Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 15

Thread: You think you had a blue Monday? Try mine.

  1. #1
    Email problem
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    323
    Thanks
    87
    Thanked 24 Times in 22 Posts

    You think you had a blue Monday? Try mine.

    So yesterday morning I get into my car ready to head off to my first client. Start the car, nothing. Try again, nothing.

    Call my insurance, they send a breakdown crew to my place, and I see that the battery water needed topping up. The battery was bone dry. ( Yes because you're an idiot -ed ) lol

    Anyways, take the car to a mechanic, as it had to be serviced anyway. Wonderful guy, great place. Honest down to earth people.

    So I get dropped off at home and await the dreaded call as with any car service. You know the type. "Hi, your car is serviced but we need to replace the whatever whatever coz it's damaging the whatever whatever". You know the drill.

    At 2:14pm the call came in.

    "Hi, your car has been serviced. Apart from the CV joint on the one side everything seems fine."

    GREAT!

    "Except......"

    Oh shit, here we go.....

    & then the owner told me.....

    The mechanic took my car for a test drive after the service. Standard protocol. Except, he forgot to clip in the bonnet. Yes, you read correctly....

    Cape Town's wonderful gale force winds caught the bonnet, and it flew up, shattering my windshield, denting my roof, totally wrecking the bonnet itself, broke my rear view mirror, glass everywhere, aerial buggered and and and !

    <insert freakout session> @%##^$&#%^@#$%@#@#^%^@#^

    Luckily the mechanic is ok. Car, wrecked.

    Total damage: Estimated between R6k & R8k.

    Here's the kicker, the garage doesn't have insurance that covers this. Their insurance only covers write-off's and if they car literally burns out. So they have to carry the costs out of their own pocket.

    Got signed statements.
    Got mechanic's drivers license. A copy.
    Took video footage.
    Took a lot of photo's.

    So yea. There you have it. LUCKILY the whole who's paying for what went down smoothly. No arguing, no threats etc.

    Luckily I have a car to drive around with until mine gets fixed.

    I'm still shocked. I have pictures, if anyone wants to see.

    Estimated ETA: 3 days ( I'll give them a week ).

  2. #2
    Email problem KimH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    362
    Thanks
    167
    Thanked 63 Times in 52 Posts


    Sheesh! Now that's a blue monday of note. Glad everything got sorted without too much drama and that the machie is unharmed. Although I am sure he got his proverbial reamed for not checking the bonnet before going out.

    My dad had a workshop for years and the worst incident they had was with the bank manager's combi - problem with the fuel injection and while testing a spark ignited, burning out most of the inside and a lot of the engine bay. Fortunately my dad had insurance up the whazoo and the bank manager thought it was hysterical. I can still see my brother (machie) pushing a burning combi out of the workshop - pity we didn't have cell phone camera's/video back in the day because it would have made for some great you tube material. My dad was hungarian and I think his temper tantrum on video would have gone viral

    Hope you get your car back soon.
    "If at first you don't succeed, do it like your mother told you."

  3. #3
    Email problem mother's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Northwest Province
    Posts
    333
    Thanks
    31
    Thanked 45 Times in 35 Posts
    Blog Entries
    2
    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew_ZA View Post
    Luckily the mechanic is ok.
    Erm, am I the only one thinking "Who gives a flying f%#!$n bonnet about the mechanic's state of wellness?!"...

    Damn Andrew, that WAS a blue Monday!
    Last edited by mother; 26-Jul-11 at 08:06 AM. Reason: spelling :)

  4. #4
    Email problem
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    323
    Thanks
    87
    Thanked 24 Times in 22 Posts
    Sad thing is, I highly doubt the owner will change his insurance policy. THAT is the sad part.

    I told him, "What would you have done if it was a SLK200 Merc or something?". He couldn't really answer me.

  5. #5
    Diamond Member Neville Bailey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Westville, Durban
    Posts
    2,760
    Thanks
    44
    Thanked 451 Times in 396 Posts
    I also had a Blue Monday incident yesterday.

    I travelled up to Richards Bay to give a presentation to a potential new client. The presentation went well.

    When I left the client, I parked off in the car park at a local shopping centre and plugged my laptop into my car's cigarette lighter socket to do a series of remote consultations.

    I felt cozy and comfortable as the cold front hit Richards Bay and lashed around my car.

    Three hours later I decided it was time to hit the road back home. By now the weather was really ugly and it was bucketing down.

    Turned the key in the ignition - dead...

    The battery was dead - my three hour session with my laptop must have drained my car battery!

    So I phoned my new client to please send someone to rescue me with jumper leads (nice start to a business relationship!).

    One hour later someone arrives. The rain is whipping down, and we can't figure out how to open his car bonnet!

    We are both drenched, as we fumble about and eventually figure it out.

    Fortunately the car starts immediately and I'm on my way, albeit soaked to the bone.
    Neville Bailey - Sage Pastel Accounting Consultant
    www.accountingsoftwaresupport.co.za
    neville@accountingsoftwaresupport.co.za
    IronTree Online Solutions

    "Give every person more in use value than you take from them in cash value."
    WALLACE WATTLES (1860-1911)

  6. #6
    Email problem
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    323
    Thanks
    87
    Thanked 24 Times in 22 Posts
    Guys, would it be appropriate to ask for some kind of discount on the service + battery costs when I finally get my car back? ( Total cost R1200 ). That's for the service & the new battery. ( Before this incident happened ). Seeing as though I'd had to borrow someone's car until next week Tuesday, and this person needs to be taken to work everyday and fetched in CBD.

    I don't know if it's lame to ask for this discount as I've been inconvenienced?

    Your thoughts please.
    Last edited by Perform Computers; 27-Jul-11 at 04:30 AM.

  7. #7
    Email problem
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    323
    Thanks
    87
    Thanked 24 Times in 22 Posts
    Bump

  8. #8
    Email problem KimH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    362
    Thanks
    167
    Thanked 63 Times in 52 Posts
    It'd be lame
    "If at first you don't succeed, do it like your mother told you."

  9. Thanks given for this post:

    Perform Computers (27-Jul-11)

  10. #9
    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Durban, South Africa
    Posts
    22,649
    Thanks
    3,305
    Thanked 2,676 Times in 2,257 Posts
    Blog Entries
    12
    Quote Originally Posted by KimH View Post
    It'd be lame
    Maybe I should run one of the moral dilemmas I've got going at the moment for that sort of feedback.

    New thread coming.

  11. #10
    Email problem daveob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Amanzimtoti
    Posts
    655
    Thanks
    107
    Thanked 118 Times in 103 Posts
    Personally, when told your car is ready, I would say something along the lines of :

    Gee, thanks. I will collect it at x time. I'm sure my friend will be really glad to get his/her car back.

    You know, I really do understand how embarrassing this must be for you ( not to mention the inconvenience it caused ), but to be perfectly fair ( and I really am a very reasonable guy ), I do hope you'll let me at least insist on paying for the parts used for the service. It would really make me feel uncomfortable if you didn't.

    .... wait for the reply over the phone. Remember the General Rule : he who speaks first, loses.
    Watching the ships passing by.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. What should be a "blue light" emergency?
    By Dave A in forum General Chat Forum
    Replies: 32
    Last Post: 24-Nov-10, 08:58 PM
  2. Monday
    By Morticia in forum General Chat Forum
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 21-Sep-09, 05:38 PM

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •