The Long Wait…

Yesterday morning, I called the Firestone that Karen recommended to ask if they would be able to work on my car. Just after lunch, I took the car in.  Here is the story of my afternoon:

1:15 – Dropped off my car.

• I waited in the waiting room for about 30-40 minutes while they brought the car in to see what needed to be done.
• I read a book (Every Thought Captive by Jerusha Clark) and watched a Discovery Channel show about Champ, the American version of the Loch Ness Monster. 

1:55 – They called me to the counter to chat.

• I brought my car in to have the brakes checked. 
• The brakes were shot.  Completely.  Front pair needed new pads and rotors.  Back pair needed cleaned badly.
• They also found that I needed a radiator system flush.
• They also discovered that my serpentine belt was badly cracked and needed replaced.
• Total cost (est.):  $500-$79 (a coupon)=$400
• I told them to just do whatever needed done.

2:00 – I left the Firestone to amuse myself for the couple of hours they figured it would take to fix my car.

• I called Eric to let him know the damage assessment and that he probably wouldn’t need to pick me up after he got done with work.
• I crossed Hilliard-Rome Road (quite a feat, even with a crosswalk there!)
• I called my mom and chatted with her for about 20-30 minutes.
• I went to Famous Footwear (nothing in my size that I really needed), Michaels (bought some yarn), Old Navy (nothing fits me there), Bed Bath & Beyond (just to cool off, really).
• In Michaels, the Firestone calls me.  They found another problem.  The calipers on my brakes are also shot. I’d been leaking break fluid (no wonder my brakes had been spongy!).  Did they want me to get that taken care of?  Um…YES!  (additional cost: $150 for calipers)
• It was freakin’ hot outside yesterday.  Freakin’ hot. 
• Stopped at the Giant Eagle to buy a bottle of water.

4:15 – I arrive back at the Firestone.

• Someone had turned the channel to ESPN.  I don’t know how people watch that channel continuously.  Jim Rome was somewhat interesting to watch, but the rest of it is just noise.
• I read my book some more. I was getting bored of my book.

5:15 – The customer service guys called me back up.

• There was another problem.  They had two calipers.  One was broken when it came out of the box.  Another one was being sent over from a different Firestone.  It would take a while longer. 
• They were really sorry.  They were discounting my bill for the wait. (No argument from me!)
• No problem, I said.  I went outside to call Eric (and to give my butt a rest…not terribly comfortable chairs!).  He’d been home since 4:00.  I told him they would hopefully have it done by 6:00. 
• I went back inside to wait.
• I read the newspaper.
• I started to read a magazine.
• ESPN was getting really annoying and repetitive.  All the shows talk about the same things.  I’d stopped caring about Bonds not showing for the home-run derby hours before. 

6:00 – They call my name again.

• There is another problem.  They take me back to the floor.
• The second caliper was also broken in the box.  
• They’d spent most of the last hour trying to fix it themselves.  They had two guys working on my car.  They were so sorry.  They “feel this [holding index finger and thumb about 1/4 inch apart] big.”  They won’t be able to fix it tonight.  They will be discounting my bill another 10% for my inconvenience.
• I assure them that it is not a big deal.  I thank them profusely for all their efforts.  I felt bad that they were being so helpful and their own parts were sabotaging them.
• The manager offered to give me a ride if I needed one (I didn’t).  He offered the office phone if I needed to make a call (I had my cell).  I again thanked him profusely.  They had been more than kind all day.
• I called Eric who came and picked me up.

6:15 – I arrived home.

Moral of the story: If you know anyone on the west side who needs their car worked on, I would highly recommend the guys at the Firestone on Hilliard-Rome.  They worked their butts off to fix my car, didn’t try to cheat me, didn’t treat me like a dumb girl, and felt awful when things went so wrong.

PS – I picked my car up at 7:30 this morning.  They actually stayed late last night to fix it.  I think I’ll send them a thank-you note or something.  They earned it.

PPS – The final cost was $573.23.  Not bad for all that went wrong and for a 200,000 mile car!  That should get me another 100,000, I think!