That is especially true when there is no possibility of “correcting” that attitude!
I was heading out of town on a business trip a couple of years ago. I traveled a fair amount back then and had the routine pretty well down. But this particular day, I had been a little delayed getting out of my house and on the road to DFW Airport. I don’t live far from the airport so it wasn’t like I had to drive for an hour to get there. But if you’re running late, you are running late and the flight is missed whether near or far…
Having flown out of DFW a number of times, there was an offsite parking garage that I used frequently…The Parking Spot II. They are not far from the American Airlines terminals I use and provide a shuttle bus. As I approached DFW, the traffic slowed and the GPS in my car warned of delays due to an accident. (I often use GPS for a reasonably accurate ETA even when I know exactly where I’m going – just ask my wife.) There were already known road construction delays on that route, so I made a decision – follow the GPS-recommended route to the garage.
At the time, it seemed like a rational decision with the GPS-predicted delays. I tapped the screen to accept the recommendation, and was told to take the next exit a hundred yards distant. I did, and all was well! My new ETA was more palatable even though I was still running behind my preferred arrival time. I almost invariably arrive well before the scheduled departure time to allow for delays and, for me, it was cutting it uncomfortably close.
After a few minutes, the GPS told me to take the next exit from this alternate highway. I took one look at the exit and the surrounding area. GPS was telling me I was almost at my destination. It didn’t look right, so I overrode the GPS recommendations. It could re-calculate. Instead, it insisted on sending me back to that intersection. I exited about a mile farther down the road.
Not trusting the GPS at this point, I pulled into a parking lot, tapped the button on my iPhone and said, “Siri. Directions to the Parking Spot II.”
Siri – “There are two Parking Spots nearby. Which one do you want?”
I looked at the addresses, which really meant nothing to me, especially since Siri identified both as “Parking Spot,” nothing more. So I said – mostly to myself, “I don’t know…”
That’s when Siri’s attitude came out. “Well…nobody knows everything! End of call.”
WHAT?!! I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!!
I couldn’t believe ‘she’ had hung up on me – possibly my biggest pet peeve! I demanded directions from Siri again. But this time, having noticed phone numbers below the addresses, I called the closer site. I’ll show ‘her’ who’s the boss!
When I got a live person, I confirmed that this was “The Parking Spot II,” gave my location to the lady and got the directions from her! (I don’t normally admit this, but the GPS had been right all along.)
I was uncomfortably later than planned, but still well ahead of the flight time – no thanks to Siri! (Honestly, it’s a great app and I admire whoever programmed it…and their sense of humor!)
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