Leisure … more than a word, it's a lifestyle

If you are having MegaCon withdrawals and can’t wait for Halloween season to begin, never fear May-Hem is here.

Since it’s humble beginnings back in 2003 in Fort Lauderdale, Spooky Empire has grown into arguably one of the nation’s top producers of horror themed conventions with their annual Ultimate Horror Weekend in October now a can’t miss event, especially as it runs during Orlando’s world famous theme park Halloween events. Last year, they responded to the demands of the fans and added May-Hem to their calendar and it was so successful it is back again this year.

The press release below gives you more information than I could ever, except to say that from the Zombie Walk to the Pool Party this is FUN with a capital F.

Spooky Empire’s May-Hem convention is less than 3 days away….are you ready for, well…the Mayhem?!!

Orlando, FL – May 25 – 27 , 2012 – The show is looking to be an epic event, their last one at the Wyndham Orlando Resort, 8001 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819, and Spooky Empire wants everyone to join them in bidding farewell to their favorite venue as only they know how.

There is an amazing line up of celebrity guests in store at May-Hem this year, most of which have never appeared at a Spooky Empire event! It’s a never-ending list of heavy hitters, sure to please fans of all kinds. Guests will be available for meet and greets and autograph signings all weekend!

Some of the guests appearing are Linda Hamilton, best known for her role as “Sarah Connor” in The Terminator, as well as the TV series “Beauty and The Beast” and more recently “Chuck”. Vivica A. Fox of “Kill Bill Vol. 1”, “Independence Day” and “Batman & Robin” and Verne Troyer of the “Austin Powers” films and “The Love Guru”. Plus a very last minute addition, James Marsters most well known as Spike from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”.

For all of you KISS fans out there, here’s your chance to meet the one and only Ace Frehley, original guitarist of the legendary band!

There will be an “Addams Family” reunion featuring John Astin “Gomez Addams”, Lisa Loring “Wednesday Addams” and Felix Silla and “Cousin Itt”.

Roddy Piper will be making a return appearance to Spooky Empire, not only for autographs, but to perform his live “one man show” This performance will require a separate ticket in addition to your admission. Tickets for Roddy’s show are $10 and are available in advance online.

From the hit new TV series “The Walking Dead” is Madison Lintz who played “Sophia” in the hit show. Stars of the TV series Charmed, Holly Marie Combs, Brian Krause, and Michael Bailey Smith. Holly Marie Combs currently stars on the hit new show “Pretty Little Liars”, Brian Krause is also known for his role in Sleepwalkers., and Michael Bailey Smith has appeared in Buffy and The Hills Have Eyes 1 & 2. Also making a rare convention appearance is Joey Lauren Adams best known for her roles in films Chasing Amy, Big Daddy, Dazed & Confused and many more.

To round off the guest list is Kristanna Loken of Terminator 3, Monica Keena of Freddy vs Jason, and Oliver Robins from Poltergeist, plus legendary rock goddess Lita Ford, Marc Price from the film Trick or Treat, and Mackenzie Lintz of the hit new movie based on the bestseller The Hunger Games. The stars of SyFy’s “Monster Man”, special FX artists Cleve Hall and Constance Hall will also be on hand to meet fans!

May-Hem is not just about the guests, there are some memorable events lined up as well. For the first time at May-Hem, Spooky Empire will be hosting their Zombie Walk in memory of the late Bill Hinzman!

The Mucklebones Monster Museum will be set up throughout the weekend inside the hotel. This is an exclusive Spooky Empire event! Spooky Empire’s Tattoo Festival will also be in place featuring over 25 of the country’s best artists. Check out the website to make your appointments now.

Of course there is the huge vendor room loaded with merchandise, collectibles and artists, tons of panels and Q&As, and no one can forget the notorious pool parties with live bands!

Tickets are still available, one day passes are $30-$35, and $50 gets you in all three days! VIP packages are available but going fast! Both are available on the website www.spookyempire.com and our facebook page www.facebook.com/spookyempire

Sometimes it’s nice to let your imagination run riot for a few hours and so it was when I recently visited WonderWorks, at Pointe Orlando on International Drive. WonderWorks claims to be an amusement park for the mind and with over 100 interactive exhibits it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

There’s something at this venue for everyone. Kids aged 1 through to Seniors aged 101 will enjoy everything on offer and get to do some neat things. It all starts when you arrive and you know you are in for a weird and wacky time when you see the building.

The building’s dramatic exterior is 82 feet tall and literally towers over nearing structures. As if that wasn’t enough, the mere sight of an upside down building will catch your attention like no other before it. WonderWorks is a three story tall classically designed building that has simply landed, upside down, atop a 1930′s era brick warehouse.

Of course, I say simply landed upside down but there’s a whole lot more to it than that. Removed from the glare of the media and the encumbrances of governmental restrictions (shouldn’t we all be so lucky?); a group of scientists from around the world collaborated to find answers to the unexplainable. Their mission: to understand, predict and control these phenomena. In early 1998, during a top secret experiment, something went awry. When the scientists attempted to harness the power of a man made tornado, the giant, swirling vortex unleashed its power throughout the laboratories! The energy vortex lifted the research facility from its foundation and transported the laboratory hundreds of miles away to Orlando, where it landed upside down, but otherwise functionally intact.

As you walk through the entrance door you’ll notice the grand staircase, upside down. The reception counter is nearby and from there your journey begins. As you wander through the three story building you’ll come across some of the most imaginative displays and amazing exhibits found anywhere in the world.

You’ll enjoy some of the most sophisticated graphics and audio presentation techniques available. The first floor is where you’ll discover exhibits like Natural Disasters, where disasters are explained in basic scientific terms. You get chance to revisit 1989 and the San Francisco earthquake that collapsed a freeway and stopped the World Series in baseball. Check out Hurricane Hole and feel the effects of 71 mph winds.

The Anti-Gravity Chamber is a favorite as you try and work out which way the water is traveling…is it from floor to ceiling or ceiling to floor?

From there, make your way to the second floor and lie on the Bed of Nails. 3,500 sharp nails are in this bed and all it needs is 2 kilograms of pressure to puncture the skin… how brave are you? After that press your entire body into the WonderWall and see a 3-dimensional impression appear.

As you move along you’ll be entertained by the Big Piano as adults and children play music with their feet. Strike a Pose is different as you get to leave your shadow behind. You stand directly in front of a wall and block bright light from reaching it by striking a pose. While the rest of the wall quickly absorbs the light, the area you blocked remains dark…even after you walk away!

Mind Ball is a challenging bio feedback game for two based on EEG technology. Players wear a headband with electrodes and relax their minds in order to use their brain waves to move a ball across the table. The winner is the player who is most relaxed!

The Control Room continues the adventure and this is where you get to discover the freedom of flight in Fighter Jets, land the space shuttle and explore the latest in virtual reality as you design the roller coaster you’ve always wanted and then ride it! Be warned, you can get rather dizzy just watching WonderCoaster… it is unique and has the ability to turn 360 degrees in every direction.

Leaving the Control Room you get the chance to relax and enjoy the Far Out Art gallery. It’s always a lot of fun trying to work out what an artist has conjured up and here is no exception. I won’t say anymore but working out some of this stuff is just plain challenging!

Finally, you arrive at the third story… naturally enough it’s called “The Basement”… yep, don’t forget the place is turned upside down! The Basement is home to the XD Theater and its 4D Extreme Motion Ride, lazer tag and the one of a kind, Indoor Ropes Challenge Course. The motion ride is housed in a 12 seat theater that takes guests along an amazing adventure that transcends time, space and imagination by combining the 3D film with special effects and motion seats. This gives it the fourth dimension!

Lazer tag sees players vest up and compete against others inside the blacklight maze. It’s a fun game and combines innovative technology with fast paced entertainment. The other major attraction in “The basement” is the Indoor Ropes Challenge Course. Completed in May of this year it stands some 36 feet tall and guests get the chance to climb three stories of ropes and encounter more than 20 obstacles along a course that tests both stamina and endurance. Important to note that guests must wear closed toe shoes to participate…you have been warned.

So that’s a brief review of WonderWorks…make sure you plan for half a day here because you’ll need it to see everything… and there is just one more thing I need to tell you about… Orlando’s funniest dinner show is held here. Showtime happens nightly at 6.00pm and 8.00pm and The Outta Control Magic Comedy Dinner Show with Tony Brent is one of the hidden secrets in Orlando. It has been voted “Best Dinner Show” by both Wesh 2 and the Orlando Sentinel. The show is a mixture of amazing magic, impersonations and high energy improvisational comedy. Guests get to enjoy a table side dinner service of fresh hand tossed cheese and pepperoni pizza, salad, popcorn and unlimited beer, wine, soda and dessert! It’s a MUST DO when in Orlando!

Decided to revisit Downtown Disney yesterday to check out how busy it was this Labor Day weekend… and I was amazed how busy it was and how much business some of the stores were doing. Looked to me as if an awful lot of people were ignoring the economic climate and just getting on with their lives.

Smiles, laughter and fun was everywhere to be found and that’s what makes Orlando and Disney so special. There’s a lot wrong with the world…but this place just seems to ignore all that and simply get back to the basics of providing fun and good times to everyone. It’s magical to see.

Anyway…take a look for yourself… here’s a video from last night’s adventure…

Yesterday Walt Disney World announced that they saw slight declines in park attendance over the past few months. Theme park attendance at the company’s domestic parks fell 3 percent overall in the three months ending on July 3, the Walt Disney Company said as it announced third quarter financial results. Walt Disney World attendance dropped 2 percent while Disneyland saw a 4 percent decrease in visitors.

Disney said the fall in park attendance was in part due to a shift in timing of the Easter holiday in relation to the company’s financial reporting periods. Disney estimated that park attendance only fell one percent from year-to-year after the holiday period is taken into account.Park guests did spend 5 percent more in Q3, which the company attributed to higher average ticket prices.Revenue from Disney’s parks and resorts increased 3 percent to $2.8 billion in the quarter, while operating income decreased 8 percent to $477 million.

Over the past few months, Disney has attempted to scale back promotional offers for theme park visitors, a strategy the company reiterated during Tuesday’s earnings conference call. Jay Rasulo, Disney’s chief financial officer, said the company expected to see fewer visitors as discounts were scaled back.In May, Rasulo pointed to more guest spending in exchange for lower attendance.

In the second quarter, Disney said occupancy rates at the company’s hotels fell 8 percent, but both guest and room spending increased by the same amount. Rasulo said the company expected to be back at “normalized” pricing by 2011.One year ago, Disney reported that occupancy at its Orlando hotels was 91 percent, which it attributed in part to promotional discounts. In the past two quarters, occupancy has been 81 percent.Walt Disney World saw a slight increase in hotel occupancy in the most recent three months, to 83 percent.

Overall, Disney’s revenue grew 16 percent from last year to $10 billion.Disney credited its success in large part to the success of film releases “Toy Story 3”, “Iron Man 2” and “Alice in Wonderland”. Studio entertainment revenue grew 30 percent from year-to-year in the third quarter.Disney’s largest segment of growth was interactive media, which grew 74 percent from a year ago.

So, now would appear to be the right time to make a trip to Orlando and Disney World. The parks will be more enjoyable as lines are less and Disney are still offering some promotional offers. There hotel figures are interesting and maybe it’s a sign that people don’t want to stay at overpriced hotels, no matter how convenient, when there’s a better option just 5 to 10 minutes from the parks in the form of a vacation home?

Kissimmee Vacation Homes in Orlando

By Nigel G. Worrall

One of the most popular vacation destinations in the world is Orlando, Florida. A huge reason why so many people visit this part of the world is because of the Walt Disney World resort and its theme parks. Walt Disney World resort is the world’s largest recreational resort and is located in both Lake Buena Vista and Kissimmee.

Kissimmee is located on the southern part of the Disney complex and it’s here that you’ll find most of the areas vacation rental homes.  There are many advantages for renting a vacation home in Kissimmee but number one amongst them is the ability to enjoy a luxurious yet affordable vacation. The second reason is the fact that you are just moments away from enjoying the Disney experience as well as all the other local theme parks such as Sea World and Universal Orlando, not to mention all the other attractions that the area has to offer.

A stay in a vacation home is simply a far more luxurious vacation than compared to staying in a hotel. The home is far more inviting and has much more space than the typical hotel room or suite. You can relax in private without worrying about noisy neighbors, you have your own private pool to splash around in and you have an element of privacy that you just can’t get at a hotel.

Most vacation rental homes are conveniently located in quiet residential communities but just moments from the main area theme parks.  A Kissimmee vacation home offers many perks that a hotel simply cannot. Things such as large screen TV’s, separate bedrooms, games rooms, home theaters, and two or maybe three large living areas top the list.

Cost is also a major consideration and if you are traveling with a large family then putting them up in several hotel rooms can get very expensive.  Depending on the size of your family, you can rent a house with three bedrooms, or more, for around the same price of one hotel room and it is certainly a far better option than trying to cram everyone in to one hotel room. Just imagine the convenience of not having to wait for your turn to use the bathroom or watching what someone else wants to watch on TV as vacation homes usually have TV’s in each bedroom.

One major drawback of hotels is the fact that most hotel pools are situated outside in the open air and that means you may soon be the target of annoying insects or bugs. Each vacation rental house comes with a screened in lanai and pool area that prevents annoying pests from attacking you and this means all the family can enjoy relaxing and unwinding in comfort.

A fully functioning kitchen is also another benefit of vacationing in a rental home. Going out for every meal soon gets tiring not to mention very expensive. Vacation homes give you far more options than a hotel with a solitary restaurant that opens when the hotel says it will open.  Naturally, you might fancy a lie in one morning and a kitchen allows you to eat what you want, when you want to eat it so there’s no missing breakfast. In fact, it’s just like being at home as you can get groceries from local stores and enjoy the feeling of being home away from home.

Vacation homes are also great places to come home to after a busy day at a theme park or visiting some local attraction. Sometimes you might just fancy a quiet night in and nothing can be better than ordering a pizza or cooking a sumptuous meal for the ones you love at the end of a busy day.  Each vacation home is usually equipped with everything you might need for cooking and baking and preparing a meal on vacation is just one way to involve the whole family and have some fun.

Talking of family fun, most vacation homes also have a whole host of amenities that include cable TV, DVD players, broadband internet, video game systems, pool tables and a whole lot more for all the family to enjoy. Sometimes you may find that you’ll just not want to go out and that you just want to enjoy a day at home. Vacation home rentals really do give you lots of space to move around and live in and it’s not uncommon to feel like a King or Queen in a palace when you take a vacation in a rental home.

In fact, those that choose to vacation this way rarely go back to hotels afterwards so if you haven’t stayed in a vacation home before, this really is something you need to look into before your next trip.

Orlando Vacation Magic

By Nigel G. Worrall

The economic recession is responsible for many unfortunate situations today. It has affected salaries by making them smaller, investments by cutting their value and retirement funds have shrunk as well. The current, as well as future, employment scenario looks as grim as it has done for several years and it’s at times like this that luxuries the family routinely enjoys have to be cut back to the bone. It’s not much fun and it’s never easy telling loved ones that things you used to take for granted are now not the norm.

In such trying times, the family holiday with fancy frills and thrills is one of the most obvious to face the cut. In doing so, many of us forget that holidays and vacations need not cost much. Vacations and holidays build memories for the whole family for life and cutting back in this area can seriously damage future relationships and cause resentment and bitterness long after someone has passed away. After all, who doesn’t remember a family vacation with mom and dad or grandma and grandpa?

The vacation magic of Orlando is one way to protect your future memories. It’s a way to build quality family time and to build relationships that will carry you through future up’s and down’s.  No, you need not and should not give up your family vacation. It is possible to still have a great family vacation that is easy on your pocket and where you can still you can enjoy the comforts and extravagance of staying in a 5 star facility if you follow the following tips:

1. Selecting A Destination

It is advisable to choose a destination which is popular for its tourism. Orlando, Florida is one of the most popular destinations for vacations. More than 52 million people visit Orlando every year to explore the theme parks and to feel the sun and the sand. This means that great deals are available throughout the year.

2. On & Off Seasons

Knowing the dates or months of the low, medium & high season for tourism of a place is very important. May and September, for example, are generally low tourism months for Orlando. During these periods, there is usually an even bigger drop in the rates of hotel rooms & vacation homes; even rental car companies and theme parks usually have some special offers.

3. The Vacation Home Magic of Orlando has several important benefits for those on a limited budget and a few of these listed below:

a. Plan your vacation with your friends, family and rent a vacation home with 3,4 or 5 bedrooms. This will give you ample space for each member of the party as well as giving you the ability to also divide the cost which makes it highly economical.

b. Instead of eating your meals at expensive restaurants, usually followed by a huge bill & a heavy stomach, you can cook your own meals in the kitchen- fully equipped with necessary utensils, dishes and electrical appliances. Shop for your groceries as you would at home and save big money eating when and where you want to.

c. Most vacation homes have wi-fi internet connections and the cost is included in the overall rent you are paying.

d. Whereas in hotels, swimming pool hours are restricted, in a vacation home you can swim whenever you wish to. Most vacation homes have a private heated pool and spa facility. Besides, you can have your privacy even when you are holidaying. There are no “resort” fees to pay as it’s all included in your price.

e. Many holiday homes have activity or games rooms, which sometimes include foosball, pool and ice hockey tables. You will save money by having days in at home rather than going out to the attraction parks all the time.

f. The majority of vacation homes are located in sub-divisions which have a play area or kids tot lot. Some homes even have a private garden attached to the house and this means you and your loved ones can indulge in sports and outdoor activities together on days when you might not want to step out.
4. The Charm Of Theme Parks

While in Orlando, it is virtually impossible not to visit one of the great theme parks. By carefully researching and planning your visit online you can optimize your time and your money. There are many web sites and locations that sell park tickets in advance with a discount so that you can spend a fun filled vacation with your family.

So, you need not go without your beloved family vacation this year after all. All you need to do is plan according to your budget and find new ways to make your money go further. Enjoy your vacation!

Nigel Worrall, CEO of Florida Leisure Vacation Homes, was recently inducted into the National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™ for the performance of his latest book, “Big Idea’s For Your Business.”

Orlando, Fla. – February 2, 2010 – Nigel Worrall, CEO of Florida Leisure Vacation Homes, was recently inducted into The National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™ after releasing the book, Big Ideas For Your Business:  America’s PremierExperts® Show You How to Make Your Business More Fun & More Profitable. The book was written in collaboration with America’s PremierExperts®, a group of America’s leading experts in various fields of business.  They are celebrity experts who are dedicated to spreading knowledge and awareness in their field of expertise and making significant contributions to their industry and the marketplace as a whole.

Big Ideas For Your Business was released on July 23rd, 2009.  On the day of release, the book reached the best-seller list in two categories, the Management and Leadership – Systems and Planning category, and the Business Management category.

Nigel Worrall authored a chapter in the book titled, “Customers: The Lifeblood of Any Company.” Nigel was chosen as one of America’s PremierExperts® based on his expertise and success in the real estate and vacation home industry.

The National Academy of Best Selling Authors™ was founded by two attorneys, JW Dicks, Esq. and Nick Nation, Esq. who are also best selling authors and represent authors and experts nationwide.  Both of the attorneys are members of multiple organizations, associations and academies that recognize and honor the best in the business, and they thought a similar organization should be created for Best Selling authors who don’t always get recognition for their accomplishment.  Authors themselves, they recognized that only a very limited number of books made the major New York Times Best Seller list and just like the awards shows put on by the entertainment-based organizations, they wanted to have more categories for authors to be accepted and recognized for their accomplishment. The National Academy of Best Selling Authors™ now honors authors from many of the leading independent best-seller lists.

To order your copy of Big Ideas For Your Business please visit http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Your-Business-Nick-Nanton/dp/1599321076

For more information on Nigel Worrall and Florida Leisure Homes, please visit http://www.floridaleisure.com.

To find out more about The National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™ visit http://www.academyofauthors.org/

About Nigel Worrall:

Nigel Worrall is President / CEO of Florida Leisure Vacation Homes & Total Real Estate Solutions. He is regularly sought by the media as a vacation home and real estate expert and has featured on NBC, ABC, Fox, CBS. He has also featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, Newsweek, Chicago Sun Times, Washington Post, Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Business Journal and several other publications. Nigel is also the best selling author of “Big Ideas For Your Business” (Advantage Media)

Nigel serves many clients around the world as a Realtor®, Real Estate Broker, Real Estate Investor, Mortgage Broker and Real Estate Trainer. Nigel has been heavily involved with helping the local chapter of the Investors Resource Center of America in Orlando and has recently been appointed as a National Real Estate Investment Coach with Real Mentor™.

Florida Leisure Vacation Homes is the leading vacation home company in the Orlando, Fla. – Disney area, offering 3-7 bedroom private vacation homes near to all the Orlando area attractions. Each home has it’s own fully equipped kitchen, 3-7 bedrooms, lounge, dining room, laundry, 2 car garage and best of all, private swimming pool.

For more information, please visit http://www.floridaleisure.com

The National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™:

The National Academy of Best Selling Authors™ was founded by two attorneys, JW Dicks, Esq. and Nick Nation, Esq. who are also best selling authors and represent authors and experts nationwide.  Both of the attorneys are members of multiple organizations, associations and academies that recognize and honor the best in the business, and they thought a similar organization should be created for Best Selling authors who don’t always get recognition for their accomplishment. Authors themselves, they recognized that only a very limited number of books made the major New York Times Best Seller list and just like the awards shows put on by the entertainment-based organizations, they wanted to have more categories for authors to be accepted and recognized for their accomplishment. The National Academy of Best Selling Authors™ now honors authors from many of the leading independent best-seller lists.

To find out more about The National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™ visit http://www.academyofauthors.org/

There aren’t many better choices for a business meeting or convention than Orlando. In fact it’s hard to think of just one other place in the United States that can match it. From it’s world class meeting and convention facilities through to it’s fantastic theme parks Orlando is simply the best choice to do great business.

Orlando also offers business people the chance to bring their family with them. A chance to do business during the day and then some great venues to play at night. Business and pleasure travel is estimated at $31 Billion in 2010 and even in an uncertain economy that means you can be sure that your expectations will still be met. Sure there has been some down-sizing and stream lining in the area but that means stronger leaner companies who know they have to perform unlike other areas of the country where things have been cut to the bone ultimately leading to a drop in the level of service.

Orlando is still progressing and expanding. Evidence of this comes with new investments in major hotels such as The Waldorf Astoria, previously blogged about here, which opened in 2009 and the Orlando Convention Center which continues to grow to meet the needs of business conference and convention markets.

Another key factor for business travelers visiting Orlando is the availability of vacation homes. Vacation homes typically have three to seven bedrooms, one or two lounge / living areas, a formal dining area and something of an informal dining area by the private heated swimming pool. These homes make great choices for business meetings and for team building not to mention saving the business a bundle of money. Hotels can be expensive, what with having to hire a meeting room, reserving separate bedrooms for all attendees not to mention the cost of food and drink. It can all add up and that’s where a vacation home wins. All homes have a fully equipped kitchen and nothing can be easier or more enjoyable than getting the team together to enjoy a home cooked dinner together.

Orlando is absolutely the perfect choice for that “business mini vacation” .  Great business, great venues to enjoy some rest and recreation and great weather make for a perfect business travel destination. Look forward to seeing you in 2010.

The Walt Disney Company has just recently announced an expansion of Fantasyland and several other projects and this can only be seen as good news for the Orlando area. Theme parks always need something new to draw people back and it’s not before time that Fantasyland is now going to get its makeover.

Basically, the plans wipe out everything to the east of the carousel and to the north of the Pooh ride in the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland, all the way over to the Tea Cups. That includes Mickey’s Toontown Fair. The Barnstormer survives, to be relocated, along with Dumbo, to the far east-side of Fantasyland (the side close to Tomorrowland). In the middle, in addition to the Ariel ride, we get a Belle-themed restaurant and walk-through attractions for Aurora and Cinderella.

The expansion is set to be complete for 2013 so only time will tell to see if people put off their trips until then. Let’s hope not.

Warning: LONG BLOG. If easily bored or if you have ADD…forget it!

Over the last two months the urgency to find a replacement vehicle for my 105,000 mile Acura MDX has increased. It wasn’t because the SUV was getting expensive to run or that it was falling apart or anything like that. It was simply as a result of a decision made earlier in the year when my wife and I told my eldest daughter that when her college year in Kentucky ended she could come and work in the family vacation home business over the three month Summer break.

During the last year my daughter has constantly nagged away at us about getting a vehicle so that she can get around and we had always said “no”. We aren’t parents who just give in to our kids every wish and we firmly believe that our offspring should work for the things they want in life. As a result we worked out what we thought was a fair compromise… for every dollar she earned working during the Summer, we would double it up and that would be the money she had to go car shopping.

Quickly we did some math and came to the conclusion that my MDX would be a great vehicle for her to have. I’ve never had a moment’s trouble with it and because I’ve had it from new and took it very easy in it’s first 10,000 miles, the vehicle is probably good for another 50,000 to 100,000 miles. She agreed and so the deal was struck. She would inherit a fully loaded MDX provided she worked her hours in the Summer.

So, with this at the back of my mind, I started car shopping around February this year. I studied the vehicle adverts on TV and made several journeys to car dealers to do my research. All the time I kept in my mind the state of the economy and the fact that the public is being told what dire straits the automobile industry is in. And quickly reality set in…most of the dealers who are in trouble absolutely deserve to be and the sooner they are out of business the better.

Why do I say that? Well, the answer is founded in the experience I got at many of the dealers.

Amazingly, most of them seemed completely nonchalant about helping me. Worse, most of them didn’t even try to sell a vehicle to me and when I inevitably walked away, not one of them bothered to keep in touch with me.

And then, three weeks ago the start of a very sorry chapter started that eclipsed everything that had gone previously. My wife’s vehicle developed a problem that ended up with her Jaguar XJR having to be towed in to a certain Orlando Jaguar dealer.

This turned out to be the straw that broke the camel’s back and it gave me a few good lessons about how not to handle a customer. Initially the diagnosis of the problem was that we had a fuel starvation problem as the vehicle would start but then only run for a few seconds before cutting out. The bill, I was told, would be around $700 and accordingly, I gave permission for the work to be carried out.

Four days later, I received a telephone call to say that the work had been done but unfortunately the problem was still there and that I would need to spend $2500 to get the vehicle fixed. To say I was alarmed by this would be putting it very mildly. Before all this happened, the month before I had had the vehicle valued and it had a book value of around $12,000 to $14,000 so spending $2,500 on it made absolutely no sense to me.

Of course, I complained to the dealer that if they had diagnosed the problem properly I would have been much happier. I even told them that if they had initially said, “this is what we suspect the problem is but it might turn out to be bigger” then I would have understood but they didn’t approach it anything like that. They simply said they could fix the problem for $700 and never mentioned the possibility of a larger bill. It felt like bait and switch to a large extent.

So, I told them “no thanks” to the expensive repair, please put me in touch with a salesman. So about 48 hours later said salesman finally gets in touch with me. I asked him to value my car and to let me know what he had in stock that might be of interest to me. About a day later he finally came back to me and offered me $9,500 less the price of repairs for my vehicle against a used XK8. Apparently this XK8 had been a demonstrator vehicle and had never been registered although it had 7,000 miles on the clock. I checked the value of this vehicle and nowhere could I get the value to the ridiculous $60,000 he wanted for it.

By now, nearly 10 days had passed since the vehicle originally made its way to the dealer and I was absolutely no further forward. In fact, I was becoming extremely agitated about how this dealer was treating me and it was time to dig my heels in. I decided I wasn’t going to be ripped off for $2,500 on a repair I knew full well didn’t cost that and I wasn’t going to be ripped off on trading it either. I vowed there and then to get out of this deal as cheaply as possible and to sell the car the day I got it back.

I did some more research, went online and found out more about the problem and I even paid $15 to a Jaguar technician online who told me what the issue was and what the cost should be. It turned out to be one of the best $15 I have spent as I was now armed with the ammo to lob at the service manager.

I went back to him and told him that certain replacement parts they quoted for were not necessary and that the total bill including the original incorrect diagnosis shouldn’t be more than $1600. Eventually he agreed with this and permission was reluctantly given for the vehicle to be repaired. Unbelievably the dealer still took another 7 days to make the repairs and shockingly, when we collected the vehicle we found the radio and cd player weren’t working. As we weren’t in any mood to mess around any longer with this dealer we drove away and straight away set about getting rid of the vehicle.

So where did we head first of all? Yes, you guessed it… the dealer that sold me my original MDX…the one my daughter was about to get! We drove in there and told them we were looking at our options. We told them we were looking to trade our Jaguar and we were considering purchasing an MDX because we had been very satisfied with our current one.

At some point in the conversation the sales person picked up on the fact that we actually needed two vehicles. One to replace the Jaguar and one to replace the MDX. The salesperson quickly started to turn the conversation towards “what a great deal we could do on two vehicles” and cleverly, before we knew it, she got my wife out of the showroom and test driving a used Acura TL.

My wife loved the vehicle but reality was that the deal for both vehicles wasn’t so great. The payments on both vehicles were higher than we wanted and after a time we ended up driving away to check out some other options. We drove to another dealer but the numbers he quoted on two vehicles there were nowhere close to what we had in mind and by now it became obvious that if we could get the Acura folks to sharpen their pencils, then we might be able to do a deal with them.

We drove back and after a while the deal was done. Thankfully. We got rid of the Jag and made sure that the Jaguar dealer was out of our lives forever. My daughter got her vehicle to drive back to Kentucky ready for the new college year and my wife and I got ourselves the vehicles we needed.

But in all of this there are so many business and life lessons. There are also so many unanswered questions. Questions like “why does it take so long to buy a new car at a dealer?”, “why don’t dealers treat customers properly?” and “why do they all play the same ridiculous sales game?”

We were at the Acura dealer nearly six hours doing this deal and at one point I could have quite happily walked away vowing never to buy another four wheeled monster again! It wasn’t that they were particularly difficult people to work with, it was just the fact they couldn’t alter their processes to suit me. I was left hanging around on several occasions… and I felt that the whole thing could have been done much quicker.

At the end of the day, most of my feelings of aggravation are now gone…at least until my youngest daughter decides she wants a car… but I’m still feeling a little bitter. At a time of recession when you expect people to go the extra mile to get a sale, why are so many folks utterly inept at making someone’s business feel valued?

In all I visited around a dozen dealers during this process and not one of them made me feel that my business was important to them. Most of the time I felt a nuisance and a pest. In the case of Jaguar, they have lost a customer for life…in the case of Acura, they’ve probably gained a customer for life…providing they treat me well.

But do I want to do it again? Did I actually enjoy the process of buying a vehicle… the 2^nd most expensive purchase in your lifetime? Hell no.

PS:

While my wife was out on her test drive at Acura, I took a look at the problem with the radio / cd in the Jag. Turned out that the technician hadn’t connected it back up but worse still, he hadn’t connected a breather pipe on the fuel tank!