Saturday, October 08, 2005

You have got to be kidding...

I respect people that do a good job, I really do. People that work hard and get stuff done are a prized asset in my book. Not everyone is perfect but if you at least try hard and put a smile on your face, then you are well on your way to success.

Sadly, it appears that not everyone shares this view. In fact, I think that some people are utterly incapable of actually doing a "good" job in their chosen field. I'm not going to rant but lets take two examples from the last few days.

Number1 -
Purchase of new car for my mother
A relatively simple thing to do and something every car salesman must do every day. Despite being a nice guy, the man who sold us the car made the process quite hard work for us as nothing was done on time and we ended up going between Porirua and Welly several times to finally take delivery of the car late on Wednesday. I gave it the once over today and noticed that the WOF expired in February 06.

This is rather naughty as we had specifically talked about the new warrant as I had insisted on a tyre being replaced that was clearly illegal, even to a layman like me. What's the big deal you say? Well, it is a big No No to sell a car with a WOF that is
more than 1 month old unless the buyer gives the seller a written promise that the car will be driven directly to a garage to obtain a new WOF and the car is sold "as is". I took it back today, wasted 2 hours of my time whilst the WOF was completed (without any problems but that is besides the point), and I still don't know if it was deliberate or just an oversight. I'd like to think it was a genuine error but I wonder how many people don't check these things; it is a small thing but could have been costly down the road.

Number 2 -
My Shitty Problem
So the plumber turned up at 4:30pm on Wednesday. He had the right genes and dug a big hole in no time and uncovered the problem. Fortunately, it was a simple job with a broken clay pipe where roots had grown into the crack and blocked the flow until the whole thing had burst open. He cleared it and then promised to return on the Thursday morning to repair the hole and concrete the base around it. All is well I think.


So today, Saturday, I make the perilous journey down the path to the land of the floating turd only to find a small lake around where the pipe used to be. It appears that he never came back and the open pipe got blocked, filled the pit and a new water feature was formed. Little jobbies floated around and flies were having a merry old time. Displeased I rang the company who don't appear to operate on weekends. Weekend callouts costs are exorbitant so we will cross our legs and flush sparingly for the rest of the weekend lest the banks burst and Wellington is flooded....

Damn it. Do your job and do it right. Everyone makes mistakes but simply not doing something and expecting someone else to fix it up is unforgivable. Rant over. Need to pee but I'm not scheduled to flush until 9:30pm....Oh the humanity....

8 comments:

  1. Oh I feel your pain! There is only one word. Persistance. It shouldn't be like this...

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  2. That's is just sad. I'd rather not deal with people who are going to be wasting my time.
    Lately I have been thinking more of myself and less of other people (Usually it's the other way round) and I have found that life is so much easier when you don't have to deal with some people.
    At times I wonder if they're being annoying on purpose?? Which is why it takes quite awhile for me to truly turst someone.
    Man you should see how upfront I ahve been lately!! Most people have noticed this change in me....they are shocked.
    Was there a reason why you bought a car for your mum from Porirua? Don't know where in Welly you live, but I'd rather buy a car closer....

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  3. Go Pinky Go! A rule in business is always treat others how you would like to be treated and only deal with people you like and trust. I broke this rule once and it cost me dear. Be polite but firm and you will win; never shout and curse or stamp your feet - just smile and make your point and then move on.

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  4. Good advice Mr R! Lessons most people take far too long to learn...

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  5. Proof in the pudding. Nice but firm call to plumber results in immediate action, big apology and no charge for completing the work, just for the work done on Wednesday. Seems fair to me and a good win/win for all concerned as they have kept me as a happy customer and will likely get more work as a result.

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  6. Excellent well done. Well done also for seeing it right. Shows how a complaint should be made and handled...

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  7. Aww that's great news!

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