Wednesday, June 20, 2007

What is it with tradesmen?


Seeing as my window was smashed in yesterday, you can probably guess what I spent most of today doing? Yes, that's right...getting it fixed! Which means I entered into the world of tradesmen once again!

What I don't get about them is how is their whole sense of time so skewed? Don't they have clocks anywhere in their workshops?

10.45am

When I dropped my car off, the bloke said there's a cafe just up the way a bit, you can have a coffee or whatever there and your car will be ready in about 45 mins. Allowing a little bit of extra time, I had a sandwich and read my book for an hour.

11.45am

I am just walking back to the workshop when my phone rings and he says, yes, we're just finishing your side window but it looks as though your windscreen needs to be replaced too as it appears that they hit it with a hammer. Okay....but why did you wait until it is supposed to be finished before calling me? That will take another half an hour to put in. Okay. Back to the coffee shop.

12.25pm

Walk back to the workshop, and he says to me...just finishing up on that now, so I get my book out.

1pm

Won't be long now.

1.20pm

Okay, I'll just bring that out the front
, so off I go to wait in the cold.

1.25pm

He walks past me as he is going to lunch and says, oh, the other bloke is just bringing that around now.

1.32pm

Finally...they bring my car around, but there is masking tape on the front windscreen. I ask how long that needs to stay on and he says, oh, until tomorrow, but you need to keep it dry. I just look at him with incredulity......it's raining. How the hell am I supposed to keep it dry? Do you have a car umbrella I can borrow while I drive home. I'll bring it back when it's not raining.



So, the best part of 3 hours lots of money, and two thirds of the way through a book that I hadn't even started this morning, I now have a new windscreen and a new driver's side window...which doesn't match the rest of the car because they didn't put the tint on. They could have done...but that would have taken longer!

12 comments:

  1. Oh, Marg, you should have asked for a discount. I went through heaps of books in my 9 months of pregnancy, just from waiting at doctor's appointments.

    Is it raining there, too? It's been very wet over here.

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  2. Ah car repairmen, they have their own special sense of time. The idea of you driving around with a car umbrella did put a smile on my face though. I hope it's all ok now. I had my window smashed on Christmas Day just before I had to drive 300 miles so I sympathise.

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  3. OMG - did you ask if they had a car umbrella because I would have paid to see the guys face!

    This is why I almost never wait around for the car - I always leave and come back just before closing but then I don't have to worry about kids and pick ups and jobs so I know I'm lucky!

    CindyS

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  4. Cindy, unfortunately I didnt think of it until later. I did ask him how I was supposed to do that but he just said keep it as dry as possible!

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  5. Oh, how frustrating, Marg! I am sorry you had to deal with that. Yes, businesses like that seem to run by different clocks than we do.

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  6. Goodness Marg, I would have been frustrated too if I had to wait for 3 hours. So sorry that happen to you...but I wish you would have told him about umbrella thing...I would want to see the look on his face then ;)

    I hope maybe in due time you can get the car tint soon :)

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  7. OMG what a bunch of retards! Ugh. I am glad at least you have it fixed now,

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  8. Yeesh, sounds like quite a day. You had me smiling about the car umbrella concept, though. How silly can you get? Oops, I actually have to drive through this rain.

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  9. I always figure these guys know they have you in a bind and so why would they need to hurry? You are probably not going to take your car home in the middle of the job no matter how long it is taking. And unless you are really unlucky, what's the likelihood you will need to have this done again??

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  10. Aw that sucks! The windshield people we deal with come out to us. They actually come to your job, and repair the windshield/window in the parking lot. Isn't that awesome? Maybe you can try to find someone like that next time so you don't have to waste so much time.

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  11. Gosh Marg, I just read the last two posts. (Yes, I'm catching up again.) What a lousy couple of days you've had. Was the book good at least? I always wonder when I'm really frazzled and read to escape a bit what people who don't read do. Thank God for books, huh?

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