Other than sitting in a doctor’s office in the waiting room, which seems like an eternity, you are then escorted into the ‘inner room’ to be finally seen. Why this move is necessary is probably just a psychological ploy that makes you think that you will be examined soon.
That...is a falsehood. Now you are all alone in that room waiting for that door to open. Time ticks away and you are getting ticked. It’s our health, so we dutifully wait.
What experience is worse than that? It’s the experience at a car dealership. No way you end up not thinking, “I could have made a better deal” or always feeling that you overpaid and got screwed as you leave.
My wife and I arrived at the dealership at 11:00 AM. Cars were at a premium so we knew that our negotiating strategy would be extremely hampered due to high demand and little inventory. Luckily, they had one car on the lot that fit our needs, budget and style sense. A dark blue, Honda CRV EX Hybrid.
Then came ‘the process!’ As Tom Petty sang, “The Waiting IS the Hardest Part.”
I have never had to sign or initial as many documents in my entire life. “Sign here” …“Initial there.” By the end of what I thought was the end of the process I would have been happy to just sign my life away!
The sales pitch always comes first. Then the test drive, followed by the inevitable, “let me speak to my manager about getting you a better price.”
That was followed by the credit checks and the call to the insurance company for all the informational details. We waited for the temporary insurance cards to be ever so slowly be faxed over.
Of course, the car had to be prepped and ready before we could drive it away. They suggested we go out and grab some lunch and come back in 20 minutes. If you are ever advised to go out for lunch for 20 minutes at a car dealership, bet the over!
I remember my first-time car buying experience many years ago. The salesman asked the following question. “ How much are you looking to spend on this car?” I replied, “$1, how does that sound?” Needless to say he couldn’t meet that price and the question itself was highly insulting. No sale for him!
My second foray into the world of car buying was the salesman asking, “Can you afford this car?” To paraphrase Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi…”NO sale for you!”
Not having bought a new car in years, the interior dashboard looked like a spaceship heading to Mars. The salesman was very patient because I must have asked the same question numerous times. (I still didn’t quite understand everything he said, but time was ticking away.) The only thing I did recognize on the vehicle that seemed vaguely familiar to me was the steering wheel and 4 tires. A quick explanation of all the dashboard apps, bells and whistles was not exactly indelibly ingrained into my tech-challenged mind.
Then back to the financial office where we were offered every extra warranty that ever existed. That was an easy no! no! no!
The clock was ticking towards the five-hour mark and we were still there. Finally, our salesman arrived with our new plates.
Off we went, mentally exhausted, feeling that we got screwed, could have made a better deal while staring at a dashboard that I could barely figure out. The car had 4 tires and a steering wheel, which I knew how to manage and get me home in one piece.
I then decided to NEVER complain about waiting in a doctor’s office ever again!
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