word!

How is it that short people occupy the most important jobs in the world? How many years did it take the brilliance of General Motors engineers to realize that not all people in the world can see the high beam light on their vehicle when the steering wheel is tilted upwards and is fully blocked from the view of the driver?

I assume this is only a moot point if you’re under oh, say, 5’8″ and don’t need to tilt anything other than the mirrors to drive to heart’s content.

I’m not placing all the blame on GM. The rest of the world continues to discriminate against those NOT vertically challenged in an endless myriad of countless ways…. some of which I may get to in time….

Another way to resist acquiring stuff is to think of the overall cost of owning it. The purchase price is just the beginning. You’re going to have to think about that thing for years—perhaps for the rest of your life. Every thing you own takes energy away from you. Some give more than they take. Those are the only things worth having.

Excerpted from Paul Graham

When Gary told me he had found Jesus, I thought, Yahoo! We’re
rich! But it turned out to be something different. – Jack Handey

**UPDATE**
Evidently Thrifty (or corporate parent Hertz) thinks they can impede on my 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech by sending the following kiss-off. Nice try. Try investing your money in proper customer service and you wouldn’t have to threaten your customers with Marketing Interns.

June 27, 2016
Jacob B. Amato to me
Hello,

As you may be aware, there have been recent Google search updates which have prompted the Hertz Corporation to review inbound links to our web property Thrifty.com.

Research has identified that someone who is not authorized has built links to http://www.thrifty.com and we would like to request that you remove the links that exist to our website from all pages where the link is installed.

Our search has located this site with link for removal:
michaelpiotter.com/word/2007/08/01/yippy-skippy-businesses-hate-you/
michaelpiotter.com/word/2007/page/2/
michaelpiotter.com/word/category/rant/page/2/

This request needs to be completed immediately. Please acknowledge this request and comply with removing the links as requested and let us know when completed.
All links on your site to HTTP://www.thrifty.com must be removed.

Your prompt attention to this is appreciated. If you have further questions, please email.

Thank you.

Jacob Amato

Intern, Digital Marketing

The Hertz Corporation | 8501 Williams Road

Estero, FL 33928 | Email: jacob.b.amato@hertz.com
Phone: (239)-301-7319

As of 8.21.2007, my complaints have been somewhat resolved. I have contacted the Better Business Bureau in regards to all 3 with mixed results. Crucial.com does not admit that they may have misled me either via their website or in person, BBB closed case. (I beg to differ).

Thrifty indicated via phone call they would send me out coupons for $100. Only received $50, which expire in a year, only in my name and again would have to use Thrifty. 🙁

Days Inn responded by indicating I was diserviced by a independent owner working under Days Inn name. They said they would contact him and he would get back to me in 10 business days. That deadline came and went with fanfare. So Days Inn corporate is supposedly sending check for $45. Will wait to see that money.

I am fed-up with companies charging you for their service/product and then not delivering on it.
I have had recent run-ins with Crucial.com,Thrifty Car rental and Days Inn, SFO to prove it.

Crucial sells memory and I used their service to scan my computer for an upgrade. All well and dandy, found out that two – 2 gb memory sticks would fit my system and give me the appropriate upgrade I wanted. Installed it today and found out that my computer can’t use all the memory I bought, only about half of it. Customer service says I should have seen a Q&A section where it would state the XP would have this issue. Thanks, I had bought and paid for the memory already. I could return this and get new smaller sticks, but then I’d be out a restocking fee plus time and effort spent in getting this all in order. Money out: $100

Second business on the list is Thrifty Car Rental. Thrifty was used on the recent trip out to San Fran. I requested a Dodge Charger, but was given a Dodge Avenger, which is a smaller car. This gem of a car also did not have a working cruise control or any type of working interior dome lighting. Plus they get to tack on all these neat little rental fees that they put in fine print without much of any explanation. Called customer service, all they could do is issue a voucher for my next rental. Fuck you, I don’t want to use your service again. Money out: ~$100

Third business is Days Inn. The email I sent them via DaysInn.com

What a joke! This hotel was squalor and scary to visit. First off, the motel is located no where near the airport and after circling the airport for 20 minutes, finally learned that it was on a ‘airport rd’ some considerable distance, and tucked away from 101 as so prominently stated on your site. When we got there, service was lackluster in the cramped lobby. Our room was scary. Numerous holes in the walls were merely pasted over with scraps of wallpaper and all furniture/fixtures were in bad, dilapidated shape. Room was almost unfit for a Days Inn property. Were given a handicap room, but if it was for handicap people, I could not see how they could move about without getting stuck. We booked this room for 2 nights. After our first night, the room was not cleaned or refreshed at all. After requesting new linens, I waited 2 hours with no service to the room, even though I was told they would come. I went back a second time to request them, and was given them after another 15 minute wait. They claim to offer a breakfast, but all it consisted of was cold coffee, watered down orange juice,few pastries and fruit. The pastries had visibly been eat off of and this had to be before we got to lobby which was first opened to myself @ 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Staff barely spoke English and had worse time understanding it. They didn’t seem to know what was going on either. Continuously asked me room number, but did nothing about it.

The neighborhood this Inn was located in was very run down and I was afraid at night. I did not sleep the one whole night because of my fears over this. I believe motel employees were remodeling the room adjacent to ours, but did so after 7 pm at night, when I intended to rest in quiet.

Website states free newspaper, local restaurant in walking distance, 24-hr front desk, wheelchair accessible. It had none of this, or failed miserably to display this.

This was a terrible experience, I am ashamed to have chosen your hotel chain for this trip and all of my previously positive stays with you. This place was a nightmare, I wonder how you could endorse such a shoddy enterprise as Days Inn- Oyster Point.

I expect at least an apology for this and monetary compensation. What a sad, sad business you run.

I don’t know what to think about these businesses. I will be extremely slow to use them again if ever. I urge you to boycott them as well. You pay by their rules and when they fail that, they pay you back in vouchers or saying we’re sorry with out any compensation or such. What a grand system. I always thought the customer was right! Maybe just right to keep paying?!?

The vacation was a whirlwind, but fun. Everyone says we packed in quite a bunch of things for the full week we were gone. Flew into San Fran Sunday night, and drove north through the city and Golden Gate up towards Wine Country. Next day toured Budweiser Beer & Jelly Belly factories and Wine country that afternoon. Wine country was hot and after a bit, it got boring with all the places that wanted to take your money for anything wine-related. That night headed south and met with my friend Nicole (she was the one I visited out in MI last summer). Headed to Yosemite for the next full day. Communed with nature, hoards of tourists and sickening mountain roads. Next day toured gold mining history, a current gold mine and a awesome cave. After that drove into Silicon Valley, where we saw Yahoo, Google and Apple to varying degrees. All were in office/industrial parks, with no real touristy type stores, save for Apple. We actually walked into Google’s campus and checked out their front office. Elyssa was scared about security, but we didn’t meet any until after we walked off the property! My highlight for sure.

Next two days were spent in SanFran. Did self-guided walking tour that Friday, walking a few miles from downtown/Chinatown to Fisherman’s Wharf. Good lot to see that day. Went on Bus tour the next day and out to Alcatraz that afternoon.

Was a very good trip, one I’m glad we took, even if we planned a good chuck of it on the fly!