There is no honour among thieves anymore

Can't say that i'm really that surprised, but then again i am in some way.

I'm very much the ultimate sceptic when it comes to other people and society in general, i adhere to the school of thought that...

'If you want a job done properly, do it yourself.'

obviously this has it natural boundaries, i not going to start doing my own brain surgery but basically i don't trust anybody apart from my immediate family and friends, I'd deliver my own post if i could.

And what brings on this rant, well let me tell you a story:

I'm currently looking for a 'new' car (new to me) so i'm scanning the second hand adverts online. I find just the car i want and not too far away, the advert has just come online and i am the first to ring about it. I have a chat with the seller about the car and he seems OK, I explain, (shall we just call him Mr. Idiot from here on in?) that i'll be there as soon as i can as i have to pick up from nursery blah, blah, blah and he is fine with this. Mr. Idiot isn't home until after 4 anyway so i arrange to see the car at 7:30.

So am i surprised to get a phone call from Mr. Idiot a couple of hours later saying the car is sold so i needn't bother coming over, erm.... yes i am.

Mr. Idiot proceeds to tell me that someone came with cash, (i'm assuming a second hand car trader, we are talking kr 100 000 here!) and took the car away there and then..... yeah and so?? He thinks this is OK?? Is it just me or have i missed out the moment in time when general courtesy and keeping your word was officially abolished?

In my mind, and this is probably where things need adjusting i guess, I phoned first, ergo, i have first dibs, end of. If this other guy was so eager then Mr. Idiot had a sale regardless of whether i buy the car after viewing it or not, he could have honoured our verbal agreement.

I did really want this car but i'm not going to tell him that i'll take it over the phone, without a test drive and a general inspection?, do i just have to trust what he says in the ad? Do i tell him i want it on the phone and then go to see it and decide i don't, then i become Mr. Idiot.

Bah - whatever, i'm claiming the moral high ground but i have no car, who's the schmuck here?

This shit depresses me - meh - the car i'm not so bothered about, another will come along (hopefully) but this kind of crap i can do without, buying a car might have to become an 'if you can't beat them join them' situation, and so society continues to slide down the slippery slope and i'm a part of.

*EDIT* having read this again i'm fully aware that this is nothing new, people don't give a monkeys about other people all the time, and has been this way since the start of time, still frustrating tho.