Haftotelya

Haftotelya.

Did you understand what I just said? “Have to tell you.” So much of today’s communication is shorthand, acronyms, slang, and just plain run-on words. Forget punctuation, paragraphs, and spelling. Just get your point across using the new norm. 

Which brings us to today’s subject: Service. I had the occasion to have our car serviced. It was due for an oil change, a safety check, and fluid top-off. (Now relax all Brandon, S.D., car service vendors – I don’t live in the area so no local is affected by this column!) 

We don’t drive a lot, so the interval for this service is yearly. Last year I made an appointment, and even though the service center provides a ride home and back for this type of service, I chose to wait and minimize the expense of driving me home and back for a simple oil change.

Last year I waited almost two hours for the simple oil change and safety check. I did question the manager about why I made an appointment and ended up with a two-hour wait. He did the right thing (to my amazement) and comped me the oil change as his apology for the delay.

Fast-forward to this week – a year later. Same service center, same car, and only 2,500 miles in the interval. I reminded the service writer of last year’s performance. “’No problem, you have an appointment. We will get you right in,” he told me. OK.

Well, they beat last year’s performance by almost 30 minutes. The safety check showed the same non-serious defects (other than my brake pads are better this year by their measurement!) 

I was charged the full amount. OK, my point? Service. The service report was full of non-understandable language that took too long to put together, and frankly I am waiting for my car to cool down to do my own fluid and safety check.   

So, why don’t I change my service provider? That’s a good question to be explored further.