Yeah, I know... It's early, but I think it deserves it.
As you guys can see by my new sig, as of a couple days ago, that I will not let anyone touch my car again. Noone that calls themselves a mechanic anyway or even works in an asstablishment that calls themself an auto repair facility. That's were this whine begins...
Monday morning, I have to get a new inspection sticker because Kim and I had the windsheilds replaced in our rides. So I head over to a local shop, that a lot of locals take their cars to for service to get the inspection sticker. I figured that while i was there, I would ask about getting my new Yokies installed, balanced and an alignment. Well, I got the inspection sticker, but when I asked about the alignment they would not quote me a price. I told them that I had the camber/caster plates at the house and would be installing them this coming weekend. The guy tells me to bring the plates by and he would give me a price.
I re-explain to him that I will be putting them in and tell him what brand they are. He sticks with the same story. So when I asked about mounting and balancing the new tires, he tells me that it would cost $10 a tire.
Ok! I wont let them do anything!
So I tell Kim about all this and she tells me that we should ask the local Texaco station about mounting the tires for me, so I agree. Well, the next morning the belt finally slipped in one of my rear tires, which was as bald as a babies butt right out of the womb! I knew it was coming and was actually surprised it took this long for it too happen, so I was not pissed about it. Kim tells me that she would take my car up to the Texaco station, here in town, and have the tires mounted and balanced. They charged a fair price, so I said ok and used her truck that day. We agreed that I would use her truck the rest of the week, until I could get the plates installed on my car and get the alignment done.
Since all this was going on, I took a quick look at Kims tires and found that they were all dry roted and two had developed nice leaks. She doesn't drive the truck much, so that is why we did not before. When I found this, I told Kim that we needed to look into getting her some new rubber for the Passport. While at the Texaco station, she inquired about the new rubber and called me several times about what they offered. I was not impressed with what they offered, so I told her to check around. She called back, one last time, and said that the Texaco station was the better deal... besides wal-mart, which we wont count since their tires are name brand rejects or something similar. I agree'd and everything was set.
I got home that night and found that every single tire on my car had been balanced with the sticker still on the tires. To say that I was ticked off was to be putting it mildly. I was not mad at Kim, but she said that she would take it back up there and get them to correct it. I said ok, only because work really has me spread out right now, so I really had no choice.
Well, the next day she took my car back up to the Texaco and explained the problem. They blew her off and told her that the stickers didn't weigh anything and that it would not hurt anything. She explained that her husband was the one that wanted it done and was the one that paid for the service and that he only wanted it right. They told her that it would be a few hours before they could get to it, so she left. She returned 3 hours latter and the car had not been moved, so she told them that she would return when her tires came in and they could do it then. They agree'd and all was well.
Today, when she returned with both vehicles, she explained that she was to have her tires mounted and that they were to remove the stickers from my tires and rebalance them. It was at this point that things went downhill fast...
The man behind the counter become very upset with her and asked who I was because he, "Wanted to know who this dumb SOB was and that he did not know what he was talking about!". Kim told him that he did not have to be this was and that we only wanted the tires balanced properly and that was all. He continued to curse me and grew ever more upset with the situation. Kim told him that he should stop cursing me and he needed to keep his mouth shut. He had a wrench in his hand and pointed it in Kims face, touching her nose! Kim told him not to ever point anything in her face, while snatching the wrench from in front of her face. The man was very surprised and she told him to give her the money back on her tires or that she wanted the tires that she had paid for. At this point, another employee entered into the office the shop and asked what was going on.
Since Kim had forgotten the debit card at home, she asked her Dad to return to our house and retrieve the card. All of this took place after he had left. There was one other person in the office, at this time, that was a friend of the people that owned the station. Now she had three people standing her down, very closely, daring her to do something and one of them told her to leave. She declared again that she wanted her money back that she would leave. The owner declared that he had to have her card to refund her the money. She said that her Dad was on his way back with the card.
It was at this point that Kims Dad entered the office. As soon as he came in the door, one of the employee's tried to snatch the card from his hand. He pulled back and told them to hang on. He could tell that something was wrong and asked Kim what was going on. Kim began to explain to him what had happened since he had left and the employee tried to the grab the card from his hand again. Kim told him to give her the card, so that she could get her money back and leave. He have her the card, she gave the card to the man behind the counter and he swiped it. He then threw the card back to her and a few seconds later, he threw her money back at her. Of course, a few choice words were exchanged at this point. Kim and her Dad exited the building.
Once Kim reached my car, another man came out of the office and said, "You
d@mn roadwhore, I dare you to call me a SOB!". Kim, of course, walked around my car and called him a SOB. He began to run at her, with a fist in the air. Kims Dad was able to stop him, just by calling attention to himself (by calling out, "Nope!") and that he was a witness to what had happened up to that point and that it wasn't right. The man elected to grab Kim and push her, then her Dad butted in before things got even more out of hand than what it was.
Kim was able to, later, press Simple Assault and Disorderly Conduct charges against the owner (grabbing) and Disorderly Conduct charges against the
"boy" with the wrench. Once at the Justice Court office, to file the papers, they told her that the shop had already called and stated that if she came by, they was going to press charges against her for slapping people, which is simiple assault. It is also boguse as hell!
All the drama happened today, so it has been one hella wild day.
I could go on and on about all this crap, but I wont. Most importantly though, I would like to point out that I appligized to Kim about everything, because I feel that I should owe up to some responsiblity to all this. Why? Becasue if the sticker balanced tires really bothered me all that much, I would have made the time to take my car back up there and had them make it right. But I didn't! After she took the car back the first time and they blew her off, I should have told her not to worry about it. But I didn't! So... I feel very responsible for what happened today and feel really really bad about everything. I appologized to Kim, like four times today, but still it makes no difference. If I am going to be this way (picky) about my car, "I" am going to be this way and I will not let anyone else do it for me.
So, if I have screwed up any English in all this... Sorry Jim..
