JeffNJ
02-19-2002, 11:59 AM
So, I flew out to Detriot last weekend on business. I was helping CBS Sports with the Michigan vs. someone else basketball game that no one watched anyway because Duke was playing Maryland at the same time. Anyway, point is, I flew out there, so I needed a rental car to get to/from the airport, hotel, and college.
CBS Sports is nice enough to always reserve us 'mid-size' cars, which tends to offer flexibility at the counter when you're picking up your car. Downgrading class is very easy (if you want something sportier), and upgrading requires only mild flirting (if you want a Sport-Ute, for example). So, on the bus ride to the pickup counter, I was parusing the selection of cars so that I would know which I could try to finagle.
In the 'intermediate' class (one step down from my reservation), was the Camry Solara. That caught my eye immediately as something that'd be nice to cruise around in for a day. And, should it not be available, in the class right below that one, '2-door', there was a Nissan Altima. Perfect, I thought.
So, I get to the counter, give the woman my reservation number, and be all friendly and stuff about whatever comes up. We actually hit it off very well and are soon talking and laughing about nothing to do with my car. I've so got this, I think. Then she asks what kind of car I want. I say, "Well, I saw a Solara in the brochure on the bus - do you have any of those?".
Instantly, her tone of voice lowers losing just about all of it's friendliness. She says, calmly and clearly, as if it's some kind of a big deal, "Uhm, no, sir. We don't have any of those at this location". She was almost immediately friendly again though, as if that hadn't happened, and asked again what I'd like.
( ... some of you may have caught what a fool I am being already, but at this point, I hadn't yet ... )
"Well," I ask, "do you have any Japanese cars? I don't care if they're in a lower class". This was an attempt at being offered the Altima. But, again with the seriousness, "No, sir. We do not." I gave up with the special requests, and told her anything would do. She gave me a Pontiac Grand Prix, refering to it as "sporty". Thankfully, I don't bother correcting her, only thanking her for her friendliness.
So, I drive the POS to the hotel, order room service, watch a movie, go to sleep, drive the POS to the college, test some equipment before the game, eat lunch, and then I realize what I had done the previous night. I felt awful - I mean absolutely racked with guilt for the entire rest of the day. When I returned the car, I actually went back to the reservation counter just to apologize for my rudeness.
I was in Detriot!! .. doh!
CBS Sports is nice enough to always reserve us 'mid-size' cars, which tends to offer flexibility at the counter when you're picking up your car. Downgrading class is very easy (if you want something sportier), and upgrading requires only mild flirting (if you want a Sport-Ute, for example). So, on the bus ride to the pickup counter, I was parusing the selection of cars so that I would know which I could try to finagle.
In the 'intermediate' class (one step down from my reservation), was the Camry Solara. That caught my eye immediately as something that'd be nice to cruise around in for a day. And, should it not be available, in the class right below that one, '2-door', there was a Nissan Altima. Perfect, I thought.
So, I get to the counter, give the woman my reservation number, and be all friendly and stuff about whatever comes up. We actually hit it off very well and are soon talking and laughing about nothing to do with my car. I've so got this, I think. Then she asks what kind of car I want. I say, "Well, I saw a Solara in the brochure on the bus - do you have any of those?".
Instantly, her tone of voice lowers losing just about all of it's friendliness. She says, calmly and clearly, as if it's some kind of a big deal, "Uhm, no, sir. We don't have any of those at this location". She was almost immediately friendly again though, as if that hadn't happened, and asked again what I'd like.
( ... some of you may have caught what a fool I am being already, but at this point, I hadn't yet ... )
"Well," I ask, "do you have any Japanese cars? I don't care if they're in a lower class". This was an attempt at being offered the Altima. But, again with the seriousness, "No, sir. We do not." I gave up with the special requests, and told her anything would do. She gave me a Pontiac Grand Prix, refering to it as "sporty". Thankfully, I don't bother correcting her, only thanking her for her friendliness.
So, I drive the POS to the hotel, order room service, watch a movie, go to sleep, drive the POS to the college, test some equipment before the game, eat lunch, and then I realize what I had done the previous night. I felt awful - I mean absolutely racked with guilt for the entire rest of the day. When I returned the car, I actually went back to the reservation counter just to apologize for my rudeness.
I was in Detriot!! .. doh!