Gaslighting

 

Gaslighting

Sadly, this begins and ends with Phil projecting his thoughts as mine on the topic of pastor compensation and money. There have been forays through emotion and manipulation, varied levels of risk tolerance, faith fear, and some cowardice have seasoned this decade-plus of assigning me my thoughts and attitudes so they may be more easily countered.  I pray this has been rooted in a low EQ and not evil, though I cannot dismiss the latter.

I am not looking for vindication. I abide in the same counsel that I deliver to you.  This is not about me, but over the last few years, the frivolous and dilatory nature of his actions has brought us to this moment of Brinkmanship.

When I accepted the session’s call to pastor, the session and I agreed to an annual contract fee of $37,000.  This was a little less than we paid Duawn in monetary compensation and ten to twelve thousand less than we gave him in total remuneration. I would serve as an independent contractor. This was less than half of my salary as an executive for the newspaper, that is by monetary metrics alone. In actual consideration, it was one hundred percent less than what I walked away from as my expenses in the first couple of years were more than my contract fee. I was running my race, and this just didn’t matter.

I had some OJT (not that I consider this a job) learning to do. My call to pastor this body did not include the implied task of funding the missions and outreach of this body. Over the years I let many expenses migrate to their rightful place, the budget that reflects the priorities of this body. Today, I submit about three-fourths of what should be church expense as church expense. There is still joy in giving beyond the tithe.

I had some learning to do in the area of the tithe as well. For the first couple of years, I continued my tithe at my previous income level.  I still made ends meet in the Spence household but did not have the same peace as before when I tithed at my actual income level.

I did not hear an out-loud voice, but it was just as audible. Tom, I didn’t call you to singlehandedly fund the work of this body. If we go through this a third time, I’m renaming you Peter, not the Rock but Peter, Dumb as a Rock.

Lesson learned. After I returned to my tithe, my overall giving went up—a lot, not all of it here. My joy level spiked.

Over the years I have received increases and decreases but never asked for a raise. Never!

I have asked the elders to do what they said they would do at my ordination and installation: Review the pastor’s compensation annually.

Understand this—that was not a request for a raise disguised as a reminder to the elders of this congregation to let their yes be yes, and their no be no.  It was a genuine request for the elders to do what they said they would do.

What were (and are still) the three most likely outcomes? This one is a no-brainer, unless you set aside the sound mind that God gave you.

1.      Change nothing.

2.      Increase.

3.      Decrease.

There could be variations, but these are the primes.

Over the years, I have asked at least three times to begin the budgeting process two months, sometimes three months, prior to the elder retreat. Phil has always been prompt to say that we don’t need to do this.

When the retreat (and associated budgeting came), Phil  pressed to move past the promised review without discussion. When times were good, this was as prevalent as when they seemed tight. We have gone through a couple budget cycles where fear, not facts prevailed.

This was followed on more than one occasion by a Delpdown. The pinnacle of financial Delpdowns was the one highlighted by the words, “How much is enough?”

That’s the ad hominem fallacy added to the gaslighting.  While I don’t believe that I owe Phil an answer so long as he holds on to the yoke of Satan (see Delpdown Summary), you deserve one.

I do not have an upward limit. If I am trusted with something more, I am ready to put it to work at once. Anything less belies the lessons of my favorite parable from the Lord.

I have never asked for a raise but know what to do when I get one.

I did ask that the session consider consideration (yes, that is a viable subject-verb-object sentence) in the form of reducing the Sundays required by my contract. This was the most disappointed I have ever been with the session as a whole. The session approved my request with little discussion.

What I proffered was logical, fair, and presented clearly, but no one said, “That’s too many Sundays away.” In that moment, I knew that money, not mission, governed the hearts and minds of this governing body.

God sees the heart, but I have sufficient insight and analytical skills to assess it by the fruit it produces. I am within two standard deviations in my assessments thus far.

I took the Sundays. Up to that point, I had planned my time away willing to rush to my destination or from it. After that, I took the rushing part out. My passion for this ministry was not lessened, but my self-care logistics were much better. The message was clear. It’s all about the money.

This prompted another Delpdown. I came back from a trip that I had planned shortly after the agreement to decrease my Sundays in the pulpit. It had been posted on the planning dates for about 18 months.

Phil came to me in meltdown mode, saying he reads everything I send him and that nobody knew what was going on.

That statement alone should have created dissonance in his mind. I was a little taken aback by those thoughts and how he was transferring them to me.

I gave myself a gold star in that moment for not saying that we need to elect leaders from the body of Christ to be ordained and serve as elders with the pastor in the leadership of the congregation.  The meltdown level was already far beyond the actual situation.

Phil told me that he wanted to talk about me making too much with the session. We did.

In the course of that discussion, you witnessed some terseness from me. Why?

You know the words.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

How do you fight this?  With the truth.  You may have noticed that I interrupted Phil multiple times. Whether it seemed a significant point or just syntax, I stopped him at every fallacy until his attack was reworded.

It doesn’t matter if the enemy attacks with bullets or blashphemy, my job is to repel his attack before it gets within friendly lines.  The enemy didn’t have to penetrate our lines. He entered through one whom we thought was a fellow warrior for the Lord.

I was terse, not unfair. I was assertive, not aggressive. I was not at war with the man who was once my friend, and I hoped would be forever. I was fighting a servant (perhaps unaware) sent by Satan.

The truth, not logic and not emotion, was my defense.

Consider Eve and the Serpent in the Garden of Eden if Eve had just stood in the truth.

God said don’t eat of that tree.

Surley, he didn’t say that.

Yes, he did!

Truth is the best defense against dark and evil forces. End of story. Eve played along with the serpent’s game. Now, we all contend with deception.

Imagine if the response to Satan’s guile was truth given full strength. End of that attack.

Let her [truth] and falsehood grapple; who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open grapple. (Couldn’t pass up a little Milton).

I was not a participant in a civil discussion between two believers seeking to serve Christ. I was fighting spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places or as part of a fifth column within the leadership of this congregation.

Jesus directed us to love our enemies, not the enemy.

Phil has criticized me before for sending out repetitive information.  I told him that elders are often as bad as everyone else in remembering what’s happening. Yes, I answer the question, “When are we doing that thing?” within my own family more than you might imagine.

I did what I do regularly.  I assessed the new information and adjusted (OODA Loop). My previous assessment was on target, but I had room to maneuver in how to address it (OODA Loop).

I reduced the report to new information as much as possible while linking the new information to previous reports and analysis when it was longer than the new brevity standard that I had self-imposed.

Phil was still upset. I changed nothing further. Restricting the flow of information among decision-makers is counterproductive at best, an opportunity for manipulation most of the time.

I am accustomed to him second-guessing me. Over the years, when I have helped someone with budgeted benevolence funds, he has asked whether it was really what we should have done.

I said that I am very willing to operate within established principles and/or parameters set by the session. When asked if we wanted to develop them during that session meeting or later, he wanted neither. Second-guessing is easy, and comfort and complacency govern his actions when service to those whom he serves is the standard.

This behavior is common today (Dunning‑Kruger effect). Those least informed and involved judge (condemn) the quickest. Phil is neither informed nor involved in the missions, outreach, benevolence, or compassionate acts of this body.

I have invited but never pressured him to be involved in the work of the church. Mine is not to condemn his low participation level in evangelism, missions, outreach, fellowship, or other corporate efforts of this body. But it can’t be the standard of our local leadership, unless you are looking for a hospice chaplain in your next pastor.

Within the traditions of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, those called out of the body, elected, and ordained as elders were considered “Ruling Elders.”

The ordained minister of word and sacrament was considered the “Teaching Elder.”

Together, they govern/administer the proceedings of the congregation. The problem is that when the ruling elders do not have a teachable spirit, they just fill a position. It’s the whole fat, dumb, and happy model for neither serving nor growing, but holding office. God didn’t call you to be a placeholder.

Some have asked me if I am leaving because of Phil’s meltdowns. I am not. I don’t back away from a challenge.

In my estimate of how long I would be here, I estimated (and shared with the session) that sometime between the end of 2025 and the end of 2027, I would end my time in this pastorate. My most likely target was the end of 2026. I did not share that with the entire session, but to a few in casual conversation.

In response to what happened over the past couple of years, I did a Consider All Factors assessment of my end date. I decided on the end of 2025.

Delpdowns were not a factor in my decision. They made accepting my decision easier. Not having another Delpdown was an included benefit.

My assessment missed the mark. Phil stepped up his Delpdown game. I entertained a dilatory motion from him at the November meeting, hoping that we could focus on cleaning up some loose ends and the transition. I think that empowered him to seek to be even more obstructive. I had hoped that his focus would be the smooth transition from one pastor to another. Looks like the no-more-Delpdown benefit won’t kick in until next year.

My emotions prompt me to ask for your forgiveness that you are witness to what has transpired; however, that belies your calling. I won’t do that. You need to witness and assess what has transpired to effectively govern (serve) God and this congregation going forward.

I am not asking you to concur with anything I said. I ask that you have situational awareness above that of the members so as to be more effective. That means that you must know the good, bad, and ugly that others don’t.

 

I do ask that you proceed with caution in adopting Phil’s let’s wait until we meet to talk about anything. Almost 50 years ago, I embraced the concurrent and parallel planning model as necessary to keep pace with the leadership demands of that time. Even then, the stovepipe model was obsolete in all things except those requiring the most deliberate approach (justice system). Things move much faster now.

I understand his desire to move things at a pace that no longer exists. I get that.

Slowing or stopping information flow to subsidize the comfort of complacency must have no purchase in this body's leadership.

Much of what I send out is informational and requires no immediate action. We act between meetings or see things overcome by events. If we do this too much, we become reactive.

If this was the local Rod and Gun Club, it wouldn’t matter, but you have been entrusted with the leadership of this small part of the body of Christ. A couple of hours a month won’t do the trick.

The reactive model misses opportunities, prolongs a process unnecessarily, and either ignores issues or makes death-by-6-hour meeting a standard practice.

Here is the fallacy of having to slow down and stovepipe everything just so we can talk about it in a sit-down meeting.  I have never asked the session not to talk about something during the more than 700 hours each month that we are not in a session meeting.

I would hope that the health and welfare of this body is always on your hearts and minds and that ongoing conversations are the natural follow-on to worship, education, meetings, and anything else in the life of this body.

Were we prone to factions. I might be more guarded in this area, but thus far my experience here as pastor and elder notes that these are the exception.

Here is the thing about advance sheets, emails, and other before the meeting items. They get us through the usual suspects that precede any creativity, quality analysis, or things otherwise counterproductive before we meet.

For those who were present and remember, I included my experience on the board at the Children’s Home/Youth and Family Services as a prompt to the congregation not to wait for the organizations of the CPC to decide when the Lord himself has commanded or commissioned us to do the thing (love, reach out, share, proclaim…).

I labeled the model of this board as Fat, Dumb, and Happy. Passive and reactive would have been less colloquial, but you are accustomed to the figurative language of the pastor you have endured for years.

Passionate and proactive are the qualities that I hope you embrace.

 

Phil can gaslight me to his heart’s content and I will be no worse for it. Yes, I did the Hanlon’s Razor drill to make sure that I was not misreading laziness as gaslighting. It is the latter. I have lived in a glass house for years. Cheap shots from those not in the arena do not deter me. My family knows that is the cost of doing business when they belong to a man who has embraced two major callings over the years.

What you must not let Phil do is persuade you to adopt the wholly reactive mode. You were called, elected, and ordained as elders for so much more.

Imagine a fireman saying if their house is on fire, they can come get some water.

Imagine the policeman saying if someone is robbing your house, they can bring the thief down to the station.

Imagine being commissioned to take the gospel—life—to the world and saying, if they want words of life, then they can come ask.

Imagine saying, if the need or request doesn’t fit into my two hours a month window, it’s not happening. Okay, you don’t have to imagine that one.

The term ruling elder is a tradition from a time when leading and serving were not as far apart as they seem today. Don’t surrender to the thinking that our titles exempt us from service. If anything, we must model service.

Jesus washed feet.

I hope that you don’t view this as self-vindication or preening.

I’m not asking for your compassion or sympathy. This whole God’s grace is enough and no weapon formed against me shall prevail is enough for me.

I’m not asking you to take sides.

I’m not even asking you to set aside your existing paradigms and life navigation tools and concur in everything I say. If those lenses include Tom’s just a nutcase, too serious about small stuff, or he’s the one with the skewed perspective that we need to keep an eye on; this synopsis is not intended to change that.

I’m asking you to consider all factors as you move forward.

I’m asking you to be in constant communication with God and be led by his Spirit in this difficult matter.

I believe you know the Shepherd’s voice. Hear what he says and act.  Do what the Spirit leads you to do.

Gaslighting does not belong in Christian leadership.

 

Mars Men is a SCAM!.

 

Sometimes a product doesn’t work as expected. I get that.

Sometimes it just doesn’t work for an individual or groups of individuals. I get that.

I tried the product because of the guarantee that after 90 days if I was not satisfied, I would get a complete refund. That was a lie.

THAT WAS A LIE!

As I approached the end of my first month’s use, I contacted Mars Men and advised them that the product wasn’t doing anything for me and was skeptical about continuing.

Mars Men assured me that staying the 90-day course was the best course of action, and that they would refund me “no questions asked” if it still did not work.

THAT WAS A LIE!

Even after I cancelled and requested a refund, Mars Men billed me for yet another month. I contacted my credit card company and they reversed that charge.

That prompted Mars Men to contact me asking me to cancel what the credit card company had done to reverse the charges because life is tough for a growing business. They said they would send me a voluntary refund. They balked at honoring the 90-day promise and thought I was gullible enough to fall for this scam as well with billing me one more time after I cancelled.

Life is tough for a growing business. It’s tougher when you are stupid and have no integrity. If you are true to your word, there are few, perhaps no integrity issues and you don’t have to sing Poor, Poor Pitiful Me when you screw the pooch and charge your customer after he has cancelled.

I hope that the product works for some people. I’m not saying it won’t but be advised this is a LET THE BUYER BEWARE venture for sure. I will eventually get my money back. The fraudulent claims have been filed.  It would have been simpler if Mars Men had just honored their promise, but I will recover my losses.

For the one tempted to try the product, be ready to assume all risk or fight to get your money back if it doesn’t work for you.

Let the buyer beware. There is no truth in advertising at Mars Men.

 

Mars Men was given an opportunity to comment prior to publication. They have to bump this up to the control team. Sounds familiar. I’m not holding my breath for a reply.

***

Even after an extended dialogue with Mars Men, over a week later they continue new marketing with the same deception.

And if you were wondering about the asterisk, it has nothing to do with the fraudulent guarantee.

***

And yet another week later, Mars Men is sending out new adds with the old, false promise. 

***

On 17 August 2026, I received an ad from Mars Men without the 90-day money back guarantee. They changed their tactics while preserving the deception. Now they say you should see results in about 15 days as opposed to 90 days. The product is apparently unchanged, but their deception has. Same product. Differet promises.

If this is true, why then did they tell me to stick it out at the 25-day mark and do the full 90 days? That should be a rhetorical question, but I will answer it anyway. It is a scam. It is fraud. 

Apparently, they know they were caught red handed too many times in their money-back lie and they needed a bold promise of performance without backing up their words with a guarantee. Scammers!

LET THE BUYER BEWARE.

Steer Clear of Wyndham

 

On Thursday, 11 December 2025, I and my wife were returning from a 10-day cruise ported out of Galveston, Texas. It’s a good drive home but Wichita Falls seemed like a good stopping point.  I could get a little rest, a little middle of the night work online, while my wife used the roll in shower and got some sleep.

My check-in was tolerable. The word welcome was never used, but I did cheer up the young lady at the desk and perhaps got her through whatever was weighting her down.

I caught a couple hours then went to the front desk, not expecting to interrupt any check-ins. I noted the WIFI problem in general terms to the clerk now on duty and she replied “meh” and that was it.

I said, “Ok, then if I’m not getting WIFI access, I’m just going to grab a soft drink and sit in here for a moment to reframe my work plan. I asked where the machines were. She eventually told me where the vending machine was. I think the fact that I had not gone away after her indifference to my WIFI issue upset her and I was supposed to go find signs and read them.

I came back into the lobby and proceeded into the breakfast area. There was a sign that said it was closed. The young woman made no preemptory comment when I told her my plan to get a soft drink and sit in that area, until I sat in that area. I had violated the authority of the sign that said breakfast was closed and promptly complied by moving into the lighted lobby where there were no signs. I had barely seated myself when the clerk admonished me for sitting in the lobby. It’s closed! You can’t sit there. I can ban you from this hotel for 2 years. Wow!

I got this hotel at a good, off-season rate (not on the Wyndham app), and had to wonder why run your guests off if you have to offer a low rate just to get them here?

The logical fallacies abounded, but who puts a check-in desk in a closed lobby? I knew not to engage this young lady enjoying her power trip, but I am also not tolerant of blatant disrespect or for being blamed for another person’s bad attitude. I have been gaslighted before.

The civil thing to do to resolve this fabricated violation of my many wrongs was to speak to the manager. I knew it was the middle of the night when I asked for the number. She made the point of reminding me.  I served as a Marine Infantry officer for 20 years, a pastor for 18, and a newspaper executive for another 5. Nobody forced me to those callings and assignments. If you take the job where people stay overnight, work at night, or where problems may arise at night, then being available as a manager during the night is just part of the duty.

The young lady on a power trip gave me her manager’s card. It rang at the front desk. She got an extended laugh out of that. At least Wyndham gets some amusement from those they suckered into their system.

When I found out that the manager number was a ploy, I asked the lady to call the police. She was shocked. She couldn’t figure out why.

She called her manager and started talking as if she was on the run from a dozen thugs with chains. She would step near her station and then dart away behind a petition, then repeat. I think she was playing to the cameras she said were running. I hope they were.

I’m wondering if her manager was thinking the National Guard might be needed as the panicked voice continued.  Remember, this voice kicked in when I said it was time to call the police.

Her description of me opened my eyes to racial profiling. I have been profiled before. As one of ten lighter skinned people in western Kena around Langas/Eldoret—about 6 million people—I saw father’s pointing at me.  I was white and you just don’t see too many white folks in those parts. Being a father, I would have done the same and pointed out the unique to my son had roles been reversed.

The African people were not hateful. I was an enigma. I got it. Roles reversed, I can’t say I would do much different.

The people at the Baymont (I’m including the unseen manager) were up to no good. I don’t know what. Their objectives are obscure when the I can have you removed from the hotel was among the first things the clerk said after I reported the WIFI not working. I wasn’t going to let this pitiful scam affect me. This young lady got excited when I asked for the police.

She did ask me to leave and the police said that she could do that. The police were professional and followed the law. We packed and left at zero dark thirty.

I get it. Some people are pissed at the world and even more upset at white people. I addressed this with Geoffrey A. Ballotti, the Wyndham CEO. I knew that the hotels were their own entity but still under the Wyndham brand. I also expected that a senior executive, not Ballotti, would get back with me.

 

I didn’t ask for a refund or threaten to sue the hotel and Wyndham for racial profiling. I simply ask Mr. Ballotti, whom I now call No Balls Ballotti, to say this was not the Wyndham way.  Apparently, it is. The Wyndham response was pitiful and leaves me to believe that racial profiling is desirable among Wyndham executives and employees.

 

My previous experience with Wyndham properties was average. They have earned top honors in the bottom of the barrel category.

 

STEER CLEAR OF WYNDHAM!

An Attaboy to Hilton and a referral offer for you

 

Every credit card has its perks these days. Some are points for cashback or to go towards something else. I thought that I had found the best that I could, that is with no annual fee, until I came upon an offer from Hilton.

I don’t pay interest on credit cards because I use them as if they were cash or a check. If the money is not in my banking account, I don’t use the card. Card companies make plenty via their transaction fees, but they are not making any money on interest from me.

That’s the long way of saying; the interest rate is not what is important to me because I don’t carry a statement balance beyond the due date. I can’t say how this card compares to others as far as the APR goes. If the APR is important, you probably don’t need another card. That may be harsh, but appropriate: Don’t do debt.

But if you want to leverage what money you have via a card, this one has bonuses that I realized before my first statement was ready. That got my attention, considering with other cards I waited weeks, sometimes months for the perks to post.

If you travel, it’s worth consideration.  By offering this referral link, we both get something. You get the big bonus, but I get a small one as well.

That said, Hilton gets an attaboy today!

 

Link posted below as well.

 

https://americanexpress.com/en-us/referral/hilton-honors?ref=THOMASQAeD&XL=MIZNS

BLUECHEW IS A SCAM!

 Pushing 70 and thought I would try the BlueChew Cialis. I had tried Viagra and Cialis before. The Cialis was reasonably effective. The Viagra, much less so.

 It was now time to try Cialis with greater frequency.

The BlueChew ads looked legit, but they are a SCAM!

I say it again: BLUECHEW IS A SCAM!

I ordered Cialis and they sent me an email stating they were sending Viagra. I told them I didn’t order Viagra, but they said it’s on it’s way and there is nothing they could do about it.

That’s obviously a lie. IT IS A LIE!

I order over $1000 online from various vendors. There were multiple course of action available.  At this point, I suspected that the legit—looking website was just the scammers getting better.

After multiple exchanges with the scammers sticking to the “we can’t do anything line” it became obvious that the business was not legit.

One of the responses told me that I could cancel future orders by going on the website. I DON’T HAVE A SUBSCRIPTION to something that I didn’t order.

Had BlueChew delivered what was purchased, they might have had a subscriber. The dosage, frequency, and price were acceptable.

But they botched the order and stand by their incompetence.

My instinct is to say, unbelievable, but I have seen plenty of scammers in my time and believe it.

Instead, I say: LET THE BUYER BEWARE!.

 

BLUECHEW IS A SCAM!

 

Finding a reputable company for what I wanted didn’t take much longer. There are companies trying to do legitimate business.  BlueChew does not number among them.

 

FAFO

An Appeal to Carnival Passengers as the Executives at Carnival Don't Care

 I got another no reply from the Carnival Cruise Line CEO and the customer service department.  I have been down this road before when Carnival tried to pull a bait and switch on me.  Their reply is not to reply beyond the automated reply that says (lies) we will get back to you.

But even if Carnival doesn't care about their loyal customers, I do and I have seen frustration over this issue that can be resolved with little or no cost.  You think Carnival might bother to read my suggestiion and let me know they don't like it, if that is even possible.

The problem as I explained it to various nonresponsive people at Carnival, was that there is no same level egress from the main dining room. Scooters and walkers are not prime candidates for stairs, but there are no other options for the wheelbound. 

The result is that people ride elevators down to go up after waiting 15 minutes to get an elevator. My offering requires no restructuring of the ship. Do you think that might have been an incentive to at least look at my suggestion?

Here it is, ready to sign and promulgate and relieve passengers' frustration.  

Dear Carnival Cruiser,

At Carnival, we strive to be on the cutting edge of the cruise industry. Sometimes, we don’t catch a trend in time to modify our ships, such as the increasing number of cruisers requiring scooters, wheelchairs, walkers, and other mobility assistance devices.

This issue is prevalent in the aft dining rooms aboard all but our most recent designs. Passengers often devise their own workarounds, mainly riding down to go up. This confounds the problem, lengthens the wait, and increases cruiser frustration. But what can be done? Reconfiguring the ship's structure is not a viable option.

We have not ignored the problem but proffer a course of action to mitigate the issue. If you require an elevator to the upper decks to transit the ship, consider riding down one level and traversing the ship in the living quarters passageways on the lower decks. This gets you to other elevators and makes the ride up available for the next group. There are fewer lower decks than upper decks. Thus, this will help all make quicker exits from the confined area outside the aft dining room.

We also offer deck 4 seating priority to those requiring mobility assistance. This provides access to the rear elevators and an avenue of egress out of the elevator area if they are crowded. For this reason, we will now be opening deck 4 for the Sea Day Brunch.

For all those who require elevators, please read our Elevator Protocol Guidance.

At Carnival, we want you to enjoy your cruise and hope to reduce areas of frustration. Thank you for your loyalty and patience as we educate passengers on these practices. Please help by sharing these insights with your fellow passengers.

Sincerely

PUTT, PUTT, NO MORE PIZZA HUT.

 Putt, putt to the Pizza Hut. That’s what I grew up with.  I thought Pizza Hut was the top-shelf pizza company in America. Good product. Good times. Good stuff.

But it only takes one corporate-level employee to destroy 50 years of customer loyalty. I’m not sure what rewards this man will receive, but he pulled it off. In his efforts to defend his mistake, he sent 50 years of goodwill packing. He probably got a medal or a bonus for his efforts.

Here it is as quickly as possible…

I ordered a pizza for my wife and me after Sunday worship. It had been a while since we had a Sunday afternoon without grandkids, and my wife was up for it. I went to the app to order it. The store I use the majority of the time was closed.

That seemed odd, but the weather had been bad, the flu was in full swing, and Pizza Hut had had staffing issues at multiple locations. Not to worry. I went to my alternate location. Both are about 40 minutes one way by car.

The app confirmed my order at the designated time in Clinton, Oklahoma. I hit the road, only to arrive and find no record of an order.

I gave the info to the people behind the app, and this is what I received in reply.

We don’t know why our app said the store was closed.

We sent you an email.

I told them I don’t check my email when I drive, and I shouldn’t need to once you confirm the order. The order I made was confirmed, and I was driving. That was an hour and a half wasted.

I’m going to say this again. I DO NOT CHECK OR READ MY EMAIL WHILE I AM DRIVING.

The person from Pizza Hut (Patrick S.) said he would send a coupon to the location where I had not ordered my pizza. I had previously told him that I was through with Pizza Hut, so his option was not to address the fraud on his part but to give me an option in which I couldn’t kick Pizza Hut to the curb if I wanted any compensation.

I think Patrick graduated from the School of Bait and Switch with honors.`

This one went to the credit card company, and the charges were reversed. I have not heard from Patrick or any other Pizza Hut representative.

I understand that companies make mistakes. Sometimes, their tech and devices make them for them, but when you are talking human to human, most companies worth their salt want to do right by their customers. Most.

To date, neither Patrick nor Pizza Hut has responded to this article.

I will conclude on a positive note. The Pizza Hut employees here in western Oklahoma are fantastic. It’s a shame the company doesn’t care about them or their customers. The local people are great, though.

PUTT, PUTT, NO MORE PIZZA HUT.