off the wall

ok I may have just crossed a wee stress line this morning.

I totally lost it before 8am - that's very early to be so angry.

As mentioned in a previous post, the day before the earthquake(s) I was caught in a surprise snowstorm in the mountains. It was a surprise to me because Tamati and Jim on the TV weather seldom mention the areas where I live and work, so we tend not to know whats coming our way or in our way. In this surprise snowstorm my windscreen cracked from the passenger side inwards about 30cms. I probably had a stone chip to start with.

The next day was the earthquake so getting the windscreen fixed was not at the top of my list of things to do but by bad Wednesday (so called because that was a long day of continuous earthquakes) I found time between getting Sterling cat put down and trying to write scoping documents on events planned for during the Rugby World Cup to phone Fleetpartners who is the leasing agent for our work cars.

They told me to call Smith and Smith Glass who gave me the phone number of Lysaght Glass in Ashburton who are Smith and Smith Glass agents.

Because of the slip in Kaikoura freight was delayed so my windscreen took an age to get here from Auckland, so I had an appointment for last Thursday at 1.30pm. So I organised another meeting to make the 25 minute drive from Methven to Ashburton worthwhile. That's almost and hour round trip out of a busy day.

But on Wednesday, Sharon from Lysaght Glass called to tell me, and I mean tell me, that Thursday was no good for their windscreen worker man and that I should come in at 8am on Monday (today). I did protest but basically that was it.

So this morning, the first weekday of daylight savings, I got up at 6am (really 5am) to do all the usual things and then drive 45 minutes to Ashburton - this is no where near on my way to work only to arrive at Lysaght Glass at 10 to 8 to be told that it's a two and half hour wait to get your windscreen replaced and that they do a run to Methven on Wednesdays.

At no point was this information given to me by Sharon, who by my count on my phone log I have called eight times and had four conversations with. Eight! Four! ample opportunity to impart important information about how long things take and that they go to Methven once a week.

I lost my temper. A lot.

One thing I am thankful for is that when I lose my temper I don't swear* cause I would have felt bad if I had been furious and unladylike. Livid is fine. Unladylike not so much.

When Sharon and the person I assume was the manager arrived, they only made it worse. Sharon stood there like the gormless idiot that she is and the manager started to defensively explain why the replacement takes 2 and a half hours - to which I cut him off and explained that it wasn't the glue was I mad about it was his incompetent staff not giving enough information because they were preoccupied with when the glass was arriving instead of making sure all of the information was given.

After giving what was a room full of cretins (and I'm being generous here) a piece of my mind I took my keys and my broken windscreen and left. I drove to McDonalds and called Smith and Smith Glass and made my complaint about how negatively this agent's behaviour impacts on their brand. Ok by this stage I was so angry I was a bit teary but at least the Smith and Smith Glass call centre is used to dealing with weepy earthquake zone residents and listen and apologise - which at no point Lysaght Glass did.

Anyway blah blah blah Neville from Christchurch Smith and Smith Glass called to say that he had spoken to Lysaght Glass and they weren't going to come and repair my windscreeen - really? who would have thought, that would involve customer service so chances they are capable of that are slim to none - but... and then he didn't have anything.

Good thing I'm a fixer cause I'm going to Wellington tomorrow so can drop my car off at the Smith and Smith Glass by the airport, which is conveniently where Neville is based and he will drop me at the airport then arrange for my car to be waiting for me at the airport when I get back on Wednesday. Mostly my plan, a little Neville's. Least it'll be done.

I have to ask - it can't be hard to work as an office admin person for a small business, how can what should be a simple thing, with standard information that should be provided, go so boringly wrong?

And I do have to say Sharon has a complete inability to say her employers name clearly because at no point until I physically got to Lysaght Glass did I know what the businesses actual name was. One would think you'd make sure your employee got that sorted.

*I quite like swearing but I tend to be have an ice queen anger and swearing doesn't look good when you are being intellectually superior.