The right thing to say...

You know how when you do business with someone, you appreciate it when they say "the right things"?  Yeah, me, too.

We started our morning out with some time on our deck after I got back from a bike ride.  A refreshingly cool morning, with temps in the low 70s and reasonably low humidity.  I brought out a guitar and played for Joan and Rufus...

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The license plate renewal on my Vespa is due by the end of this month.  In Texas, every vehicle has to have a current State Inspection in order to renew.  There are essentially two options for this in our local area (our town and the next town over).  I have generally gone to the one that is a bit further away because I haven't had any luck getting any kind of service done at the closer place.  When I have tried to do business there, I was made to feel like they really didn't want my business.  Sometimes, it is just "a vibe" you get; I trust my instincts.

A neighbor and friend of ours has had good experiences there... so, it must have been me.

I called the further away place and got a gruff voice mail: "Leave a message.  If you don't leave a message, I won't call you back."  Now, there is an example of what not to say.  Not wanting to call the other place, I put getting the inspection on the back burner.

A couple hours later, with no call back from the first place (yes, I did leave a message), I gave the other one a call.  A friendly sounding guy answered, sounding reasonably businesslike.  I asked if they'd have time to do a State Inspection and he said, "Absolutely - bring it right over if that works for you."  That is the right thing to say.

I got the exact change ready, took my drivers license out of my billfold (so I wouldn't have to carry a billfold), grabbed a mask and rubber gloves, and headed out on the Vespa.

I pulled up front of the place, a guy inside kinda grunted at me, and then, a young man came from the back and said, "You must be the guy with the scooter - I will get you taken care of right now."  Again, the right thing to say.  I went to hand him my insurance paper (you have to show proof of insurance to get the inspection), and he said, "If you want to hold that out, I'll just take a photo of it info we need, and no one will have to touch your paper."  The really right thing to say.

He went inside, and within two minutes, came back out with my completed inspection form.  I asked, "Do you need to check lights?"

He said, "Yeah, but your Vespa looks perfect, so I'm sure it's all good."  I ran the lights, honked the horn, and he was done.  Then he added, "You sure keep that up nice.  Seriously, it looks brand new."

That is the perfect thing to say!  He handed me my inspection paper with a fresh glove on, and I was on my way.  I think the whole thing took less than 5 minutes.  He did tell me that the state was easing back on what they have to do with the inspection... "I don't have to drive each car, for now."  Considering the current virus situation, that makes good sense.

Knowing that it may be a while before we get much of a ride on the scoots, when I got home, I pulled Joan's Xmax out and put some Sta-Bil in each of them...

(Sigh)