Sandy Supposes....

Boycott

July 18th Prompt: Have you ever boycotted a company or product?

         Well, hubby and I refuse to send our vehicles to a local garage or call them for roadside assistance, so I suppose that is our boycott.

         For years, hubby ran his own auto body shop where he specialized in restoring vehicles. Eventually, he closed up shop and returned to the open highway as a trucker. When he did this he no longer had a garage in which to carry out his own maintenance and repairs. He paid former associates to keep his semi in good repair. This seemed beneficial for everyone. As a long haul trucker only ever home for a short period of time, my spouse sought these procedures when he could. He made scheduled appointments. He always paid his bill.

         One day, hubby visited this particular garage to discuss a few needed repairs. A new customer walked in, interrupted, and my hubby was ignored. He waited patiently for the owner to return and continue their conversation. When this finally happened he told the owner that his behaviour had been rude. He was a paying customer with limited free time and if his truck could not be fixed, he'd lose money. The interrupter worked locally and did rely upon his vehicle to earn a living. No emergency could account for the interruption. What about first come first served?

         Thinking that the issues had been resolved, hubby walked out to the parking lot where the new owner's father accosted him screaming and waving his arms. He and my hubby had worked together for years trouble-free, so this came as a shock. Where had the expletive-laced tirade come from? This angry man demanded my hubby take his business elsewhere and my partner did just that. He did not want the inexplicable drama.

         Two days later, this man phoned to apologize. He begged my trucker to return. Had he thought about the loss of guaranteed revenue? Too late, my hubby has refused to return. He drove an hour away to seek servicing for his semi.

          We reside in a tiny rural village and we support local businesses. We were once a local business and we appreciated any and all patronage.

          Were two people offended? Did they both over react? Perhaps.