Honda has lost me

Ever since I reached a "certain age" (no points for guessing), the publication Club 50 has been after me. For a long while I resisted. I don't want to read your publication, I told the persistent sales rep over the phone; if anything, I want to write for it. I don't need your courses and don't have time for them. I'm too busy working. I am computer-literate, having worked with PCs since the Unhappy Days of DOS 1.1; I don't need advice on how to deal with grandchildren because my grown kids are showing no signs of sprouting offspring; etc etc.

Nonetheless, I was somehow sucked into subscribing. Perhaps out of solidarity with other people born circa 19??. Or perhaps because I used to work alongside Amnon Herzig at Bank Hapoalim's head office. Or perhaps my resistance sagged because I happened to be sleep-deprived, or coffee-deprived, or chocolate-deprived that day. Whatever.

This month's magazine contained an ad for Honda Jazz which, according to said mag, is terrific for ferrying about your grandkids. A big black-and-red voucher was attached, offering a 5000 shekel discount.
And guess what the voucher says, in smaller print, under the big promise:

בואו עם ואוצ'ר זה לאחת מסוכנויות הונדה ותוכלו לבחור בין...

Sorry, Honda guys, you have lost me as a prospective customer. And not just because I don't have grandkids. Are you lost for words, or what? Couldn't you think of the Hebrew word for voucher? You think I'd be less impressed by your generous offer had you written שובר הנחה ?

3 comments:

N K said...

Yes. And, of course, the list of these sorts of things is endless. My most recent encounter, last wk, was when I asked for a "shovar matanah" at a store and the clerk responds by saying "geeft cahrd"

Nachama

Nina Rimon Davis said...

Wow!Doesn't that just take the cake!
Definitely worse than the ubiquitous "newsletter" transliterated in Hebrew.

Nina Rimon Davis said...

... that Miriam Erez said:
"Oy vey, don't get me started on loazit. Instead of going down that road, why not list things that we've referred to in loazit that have "come back home" to Hebrew? I'll start: pelefon -> nayad; kvaker [I cringe] -> shibolet shu'al. Anyone else?" --
(For some Blogger-bug reason as yet unknown, Miriam was not able to post this comment herself. Anyone out there familiar with Blogger bugs?)

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