The realization that I messed up hit me squarely in the face last night. I was contemplating the logistics of getting my blog written and posted and arrive at the dealership by 8:00 a.m. I’m not saying it is impossible, but my gut feeling was I’d need to leave the house by 6:30 a.m. That means I needed to get up this morning long before 5:00 a.m.
Call it the voice of reason if you want, but it consistently takes me 30 minutes to get from my house to HWY 290 and William Cannon. So how do I know that? I’ve spent a good portion of my life going the distance and vividly recall that it always takes at least 30 minutes to negotiate that segment of the ride.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking none of this makes any sense. For starters, in reality the thirty-mile commute I referenced isn’t going to get me past MoPac and the Ceasar Chavez exit. That is a long way from the Lexus dealership. So why did I choose to believe it was only a thirty-mile commute to the dealership? I obviously believed it without thinking.
I’m not just pulling mileage up out of mid-air. I went to the dealer’s website and clicked on directions and presto – a screen appeared and charted my course from home indicating the distance was thirty miles.
Like the General might say, “If I had an ounce of common sense…”. I wanted to believe it was a thirty-mile commute because the map generated from the dealer’s website fixed the mileage at thirty miles. I didn’t bother to question it because the “computer said so”. I believed it even though I know from history that the drive is significantly longer than that.
Following my dad’s death in 2007, I inherited or bought from his estate his Lexus that was less than six-months old. Since that time, I’ve purchased three cars from the same dealership. They have all required service every 5,000 miles. Like I said, “I’ve got history with the dealership”. I’ve driven the same route. Both the salesman and the service representative know my name every time we make eye-contact. It doesn’t matter if they haven’t seen me in six-months or not. The familiarity comes from having history with the dealership.
I also know without having to give it a second thought that it is more than thirty-miles from my home. In order to make a comparison, I went to MapQuest to check the mileage from their website. Would you believe it, they indicate the distance is forty-miles. So what makes the difference?
For starters, the MapQuest mileage is accurate. The map application tied to the dealer’s website may or may not purposefully make their location seem more convenient. Now I’m feeling guilty. I’ve been doing business with that dealership for over a decade and now I’m suggesting misrepresentation of the actual mileage could have been a ploy to start me on a journey that takes longer than it actually does. Is it possible? I don’t know. I’d choose to believe not, but what other explanation is there?
Like I said, “Old habits are hard to break.” I am gullible when it comes to reading information accessed through the Internet. Seriously, what other resource for accuracy do you really need?
On more than one occasion, I have shared a “feel good story” I’ve read over the Internet only to subsequently discover Snopes says it isn’t so. It is always awkwardly embarrassing. Perhaps you’re thinking: “Been there/done that”.
So how do you discern fact from fiction? For starters, stop reading the news. You never know if you’re getting the real story or a fabricated story. In fact, you might question any information you can locate regarding accuracy. Even Snopes reportedly has a problem or two. Did they really fire their managing editor back in the summer? Could it be true that she doesn’t know why she lost her job? None of that makes sense to me. It may not even be true.
The one thing I know to be true is that the dealership I’m heading to is farther than thirty-miles. I know that because I’ve driven the route more times than I can count. Yet, I’m up early and heading out this morning. A couple of things make this a feel good venture. For starters, when we bought the General’s last car we pre-paid the routine service work. It wasn’t my idea. The General insisted. What else could I do? Secondly, they have an incredible snack bar inside the dealership and the price is right. The baked items and hot chai tea is free.
Of course, you could have me questioning that last statement. Is it really free or was it factored in to the price of the prepaid service work? Okay, so it really isn’t free, it just seems like there isn’t a charge.
At any rate, I’m off and running.
All My Best!
Don