What a Great Failure!

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While today was a failure, it was a pretty good blessing. I know, that sounds weird, doesn't it. I decided to try to get an Apple CarPlay compatible "infotainment system" installed in my car. I read a lot about the subject online, and it seemed to be a "problem" (putting it mildly) for my car's make and year. However, I also know that "new" technology comes out all the time, and there may be things that have made it much easier. What did I have to lose? At worst, I figured they would tell me it wouldn't work, charge me the labor, and a restocking fee, and I'd take the lesson learned with me. As you can probably tell by the title, it was a massive failure. The extra money I spent on trying to get the steering wheel controls hooked up to the new radio, the rear-view camera hooked up, and the right turn camera hooked up resulted in a big ol' goose-egg. An oh-fer. Just how bad was it? I discovered these failures (along with a volume issue with the radio) before I even left the parking lot. Here's where the blessing comes in. It took them four hours to install the radio, but less than 15 minutes to take it out and put the old radio back in (and hook it up, so the cameras, USB ports, and everything that had failed with the newer radio were working again). I went to the counter and asked how much I owed. "Nothing." I was flabbergasted. "But," I protested, "there was a lot of labor, and what about a restocking fee?" "We haven't had a restocking fee in forever," the car installation guy said. "And, you're not happy, so there's no charge. I run a clean and honest shop." "Well, I'm a clean and honest person, so I know I owe you something for the work, if nothing else." "No, you don't." So the failure only cost me four hours of my time, which wasn't totally lost because I enjoyed a three-mile walk while waiting for my car. Moral of this story: there are honest stores and people out there who are far more interested in their customers (and, perhaps, in their reputation as a store) than in making a buck. Thanks, Best Buy. Obvious (and very cheesy) song selection: