I would like to apologise for not posting often enough of late, but honestly, people have just not pissed me off recently. How can I rant if people don't give me reasons to? There was the windshield episode shortly after I arrived here, but it didn't seem news worthy at the time and there were lots of other things happening, so I never mentioned it. As there is a lull in excitement at the moment, I guess I can recount it now.
I had phoned ahead the previous day to make sure that the auto glass place could replace my company Yaris's windshield that day. They said they could. I organised payments with the accounts department and was at the glass place at 7:40am. AM. That's in the morning. Which in Cape Town would still be called night time. The place only opens at 8, but I wanted to be sure that I'd be first in the queue. Got all the paperwork sorted. They said the car should be ready by 10am, which is good. After all, in Cape Town, that would be when people wake up. So, I go for a bit of a walk-about. The Menlyn shopping centre is quite impressive. If you ever get the chance, go there. There is this one particular store that sells anything from electronic gadgetry to spatulas. And it's not a big department store. They have the most amazing things there. I wandered about in there for, well, quite a while. Then headed back to the incredibly efficient auto glass place. They did say that they would phone me to fetch the car, but I figured, I might as well head back to save a bit of time. About 100 yards from the glass shop, they do phone me. I pick up, with this big, way-ahead-of-you grin on my face and get told that the windshield that they had in stock was cracked, sorry, they have to get me a new one. They had already removed the old windshield, so I couldn't really take the car before they installed aforementioned new one. This will now arrive at 10am. Look up a bit. Yup. That was when it was supposed to be finished. The grin was gone, but what can you do? So I say thank you for letting me know, please just get it done a.s.a.p. I phone my office and let my colleague know I will be later than anticipated, he must please cancel the appointment that I had. He says he would, but I must please remember that he has to leave at 1pm, so I have to be back by then. I say it's all good, still plenty of time. I go to the glass shop and sit down for a bit of a read. At around 10:30, I see a bakkie arrive with windshields on the back. I am happy. It's later than what I was told, but at least it's here. By 11, my car still had a big gaping hole where the windshield should be. I get a little nervous. Just before I get up to ask the helpful gentleman at the front desk when this screen will be fitted, he pops his head into the waiting room and says that my windshield had just arrived. Oh. So it wasn't on the bakkie with the rest of them? Ok, fine. Just get it done. Finally, I get the car back. I pay them vast amounts of money and new windshield gleaming and fitted I drive out. And I notice something's missing. My licence disc is not on there. I search the car. Thrice. I go back and ask where this disc would be. They reply with: in the car. I say no. The helpful desk gentleman then searches the car. Astonishingly, he can also find no disc. I search the shop and eventually find the blue sticker that was on the back of the licence disc, but no disc. While all this is going on, a search also ensues for the bloke who fitted the screen. He, who is the only one in the multiverse that would know what had happened to my disc, has now mysteriously disappeared. After what seemed like an eternity, he is found again and when questioned, replies that the old windshield didn't have a disc. Gmmph...of course it bloody did, I'm standing with the back sticker thingy in my hand! Then follows another thorough search through the car. Would you believe it? It still hasn't magically reappeared there. Back up to the shop and more looking around until finally, helpful desk man finds it in a rubbish crate. Grumble...grumble..gmph...bastards throwing away my disc...grumble...grumble. I grab the disc, get a new sticker from the glass people, stick the disc on the new screen, race away to get back in the office and arrive there at 12:58. Made it. Struggled from bloody 7:40 in the middle of the night until 1:00 in the middle of the day to get it done, but it was done.
So, while I am happy that my new windshield is fitted, I have had no problems with it so far, I did manage to get to my office on time and (though still horribly expensive) the price that the auto glass shop asked for was pretty good, I will have to be sorely pressed to use this company for any glass in any car ever again. Ever.
TFLNOTD:
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