Survey Says...

 

Yes, another survey.

If you said, "What the host of the TV show Family Feud says," you get 3 bonus points.  If you said, "Richard Dawson was the first host, Steve Harvey is the current host, and there have been 6 hosts in the history of the show," you get an additional 25 bonus points.  (this was also listed in a post a month or so ago)

I got an e-mail survey today from the Nielson folks, on behalf of Vespa USA.  Seems they wanted to know about my Vespa ownership and what factors played a part in my buying decision.  Yes, I filled out the survey, in hopes that there would be a comment section where I could express my dissatisfaction with how long I have been waiting for a new front fender.  Nope.  That caused me to look up the Vespa US website and try to contact them.  Their phone goes right to voice mail and when you try to leave a message, you get the dreaded "Mailbox is full" and the phone hangs up.  That is essentially the same as: "We don't give a shit about you, so don't leave a message and bother us."  Well, that's how I interpret it.

I composed an e-mail to send to the address they had on that site.  It bounced... "Not deliverable."  Well, that's fun.  I kept digging and found a "contact form."  I left a message on that, asking "Why is it taking so long to get a front fender?"  Realistically, I don't expect anyone to respond to it... it is what I have come to expect from anyone whose job description is titled "Customer Service."

Don't get me wrong - I like my Vespa.  A lot.  It is great fun to ride and is still rideable, even without a front fender.  BUT, it looks ugly... AND, if you go through a puddle or get caught in the rain, that front wheel throws water everywhere without a front fender on it.  I think the dealer (AF1 Racing in Austin, TX) is as frustrated as I am.  I have been calling them monthly to get a delivery date on the fender, and each time Vespa misses that date.

 

I have been a pretty enthusiastic Vespa owner.  This situation is causing me to re-think that.

On the bright side, I have been getting a "weekly update" from Winnebago on that repair... well, the last time it was just to say, "We're still waiting on Ford for the hood," but at least they're keeping me informed.

And the beat goes on.

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There's a full moon tonight.  It brings out the weirdos.  Scientific fact.  More on the full moon, probably tomorrow.  Back to the weirdos... our neighbor was getting a load of lumber delivered to his house.  He knocked on our door and said, "Just a heads up - they are going to be unloading that wood off the truck; you may want to move your car so it doesn't get damaged while they're doing that."

I thought that was mighty neighborly of him.  I moved our car.  Back in the house and the next thing we know, there's a loud crash outside.  Joan and I both went to the door and saw that the lumber truck was in our driveway.  Well, in our driveway, over the brick trim on the side of it, and making ruts in what little bit of grass we have.

What our sneaky neighbor didn't say: he wanted me to move our car so the lumber yard could get a straight shot to his driveway.  The crashing noise wasn't the truck - it was the lumber coming off the back of it.  We went out and saw that the truck had cracked the grout in our brick trim, left ruts, and hit the post on the side of our driveway.  Three times.  If the neighbor had said, "Can you move your car so we can drive that big truck over and off your driveway?" I would have likely said, "No f**king way."  Or, at the least, I could have stayed out there to stop the driver from doing the damage.  But, no - the neighbor was trying to do things the easy way and figured the truck would get in and out before we realized it.  That didn't happen.

Instead of saying, "I'll pay for any damages," - he didn't make that offer - he said, "The lumber yard will pay for those damages."  And then things got ugly.  It didn't have to happen.  He could have been honest about it, but then he lied and said, "You said it was OK..."  And, things got uglier.

The manager of the lumber yard came out, looked things over, apologized for his driver, and said he will have someone out in the next day or two to get everything fixed.  Easy solution.

I don't give sneaky people a second chance; they have already showed their intent.

I waited around for the lumberyard manager, instead of getting out for a scooter ride.  Joan said, "Go for a ride - leave the frustration behind - go enjoy this beautiful day."  Good advice.

The ride was good.  Beautiful day; sunny, nice temps, and light breeze, and low humidity.  I did get stopped at our bridge to get back on our island, and took a selfie while I was waiting for the bridge to close...

You can't see it, but there is a smile on my face under that helmet.  :-)