Another cart hits a car and causes a minor meltdown

[rageaholic]

This one didn't involve me, but it happened in my lot on the job. A older man is loading a 80 pound bag of concrete into his car. I walk over to assist him, but he's able to get it into the car without a problem. His cart rolls out in the middle of the lot right as a woman is pulling out. He tries to reach for it, but is too late and the cart hits the side of the woman's car (an expensive looking SUV). She gets out to see what's going on, notices the cart and the man who explains that the cart rolled away from him. There isn't even a dent in her car (or if there is, it's microscopic). After a few seconds, she throws up her hands and says real sarcastically "Well that's AWESOME!" walks back to her car and drives away in a huff.

It was a minor meltdown, but seriously, what is it with people flipping out over such non issues?

[Rosco the Iroc]

I'm with the woman. Try to keep it nice and that kind of shit happens.
I think her response was to scale.

[RealUnimportant]

Having had trash collectors take a tiny gouge out of the paint on my best car's bumper, and the *minimum* quote for reshaping and repainting to get a proper colour match approaching four figures... Yeah, it's not a non-problem.

[evilhomer]

When I got my first new car, the second day I had it, I was in a baseball tournament and parked at the farthest end of the parking lot with literally 100 empty spots around me. Some asshole in a complete POS not only parked beside me, but inches beside me and dinged my door. It was only a tiny mark but something that should have never happened, caused entirely by the carelessness of a complete moron. Yeah, I flipped out.

Damage caused by the careless actions of others is not something you just ignore. The woman's reaction was totally reasonable.

[rageaholic]

Quoth RealUnimportant

Having had trash collectors take a tiny gouge out of the paint on my best car's bumper, and the *minimum* quote for reshaping and repainting to get a proper colour match approaching four figures... Yeah, it's not a non-problem.

But it's just a small ding, does it even need to be repaired?

[CyberLurch]

Quoth rageaholic

But it's just a small ding, does it even need to be repaired?

That depends completely on the owner. To some people, it's 'just a car'; to others, it's a considerable investment, and even a small blemish can reduce the car's trade in by a couple thousand. And if you're an enthusiast, a chip or ding on a car you might have spent tens of thousands of dollars buying and/or restoring is a highly personal matter.

I fall into that last category; in 1990 I beat the snot out of the lowlife grit who keyed my Falcon less than a month after it had been painted. The bastard didn't know I saw him do it. I'm not proud of that, but damned if I'll apologize for it.

[rageaholic]

Quoth CyberLurch

That depends completely on the owner. To some people, it's 'just a car'; to others, it's a considerable investment, and even a small blemish can reduce the car's trade in by a couple thousand. And if you're an enthusiast, a chip or ding on a car you might have spent tens of thousands of dollars buying and/or restoring is a highly personal matter.

An investment, like to resell later? Hmm, I never thought of it like that (though it sounds like a very risky investment).

[csquared]

Leasing. That ding could cost them when the lease is up. While there will be a level of "normal wear and tear", the dealership will draw the line somewhere.

ETA:
Although, if they were that concerned about it, she should have gotten insurance info from the guy.

[Pixelated]

Quoth CyberLurch

That depends completely on the owner. To some people, it's 'just a car'; to others, it's a considerable investment, and even a small blemish can reduce the car's trade in by a couple thousand. And if you're an enthusiast, a chip or ding on a car you might have spent tens of thousands of dollars buying and/or restoring is a highly personal matter.

*snip*

Good point. I have an old 'beater' so frankly, unless you do something that makes it unusable (like the idiot who backed into the driver's door of my previous vehicle, making it nearly impossible to open) my response is likely to be "Oh well." I have always seen a car as a box on four wheels that lets me get from A to B faster than walking.

Having said that, that's also one of the reasons I've never been interested in buying a brand-new car, because that would cause me to be a lot more -- er -- "responsive" to the slings and arrows (and dings and dents) of outrageous fortune.

[Monterey Jack]

Quoth CyberLurch

I fall into that last category; in 1990 I beat the snot out of the lowlife grit who keyed my Falcon less than a month after it had been painted. The bastard didn't know I saw him do it. I'm not proud of that, but damned if I'll apologize for it.

"No trial, no jury, straight to fuckin' execution." [cookies for ref]