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A Nefarious Tale

So my rental saga has now gone from a trilogy to a nefarious tale. Apparently, they didn’t tow the car on the 14th. In fact, they allegedly towed the car from the Marriott back to Hertz last night. This is according to Hertz. Keep in mind, Hertz sent me several text messages on the 14th indicating they had received the card and closed my case. In fact, I distinctly remember looking for the truck when we came back from the rink that night and it wasn’t there.

Unfortunately, that was only part one of this nefarious tale. Because I also got my bill. First of all, they billed me for the entire trip. Secondly, they billed me a higher rate than what I had been quoted. This, of course, begs the question: will Hertz ever get this right. Unfortunately, I think the answer to that question is no. Consequently, all transactions from Hertz remained blocked on my credit cards. But hey at least they sent me a nice letter asking for their rental vehicle back…..

And now for a not-so-nefarious tail. While I worked, the Mayor and hubby headed to FLA Live arena for a high school game. You got to love a high school game scheduled during the middle of the school/work day. Based on the updates and snippets, I saw it was a high-scoring game. My friend Christy sent me an awesome video of the Mayor’s goal. Unfortunately, they ended up losing 6-5, but I think it was fun for them to play on the Panthers’ ice.

As for the shingles/rash situation, the shoulder is looking better. It, however, still hurts and is a bit of a nuisance. The patch on my back still looks quite raw, but it hasn’t spread. I’ve decided I should probably follow up with a rheumatologist to make sure there’s not an underlying autoimmune issue at work. Nevertheless, I’m a bit overtaking a ton of pills every day.

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Change

Well, there hasn’t been much change from yesterday. Well, except I’m now taking eight pills plus using a steroid cream to keep this thing at bay. Naturally, I’m still miserable with my patches of itchiness/hell and my husband is still an unpaid volunteer. Hopefully, I’ll start to see a change in the skin irritation rather soon. I’d really like to go back to my regular workouts and wear shirts. I’ve resorted to wearing a loose hoodie over my sports bra to stay comfortable. Or at least, try to stay comfortable.

I can’t say that I’m feeling great either. I’m not sleeping well, so I’m super fatigued. Unfortunately, I think the fatigue is magnifying my discomfort. The patches are quite painful and itchy today, which sucks. I feel better today than yesterday. Truthfully, the Mayor saved the day yesterday when he reminded my hubby to pick up my script. My hubby forgot to pick it up on his way home but forgot. Since we’re down to one vehicle at the moment that would have meant I would have had to wait to get my script filled until this evening. As it happened, the rink canceled the Mayor’s practice, so we would have been able to pick it up yesterday evening. Since he had no practice, the Mayor also made dinner. He really saved my evening.

Actually, I lied there has been one change since yesterday. I haven’t received a call from Herz’s vehicle recovery department. Yay for the small victories in life. This may be a byproduct of the flurry of tweets and Facebook messages I sent them yesterday. Unfortunately, I still have not received my closed contract or receipt for the rental. Nor have I heard back from Hertz about either item. Hopefully, the lack of a call this morning forebodes the resolution of my rental car debacle. At this point, I don’t know what’s more painful the shingles or the Hertz rental experience. Either way, stay tuned for an update.

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Shingles, maybe

I woke up with a new patch on my back, so now they thinks it’s shingles, maybe…. There not 100% sure what it is, although I think we all agree it’s precipitated by stress and an overexcited immune system. Consequently, I’ll be adding an antiviral to the mix of antibiotics and steroid cream. Adulting is so much fun. Needless to say, I’m quite cranky.

The rental car debacle and my hubby’s apparently unpaid, volunteer job clearly aren’t helping the situation. Hertz called me again asking why I haven’t returned their car yet. Do these folks even read notes? Hertz had to have a CRM that is sued across the company. I can’t fathom how so much incompetence can impact one rental. Hertz has never screwed up a rental for me previously, but I guess when they do, they do it big.

At this point, I’m hoping I don’t have to go to the media on the wayward rental. Also, hoping my spouse gets paid sometime this year. This volunteering shit isn’t going to work. Obviously, my system is not handling the stress well and is absolutely flaring. Needless, to say I’m in need of serious vacation, sauna time and a moment to recharge myself. So anyway, yeah two patches and it’s shingles, maybe.

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Becoming a Trilogy

My rental car saga from Chicago is becoming a trilogy. And not a good one. It’s becoming one of those trilogies Hollywood makes because they’ve run out of ideas. I have been working with Hertz since 1/14/23 to close out my failed rental car. You may recall, Hertz had to tow my rental back to O’Hare because it had a bad starter. Yet, here I am over a week later still fighting to get the contract closed.

Yesterday, Hertz customer care assured me that someone would be calling to resolve my case. Well, today Hertz called me about the rental. I answered thinking they were calling to resolve my escalation. You can imagine my surprise when they asked why I hadn’t returned the rental. Consequently, I lost my shit. By this point in the game, Hertz should have more than adequate documentation on this farce of rental experience Honestly, I tried my best to temper my reaction as it wasn’t that representative’s fault Hertz doesn’t have their shot together.

After forcefully explaining Hertz O’Hare has had my rental since 1/14/23, I provided her with confirmation that the tow was received at O’Hare and the roadside assistance case detailing the ordeal. How is it possible that none of this information is on their systems??? I have literally spoken to customer care at Hertz several times a day since before our trip. Candidly, I don’t understand how this went from a weekend rental to becoming a trilogy.

Thankfully, I blocked all charges from Hertz on my credit cards. Otherwise, they’d be charging me daily for a car they think I didn’t return. What an absolute clusterfuck. Hertz’s ubiquitous incompetence at all stages of this experience has been exceedingly frustrating. Here’s hoping this ends as a trilogy because I can’t deal with a whole series of this shit.

In other news, my right shoulder exploded with an angry-looking rash. I figured it was either dermatitis or cellulitis, so I set up a telehealth medicine. Unfortunately, the doctor couldn’t do anything for me via telehealth because of the possibility the rash was caused by a scratch from one of our dogs. Consequently, I headed to urgent care this morning.

The name urgent care is such a misnomer. There is nothing urgent about urgent cares in Florida. I’m a reasonable person, but I have my limits. Clearly, I should have checked in at home and waited until they were ready to see me. Instead, I waited almost two hours in the parking room and waiting room. It’s so frustrating!

I finally saw the doctor, who felt it was likely it was a contact dermatitis reaction. Since, however, I hadn’t made any changes to my routine (i.e. no new soaps, shampoos, cleaners, detergents, or clothes,) he opted to treat me for both. I am relieved that it is not from my dogs, but I’m at an absolute loss as to what caused the reaction. Hopefully, the rash will clear up quickly with the steroid cream and antibiotics.

Today’s accountability tracker:

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The Saga Continues

The saga continues as I am still trying to get my rental reservation from Chicago straightened out. Hertz has kindly charged my AmEx daily this week for the same amount. Now if you will recall, Hertz towed my rental back to O’Hare on 1/12/23. Due to my son’s schedule, I opted not to get a replacement vehicle and end the rental that day. When I spoke with roadside assistance, she made it clear that if I wanted a replacement vehicle, I’d need to call back to set it up. Otherwise, Hertz would consider the rental closed. Except apparently, Hertz hasn’t closed out the rental. This is a bit disconcerting given that I have spoken to Hertz customer care several times a day since Saturday.

Customer service has repeatedly assured me that the rental has been closed out. Yet here we are. Consequently, I called AmEx this morning. American Express will block all subsequent charges from Hertz. Hertz would have charged me $359 if I had kept the car. As of this morning, Hertz has charged me $505. To be clear, I rent from Hertz all the time and have never had an issue like this. Usually, the rental experience is seamless. Nevertheless, here I am trying to climb the allegorical mountain that is resolution. Anyway, the saga continues.

As far as sagas go, this rental car one is quite boring. I’d much prefer a saga in the mountains of Utah or Scandinavia. The Mayor and I were talking yesterday about our trips to Utah. We’ve had so much fun exploring the Wasatch mountains and the canyons of the Great Salt Lake Area. Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons will always be two of my favorite places. The hikes we did in both canyons were so refreshing and beautiful. The elevation of the canyons definitely helped cool us down. Unfortunately, the hikes closer to Jake’s base offered little shade and tons of heat. Nevertheless, every hike we’ve taken in Utah has been beautiful. Hopefully, we’ll be able to visit Utah one last time.

Meanwhile, I have been cooking meat since my lunch hour. Our garage fridge/freezer somehow became unplugged and everything in the freezer defrosted. Since we just received a ButcherBox delivery, we have a lot of meat to cook today. Over my break, I sauteed up four pounds of stew meat and got a roast going in the crock pot. As soon as work is over, I’ll be back to cooking all the defrosted meat. Oh, the joy!

Today’s accountability tracker: