When I came here in the early 70's, the sleepy desert town was so small, everybody knew everyone else. Sneeze downtown, and on the outskirts ten minutes away, someone would holler, "GOD BLESS," it seemed. Frequently when car breakdowns happened, one would pull over raise the hood and a native would stop, sleeves rolled with a howdy neighbor. It was too damned hot to be stranded.
Now deep into the 21st century, forget it. We are deep into poverty 6th poorest town in America according to the GAO, and every local vendor who hasn't been run outta town by a national company with a local truck and a couple of local guys with a pre rehearsed sales pitch courtesy of the New York home office ( ged da money no madda wat!) now prowl the streets looking for aged retirees.
That's us. Tucson is filled with folks who flee to here, now, making their living someplace else cause you can't make a decent living here. Make you killing in Buffalo, bring it here, buy a cheap home, I guess compared to Buffalo, (definitely Portland, Ore) they are all cheaper than there - bring your dollars here, set them up, then put your shill radar sets on for the robber barons here in the old Pueblo that will not hesitate to rob you blind for so much as a leaky faucet.
In my opinion, it appears to me that getting the kitchen sink fixed will run you $1800 if you don't know what you're doing. The " fix " is in here in Tucson in the plumbing world.
Invite the wrong plumber into your home and you will be subjected to an hour of a waterfall of language, sales pitch, negative barrage of wrack and ruin about your supposed plumbing problem, then a quote that would range from $1.49 cents to a $1,000 if he even raises a wrench. Oh, by the way, can I have a check NOW, please??
Graft and corruption is so bad, they've installed a referee between the customer and vendors just to keep them honest. It's an ombudsman, great Danish word meaning, if you're getting gouged, go to them and scream. They will settle it.
And dentists. Phew. Got a tooth ache. Jesse and Frank James Dental Clinic and Car Repair Corp won't even touch you, even if you're comatose in pain until your credit checks out, or your credit card clears for $5000. When it does, the anesthetic goes in your mouth. Short of that, the candy dish is on the counter and the smiles at the door are about all you're gonna get. The Doctor's Caddy is in the back lot, thank you very much. Other dental giants drive higher bargains, but the "WALLET=ECTOMY " performed at various front desks is first before you every see a while coat in Tucson Arizona, the state's 2nd largest city. Yuma, Arizona is the worst city in Arizona for dental care AND patient compassion. All doctors who reside there are all revenue driven in my opinion.
My do's and don'ts: DO- ask for referrals from friends, " who do you use? As more than one. Don't every use a Referral Service - they operate on a fee basis, doc pays them to get listed. Beware of the empty waiting room...why? If you don't have insurance, ask them for special terms - discounts. If they don't do it - screw em. You shouldn't be there. Think about that.
Ask the dentist for a half dozen of his/her business cards after your first visit if you're happy. " I'd like to pass them to my friends, I really appreciate your dental care!!" May pay off for you.
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