March 20, 2010
The wear and tear of the ski season is beginning to show. Kris’ back problems from last year have returned. She missed another two and a half days of skiing. I skied six out of seven days and my right knee and hip are getting a little sore, especially after sitting for awhile. It is usually difficult to get out of the car when I get home from skiing.
I should still achieve my informal goal of a million vertical feet for the season. Kris might not get there, depending on how she feels and depending on the conditions for the rest of the season. If all we wanted was vertical feet, we could easily achieve that goal by skiing efficiently. We did both ski over 50,000 in one day last year, although that was the onset of her back problems. Skiing efficiently is not always fun. Sometimes it is fun to really push the turns, add a few jumps, and just play around. That is why it is an informal goal. I figured that my normal mix of skiing styles combined with the normal mix of skiing conditions and the likely number of days I would ski should result in about a million vertical feet. The goal has helped me head down to the resort when I was less than enthused about the conditions, sometimes resulting in pleasant surprises. And it helped me this week to go down two days alone.
Kris and I skied on Wednesday and met up with a friend. It was a nice sunny day. About half way through the day, Kris called it quits. My friend and I put in a bunch more laps on the groomed snow before heading to the bar to get Kris some liquid muscle relaxant.
I was on my own on Thursday and Friday. While it snowed on Thursday, it wasn’t enough to cover the moguls. The winds swept a smooth looking surface with unexpected deep troughs filled with soft snow followed by hard bumps that rose just to the surface, sending me airborne. I stuck mostly to the groomed trails which were initially covered with a smooth coat of fresh snow. I enjoyed my oldest pair of skis for about ten runs before deciding to switch to my wider skis which are more forgiving when the snow gets pushed around. I don’t usually take two pairs of skis with me, but it was the right call.
Friday was more of a powder day as heavy snow added almost a foot of coverage. The snow was very heavy and the low visibility added to the challenge. My legs were wearing out quickly. The sun came out and the improved visibility reduced the defensiveness of my skiing, but I was already pretty tired. It was a relatively short day.
I drove the van down to the ski resort twice. The warm temperatures reported at the base of the ski resort provided assurance of reasonable road conditions. No new snow in Anchorage provided clear dry roads most of the way. The van still drives well and the vast spaciousness provides convenience for changing into ski boots without standing outside. The van is quite limited in snow. I got stuck on a steep hill heading up to the bar when I stopped to let a car out of a parking space. Momentum is critical. A group of skiers helped me get some movement going again, but I immediately returned to flat ground to park, even though that meant we had to walk a long way.
We went to the Banff Mountain Film Festival last night. We have attended these events relatively regularly for the last several years. The short films are always somewhat inspiring. People find inventive ways of having fun outdoors. People create and document interesting life adventures. It is reassuring that we aren’t the only ones who depart from the normal course of life. Other people walk away from their jobs and embark on adventures of their choosing. The artistic elements of film, the camera work, the soundtracks, and the editing, are also inspiring. We have talked about making our own film someday, although the effort required is a bit daunting.
After being put off by the consignment car company for days, I finally met with the owner to get a check. I don’t expect much out of customer service these days, but after being told, “I will call you back today”, on both Monday and Tuesday, I just showed up on Wednesday. I was told that the owner would be signing my check that afternoon. I stopped back Thursday morning and was told I had to come back at four. I thought maybe things were headed for resolution when I came back. The owner was there and he pulled out a checkbook. Why anyone would hand write business checks these days is beyond me, but that was what he was preparing to do. We waited for the clerk to get the file. When he began to verify the numbers, the first number, the sale price, was $500 less than what I had agreed. My blood began to boil.
The owner went through the file looking for documentation of the selling price. We found a paper with the right number on it. I was relieved to see documentation of what we talked about. The owner still wasn’t budging, showing me the sales order and offering to let me contact the buyer to verify the sale price. I explained that I believed that they sold my car for less than I agreed, but I didn’t see that as relevant. The owner suggested that he could try to get the car back, perhaps a negotiation ploy to get me to accept the lower number. I told him that I would be happy to have the car back because I was sure we could sell it for an acceptable price. I wasn’t really sure how they could get a car back after someone took delivery, but I called their bluff anyway.
The owner called the salesman and he said he couldn’t remember the details of the deal and that he would have to come in. It would take him an hour. I was losing my cool, so I asked if the owner would call me when the salesman arrived. He agreed and I went home. After an hour, I went back, figuring it would be better to be there when the salesman arrived.
I wasn’t surprised that the salesman wasn’t there yet. I didn’t think he would be in a hurry for this discussion. I walked in and took a seat. The owner was with another customer and I just waited patiently. The owner finished up and we engaged in rather friendly small talk. He is originally from Pakistan and was a little jealous of my current situation. Knowing that being friendly can be a powerful negotiating tool, I was suspicious of him and purposely friendly myself. Perhaps we were both playing a game, but it was an interesting interaction in spite of the tense backdrop. We chatted for about half an hour before the salesman finally showed up. During this conversation, the owner did let slip some of the challenges of running such a business. He explained how he had to fire a salesman recently for forging documents, a strange thing to share in light of the current situation.
The salesman came in and we exchanged pleasantries. He began reviewing the documents in the file. He didn’t appear nervous, but I kept looking in his direction to force eye contact should he try to state anything contradictory to the facts as I knew them. The salesman tried to run some math, hoping to come up with a numerical reason for the problem. When he got to the part about the price, I figured some facts would help the case. I explained to him that he had called me on February 27th at 11:32 AM and that was the only conversation we had on price. I even told him what phone number he called from. I wasn’t sure if the owner was still paying attention at this point, but the salesman caved, acknowledging that he couldn’t explain why they sold my car for less than I had authorized.
The discussion returned to what we should do about the problem. Again, they suggested getting the car back. Having had some time to think about this, I raised the stakes on this crazy idea. I explained that since the buyer had the car for two weeks now, I would expect rent. My car was off the market for that time period and we had no idea how many miles they may have put on it. I explained that I didn’t really want the car back, I just wanted a check for the amount I was owed.
The salesman was getting a little fidgety and while he never admitted to intentional wrongdoing, he knew he was had. He offered to come up with the $500. I turned to the owner and looked him in the eye. “A mistake was made in your organization. You need to make this right. If that means doing so at his expense,” I explained, pointing to the salesman next to me, “I’m OK with that.” The salesman asked if I could wait until the 20th for the $500 and I agreed. The owner suggested we meet halfway at $250, but the salesman said, “no, I’ll come up with the $500”. The owner closed the conversation by assuring me he would write me a check for $500 on the 20th and take it out of the salesman’s paycheck. I gave them the title and they gave me the check that was $500 short.
That is the facts as I know them, as they appeared to me. Of course, the real story may never be known to me. Perhaps this salesman got caught up in the desire to make a sale and innocently failed to complete all the necessary negotiations. Perhaps this was just an attempt to negotiate after a sale was guaranteed. Perhaps they sold the car for much more and the sales order they showed me was fake. Perhaps the money won’t come out of the salesman’s paycheck. Perhaps that was just a ploy to make me feel sorry for the guy. Maybe they do this all the time. Or maybe I will never see the $500. I only have a gentleman’s agreement. The title and first check have already changed hands. If they both lie about our discussion, I will never see the money. They are, after all, used car salesmen.
It won’t be the end of the world if I am out $500. At least I felt sharp during the discussion. I knew what I wanted and I fended off their diversions. I called their bluff on returning the car. I sat there patiently when I needed to be patient. I was friendly when I needed to be friendly. I looked them in the eye and told them what I expected. You can’t win them all, but regardless of the outcome, I felt like I played a good game. And hopefully the big check won’t bounce.