I pride myself on acting like a respectable adult in trying situations.
I don’t whine at retail agents, make a stink at the wait staff, or yell across the counter when I don’t get my way. I’m not that person, except for two times in my life (of which I’m aware). One was in an airport in Doha, Qatar.
The other was right here at the service counter of the Toyota dealership in Pottstown, PA.
I simply could not understand why this guy would not follow basic logic. I couldn’t control myself. I stood there and whined, made a stink, and yelled at the person standing on the other side of the counter. Luckily for me, this was long before smartphones and social media.
In hindsight, I give him a lot of credit for how he handled me (not his logic or his story; that was ridiculous). He stood there and patiently stuck to his story while I acted like a child. But he didn’t win me over. Clearly, I was going to have to spend more money, but for damn sure, I wasn’t going to give it to this guy. I ended with a flare, “Don’t touch my car! A tow truck will be showing up!”
Embarrassed and not knowing what to do or where to tow the car, I called my dad. He calmed me down and told me where to have it towed.
“Don’t worry. Phil will figure this out.”
And as it turned out, Phil was also the one who could teach me the lesson about how the system works.
