Frustrated
Life comes at you fast
Greetings, people. Know I’m a little late… it’s been over a month since my last (which was actually my very first) official blog post (I say “official” because I posted a poem- continue reading to see the link). But I’ve been having quite the time…
Nationwide was right on.
Whoever came up with their ad campaign back in the 2000s must’ve understood Murphy’s Law, because the week of Feb 27-March 3 was quite trying. Now, I’ll just start by saying that I’m no stranger to series of unfortunate events: Back in October 2019 (probably the worst month of my life), my hotspot stopped working, then phone (I was still driving for Uber at this time- the irony), my grandmother died, and I subsequently totaled my car. Then, fast forward to after Christmas 2021, I found out my transmission needed to be replaced, was sick (Coronavirus?), and my car got flagged (due to a ticket that I requested to fight, but request was never received), it was time for my registration renewal (again, irony) and an uncle died. This all happened within the course of a week. Yeah, call Tyler Perry because you can’t write this stuff. This all (namely my transmission) pretty much laid the foundation of the end of my relationship (see I thought…).
That week was undoubtedly worse than the aforementioned one, but I felt the need to give you a brief synopsis to drive the point home that I am fully aware of Murphy’s Law. Anyways, here we are… but before I get to the week in question, a little backstory: back toward the end of January, I noticed my car acting a little funny. It was showing subtle signs of the transmission slipping.
“Nah… not possible! No way!”
The self-reassurances were flowing through to brush off any possible deviations of my ambition. After my engine light comes on, I decide that this is getting serious. I take it to my Nissan dealership (yes, I drive a Sentra) on February 9.
Sure enough, they tell me it’s the transmission.🤦♂️
A year after spending $4300, I’m told I need another transmission. I decide to get a second opinion. I go the next day to the shop where I got it done. On the way, I get gas down the road from the shop. The engine light comes off. They tell me to take it to the local Advanced Auto Parts, and the man there reaffirms my hopes that it probably was something minor. I go back to the shop and the codes (the warning lights on the dash, for those who don’t know) are cleared out. I’m told to take it for the weekend before they can do a complete diagnostic. Car rides fine for a day. The next night — Saturday — the engine light comes back on. I’ll save you any further detail… just know, between shops and stores clearing out codes, my car for the past month and a half has basically been acting bi-polar!
Now, for the week of topic… on Monday, February 27, I go for my routine oil change. Of course, they can’t tell me what’s wrong without an official diagnostic. I’m told that the $190 price can be cut in half, but this still isn’t good for me since IT’S MONEY I HAVE NO INTENT ON SPENDING! Anyways, I see I’m not really getting anywhere with this issue, so I return the next day to see what’s going on.
Yup… codes show it’s the trans. 😤
How?! After one year?! (On a side note, the service manager forgets — or did she? — that she told me she was going to cut the cost in half… the cashier was going to charge me full price, I tell her I was told half, she excuses herself. I follow. The manager says “No, I didn’t.” I remind her. She agrees, claiming that “she’s old.” I go back inside with the cashier and am told that there’s a $3 card charge. I was also visited by my salesman and his manager prior to this. Gotta love the hustle).
I just can’t win. Whatever. So, after spending $98, I inform the shop of the diagnosis. Turns out, it needed to be serviced every 25,000 miles. I hadn’t serviced it, basically ignoring suggestions at oil changes (Nissan ain’t getting my money!). I have now put 40,000 miles on it (yes, within one year. I’ve been grinding).
God bless Nissan CVTs. 😬😠
This voided the warranty, so the best they can do is $1650. Despite only being charged for labor, this still sucks because I JUST SPENT $4300 A YEAR AGO, THEN OVER $400 IN FRONT BRAKES IN SEPTEMBER AND OVER $300 ON REAR BRAKES IN DECEMBER! Life! 😡
So, after much deliberation and sought-after advice, I bite the bullet and agree to let the gentlemen do it. Mind you, save for a few rides, I haven’t been making money. So I have to find out when this’ll be. They let me know that the part has to be ordered.
Enter: Uber’s rental partners. Hertz- no availability. Of course. Avis- availability at one location.
I’m told over the phone that a location in DC has at least one. After calling the Uber dept. (Avis’s main line can’t book) and trying to call the location itself to confirm (after which I’m redirected back to the corporate number), I’m given a confirmation e-mail. I call Empower [the Uber/Lyft alternative, remember? See links in pLayoffs, or just go here for drivers and here for riders]
The ride costs me $30. I get there upon closing, and a man, whom I assume is the manager, emerges from the side of the building. “Can I help you?” he asks. “Yes, I’m here to pick up a rental” I respond. He tells me he doesn’t have any cars.
I fight a conniption. 😦🤬
I tell him I have a reservation. He says sorry, and walks inside. I eventually go in and reiterate, “You don’t have a reservation for [me]?”
“Maybe so, but I don’t have any cars.”
I then ask for their number, and he confirms the one I dialed when attempting to call to confirm. I ask why does it go straight to corporate. He- seemingly shortly and curtly- says, “Because the phone has been ringing off the hook from dealing with customers, like this [motioning towards me and another customer, whom his subordinate is handling], so we let it go to corporate.”🤯 I can’t tell if the subsequent smile is one of smugness or customer service, but I can’t help think he’s being smart and that this isn’t something you should say to a customer. Judging by my Apple Maps search of Yelp reviews, it’s more likely the latter. So, I basically came for nothing.
But wait… it gets better.
So, they eventually close up shop, and I go next door to a storage facility. I contemplate going inside to wait for my ride (my parents). After hesitating — thinking they won’t be long — I attempt to go in, and after the automatic sliding doors don’t open, I see that this place too is closed. A couple comes out, and rather than going in as they walk out, my contemplation to get out of the cool, dreary night leads me to try to pry open the closed doors.
This wasn’t a good move.
Not 5 minutes later, the man comes back… followed by a cop car. A female cop comes out and walks up to me. She asks, “You were trying to get in?” She has a male partner. I explain to them my whole situation. A second car comes up. Her partner asks, “You were trying to find a place to stay the night?”😒🤦♂️ Apparently the night is full of comedians. Not sure if he was genuinely trying to understand me (I was slightly nervous) or just being funny, but I was kind of annoyed. Anyways, she asks for my ID and he pats me down. I ask if it’s necessary, and comply. Several minutes pass as she has my ID, and at this point, there are like 6 cops and 4 cars. They told me they got a call. I can only assume that it was the dude of the couple.
Still waiting on my parents, my phone is dying. She brings back my ID and asks me if I want a copy of the report. I decline. So, no rental (after spending $30), waiting in the cold and rain, my batteries dying, and someone called 5–0 on me. Things eventually calm down: One of the cops hands me his charger, they let me know that it’s a precaution and one of the cops even takes me to 7–11 and buys me a protein bar (said I can get anything I want — hey, I’m health-conscious). We have a level-headed conversation, and he further describes how when they get a call, they’re “on 10” and that police are asked to do a lot (probably another conversation for another post). All in all, it was just an unfortunate misunderstanding. To top it all off, I found out I lost my shaker cup (again, health-conscious) after my parents showed up. Apparently between the Empower, Avis and the cop car.
What a night (March 3)! The end of a perfect week. Now, if y’all will excuse me, I’m overdue for a rage session… 😠😤😡🤬
