A Piece of My Mind

I literally just walked in the door from one of the most maddening days in my memory. I am still fuming so perhaps this isn't the best time to write but.... here it goes anyway. Many of you know that we have been having some bad luck with our cars lately (the last 14 months to be exact). The saga is long and gruesome so I will spare you all the details suffice it to say our car situation stinks and I have completely had it!!

Car History: Currently we have a 1995 Ford Explorer and a 1993 Italian piece of crap (I mean Lancia). While the Ford has been a well loved car for us for any years- it is done its duty and is seriously falling apart. Since we have been in Italy it has broken down four times. Twice in Pisa and twice here in Naples. All four times the break downs have been serious (resulting in braking and steering failure) and have taken weeks and week to fix.

The Lancia is our "newer" car as we bought it shortly after arriving in Italy. We thought we were getting a great deal when we bought it- boy were we wrong. No doubt the previous owner laughed all the way to the airport (he left the country the day after he sold us the car) with our cash in hand. Five minutes after we bought the car the check engine light went on, the windows stopped working and the engine started sputtering (this might be an appropriate time to say that we DID the car checked by a mechanic before we bought it). And those problems were just the beginning of our troubles. We have spent more than a 1,000 dollars fixing and refixing the silly car and it still has all the same problems it did before.

Recent Events: So last Sunday Robert was driving home from Church in the Ford when the brakes failed... completely! He pushed on the brake pedal and it went all the way to the floor WITHOUT STOPPING THE CAR. It was a little scary! The crazy thing is that we had it in the shop just a few days early to have the brakes checked because they were squeaking. With the Ford out of commission and knowing that it was on its way out we decided the time had finally come to replace it. So Monday morning I contacted the new car sales guy in Venice to get the long, painful process of buying a car overseas started.

All week we struggled through our daily routine with once car- not easy or fun for any of us! On Friday I got in the Lanica to run some errands when the steering completely failed. Not only did I lose the power steering but the steering column locked up all together!! Another scary moment. Fortunately I wasn't far from home so I got the car out of the road and went home. All day Friday and Saturday we were stuck at home with no car. Robert the car up and running for church on Sunday and we got there without any problems but it started acting up again on the way home. We decided we would have to take it in first thing on Monday morning. (Now here is where things get really, REALLY out of control)

Today: So Robert and I put the boys on the bus at 7:20 am and were the second people to walk through the doors at the auto port when it opened. We explained the problems and they assured us it would not be a problem to fix. We explained that this was our only working car and that I was going to wait for it to be done. So I waited and waited and waited. I took a walk and came back and waited some more. At 11 am I asked about the car and was told that it wouldn't be too much longer. I waited and waited and waited some more. I went to the store. I bought a sandwich. I came back at 1 pm and asked about the car. I was told it had not yet been looked at but it was next in line. I was a little put out and decided another walk would be appropriate. At 2 pm I asked about the car again... they said they were doing there best and would get to it as soon as they could. I got the boys from school. We bought a snack, played outside a bit and then walked back to the auto port. We waited another hour before the lady finally said "I'm sorry but I just didn't think we are going to be able to help you today" WHAT!!! I just waited for NINE hours and NOW you are telling me that you didn't even look at my car!!!! I just stated at her in disbelief. She finally said, "Why don't you just come back tomorrow?" Why don't I just come back tomorrow!!! I could think of at least 10 good reasons why. I asked her what time she could make an appointment for me. She said, "We don't make appointments it is first come first serve here." I was the second person through that door this morning, you can't tell me you only worked on one other car all day!!! I said nothing. I didn't think I could open my mouth without throwing a fit. I finally said, "I have been waiting here all day and I really can't afford to be here waiting again all day tomorrow." Then she asks," Do you work?" What the h**l does that have to do with anything. I said "no" So she says, "Well, then really you COULD be here all day tomorrow." AHHHH!! I don't have a job lady but I do have a life!! By this time I was beyond emotional repair. All of the car anger and stress that had built up inside of me over the last year was bubbling over and about the erupt. I grabbed my keys and walked out of the shop the boys asking concerned questions behind me. "Mommy is the car done?" "Did they fix it?" "Do we still have to drive Dad to work everyday?" AHHHHHH!!!!

I am sure this sounds completely petty to you. To be honest it sounds kind of petty to me now that I have written it down. Perhaps you really do need to know the whole story to fully appreciate my utter frustration! All I know is that I need a new car NOW!!! And the next "service" person who treats me like they could care less if I live or die or give them my business is going to get a big piece of my mind!