While I'm at it, Auto Dealerships

Since I'm on a service industry rant, I'll add my automobile buying experiences to the list here.

Eastside Subaru in Kirkland - My sister had her Chevy keys unknowingly taken from her while she was on a test drive. She was ready to buy, but we felt like we were getting swindled so we walked out. However, our Chevy was at the "appraisal center" down the road without our permission. The worst part is that WE WEREN'T TRADING THE CAR IN. (And they weren't being very honest with us since they showed us a payment plan that was $10,000 down, $600 a month for 60 months for a car that was advertised as $21,771. In case you don't want to do the math, that's $46,000 in payments over 5 years.)

BMW of Bellevue - Service there is great. Now, if only I could afford more of their cars.

Acura of Bellevue - Hit or miss. Try to go with Jae the salesman, avoid EVERYONE else. This is the one dealership where I appreciated the finance lady (the one who tries to sell you add-on packages). She said flat out, "It seems like you're the type to change cars every few years, so you won't need an extended warranty." It's a nice change from the usual guilt trip they'll give you.

Unfortunately, the last time I went there, I didn't see Jae or that finance lady and we were treated like second class citizens who couldn't afford Acuras. Next thing you know, my sister's over at Barrier Motors buying a Benz. Sorry Acura, your loss.

Barrier Mercedes Benz in Bellevue. For a Benz dealer, you'd expect a lot more attitude. But they were extremely friendly.

Michael's Toyota - My family has bought 4 new Toyotas from them since 1992, and each time we felt like we got screwed. The buying experience there is too high pressure. Fortunately for them, my parents love Toyotas.

Honda of Bellevue - It's the opposite of Michael's Toyota. Low pressure, and enough inventory where you can haggle a little bit and say, "Come on, you've got 15 of these exact same ones in stock."

Chaplins in Bellevue - Where are all the salesmen? I've been there several times with friends, I don't think a salesman has ever approached us, whether we were in the showroom or the gated lot in the back.

A Case of the Mondays

Just wanted to rant about the service industry. I agree that with the internet and other advancements in technology, that companies are better able to adjust to their customers needs. However, why is it then that customer service everywhere seems to be taking a nose-dive?

Take for example, Monday evening I went to California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) in Bellevue for dinner. I like their food, but it's usually really busy there and the service is always hit or miss. I figured it wouldn't be so bad on a Monday night. I was right, we were seated immediately and there were plenty of empty tables.

Unfortunately, we got our menus, and then nothing else. The server never came to greet us, take our order, give us water, or bread, or anything. He did say for a quick second (as he dropped off drinks at another table), "I'll be right with you guys." But that was it. I don't think he even made eye contact with us. After 25-30 minutes, we left and went to Cheesecake Factory.

Sadly, others who sat before us at CPK sat waiting with their waters and were holding their menus still. They fared slightly better than we did I guess, since they at least had their water.

And just down the road from them, I recently had a miserable experience at King & I Thai on Main St. Their policy of "Gratuity will automatically be included for parties of 4 or more" is ridiculous. ALL their tables are made for 4 people!! So to me, it comes off as lazy to include gratuity when you're not doing any more work. Maybe if it was a situation where you have to put 2 tables together and move some things around, then I would understand.

But that isn't what made the experience miserable. It's because the last time I went there, I watched for 45 minutes as people who sat AFTER us received the exact dishes we ordered. We were forgotton about. It was the first time in my life where I left ZERO tip. Usually I'm compelled to leave something, for the cooks or busboys or someone. But not there. I'll choose Chantanee instead from now on.

Surprisingly enough, I went to KFC tonight and got GREAT service. I ordered some chicken and they warned me, "It might be about 10 minutes." I said, "I can wait. Thanks for letting me know."

After 10 minutes, the lady apologized sincerely for making me wait, gave us extra chicken AND free soda. I felt like I should have tipped her. Of course I'm comparing fast food to sit-down, so it's not an even comparison, but still, I felt like I got a bargain.

Other places where I always get great service are Noodle Boat (Thai) in Issaquah, Teriyaki Wok (right next to Noodle Boat), and Sushiland (aka Marinepolis) in Bellevue. And Sushiman, but I haven't been in the mood to pay a premium for sushi lately.

Moving is a Pain

Eventually on here, I hope to share some of my experiences in being a landlord, flipping homes, buying foreclosures, and all that real estate stuff that people always ask me about. But all in due time.

Right now however, I'm in the middle of moving. And this isn't just "moving into a dorm room" type of move. In November alone, my condo in Belltown has sold already, my condo in Federal sells this week, my condo in Issaquah sells next week, the eviction of a tenant at a house in May Valley will happen this week, and the new construction that I'm moving into will be ready in 16 days.

That means I need to do a TON of packing and moving. I pretty much have all my stuff piled into my mom's garage at this point, with a lot more still to go. My sister told me today that moving was rated the most stressful events in a person's life. I'd have to agree. Especially when I'm moving several residences into one (my mom's house) and then another (the new house).

The worst part is that I should be just throwing most of my stuff away, but I don't even have time to look through everything and figure out what's garbage or not. And selling everything takes time too. I tried listing about 20 items on Craigslist, which resulted in about 50 email replies in a couple hours. Most people wanted to come by to "take a look", but I didn't have time for that. I don't know why, but I always expect someone to just pay (using Paypal) and then I can ship it to them, even if it's local (I'm just used to eBay). But anyway, as soon as I saw all those emails, I removed every listing from Craigslist and deleted everything. It's not what I want to worry about right now.