Saturday, June 22, 2013

Second Opinions


Never hurts and might save some big bucks.

The local Subaru dealer recently diagnosed the cause of a broken belt to be due to a bad air conditioning compressor and quoted us over $1,000 to fix it.

We got a second opinion today. 

It turns out that the system is perfectly fine after replacing the belt and performing a diagnostic test of the system. 

It's particularly distressing to us because we really like our Subarus and recently bought our 8th Subaru from this same dealership. Our experience with the sales personnel was pleasant. They were helpful.

But that service department is, well, it's difficult to say anything nice about them. Felt like we were treated like meat, skewered and cooked to smithereens. Didn't even run a test on the system, just looked at it and decided that it was an opportunity to fleece their customer. 

Since when does it make good business to treat your patrons with a lack of respect and try to take advantage if them at every turn. If I ran my own business that way, I guarantee I wouldn't be in business for very long.

BTW, the scooter is running great!

Ride On, and Carpe Diem, my friends!

Friday, June 7, 2013

It's Art Dammit! Enjoy It!

What passes for public artwork sometimes surprises me. Sometimes I like it, like this Black Bear Bosun statue known locally as "The Keeper of the Plains" near downtown on the river.
 

The local Riverfest has been occurring this week. On Thursday night a favorite local event known as the "Cajun Food Fest" was held. This volunteer was undergoing the transformation from an older gentleman to a crustacean.

Then some assistance with the headgear...

Then help with the gloves, or is it claws...

Then the ceremonial sunglasses...

And finally the end result...

What a way to earn a living! Oh, I forgot, he's a volunteer.

We are getting ready to move our office to a place in a converted old warehouse district.

The landlord is doing some remodeling for us. Eventually this room will be my office...

And then some more artwork. This one is hard to explain and maybe typifies the title of this post. You, the gentle reader, may have a different opinion.

And finally this....

Hmmmm...

Ride On, and Carpe Diem, My Friends!