So Mrs. Lacha & myself headed of for H & R Block this past Monday, for to go a-taxing. The missus is self-employed, so I find it easier to let someone else do the heavy lifting 'round this time of year.
As we’re going in, we notice a poster in the window: “15 Or It’s Free!” The nub of the jist being that if they keep you waiting for more than 15 minutes before you see the preparer, they’ll comp you your prep fees.
So we check in, and sit down and wait. And wait. And wait. My wife is scowling. “It HAS to be longer than fifteen minutes by now!”
Eventually, we’re shown to a very nice lady who does a wonderful job for us and gets us a refund that’s about $100 more than what it cost us to file. Fair enough; a little something is better than nothing.
So we go to check out, and Mrs. L. nudges me in the ribs. “Go on, say something,” she urges. "Aw, I hate shit like that, " I whine. "Well, if you don’t say something, " she whispers, “I will.”
Oop. That means: “Loud.” Don’t want that.
So I go up to the counter and hand over the check.
“ithinkwewerewaitingforoverfifteenminutes.”
“Hah?” says the cashier.
I point at the poster in the window. “Waiting. Longer.”
She consults her check-in log, and then goes off into the office area, I assume to check with our preparer to see what time we started with her. She comes back with an older gentleman in tow. He instructs her as to what codes to enter into the check out system.
And then they hand me the check back. “Guess we don’t need that anymore,” says the man.
Woot! The whole amount was waived! “But aren’t you guys taking a shellacking from this?”
“Actually,” he says, “We started this last week, and y’all are the first folks to call us on it.”
Then I notice he’s not smiling. Neither is the cashier. Nor a couple of the other employees who have come up to the counter.
“Well, that’s great. Uh… Bye!” We scamper. No sense provoking them by cheering loudly and high-fiving my wife.
So how 'bout that? Patience is a virtue after all!