 · January 2013

Our neigbor back home says our fire alarm in the basement is on and it seems to be wired in....not working on batteries.
We are here in Tampa area. Any ideas. If they switch off breakers the furnace may go off, not sure.
My neighbour is mechanically challenged. Any ideas?

stickguy · January 2013

call the fire department and have them check it?

if it really is acting up, you can take it down and disconnect.

snakeweasel · January 2013

Hey visiting Florida in the winter sounds great. I have 4 weeks of vacation saved up so I'll be there.

Sandman6472 · January 2013

Been watching this show for years now and it's great. It's on PBS though, and it's only shown on a Saturday afternoon...when they run it...usually it's hit or miss, but they are very informative shows none the less. If y'all get a chance to watch it...you'll be hooked!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

robr2 · January 2013

I spent about three hours at the New England Auto Show this afternoon but I didn't get to see as much as I intended since my wife was with me. When she got inside a vehicle she liked, I had to pry her away because she would check out every little detail, not realizing that there was a line of patrons waiting for a chance to get inside the car as well.

Was that you and your wife in the X1 touching and commenting on every single little detail???? If you pulled the passenger cupholder off the console and played with it, then it was.

I was there and discovered the following:

The C class is quite roomy and comfortable in all four seating positions.
The X1 was surprisingly roomy.
The MKZ is a perfect alternative to the Lexus ES300.
The Fiat 500 is cute and would be fun for a while but I'd tire of the chintziness.
Dodge had nothing that held my interest.
The MV-1 is a great option for handicapable transportation.
Nissan commercial wins the hired spokes model contest while Kia wins for bringing in the Celtics dancers.

robr2 · January 2013

Locally there is a chain of discount furniture stores. He makes a big deal of his Bobopedic mattresses...

My wife and I joke that Bob is a hologram they photo shop into the commercials...

I've been into Bob's once - it felt like I entered the slimiest of showrooms. I couldn't get out fast enough.

tjc78 · January 2013

If they are hard wired, twist it to drop it down off the mounting plate and pull off the connector. If its a false alarm see if they would mind giving it a quick cleaning. Spider webs and dust can cause a false alarm. Also, if its hard wired its probably linked with all the others in your home. This makes it tough to pinpoint the offender.

imidazol97 · January 2013

As I heard Goss on the show, he stated that the DOT oval on the tire has a 2 digit week number and a 2 digit year. He also equivocated on the number of years because it varies with the manufacturer, Michelin being the best on length their carcasses last. Furthermore, he said the 2/32nd depth is fine as long as people realize it will not allow water to escape as the tread hits the road as fast as a deeper tread. If the car is driven at low speeds rather than interstate speeds in the rain, I would read that to be stating that a low use car is fine with shallower treads.

I didn't hear Goss say anything new, but like some politicians he tried to make it sound like he said something new without pinning himself down by what he said.

stickguy · January 2013

the real problem is, if you ask the expert, it is the tire guy that only makes money if you actually buy new tires!

thankfully I won't be in the tire market for a long time with the current fleet, because all 4 cars have relatively low miles on the tires, and nothing close to 5 years old.

I did make sure the last time I bought them (At BJs, for my TL) to make sure they took the freshest # from the stack. Kind of like taking milk from the back of the shelf to get the newest!

kyfdx · January 2013

I just keep driving on them. That's what the spare is for.

houdini1 · January 2013

It would be hard for me to just throw an unused spare away after 4 or 5 years. Maybe it would be best to put the spare into the rotation process, but heck, I haven't had a flat tire in 20 years or so. Knock on wood.

sterlingdog · January 2013

I really like your Belize or Philippines idea before landing in a permanent spot. The travel and experience would be really interesting.

Let me know when the book goes to press. I enjoy spy novels. I'll buy an autographed copy.

Richard

sterlingdog · January 2013

I certainly agree with your post. So much funding has been cut over the years in the area of mental health. While they are looking at gun control issues, they need to also look into mental health issues. There are so many people walking around who either can't afford to get help or are unable to receive the help that they need. As for educators in schools having guns, I only have this to say. When I think of some educators that I was forced to hire over the years, there is no way in hell that I would ever hand them a gun!

Richard

driver100 · January 2013

if it really is acting up, you can take it down and disconnect.

Thanks stick and tjc for your replies. I did some checking on google and I found that even electric hard wired alarms can start beeping on their own.

They suggest making sure there isn't smoke or carbon monoxide present.

Then, these are the ways an alarm can keep beeping;
1. Even electric fire alarms have batteries, in case the power goes off. Replace the battery.

2. Insect like a spider crawling into the alarm and messing it up...as tjc suggested. Use compressed air or vacuum to clean out.

3. Alarm has broken down and is malfunctioning. Have to replace complete alarm.

Could also malfunction due to power surge. I think because the house is still down it is probably the battery. It may be beeping when the neighbor checks the house again. If it is the battery it will fade out. I'll replace it when we go home.

Thanks for your replies...it is a good thing for everyone to know about, and it is good to replace the batteries once a year...like they say.

sterlingdog · January 2013

Their guests were chain smokers and they smoked inside their friend's house?! Listen. My wife and I both smoke but we don't even smoke in our own house! Have you ever seen what that stuff does to window treatments, furniture fabrics, paintings, walls, etc. They would have seen my front door the first time that a cigarette was lit. On second thought, I retract that statement. I would have cut them off on the telephone before they ever left Canada.

My sister owns a four bedroom vacation home in Palm Beach. We go down twice a year. She gets upset because we stay in a motel. It's not because of the smoking issue. We like to set our own thermostat to our liking, awake when we so choose, eat what we want for breakfast, etc. When we go over to her house during the day, we take our own ashtrays and we smoke out on the patio. You can call it considerate or you can call it selfish, but it's just the way that my wife and I like to do things.

Richard

imidazol97 · January 2013

>I haven't had a flat tire in 20 years or so. Knock on wood.

LOL. If I said that, I'd have a flat within the next week!

sterlingdog · January 2013

At least it is only beeping. Can you imagine if the alarm was going off regularly?! It would drive the neighbors crazy. This happened once when our neighbors were on a trip to Europe. We finally had the police and fire department to break into the house and shut the stupid thing off. Wait. I think that was the security alarm. Either way, it can be an irritation when neighbors are not at home.

Richard

sterlingdog · January 2013

That's why I didn't respond to his post. :P

Richard

houdini1 · January 2013

Well, if it's not too late, I have had my share of low tires over the years. :sick:

imidazol97 · January 2013

>That's why I didn't respond to his post.

I had a flat about 4 months ago on the older car. The tires are 8-10 year old Michelins. They had dry cracked and are borderline for having the belts affected. 3-4/32 in tread. I held off on replacing the last two of them because the car may be on its way to the cemetary and I can't see putting any kind of newer tire on for around town use. I think I'll just buy a new set of 4 tires with a whole new car attached instead sometime in the months ahead.

Now I think I'm going to have the tire plugged if a store will do it. I've been driving on a 20-year old spare that came on my 93 leSabre.

The nail was a zinc-coated nail probably type used for roof repair--not the large headed shingle nail--but the type used to nail on replacement OSB board. We have had a large number of roofs repaired around for 2 years since a hail storm hit our area.

driver100 · January 2013

We go down twice a year. She gets upset because we stay in a motel

We almost never stay with friends or relatives...would rather stay in a motel and make it more like a vacation than a hardship. Now, I know some people love having visitors stay over, we just don't.

We have neighbors in Florida who belong to a bed and breakfast club. People can stay at their house (in Ohio) and have breakfast for $15 a night. They can stay with people anywhere in the world, for $15 a night. They like doing it because they meet and talk to people from all over the world.

I must be more selfish or something, I just have no desire to have visitors or stay at a strangers house. But, I guess that is why they make Caddies and BMWs, different strokes, different..........

stickguy · January 2013

by going off, do you mean a single beep on a regular basis, say every 30 seconds? If that is the case, replace the 9 volt battery.

we have hard wired detectors, and I have to replace one every so often. The 9 volt is the back up in case you lose power. hardest part is tracking down which one is doing the cheeping!

driver100 · January 2013

do you mean a single beep on a regular basis, say every 30 seconds?

Yes, I should have explained it better. The neighbor (a very good neighbor, not the one who chops down 30 foot Spruce trees) goes into the house and checks on it for us every few days. She heard a beep every few seconds, it isn't the actual alarm going off.

I understand the confusion because the way I explained it could mean she hears the actual alarm ringing from outside the house. Sorry about that...in that case, yes, call the fire department.

I had no idea there were batteries in hard wired detectors though, and from the people asking on google sites, it seems this is pretty common.
It makes sense because it has to operate if the power goes off. I'll replace that one when we get back, and I am going to do like they say, and replace the batteries in these things every year from now on....they don't go very often, probably last 4 or 5 years, but, it is worth it to do them every year.

Sorry, for the bad explanation, but, thank for getting back quickly.

houdini1 · January 2013

I replaced a battery a couple of years ago that I thought was chirping, and it continued to chirp. Then I took the battery out, took the whole darn thing down, and I am standing there holding it in my hand, with no battery, and it is still chirping!!

Wrong detector. This one was in the master bedroom and the chirper turned out to be in the master bath, just a few feet away but with 11 ft. ceilings, etc. it was hard to tell. My wife and I had a good laugh over that one !

graphicguy · January 2013

robr2......interesting updates on the car show.

I've tried to like the C Class for a couple of generations and really can't. They could be appealing to a different customer than I am (leans towards sports side of driving).

Don't know where Lincoln is going. As of right now, as others mentioned, I don't even know what their models mean. I don't even know what the Lincoln brand represents these days. Are they luxury? Are they sport? What is the difference between a Lincoln and a Ford of the same size and type?

CBS Morning News had a nice little segment on the new Corvette yesterday. The first one off the assembly line has already been sold, to a collector and dealer for.....get this.......$1M+

Even vintage production Corvettes have a difficult time getting close to that kind of money.

robr2 · January 2013

CBS Morning News had a nice little segment on the new Corvette yesterday. The first one off the assembly line has already been sold, to a collector and dealer for.....get this.......$1M+

That was Rick Hendrick - largest Chevy dealer in the country and NASCAR team owner. The money went to the College of Creative Studies in Detroit.

driver100 · January 2013

just a few feet away but with 11 ft. ceilings, etc. it was hard to tell.

Sounds ridiculous but I have done the same thing. We heard the chirp noise about once every minute. Even when you stand under each alarm you can't tell where it is coming from. Can make one feel kind of stupid.

That does remind me though.....I better replace the ones in the Florida place or they will be going off when we are up North.

Just another thing...my friend who had these people drop in and stay bought a place closer to Orlando. He is on a canal. He has a double semi but it looks like a house. It came all furnished, he got a nice motorboat and golf cart included, and he is quite handy so has been fixing the place up.
He paid, wait for it, $28000! There is a large clubhouse with swimming pools and lots of activities,...........Where can you live for that!

Even if you went to Costa Rica for July and August for $1500 a month it would be a pretty good lifestyle.

robr2 · January 2013

He paid, wait for it, $28000!

Ask him how much his monthly rent is on the land.

My in-laws are in the process of trying to sell their "manufactured home" in Florida. It's a double wide unit, 2 BR - 2 Bath which is in great shape as my FIL is Mr. Fixit. It's on the market for about $40K which to us northerners is CHEAP. But the $500+ per month rental/maintenance fee for the lot is high.

sterlingdog · January 2013

If you drove on those 8-10 year old tires, then that puts a hole in the 5-6 year theory on changing out the tires. It will be interesting to see if a store will still plug a tire. I haven't thought about that in years.

If a new car is in your near future, what models are you considering? There are so few out there that I really like these days.

Richard

sterlingdog · January 2013

"The money went to the College of Creative Studies in Detroit."

Perhaps they can now get creative enough to clean up their city. :sick:

Richard

sterlingdog · January 2013

A couple of years ago we had the nightmare from hell. The alarm in the main hall went off around 6 AM. There was no apparent reason why it did. I couldn't stop it. It was hardwired into our security system. I removed the back up batteries which did nothing. I kept fooling with the red button and the white button under the cover. I got no results. The loud sound was driving us crazy. I called our electrician who fortunately hadn't left home yet. He made our place his first stop. He had to cut the wires and replace the alarm itself. There was some sort of malfunction in the system base. For us, it was the worst 90 minute experience you can imagine. Those things are LOUD!

Richard

laurasdada · January 2013

Rob, those "slimy" showrooms have made Bob quite a pretty penny. Last I knew, he lives in one of the toniest of neighborhoods in a modest little burgh, Greenwich, Ct.

We actually have a Bob's reclining couch in our finished basement, er, "lower level." It's taken a lickin' and keeps tickin'.

I go to the Autoshow alone, invited my son, but he's only interested in cell phones and tablets. As I tend to pour over most every model, I'm there for quite some time and don't want to be a burden to others! For some reason, I got it in my head that when daughter goes to college, I'll trade the '02 RX300 for a small, economical hatchback so was diggin' all the entry levels 5 doors.

Acura style? Not offensive, but not memorable. Maybe I didn't give the new RLX a chance, but to me, generic, Lexus GS-like. I do like the RDX style, as my '05 TL was, simple and handsome.

Of course, compared to my Jag XK, most cars pale (style-wise, imho, of course!).

robr2 · January 2013

Rob, those "slimy" showrooms have made Bob quite a pretty penny. Last I knew, he lives in one of the toniest of neighborhoods in a modest little burgh, Greenwich, Ct.

Oh, I'm sure Bob has done very well for himself. He now owns only about 1/3 of the company - he sold the rest to an investment firm.

They have a taj mahal type store up in Nashua, NH as do the other biggies - Jordan's and Bernie and Phyll's. When it was built 10+ years ago, I was surprised that Bob's was building something that nice. He does a big business with overseas factories and offers great prices on many pieces - as long as you like the one color it comes it. And what the heck is "bonded leather" anyway?

We've always dealt with a small local furniture store that can order just about any brand name item you see elsewhere. The store is two floors in an old mill with a few family members working there. You deal with an owner just about every time.

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