Happy carpeting

[Ozz]

We were prepared to dedicate our day to achieve clean, fresh smelling carpeting. It had been much too long since we cleaned them, as we had not followed the recommended schedule.
Sue and I moved furniture, threw away magazines we hadn’t glanced at for years, and even did away with a bookcase that was now bare.
I left to search for the perfect carpet cleaning machine.
I arrived at the new rental place I had driven by numerous times, walked in and scanned the display floor for my machine.
A lone, dark Grey machine sat there in the corner. I wasn’t impressed, but rolled it up to the counter, the attendant walked around mechanically pointing at levers and switches on the old beat up machine. I was thinking, every nice shiny carpet cleaning machine was being used by the lucky people that got there first. I was a little embarrassed at refusing the machine, especially after I made her walk around and explain the operation. I did wheel it back in it’s lonely corner, maybe someone would take it today, just not me.
About three miles down the road was the rental place I usually go to, I dislike going there, as the counter people are brisk and rude, rushing you out the door with your mouth still open, with an unanswered question.
I was lucky, as there was a couple in front of me placing an order for a rental. I walked back to the carpet machines, about 5 of them all lined up under some shelving, three were the same, two were different models. I picked one, pulled it out in the isle and walked back up front. By this time the couple was being rushed out the door with a vacuum or something, still asking questions on the way out.
I asked the lady what the difference was between the carpet cleaning machines back in the isle, she said “The are all the same.”
I knew this was going to be unpleasant right then. I said that I noticed different switches and different levers, she stuck to her story. I gave in, and started filling out paperwork, after telling her I wanted the one I pulled out. A young man emerged from the back and wheeled the machine up front. I thought I would check it out, the cord had the ground pin missing from it’s end, and the cord was frayed where it went into the machine. I told the lady I needed a grounded plug, she reached under the counter and produced a two pronged Grey adapter for a three pronged plug, to a two pronged plug. I declined that, told her it still wouldn’t be grounded, and asked for a new cord cap with a ground pin, told her I would install it for them. She called to the back room, an unpleasant older man arrived and looked at the plug. He stated that they are all like that, and come that way.
I took a deep breath and politely stated that I would be working on a wet carpet, with a wet machine, with a wet power cord, and I needed to have the machine grounded. He said, “come over here and look at the cord, it comes that way”. The pin had clearly been removed from the three pronged cord end, I didn’t even respond.
I told the lady behind the counter to give me my paperwork, I voided their copy, and I left. You just can’t win an argument with an idiot.
Three more miles and a Price Chopper had 6 new shiny, Rug Doctor machines, some wide and some regular, I rented the wide one, all went well, (The Rug Doctor had a grounded plug) the carpeting is happy now.