The Day: Bad, bad, worse, horrid, okay?

[thistlechaser]

11 AM: Internet access goes down at work. Stays down. I do nothing more than stare at the wall for four straight hours. (No support calls came in all day -- most of our customers are closed this week.)

3 PM: Leave work to go to dentist. (Ugh, ick, aie.) Stop at home to change, brush teeth, etc.

3:45: Arrive at dentist's office. Appointment is at 4:15. Kill 15 minutes. Go in.

5: Get seen by dentist. (ARG! GRR! GAH! You suck!) Don't get a single apology for the delay.

5:30: Leave. Drive through rushhour and the worst storm we've had all year on unfamiliar streets.

5:45: Halfway home. Hear odd noise from car. Buh? Very odd. Flap-flap-flap. What the heck? (Okay, it was more like "fap-fap-fap", but everyone would snicker at that.)

6: Arrive home. Walk around car to see what's wrong. *Totally* flat tire. ARRRRGGGGG!!! Note: These tires are two weeks old. Driving on it probably ruined it, and I'll have to replace it.

6: Call AAA. Hear the message "long hold times, over 5 minutes". Snicker, think "over 5 minutes isn't so bad!". Joke's on me. On hold for 25 minutes. (ARRG!) Mind you, this is the biggest storm of the year. Wondering if I'll even get service tonight at all. (Yes, 25 minutes is over 5 minutes, but you'd think the message would be more like "over 20 minutes" if it was going to be 25 minutes...)

AAA lady was a nice, wonderful person. Thanked me off the bat for being a member for so long. Takes my info quickly and clearly. Checks the time that service can come out. (At this point I'm cringing, thinking about AAA employee Punch's stories.) 45 minutes, the dispatcher will call when he's outside. Pick my jaw off the floor, thank phone lady lots. (She sounded surprised as well, most places had a 2-3 hour delay.)

...So, if he really does get here within or close to that time, I will be very, very happy. But really, I kissed my AAA anyway. What the heck would I ever do without someone who would come and fix things? Change a tire myself? Haha, might as well ask me to build a car from scratch! (I know, I know, it can be learned, but I have zero interest in learning car stuff.)

So as bad as this seems, I suppose it'll be okay. I'm told I should be able to drive to work on a donut if I'm careful (work's close), then at lunchtime or after work I can find a place who will look at the tire and fix it or replace it or whatever.

So please, Mr. AAA tow guy, come and save my day.

Edited to add: Woo! The tow guy (who was rather cute and very nice, as an added bonus) came in about 20 minutes! I love AAA.

Comments

[aretina.livejournal.com]

AAA is about 45.00 a year. For that amount, with the 3 or 4 calls you get, it is totally worth it to have someone else come change the tire even if you know how to do it yourself. It's a lot safer, and the price can't be beat. They don't mind sending people out on simple calls, because they know that kind of service will just make you sign up again and think kindly on them when the time comes to maybe buy more of their services, so everyone wins. I <3 AAA. So glad you're safe, and when your week gets back up to normal imagine how good it will feel.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Totally agreed! This is only my second time calling them in the four or five years I've had membership, but it's still *totally* worth it.

So glad you're safe, and when your week gets back up to normal imagine how good it will feel.


Yep, and thank you!

[quasilemur.livejournal.com]

Changing a tire really isn't 'car stuff.' Replacing a carburetor, I suppose that'd be car stuff, but changing tires is like checking oil or refilling washer fluid...a task that one could reasonably be expected to perform if they drive a car. Sure, AAA's great, but when civilization collapses, don't come crying to me when your souped-up Mad Max go-cart gets a flat.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Changing a tire really isn't 'car stuff.' Replacing a carburetor, I suppose that'd be car stuff, but changing tires is like checking oil or refilling washer fluid...

Ah, but see, there's your mistake: Checking oil and doing things with various fluids are car things as well!

don't come crying to me when your souped-up Mad Max go-cart gets a flat.

Ew. Mad Max had to eat dog food! I'm so not living in those times!

[metron-ariston.livejournal.com]

But he also got to wear really hot pants, and live in the land of gay bikers so it's all good!

[morinotokei.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry you had such an awful day, and I'm glad you're okay. Sounds like a nightmare! Hope the rest of the week is less...um, exciting for you. ^^

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It was pretty bad, but tomorrow *should* be better! So yay!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

*laughs* There is something to be said for living in a land of gay bikers...

[quasilemur.livejournal.com]

That's fine...more assless chaps and shotguns for me, then!

[quasilemur.livejournal.com]

Too late to change your mind! When nuclear holocaust comes, you get to be vaporized like all the other uncool people! There's no room in my roving band of mutant wasteland bandits for someone who can't change a tire!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

*pouts!* Awww, you're no fun! Sniff, I don't want to be vaporized!

[hamburger.livejournal.com]

Wow. It'd be a sin if I didn't comment on this, now wouldn't it? ;)

Call AAA. Hear the message "long hold times, over 5 minutes". Snicker, think "over 5 minutes isn't so bad!". Joke's on me. On hold for 25 minutes.

During busy days, I've seen our wait time go as high as fifteen minutes. Now, I understand that waiting on hold for that long is frustrating, but I refuse to give all my sympathy to people who curse me out first thing when I get on the line with them after a long hold. Mostly because they seem to think we're all filing our nails and yapping, and that's why there's such a long wait. Also, it may shock them to know that if the problem is due to lack of staffing (often the second assumption they make), that there's really not much I can do about that! Gasp!

45 minutes, the dispatcher will call when he's outside.

I could probably count on my hands the number of times I've been able to tell someone the wait would be 45 minutes. What's funny is at least a couple of those times, those people still moaned and groaned.

Woo! The tow guy (who was rather cute and very nice, as an added bonus) came in about 20 minutes! I love AAA.

Really, I suppose it all depends on your area and the contracted drivers that are out. Also, people rarely call back when they're happy with the service, so perhaps I'm only seeing a small piece of the larger pie.

As for the comments in later replies about it being worth it-- thank you! You have no idea how many people bitch when they find out they only get four service calls a year. They don't even fathom how expensive road service actually is, and that if they've used their four calls a year they've actually made out like a damn bandit. If everyone used all of their calls every year, the company would be bankrupt. I hate to sound like a commercial, too-- but there's all kinds of discounts you can get that aren't automobile or travel related (among these being meals at restaurants). I recommend to everyone to ask their local branch for a 'Show Your Card and Save' booklet. You'll be surprised at the crap you can get discounts on just by having that card.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

During busy days, I've seen our wait time go as high as fifteen minutes.

Yep. It wasn't the hold time that bothered me, it was the inaccurate wait-message. (Sure 25 minutes is more than 5, but why not say "over 20 minutes" then? The only reason I could think of was maybe that the system wasn't smart enough for that.)

but I refuse to give all my sympathy to people who curse me out first thing when I get on the line with them after a long hold.

Cursing at phone people is as stupid as yelling at a grocery checkout person because the store's prices are too high. Hello? You think this person has any control over these things?

I could probably count on my hands the number of times I've been able to tell someone the wait would be 45 minutes.

I'm really stretching my memory here, but I believe the other time I called it was a half-hour estimate (but that was more than three years ago, so).

Also, people rarely call back when they're happy with the service

Exactly, yep. Same for all phone folks.