Choose your words carefully

When I first began this entry I thought I would make it about a salesman's inability to understand what his customers needs were, but as I thought about what transpired that day, I realized the problem resided with me and my inaccurate choice of words.

A few months back our clothes dryer needed to be replaced. I looked at a few models which were competitively priced at two different stores. I thought I would like the door that opened down instead of my old model whose door opened sideways, but I wasn't sure if I liked the models with the vent inside the dryer door or the ones with it on the top of the dryer.

When I asked the salesman if there was any advantage to having the vent on the top of the dryer instead of in the door, he said the screen was larger. Well, he was right, and I ended up going with the model which had a door that opened down with a vent on top.

I hate the darn thing. I can't easily reach the clothes in the back of the dryer when the door is open because I am so tiny and I can't pull out the vent screen without having dust falling all over the top of the dryer-- which is where I place my folded clothes. And pulling out the screen is challenging enough, because I am so short I have to go up on my toes to get it all the way out.

Now I am stuck with this dryer that I hate for the next seven to ten years, because there is no way we will replace it before it dies.

Lesson learned: Choose your words carefully...very carefully.