Why'd you have to go and be all helpful????

So, when my elliptical busted on Tuesday, I called the extended warranty folks. Actually, I tried to go to their website first, but it apparently got poached and it is now a Jesus site. Doesn't inspire confidence.

I didn't write down the name of the dude I talked to on Tuesday. For further purposes of this tale, we'll call him "Crackhead". I had to tell Crackhead my home phone number three times and I had to correct my cellular number twice when I gave it to him.

I was supposed to get a call from the company that would be doing the repair to set up an appointment for today.

Today came and went, no phone call to set up the appointment, no one stopped by.

I am an unemployed woman right now. I have nothing better to do than make sure that they take care of this for me.

I spent a part of the day stewing, working myself up to a proper frenzy to call this company back and give them hell to make sure they knew it'd be easier to just take care of my problem quickly rather than drag their heels.

I finally did make the call, and unlike Crackhead, Sarah was quite helpful.

Even though Crackhead didn't enter my home number correctly.

Or my cellular number.

Or my home address.

Thankfully, even after I took the hubby's last name, I was lucky enough to get something fairly uncommon as a last name (my maiden name was better... I think the only people in the US with that name are related to me and can be tracked back to some family member). When someone like Crackhead gets all your other information wrong, it's at least easy to say "search W-R-O" and have the nice person find your name without too huge of a hassle.

And from how Sarah handled the call, apparently Crackhead was supposed to give me the claim number (he didn't) and the name of the company that would be doing the repair (c'mon... what do you think? Of course Crackhead did not give me that!). Sarah was even nice enough to contact the company for me while I waited, to give them the CORRECT phone numbers and contact information, and I should be expecting a call from them tomorrow. And she even told me that if I don't hear from them by noon to give them a call, and gave me their number.

I was really, really looking forward to getting majorly mad on the phone. Then I had to go and get some actual good service. There went that plan.

I've worked customer service lines before, and I fully understand when someone else mucked something up, it's usually not the fault of the poor person that gets the follow up call. So I remained kind and polite with Sarah, trying to be as gracious as I could for her assistance. Wasn't her fault that Crackhead was... well... a crackhead.

So, Thank you, Sarah!

Cram it wherever your species traditionally crams things*, Crackhead!

Hopefully that will be the only drama about getting this elliptical fixed. Even though I suspect it won't be.


* That'd be one of my favorite "Futurama" quotes ever.


Update! - Wow, the power of the last name! Repair dude actually called me tonight, and after he correctly pronounced the last name (which, even my own mother can't do) he asked if I was related to so-and-so with the same last name. And, why yes, I am! Turns out repair dude know hubby's cousin. I'm oddly optimistic right now.