<p>Several weeks ago, I posted a request for information regarding D1’s contract employer not providing her with a 1099 for taxes this year. </p>
<p>Not long after I began the thread, a ‘lurker’ as she describes herself, PM’d me, offering help, as her husband works for the company. D was still trying to resolve the issue herself, but once she gave up several days later, she gave me the OK to pass along necessary information to this poster. Within two hours, D received a phone call from corporate offices, asking where they should send the 1099 to!</p>
<p>I’d ‘out’ the poster, but since she described herself as a lurker, I had to respect it. But it made me think, if I had an experience like this, chances are, I’m not the only one. So here’s the place to brag and thank the CC lurkers who are not looking for public acknowledgement, but we’d like to give it to them anyway (anonymously, of course!).</p>
<p>We had a bad experience with AAA. Son was stuck on the highway when travelling from his college to our home for one of the college breaks. I started a thread and documented the event. The car died about 3-4 hours drive distance from our home. AAA was of no help. He waited and waited and kept being told that he only had to wait another 20 minutes or so. FIVE hours past. Still stuck on the side of the road at the end of a ramp and darkness had fallen. I documented the event on the CC thread in real time mostly because I was a nervous wreck about having him stranded. Long story short–after about 5 hours on the side of the road, AAA towtruck towed his car and drove him to the house. The AAA towtruck driver basically held his car ransom in front of the house in the wee hours of the morning. He wouldn’t take a check or credit card and would only take cash–as if everyone can come up the over $500 in the middle of the night. Luckily, we were able to pool our money together and the car was taken off the flatbed and left. We were just happy to have son home safely. Anyway, over the course of the next day or two, I made many phone calls to AAA to complain about the service. They failed to take any responsibility and I documented this on CC. Well, one CC member to the initiative of sending a link to the CC thread and within minutes, I received a phone call from AAA apologizing and offering to upgrade our membership to the premium service for free plus one additional year. Up until them receiving the link to the CC thread, they tried to dismiss my phone calls. </p>
<p>Thanks again to the CC hero in my AAA fiasco. The hero–OldFort.</p>
<p>I have received extraordinary help and support from fellow CC’ers around LD issues and believe that our family’s decision-making and success in navigating the accommodations maze with secondary school, college, and the ETS have been in large part thanks to the information and support that have been so generously offered.</p>
<p>My d got the flu during her freshman year, 900 miles from home (flu shot was ineffective in her case). I posted a thread asking folks for ideas about what to do when their child was sick and far away. One very kind CCer, not a lurker, who lives in the Nashville area offered to check in on her and bring her what she needed from the drugstore, grocery store, etc. I was so touched and relieved to hear from her! As it happens, d’s hallmates and RA stepped up to take care of her - but it meant so much to know that a fellow parent was willing to help out.</p>
<p>Years ago, a student (who no longer posts) PM’d me with information on a scholarship he knew my son would qualify for at his college (based on info I posted). It was a $1000 scholarship - and we would have missed it completely if not for his urging. I mention it when my H complains that I spend too much time on CC!</p>
<p>i am always inspired by the kindness everyone on cc shows to their fellow posters and how frendly and helpful everyone is to each other. i have found lots of good information here and my questions are usually answered with very insightful tips.</p>
<p>however, i’m often a thread killer. just one post from me and for some reason threads dry up and roll away…</p>
<p>i don’t know how i have that effect on threads, but i usually do…</p>
<p>Look, wbow, you are a thread killer no more!</p>
<p>I forget to check my pms but I just did and there are three from parents who have children at the schools my son is interested in offering support and to answer my questions. </p>
<p>It’s not a crisis, of course, but being here in Texas with a kid who is looking at schools in New England it is helpful beyond words to get these glimpses into real life at these colleges. It puts a lot of my anxiety to rest just hearing from the parent of a current student who is doing well. I’m very grateful.</p>
<p>Also, I know very few other parents of gay children in my daily life. The posts and pms I’ve gotten here from other parents of gay children are like someone throwing me a lifeline. We’re in it together and that is so comforting.</p>
<p>teriwtt - You arranged for your D to meet my D and I last summer when we were visiting the school she attends. My D was so excited to get to speak with someone at the school and as she goes into the application process this fall, that school is still very high on her list!</p>
<p>When my S dropped out last year (in senior year…) several posters, some mostly lurking usually, PM’d me to privately discuss having gone through similar situations. It really, really helped.</p>
<p>Years ago I posted about some extremely stressful family life situations, complicated by a lack of funds to make my way home to help with it. Before it got sorted out within the family (over the course of a few weeks!), I received a PM from an incredibly kind CC parent offering help with plane tickets and advice. I didn’t take the offer, but it was so generous an act from someone who was essentially a stranger that it helped me calm down a great deal.</p>
<p>There have been several times when I have received PMs from kind CC parents which moved me to tears. Whether it was a stressful time in my life, worrying that I chose the wrong college, whatever the situation was. I even shared Prom pictures with one of them!</p>
<p>I feel bad thinking about all that now…I don’t post nearly as much as I used to. They probably think I’ve dropped off the face of the earth! :(</p>
<p>Never saw your prom pictures, HGFM, but I am glad to see you back on here!</p>
<p>I would like to do a shout-out to Hunt, who, through PMs, answered my many questions about becoming an Eagle Scout. I was very worried the whole religion thing (or lack thereof) would keep my son from making Eagle, and Hunt was quite reassuring and yet realistic about what needed to happen.</p>
<p>I don’t know who were lurkers and who were regular posters, but many of you have been very kind to me this year. It’s been tough to watch D struggle but the encouragement I’ve received and the info about debate have helped me through it. Thank you all.</p>
<p>Things are going much better. Most days when I call D I’m told she’s too busy to talk. Sweet sound to my ears!</p>
<p>I remember that one mother’s D’s overnight stay at a college was going horribly wrong. She mentioned it on CC, my H just happened to be online, and he was able to arrange for our D and her friends to pick up the slack and save the day. </p>
<p>CC is amazing in that its tentacles seem to reach almost everywhere!</p>
<p>I was one of the posters who was fortunate to see our beautiful HGFM’s prom pictures. She is a special young woman with a very kind heart who gives as much or more than she receives in friendship here.</p>