Category: the Rant Board
Yesterday evening, a friend and I went to church, my friend who is vi and another a friend of ours who is sighted, and of course me. The sighted friend was the one driving as you can guess, well so anyways we get to church and our friend says I'll drop you guys off here in the front and I'll go park the car then come back and help you in. So that was fine with us we said ok cool. Well anyways we waited where our friend dropped us off and waited, and waited and after 35 minutes or so nothing. So we go inside to security, describe our friend, and the car he was driving. He goes searching, friend nor car to be found anywhere. So this time we are very upset and angry because of what happened as it seems he'd bailed on us. They even searched the sankturary for him, put his name on the screen and nothing. Well so anyways after the service still no sign of him anywhere. So luckily my friend had a relative who was home and so they came and got us. Now how inconsiderate and stupid for someone who is a friend and trust worthy can someone be to leave two visually impaired people stranded at a church in a parking lot? That was very immature of him and childish. Personally I think we were taken advantage of by him and needless to say we will never go anywhere with this friend again, if you can consider him a friend at this point.
I'm wondering if anyone here has had the same experience? If so how did it make you feel? What did you do about it? And then the friend had the knerve to call us and blame it on us that he was there and we moved on him and wasn't where he dropped us off which was not true.
Troy
I have not had a friend or other driver do that to me, but I have had some incidences with the bus when I was at a program in Austin. Actually just 2. Once, my mobility instructor and I were coming back from a lesson. We had to take 2 buses, and we were waiting for the second one to get back to the school/center. So I heard a bus stop at our spot and went to ask that driver if it was the right one. But his wasn't but the other bus that was there was. But when we were about to go toward the other bus, it just started leaving. We hadn't taken a long time with the first one, and the second one hardly even waited at all. So the first bus started trying to get the other's attention to stop for us, but it didn't work. SO we had to walk the rest of the way back. It wasn't that far, but I thought that was really crappy of that second bus to just ignore that there may have been some riders wanting to get on, and that it could have actually stopped and waited, since we hadn't actually stepped onto that other bus. The other time was when my O&M instructor, this other student, and I were taking the bus back to the school/center, and we were trying to get the bus driver's attention to remind him of our stop. Apparently he had forgotten or wasn't paying attention when we first told him when getting on. But when me and the other student tried to tell him our stop had come up, he just passed it anyway, and he let us off a few blocks away, not even at a bus stop! For me, that was upsetting also because if I were alone, or didn't know the area I was at, that'd be pretty confusing and scary for me. Luckily my instructor informed me of the area we were left at, but it still took me a few minutes to figure out how to get back to the school, even though I did recognize the names of the streets we were at.
Was it too much for you to enter the building yourself think of it as an adventure.
Totally agree with goblin, couldn't youhave enterred the church yourselves without having to wait for 40 minutes for sighted guide, surely that's not all that terribly much trouble.
Sure it was inconsiderate but you got to try and be that teeny bit independent and self sufficient some time, how are you going to get through life if you can't even find your way inside a building from a parking lot without sighted guide?
There are two sides to every story, and judging by the rambling incoherent first post I'm not inclined to take it at face value.
Exactly wildbrew. If need be, get mobility in the church so that you never have the problem again. You can't rely on others to help you. You must help yourself. And always have a back up plan if someone strands you. For me, I make sure that the people I'm traveling with #1 has cell phones. And phones turned on. Two, have a secondary place to meet up. If you can't get there, you call. And if they can't get there, you call. No, don't be rude to the person, just kindly ask why the person bailed on you to begin with. There may have been a logical reason: a family emergancy or late for a appointment/work. --No one needs to tell you in detail of emergancies or appointments, not your business. But if they tell you, then you need to accept it. Plan #3, if need be, call a cab or call transit and get the nearest bus stop to your church, and times of pickup/drop offs.
If none of this works then your friend needs to at least have a contact who can pick you up.
Hi Troy,
This Board Topic you have started reminds me of a time several years back when the fellow I was dating and I went on a double date with a couple who were friends of ours. The other guy was driving and the four of us went to Detroit to the riverfront to take the Belle Isle Bob-Lo Boat ride. It was such a lovely day. We left early in the day driving the approx. 30 mile trip to the river front. There were two boats running on the river taking ones from Detroit, the river front to the Island. If I remember the boat ride was say about an hour’s ride. Anyhow, at the Isle that was a park setting, was such a lovely place to be. We spent the day and then…. somehow we got mixed up in when we would meet back at the launch to make the return trip as while at the Isle we as couples went our separate ways for a few hours….well, they took the ride back that left before we thot we were all to meet… thankfully they did wait for us back at the riverfront in Detroit but we did have a few moments of anguish when we on the boat and searching for the other couple and not finding them….. this also was at a time before cell phones were so popular and none of us had them.
Connie
Well at least it was near a place which at least 1 of you were familiar with. Your friend could have done worse, the friend could have left you in the middle of nowhere and allowed you to think you were where you should have been. It's still inexcuseable to deceive someone like that and I'd nevr do it. At least if I was going to leave someone in a place they didn't know very well I'd tell them and furthermore, I'd explain why and I'd have to have what I considered to be a good reason
Um, so, while it's a lousy thing to drive off without telling you guys, surely you could have got in by yourselves, and maybe got a cab home between you? That's assuming you don't know or don't trust the public transport in the area. Did you really need to get security involved and stand around in the carpark for so long?
agreed erin. While it was a pretty lousy thing to do, especially if your friend had no reason to, i still think that, trying, at least,to be independent and make your own way into the building and then asking for a taxi number or bus timetable might have been a more intelligent way of dealing with the problem, rather than making securety run around for you.
Finally we got someone to pick us up but next time we make sure that we do have a better planning. This was such a short notice but I agree, we should of had a backup plan.
Troy