Today's WTH?! Moment

I got rained on this morning on the way to school, and the rain turned to snow sometime during third period. I mention this only because it is tangentially related to the rest of the post. Or, as Bill Cosby once said, "I told you that story so I could tell you this one."

After teaching today, I took my car in to get it inspected and registered. In Utah, we not only have the annual emissions test that most states have, we also have a state safety test the car has to pass. I've never had a problem with any car, even the Dreadnought, passing either test. That was before Lula, however. As longtime reader(s) may remember, Lula failed the safety inspection last year because of a mirror, of all the stupid things.

Anyway, the registration actually expired on March 31st, and while they don't normally pull people over with tags that recently expired, I wanted to get it taken care of today. So off I went, coupons in hand to save $11 on the process.

I waited in the lobby for almost 45 minutes for what they told me would be a 20 minute inspection, but at last the guy came out and said, "You're all set." I assumed that meant everything was taken care of. Only it wasn't.

My car failed the safety exam. For the second consecutive year. Why this time, you ask? Oh, you're going to love this.

The car failed because I have snow tires on it.

Apparently the state of Utah, whose license plates say "Greatest Snow on Earth"—the license plate I have on Lula right now says that, in fact—doesn't allow studded snow tires after the first of April.

WTH?!

I was incredulous. I asked, rather reasonably, I thought, "Are you serious?" He said yes, he'd even called the State Patrol to verify it. They couldn't pass a car with studded tires after April first.

I couldn't help but ask: "Even though it's snowing right now?"

He seemed sympathetic, but of course there was nothing he could do. Except take my thirty-six bucks and tell me to come back in fifteen days or less once I'd got my tires replaced.

I was warned last year about using this place. Well, not this particular place, I'd actually gone to a different location this year. But this chain. I'd been warned that they look for stupid, ticky-tack things to pick out to fail your car. I'd never had that experience before with this franchise, so I didn't think too much about it. I'm definitely thinking about it now.

Now, I'm not the kind to mention names....



...but suffice it to say I'll be taking my business somewhere else next year.

Because saving eleven dollars on the inspection is no savings at all if you then have to turn around and spend $225 on tires.