Hit the Road Jack.
Words made famous by Ray Charles and made infamous by the Cadillac dealership in Phoenix, Arizona today. (Please picket the dealership of Coulter Cadillac on Camelback if you are in the Phoenix area.)
I know I’ve been shifting the focus from traveling to moving back to traveling but unless you are moving down the street, the act of one is intertwined with the act of the other. It is not secret that I have been having a fire sale, and have finally found my BBQ a new home.
The feedback from that Craigslist ad has been remarkable, not because everyone coveted the Weber Genesis Silver but because of the outpouring of support for my struggle against the HOA and for the hilarity of the post itself.
Here is an email I received:
My Dear Soul,
The communist must be in control of your HOA. It is so un American to ban the God given rights of a Griller unless you are in say a gas refinery or maybe a fireworks distributor. I feel Mel is an evil person in disguise of a protector. I recently lost a dear dear friend of my and know the pain you are suffering. My poor Charbroil grill lost its life in a fiery death. I would be proud to shelter your Genesis from the likes of MEL and his communist supporter. Please contact me as soon as you can to protect the safe survival of the Flame of light ,smoke from meat and that beautiful scent that every fellow griller knows as Heaven.
My condolence for your lost.
Fellow Griller unite !!!
P.S. please give me Mel’s address so I can dispose of the burnt shell of my Charbriol!!
And this one:
I think over the years I have visited craigslist I have never been moved by any listing as much as yours. I thank you for making my day better and was going to offer visitation right to you over July 4th. You are a true item in this world and please do not let Mel or anyone like him diminish your spirit!!!!! I know their must be a fiery flame in your heart.
This is why I blog!
Anyhow, the last piece of business before leaving was to find someone to take over the lease for my car. I posted an ad on LeaseTrader and am basically giving the car away for free. Buyer after buyer has shown interest in taking over the lease and today I was supposed to start the process to get rid of this beautiful liability. For some inexplicable reason, Ally Financial won’t help Arizona customers transfer their lease leaving their own customers at the mercy of the dealership for assistance. Over the last two weeks, I have been communicating with the dealership and they assured me that they would help.
Then today I received a call from the manager who said, “This has taken too many hours of our time. We are not helping you.”
Flabbergasted, I rushed over to the dealership to figure out why. Not only was I confused at their sudden change of heart but also I felt sick knowing that I still had thousands upon thousands of dollars left on my lease that I would have to honor.
I arrived at the dealership and found myself dealing with the nincompoops at Coulter who were adamant in not helping me.
The manager said, “You didn’t buy the car from us and we don’t make any money helping you with this. You are on your own with this deal. We are not helping you.”
He then asked me to wait elsewhere for the finance person and made a gesture with his hands, shooing me away. I exclaimed, “You’re dealership is empty, it’s July (it’s June but I was outraged) and there’s nobody in here, why won’t you help me!”
No apologies, no nothing, he sat their obstinate. Again, I queried, “Why won’t you help me!” and firmly said, “I’m not going anywhere.”
That’s when he asked me to leave and I said some choice words about the viability of his business (no expletives) and walked out.
I guess I won’t need a taxi to the airport.
What do I do now? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
