Keep Your Enemies Closer

About 4 months back I had some issues with my automobile and, for any of you out there like myself who don’t know too much when it comes to mechanics, this can be a very unpleasant experience. I found myself being charged for a problem that wasn’t getting fixed and I couldn’t exactly understand for what service I was paying. It became the first time in a long time I let frustration turn into genuine anger. Needless to say, my relationship with my mechanic became very strained and like most love/hate relationships, I feel it made us closer.

About 1 month ago I got a letter in the mail from my dealer that enclosed a recall letter describing the exact issue that had been so frustrating. It was like an early Christmas gift since I was still dealing with the problem. I immediately took it to the dealer and had them replace the faulty part.

Then began my attempts at getting reimbursed for all of the problems I had struggled with previously since it was in direct relation to the recalled part. My efforts were not exactly being met as I had dreamed. A dream that had my dealer apologizing for the inconvenience and perhaps giving me a brand new car while throwing a party for me that had people tossing me up and down in the air while popping champagne corks and chanting “Feeble, Feeble, Feeble”. Instead they were just declining my request for reimbursement. It was then I went back to my mechanic and the two of us spent about 1/2 an hour exacting a letter that should help me get my money back. He even let me get behind his desk and work on his computer while he dealt with other issues. It was then I realized that though we had truly disliked each other for a time, he had developed some respect for me and I for him.

In the wise words of Wes Mantooth “I hate you Ron Burgandy, but goddammit I respect you.”