Thursday, May 14, 2015
Posted in
Life
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I encounter stupid people so often that I've finally decided to tell some of the stories. It isn't my intention to turn this blog into a long gripe, but I have to vent my frustrations somewhere.
The Taxi Driver
I'm very fortunate to have the services of Logisticare, a company that provides cab rides for seniors and poor people to doctors' appointments. To qualify, a person must be on Medicaid or Medicare.
On May 13, 2015 I had an important appointment with an optometrist in East Providence. The cabbie had a 30-minute window in which to pick me up. He arrived ten minutes after that window, which meant that we were already running late. I got into the cab and told him that the appointment was very important, and that we needed to go right away. Well, he decided that he needed to make a phone call; and since the reception wasn't good inside the cab, he got out of the cab and talked on the phone for five minutes. That made us fifteen minutes late.
When he got into the car, he programmed his GPS for the doctor's office, and we finally started moving. But then, when we got to the end of the street, his phone rang, and we sat there for several minutes while he talked. It sounded like he was talking to a friend, but it might have been his cab company. When he got off the phone, he programmed in a new address, and then turned the opposite direction from the doctor's office! His GPS then instructed him to drive for 5-1/2 miles. So even though we were already late for my appointment, this cabbie was going to drive six miles in the wrong direction to pick up someone else!
I insisted that he take me directly to the doctor's office; and when he wouldn't stop driving in the wrong direction, I told him to stop, and I jumped out of the cab. I missed the appointment, of course.
The Movers
A few months back I became friendly with a man who works at the local gourmet market. He was very personable and always talked to me when he saw me. I began to feel that a friendship might be possible. His name was Mark (all names have been changed to protect the guilty).
When Mark heard that I was moving from one apartment to another, he offered to move me. I was thrilled to hear that because there's nothing better than being moved by people you know and like. He had a friend named Lenny who had a "big truck", and they both needed extra money. However, Mark was working double shifts, six days a week, so he never had the time.
Because of my age, and to keep my stress levels down, and because I have a lot of possessions, I like to move in stages, so I got someone else to do the first two stages. The movers I used were fairly expensive, so I offered the third and final move to Mark and Lenny, and they agreed. Mark assured me that they would do a good job, and that I wouldn't be disappointed. Well, moving day came and they didn't show. When I saw Mark two days later, he put on a solemn, contrite face and told me that he had "screwed up". He said that he was under arrest at the time that he was supposed to move me. He had purchased a second-hand car and driven it without license plates, and the police stopped him. He then ran from the police, and they arrested him.
Later, however, I found out that the incident with the police occurred the following morning, meaning that Mike not only blew me off but lied to me about the reason. When I asked Mark about it, he put on the same solemn face and said that his "troubles" had started the day before. He expected me to be satisfied with that odd explanation.
Mark told me that he, and not Lenny, was responsible for them not showing. Since Lenny owned the "big truck", I contacted Lenny and asked him if he could move me without Mark, and Lenny said yes. We scheduled the move for several days later. Twenty minutes after the move was supposed to begin, a strange man and a woman showed up in an SUV. Lenny had apparently passed the job off to a friend. The friend told me that the SUV was Lenny's "truck", the same "truck" that Mark described as "big". Of course, an SUV is not a truck.
Since I didn't care for Lenny's friend (I was familiar with him), and since I didn't want the friend's girlfriend hanging around during the move (she had inch-long nails and a low-cut blouse, so I don't think she came to work), and since the amount of stuff to be moved would have taken four trips in the SUV, I sent them on their way.
When I saw Mark a few days later (in the store), he was tense and obviously angry, which I found pretty amazing. I mean, he was the one who blew me off and then lied about it, and then his friend Lenny blew me off also (it was Lenny that I hired, not his friend). Yes, I had been abrupt with Lenny's friend, but I had a right to be angry. Every week that I stayed at my old address, I owed an additional $200 to my old landlord; so Mark's and Lenny's antics were costing me money.
The thing that surprised me about Mark and Lenny was that both of them seemed to be responsible guys. Mark was working 50 hours a week at his job, and Lenny worked hard at his job also (and supported a family). What these mid-30s guys don't realize is that their word is an obligation in the same way that they have an obligation to show up for work. If they don't show up for work, they get fired. When they don't follow through on their promises, they create ill will, lose friends, and damage their reputations. Blowing me off was easy for them because we were only acquaintances; but now there's a person in town (me) who doesn't respect them much, and who has a negative story to tell about them.
It all comes down to integrity. Your word is your most valuable asset; and if you don't live up to it, you are a poor man.
The Nephew
My best friend in town is an 85-year-old woman whom I'll call Joan. Joan is one of the most good-hearted people I have ever met, but she is also somewhat gullible, the type of person who can be taken advantage of. About five years ago, her nephew Chong asked her to guarantee a loan so that he could open an art gallery in another city. She wanted to help him, so she agreed. The loan was in the form of a credit-card with a $25,000 limit. At this point, I don't think I even need to tell you what happened: Chong frittered away the money; the art gallery closed; Chong defaulted on the loan; and Joan was stuck with the payments. Joan received the statements, and she said that a lot of the money was spent on expensive coffee drinks at Starbucks.
The story doesn't end there, of course. After frittering away the money and sticking Joan with the debt, Chong came to live with her because he had nowhere else to go! You would think that having stuck her with a huge debt, Chong would have been contrite, but he wasn't. In fact, it wasn't until Joan confronted him about it that Chong gave her a real apology. Once here, Chong didn't offer to assume the $300-plus monthly payments. Rather, he negotiated a low rent to live on her third floor ($200 a month). He also insisted that Joan get high-speed internet so that he could use a computer, and he expected her to pay half of it even though she doesn't own a computer.
If Chong had been contrite, I might have been able to like him. But like all deadbeats, he exuded a sense of entitlement. He was loud and sometimes indignant. He felt free to berate and criticize other people, as if he were a paragon of virtue. He had multiple health problems and was supported by the government, but he was able-bodied enough that he could have done some kind of desk work. Joan eventually found out that he had persuaded other people to give him money for the gallery, and that he was paying them off, but not her.
In trying to figure out where Chong's head is at, I've come to this conclusion: He feels that he isn't responsible for his health problems or for the failure of the gallery, so he doesn't think he's done anything wrong. He borrowed the money using Joan's credit in "good faith", meaning that he assumed he would be able to pay off the loan. If things didn't work out the way he expected, that's fate. Joan agreed to guarantee the loan, and if she ended up having to pay it, it was her fault for assuming the risk. (If you agree with this perverted reasoning, then you should look closely at your own character.)
If I were in Chong's position, and I was living in the house of someone I had conned $25,000 from, I'd be so humble and humiliated that I would never take my eyes off the floor. I would do housework for that person, and I would cook for that person, and I would pay as much of the debt as I could, even if it wasn't much.
Actually, Chong did do some things for Joan, but not a great deal. He cooked on occasion, and he ran an occasional errand for her (but didn't do any cleaning). Joan's sister was moved to a nursing home, and he has taken over the management of the sister's affairs. In fact, as I write this, he is living in the sister's house. I believe, however, that Chong hopes to inherit the house, so he has an ulterior motive. The house is on valuable water-front property, and it is worth a bundle.
When Chong left Joan's house for her sister's house, he left his living quarters a mess (for Joan to clean up, of course). As I said, Joan is 85 -- almost 86 -- and she is tired much of the time. She has back problems and can't stand for more than ten minutes, so sticking her with a cleaning job was thoughtless at best. Chong has actually lived with Joan two or three times before, and each time he left, he left a mess for her to clean up. He also left a large TV for her to dispose of; and in this town, TV's must be taken to the sanitation transfer station.
Update: Seven months have passed. Joan is now 86. I found out recently that Chong got himself appointed as Joan's sister's guardian (I'll call Joan's sister "Mary"). So Chong is now Mary's guardian, and he is living in her house, but he never visits Mary. Joan, however, visits Mary at least twice a week. I don't know all the legalities of the situation, but it would seem that Chong has also been given power of attorney for Mary. Chong's plan is to sell Mary's house, which is somewhat delapidated but in a beautiful location. I've been told that he will put "some" of the money toward's Mary's care, and he will pay off Mary's debts, but the rest is going to go into his own pocket! But being Mary's guardian and having power of attorney does not mean that Chong owns Mary's house. When it is sold, all of the money should go to Mary, not some of it. The family isn't doing anything about the situation because they are all elderly, and none of them has the money to hire an attorney to stop Chong from taking money that isn't his.
Joan continues to make excuses for Chong, saying that he had a difficult upbringing, but this is a man who is truly selfish and dishonest. I assume that the excuse he gives himself is that his health isn't good and he needs help, but that doesn't justify taking advantage of his relatives, or taking money that doesn't belong to him.
When it is all said and done, I have every expectation that Chong will run off with the money and not put any of it toward's Mary's care, and/or he will not pay off Mary's debts. We'll see what happens.
The Taxi Driver
I'm very fortunate to have the services of Logisticare, a company that provides cab rides for seniors and poor people to doctors' appointments. To qualify, a person must be on Medicaid or Medicare.
On May 13, 2015 I had an important appointment with an optometrist in East Providence. The cabbie had a 30-minute window in which to pick me up. He arrived ten minutes after that window, which meant that we were already running late. I got into the cab and told him that the appointment was very important, and that we needed to go right away. Well, he decided that he needed to make a phone call; and since the reception wasn't good inside the cab, he got out of the cab and talked on the phone for five minutes. That made us fifteen minutes late.
When he got into the car, he programmed his GPS for the doctor's office, and we finally started moving. But then, when we got to the end of the street, his phone rang, and we sat there for several minutes while he talked. It sounded like he was talking to a friend, but it might have been his cab company. When he got off the phone, he programmed in a new address, and then turned the opposite direction from the doctor's office! His GPS then instructed him to drive for 5-1/2 miles. So even though we were already late for my appointment, this cabbie was going to drive six miles in the wrong direction to pick up someone else!
I insisted that he take me directly to the doctor's office; and when he wouldn't stop driving in the wrong direction, I told him to stop, and I jumped out of the cab. I missed the appointment, of course.
The Movers
A few months back I became friendly with a man who works at the local gourmet market. He was very personable and always talked to me when he saw me. I began to feel that a friendship might be possible. His name was Mark (all names have been changed to protect the guilty).
When Mark heard that I was moving from one apartment to another, he offered to move me. I was thrilled to hear that because there's nothing better than being moved by people you know and like. He had a friend named Lenny who had a "big truck", and they both needed extra money. However, Mark was working double shifts, six days a week, so he never had the time.
Because of my age, and to keep my stress levels down, and because I have a lot of possessions, I like to move in stages, so I got someone else to do the first two stages. The movers I used were fairly expensive, so I offered the third and final move to Mark and Lenny, and they agreed. Mark assured me that they would do a good job, and that I wouldn't be disappointed. Well, moving day came and they didn't show. When I saw Mark two days later, he put on a solemn, contrite face and told me that he had "screwed up". He said that he was under arrest at the time that he was supposed to move me. He had purchased a second-hand car and driven it without license plates, and the police stopped him. He then ran from the police, and they arrested him.
Later, however, I found out that the incident with the police occurred the following morning, meaning that Mike not only blew me off but lied to me about the reason. When I asked Mark about it, he put on the same solemn face and said that his "troubles" had started the day before. He expected me to be satisfied with that odd explanation.
Mark told me that he, and not Lenny, was responsible for them not showing. Since Lenny owned the "big truck", I contacted Lenny and asked him if he could move me without Mark, and Lenny said yes. We scheduled the move for several days later. Twenty minutes after the move was supposed to begin, a strange man and a woman showed up in an SUV. Lenny had apparently passed the job off to a friend. The friend told me that the SUV was Lenny's "truck", the same "truck" that Mark described as "big". Of course, an SUV is not a truck.
Since I didn't care for Lenny's friend (I was familiar with him), and since I didn't want the friend's girlfriend hanging around during the move (she had inch-long nails and a low-cut blouse, so I don't think she came to work), and since the amount of stuff to be moved would have taken four trips in the SUV, I sent them on their way.
When I saw Mark a few days later (in the store), he was tense and obviously angry, which I found pretty amazing. I mean, he was the one who blew me off and then lied about it, and then his friend Lenny blew me off also (it was Lenny that I hired, not his friend). Yes, I had been abrupt with Lenny's friend, but I had a right to be angry. Every week that I stayed at my old address, I owed an additional $200 to my old landlord; so Mark's and Lenny's antics were costing me money.
The thing that surprised me about Mark and Lenny was that both of them seemed to be responsible guys. Mark was working 50 hours a week at his job, and Lenny worked hard at his job also (and supported a family). What these mid-30s guys don't realize is that their word is an obligation in the same way that they have an obligation to show up for work. If they don't show up for work, they get fired. When they don't follow through on their promises, they create ill will, lose friends, and damage their reputations. Blowing me off was easy for them because we were only acquaintances; but now there's a person in town (me) who doesn't respect them much, and who has a negative story to tell about them.
It all comes down to integrity. Your word is your most valuable asset; and if you don't live up to it, you are a poor man.
The Nephew
My best friend in town is an 85-year-old woman whom I'll call Joan. Joan is one of the most good-hearted people I have ever met, but she is also somewhat gullible, the type of person who can be taken advantage of. About five years ago, her nephew Chong asked her to guarantee a loan so that he could open an art gallery in another city. She wanted to help him, so she agreed. The loan was in the form of a credit-card with a $25,000 limit. At this point, I don't think I even need to tell you what happened: Chong frittered away the money; the art gallery closed; Chong defaulted on the loan; and Joan was stuck with the payments. Joan received the statements, and she said that a lot of the money was spent on expensive coffee drinks at Starbucks.
The story doesn't end there, of course. After frittering away the money and sticking Joan with the debt, Chong came to live with her because he had nowhere else to go! You would think that having stuck her with a huge debt, Chong would have been contrite, but he wasn't. In fact, it wasn't until Joan confronted him about it that Chong gave her a real apology. Once here, Chong didn't offer to assume the $300-plus monthly payments. Rather, he negotiated a low rent to live on her third floor ($200 a month). He also insisted that Joan get high-speed internet so that he could use a computer, and he expected her to pay half of it even though she doesn't own a computer.
If Chong had been contrite, I might have been able to like him. But like all deadbeats, he exuded a sense of entitlement. He was loud and sometimes indignant. He felt free to berate and criticize other people, as if he were a paragon of virtue. He had multiple health problems and was supported by the government, but he was able-bodied enough that he could have done some kind of desk work. Joan eventually found out that he had persuaded other people to give him money for the gallery, and that he was paying them off, but not her.
In trying to figure out where Chong's head is at, I've come to this conclusion: He feels that he isn't responsible for his health problems or for the failure of the gallery, so he doesn't think he's done anything wrong. He borrowed the money using Joan's credit in "good faith", meaning that he assumed he would be able to pay off the loan. If things didn't work out the way he expected, that's fate. Joan agreed to guarantee the loan, and if she ended up having to pay it, it was her fault for assuming the risk. (If you agree with this perverted reasoning, then you should look closely at your own character.)
If I were in Chong's position, and I was living in the house of someone I had conned $25,000 from, I'd be so humble and humiliated that I would never take my eyes off the floor. I would do housework for that person, and I would cook for that person, and I would pay as much of the debt as I could, even if it wasn't much.
Actually, Chong did do some things for Joan, but not a great deal. He cooked on occasion, and he ran an occasional errand for her (but didn't do any cleaning). Joan's sister was moved to a nursing home, and he has taken over the management of the sister's affairs. In fact, as I write this, he is living in the sister's house. I believe, however, that Chong hopes to inherit the house, so he has an ulterior motive. The house is on valuable water-front property, and it is worth a bundle.
When Chong left Joan's house for her sister's house, he left his living quarters a mess (for Joan to clean up, of course). As I said, Joan is 85 -- almost 86 -- and she is tired much of the time. She has back problems and can't stand for more than ten minutes, so sticking her with a cleaning job was thoughtless at best. Chong has actually lived with Joan two or three times before, and each time he left, he left a mess for her to clean up. He also left a large TV for her to dispose of; and in this town, TV's must be taken to the sanitation transfer station.
Update: Seven months have passed. Joan is now 86. I found out recently that Chong got himself appointed as Joan's sister's guardian (I'll call Joan's sister "Mary"). So Chong is now Mary's guardian, and he is living in her house, but he never visits Mary. Joan, however, visits Mary at least twice a week. I don't know all the legalities of the situation, but it would seem that Chong has also been given power of attorney for Mary. Chong's plan is to sell Mary's house, which is somewhat delapidated but in a beautiful location. I've been told that he will put "some" of the money toward's Mary's care, and he will pay off Mary's debts, but the rest is going to go into his own pocket! But being Mary's guardian and having power of attorney does not mean that Chong owns Mary's house. When it is sold, all of the money should go to Mary, not some of it. The family isn't doing anything about the situation because they are all elderly, and none of them has the money to hire an attorney to stop Chong from taking money that isn't his.
Joan continues to make excuses for Chong, saying that he had a difficult upbringing, but this is a man who is truly selfish and dishonest. I assume that the excuse he gives himself is that his health isn't good and he needs help, but that doesn't justify taking advantage of his relatives, or taking money that doesn't belong to him.
When it is all said and done, I have every expectation that Chong will run off with the money and not put any of it toward's Mary's care, and/or he will not pay off Mary's debts. We'll see what happens.
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