Pet Peeves

Nicole at Summer Rain tagged me earlier this week, and I've been remiss at responding. The tag specifies that I am to list my 5 favorite pet peeves and then tag 5 people. Sorry, Nicole, that I've been so slow, but here goes:

1. People who drive while talking on cell phones. For that matter, people who drive irresponsibly in any fashion. (Of course, I have to admit, I may fit in this category myself, since I tend to speed terribly.) My niece had a serious accident recently that wound her up in the Emergency Room because she failed to see an oncoming car and pulled out in front of it. It was raining very hard at the time and she was pulling onto an extremely busy road, but she was also talking on her cell phone - not a good choice at that time. Today, I got behind a woman who was putt-putting along at 10 mph. I noticed her from WAY down the road and wondered if she was lost or something. When I pulled up behind her (by the way, she was turning right and I was turning left, thanks be to God), I saw that she was talking on her phone.

2. Poor service at a restaurant. There are few things I hate more than having fussy, whiny children who need to go home and get to bed, only to be ignored by our wait-person. I realize we can be a handful in a restaurant, but my children are sweet, aren't loud, and don't get out of control, and I always try to be polite and friendly. Is it too much to ask for our check when we're done eating? Pay attention, please. It's your job.

3. Ordering something off a menu only to be told "we're out". Come on, folks. You're running a business here. We took my mother out last year to a Tea Room for Mother's Day and, luckily, had a WONDERFUL time. But, my sisters and I had gone there in March to scope it out. This place was known for its exotic teas but everything we asked for was not an option. We were shocked at how many teas were unavailable. The little waitress told us that the owner was in Europe. We asked if she planned on bringing back teas with her. She didn't seem to get it. Then, recently, I went to Sonic to pick up a breakfast burrito and a cup of decaf coffee in the early morning. No decaf. I could hardly believe my ears. That meant I had to drive someplace else just for a cup of coffee. Several times recently, I've been in drive-through windows and, when they told me they were out of an item, I cancelled my order and drove off. This is a sad way to do business.

4. People who make commitments to do something with you and then cancel at the last minute for no good reason. Now, if your kids are sick, I understand. But I've had people make plans with me two weeks in advance. I've had other invitations extended to me for the same time frame and explained that I already had a commitment, even though some of the other invitations sounded more interesting to me, only to have the other person call me the day of and say they've changed their minds and don't really "want" to do that. Commitments are commitments. We're not First Graders, trolling for the best offer. If you make plans with someone, be considerate enough to keep them or, if you really don't feel like it, ask the other person if they still want to go. If they say yes, bite the bullet and GO. Perhaps they'll say no, but be considerate enough to at least ask.

5. Long waits in doctor's offices. I think it's ridiculous to make a sick patient wait for 3 hours for a scheduled appointment. If you can't see them at the appointed time, reschedule or ask them to come back. I used to have an OB/GYN (guess why I don't use him anymore) who would schedule me for 9:00 a.m. and I'd still be sitting there at 4:30, waiting to be seen. I seriously considered billing him for my salary since my job wasn't getting done and I ended up having to stay the next day until late in the evening to get caught up. Some doctors seem to be able to manage their appointments within a 20-minute wait routinely. What's wrong with all the others? It's just POOR customer service, I'm convinced. They need to FIRE their office manager and get someone who understand the importance of their patient's time. I understand doctor's time is valuable but what makes them more valuable than me?


So, now you've heard at least 5 of my Rants. I tag Joyce at Tallahassee Lassie, Daniel at Mirror of Justice, Amy at Raising Angels, Heather at Fullhouse, and every other blogger I know has already been tagged.