Reflections on My Recent Situation - Some Pet Peeves

I am not sure how to write this, as I am in a bit of a fog today, but it will be a little more serious than my regular posts you may have had the privelege of reading.  It has been a frustrating couple of months, and although life has its challenges, there are times I have to think that a few less in my own life would be good.  Any rate, let's get started.

One of my first pet-peeves I want to address with you today is regarding used-car salesmen.   Honestly - and I know it isn't exactly "Christian" to say it - I hate them.   Used car dealers are to me like a bad infestation of cockroaches; there is no real purpose for them, and no matter what you do they will screw up your life if you get involved with them.  Sounds personal, doesn't it?  That is because it is - a couple of weeks ago, our car died on us.  It was a 1997 Kia Sportage which we had for 3 years, and since having it it has overheated on the road if you reach a certain mileage, and no one could fix it right.  So, after it died from a busted engine block and a bad radiator, we had to invest in a new vehicle.  Our new car is a 1998 GMC Envoy, and we also inherited a problem with that; turns out the fuel pump is wanky after a mechanic checked it out when we took it in due to it stalling and surging at stoplights, and that little gem set us back about $650, and that is in addition to the car payments.  Being a couple of other economic challenges have hit us the last month, this was really not the time to have car problems.   The whole thing has left me rather drained physically and mentally, and being we just had a bright spot with the elections, I am thinking about writing our newest-elected officials about tighter regulation of used-car dealerships.   And, that is what I want to talk about now.

If I ran for office, one of my big platforms would be tighter regulations on both used car dealers and on mechanics.  The "Lemon Laws" of many states basically exempt used car dealerships from any liability, and as a result many hard-working consumers who find themselves in a situation where they need to get an affordable vehicle are often screwed over by these vermin in business suits.  There needs to be some cleaning of house regarding these sleazeball emporiums, where often the salespeople are more interested in their commissions than they are the safety and quality of their product and service they are taking your money for.  So, there are a few things I propose, and I want to list some of them here:

1.  There should be a clause requiring any vehicle on a used car lot to be fully functional and driveable, meaning all vital systems should be in running order before the car leaves the lot.  Also, a government-appointed inspector should be on hand to inspect every car that comes on the lot, and close supervision should be implemented with every maintenance procedure.  In other words, the consumer deserves to drive off the lot with a decent car that actually runs, and should not be inheriting problems that are not their responsibility nor can they afford.

2.  Sales contracts for used cars should be free of any language that exempts a dealer from responsibility for repairs, and a warranty system - minimum 90 days - should be required by law for every vehicle on the lot.

3.  Fair market values should be the only criteria for pricing used cars.  If a 14-year-old used SUV is only worth $5000, for instance, the dealer should not attach unwarranted fees raising the price to even $5500.  If any of that activity occurs, a fine should be imposed on the dealership for unethical business practices.

4.  Speaking of fees, such things as so-called "pick-up payments," as well as other bogus costs, should not be legal.  A dealer should be liable for such nonsense.

5.  Salesmen need to allow test-drives of the vehicles, inspections by the buyer's mechanic, etc., before a buyer signs any contracts or any cash passes hands.  Also, a vehicle history document needs to be made available for every customer, and it is the responsibility of the dealership to advise the buyer of the right to request such a document.

These are a few ideas I have regarding used car dealerships, so now let us discuss mechanics.

Like used car dealers, mechanics are a dime a dozen, and often they can bring financial ruin to families due to unexpected car repairs that happen.  The ridiculous costs of labor, coupled with inflated costs of parts, often are more than a person's mortgage payment on their home, and this creates a bigger problem because mechanics, unlike other businesses, often require the full-cost payments up-front.  If you take a car in for something as simple as an alternator issue, that often means at cheapest $300 - when a family has a layoff, medical issue, or other economic strain, they cannot just pull that amount of money out of their butts to give these glorified grease monkeys.  That being said, I think a reasonable cap on labor charged per hour, as well as reasonable costs of parts, needs to be implemented.   Also, mechanics should be required to draw up payment contracts for their services, as this would make it much easier on people's finances.  People do need their cars for jobs, errands, etc., and they should not be forced to wait a month or longer just to come up with money to get their car back from a repair that was not their fault.  These are just a few ideas, as too many sleazeballs and cockroaches are in the mechanic field as well.

I am sick of being put into situations, especially with vehicles, where I am completely crippled due to limited budget issues, and I am sure many of you feel the same way.  It is time to make the politicians do their jobs and impose restrictions that favor the consumer on such businesses, and it is time the classic maxim "the customer is always right" comes back into play.  Also, used car salesmen and mechanics are often the most sexist individuals, as they see dollar signs when they see a woman's breasts come in the door (pardon the bluntness) - some women have a knowledge of cars that can rival many men (I am very mechanically-impaired myself as a guy when it comes to cars), and they need to be treated and respected as individuals instead of these sleazeballs thinking a vagina somehow causes mechanical impairment.  This has been a legendary thing for years, about car people ripping off women, and for the life of me I have always marveled at how radical feminists (or feminazis, as they should be called) find more offense at a guy opening a door for them than they do at one of their sisters getting ripped off simply because they have a uterus!  These Patricia Ireland types confound me sometimes, I tell you - feminism is so skewered when it comes to these things.  But, that is a whole other issue for later.

Another thing that often annoys me, especially over the past few years, is the job market.  I cannot tell you when I was job hunting how many applications and resumes I have submitted to people and companies that I have never heard from ever again, and funny thing is these were jobs I should have qualified for too!   A law should be enacted by the state labor departments that requires a response from employers when reviewing resumes of potential candidates, because often these people really could use the work and need to pay bills, etc., so they haven't the leisure to play these games with companies.  Again, it just totally amazes me at how rude people have gotten.

A final pet peeve - these fly-by-night colleges that advertise on late-night TV.  In my inbox on any given day, I get literally tons of junk emails regarding these weird schools - Kaplan University, Florida Career College, Everest University, among others - that are in reality diploma mills.  And, if that isn't enough, they tie up phone lines, especially when you are expecting more important calls, and they are a pain in the butt!  Many of these jackleg schools will either be bought out, go bankrupt, or close down within a matter of months, yet they toss degrees like buckwheat cakes (that is an insult to buckwheat cakes, as I love those!) and the degrees mean nothing.   Regional accredation, if it were enforced more, would close down a lot of those diploma mills, and I think that is something our state education departments should address in detail. 

Those are just a few bad pet-peeves I have had recently, and being I have been in a sort of bad mood for a while now, I needed to air those grievances.  If you feel the same way - I know many of you reading this probably do - then feel free to share your opinions.  After all, we all seek to have peace and stability in our homes, and garbage like that I have addressed threatens that.  Therefore, being a new day has dawned in Washington as well as a lot of state capitals as of this week, let us also get the people we voted to serve us for on our side too - many of them are not "career politicians" like "Nasty Nancy" Pelosi, John "Waffleman" McCain, or "Sorry Charlie" Crist, but are people like us who are sick and tired of what our nation has degenerated into.  Therefore, exercise your rights as citizens and let your voices be heard!  Thanks for allowing me to vent tonight, and will see you next time.