When Saving Time is a Waste of Time

I'd like to think that I'm efficient. I try to anticipate events ahead of time and be proactive, so that my plans don't go sideways and can be completed without incident. So when our new-to-us Joovy Zoom 360 rear tire went flat, Clever Me decided to order the replacement tires on Amazon right away, because as if the local bike shop would have the right Joovy parts, even if they *can* install a new tire, which they probably can't. Scoff, scoff I ordered new rubber rear tires as well as inner tubes, and patiently awaited their arrival.

Well, two weeks later, my order came in. Unfortunately, in my clever haste, I foolishly ordered the wrong inner tubes (12" instead of 16"), so right away I shot off another Amazon order and waited some more. 

Fast forward *another* two weeks, and my inner tubes finally arrived. I think the Amazon seller was shipping them all the way from Great Britain, according to the postage. Anyway, I ripped open the package with excitement and expectation; finally, 16" tubes! 

Except they weren't. They were 12" tubes... again... this time the fault of the seller. By now, Little L was expecting her stroller to be repaired ASAP, having patiently endured its absence for the past month. Oh, the indignity of having to *walk* (or in her case, scooter)! *insert eye roll*

Desperate nonetheless, I finally placed that one-minute call to the local bike shop to see if they could help in any way. I was prepared for rejection, and fully expected them to feign complete and total ignorance. As luck would have it, however, they *do* carry 16" inner tubes, and even had them on hand for immediate replacement. They could also get the stroller fixed whenever I brought it in; no appointment necessary. Great news and relief, but at the same time I also felt like the biggest idiot ever; I should have rang them up in the first frickin' place!

Anyway, the parts and labour total amounted to approximately the same cost as just ordering a set of those stinkin' inner tubes. I donated both sets of 12" tubes to the bike shop as a gesture of my gratitude, and also because what the heck am I going to do with 4x12" inner tubes?! The UK seller that screwed up my order has vowed to refund me for their error, and our stroller is awesomely functional again. It only took a month to accomplish something that would have only taken (as it turns out) an hour, had I not been too clever for my own good. *insert eye roll* Trying to save time was a complete and utter waste of my time.

So the moral of the story is, don't make assumptions about anything, not even stroller tires and bike shops. And always invest in that 1-minute phone call. It could save you weeks of time.