All's Well That Ends

I wrote about the fun I was having getting the shattered rear window of Misty 6, my Mazda station wagon replaced. When last we left me, I was waiting for a technician to come put in the new rear window Friday afternoon by 5. Time passed, as did 5 o'clock and there was no window. I did receive several calls from shop manager here and from a Safelite vice-president in an undisclosed location (most likely with Dick Cheney) and pieced together a bizarre scenario. The dealer was supposed to have sent the part by 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 PM but didn't or the part was sent here and returned by mistake or it wasn't put on the truck or the truck or the part or the driver or the vice-president were abducted by aliens. Or something equally plausible. The manager was quite uspet and told me about 6 PM that he would send a technician to Alexandria in the morning to get the part and that said technician would show up at my house with the part and install it for me. And for Misty 6. I could hardly wait.

So, the next day, nothing happened by noon. I had received an email stating that the installation would take place between 12 and 5. (BTW, don't you hate service "windows?" I suppose they are meant to make us feel better but a five-hour window of time doesn't make me feel assured about the people doing the work or the scheduling. You'd think that, allowing for unforeseen circumstances (part was sent back to Alexandria, not put on truck for delivery or abducted by aliens) a company would be able to hit a one-hour window, bringing them in terms of precision to about a fifteenth century level. I know, it's probably harder than it looks, but I don't think it's too much to ask for. Some companies have their techs call you when they're on the way to your house. I like this, because you can go out with your cell phone and shop for new clothes and the like and still get a nice call to tell you to be at the house, you goober, or you'll have to reschedule.

Let me also say while I'm saying that I'm not fond of the policy of some companies of requiring a signature for a package or they won't deliver it. Most times, the delivery people leave the package on the porch if no one's home or hide it behind one of our porch flowerpots.  Fed Ex attempted a signed delivery today. I could have left the official Fed Ex note saying, "Leave it anyway" which is 81/2 by 11 and call a LOT of attention to the fact that Fed Ex is leaving a package cleverly hidden in the bushes or in the pod bay on the UFO. I could have done this, but my dad and I went out for his doctor's appointment and I forgot to leave the Mothership landing indicator and so Fed Ex took my little package back to Herndon.

They're going to try to deliver it again tomorrow (three times and your package goes away somewhere JK) and you bet I'll be there or have my poor exploited elderly father there or dress Nacho the cat in human clothes and let her receive the silly package. I don't even remember what's supposed to be in it.

Anyhow, I am pleased to report that the technician called about 4:15 to say that he was on the way to our house and that we were appointment # 9 out of nine for the day. You' d think that they would put someone who was inconvenienced for four days ahead of someone who showed up and had every piece of glass in their car replaced 20 minutes after it shattered. I'm just sayin'. 

And so, Misty 6's rear window was replaced about 4:30 PM Saturday  in front of our house. The tech, who was funny and entertaining,  said the window was cracked before, but the sw wasn't in a wreck the whole time we have had her. But she was fixed at last. All's well that finally ends, four days later.

Here's a final tally for this experience.  Read and learn:

Number of calls made and received in regard to having the rear glass replaced on Misty Mazda 6 station wagon: About 25

Number of appointments in a -day period stated or implied to fix glass problem: 6
 

Number of appointments that actually happened:  1 1/2 ( the first day I actually got the car to the shop but they didn’t have the glass Therein lay the rub. ) 

Time Spent dealing with this: About 4 hours

Upside: Conern of SafeLite and The Travelers.travelers folks

Pay Off: Free replacement wiper, a $22 value. Wow. Maybe I’ll get a pony next time.