REVIEW on WEEK 42: Haunted No Go

I really have to vent. I mean, long story short - we didn't go. Short story long - So Jubart and I get to Hollywood and Highland, and I figure we should just park there to avoid circling around Hollywood streets just to find a free space. $2 with Validation. Not bad. So we stop in to the Chocolate Factory and get some chocolate-covered strawberries to get us validated. Then we head over to 3360 Hollywood Blvd., across from Cherokee. We get there at 8:45pm, and we wait by the sign, just as Brian's (I guess he's the owner) email instructed. We call them to make sure we're in the right spot for pickup. No answer. But I leave a message telling them where we are and to give me a call when they receive the message. We wait till about 9:15, I call again. No answer. I leave another message, voicing my concern that they forgot to pick us up. We walk to the other location in front of the Metro Station. No one there either. I'm beginning to think this is a scam. No, actually, I had seen some red flags to begin with, so I dunno if my distrust made this night not happen, or if it was their unprofessionalism, or both. I mean, if you look at their website, it looks pretty cool, right? Looks legit. But when I talked to the guy on the phone, he sounded like a stoner - very unprofessional. When I emailed him, he didn't respond till the next day, even if I sent him an email in the morning. Plus, he said to call if we had any questions, yet he didn't leave his number on the email, and the email address itself was a Yahoo account. Luckily I paid through Paypal, so I opened a dispute, and am still waiting to receive a response and my full refund. But what a waste of time, money, and energy getting down there. I've never had such a bad experience with a tour company. They should have every person's number in hand to double-check they don't leave anyone behind, and to answer any questions should customers have any. What a joke!

Anyway, it made me think of all the times I've had these "instinctual feelings." I can tell something is going bad and it does go bad. Now, I don't know if it was my thoughts that made it happen, or if it was common sense - I saw a pattern that was obvious it would lead to disaster. In any case, I should have seen it coming... whether I thought it and it happened, or I was just aware of the problem and it happened on its own. But a little reassurance would have been nice. And I guess it's a bit of both. If the guy sounded professional, I would have placed more trust in him and I would have had no worries that the night would be flawless. But he didn't sound reliable. His unprofessional demeanor is why I worried, which also coincides with why he never followed through. (Wow, sounds like a mathematical problem.)

Case in point: Trust your instincts. They're usually right.