06.03.03
I took my car into the shop today to receive some fixin', and I had to call Enterprise for a rental car pick up when I got there.
I was told that it was going to be 10 - 15 minutes, but after 20 or so, Leo, the nice old Greek guy that runs the business with his wife and son, got angry and called Enterprise. He told them that they needed to get their asses down there to pick me up in 5 minutes, or else he would be there in 10 minutes and shove his foot up their collective asses.
While I was waiting, Leo told me about how the rental company was only supposed to charge me $25 a day, which State Farm would pay, but if I wasn't careful, they'd try to charge me extra for taxes, which were like $18/day, and they'd also try to sell me expensive rental insurance, which I didn't need because State Farm would cover things if something happened. He told me that if they tried the hard sell, I should tell them that I was only going to accept $25/day as the price, and they better plan to include everything they're trying to foist on me in that $25, or shut up. I promised to do just that.
After I'd been there 30 minutes, Leo called Enterprise again. I will spare you what he told the guy that answered the phone, because I have delicate, ladylike sensibilities, but trust me that it was quite imaginative, and filled with many colorful invectives.
45 minutes after I called them for the pickup, they finally showed up.
The guy from Enterprise was really apologetic, and I understood that he was as angry at them as I was -- he'd been out on a call to take some woman back to somewhere from the rental place, and they hadn't bothered to tell him that I needed picked up. He got back to the place about ten minutes before he arrived at Leo's, and immediately turned around and got back into the van to come get me.
While I sat in the van, waiting to be taken over to get my car, Leo pulled the man aside and had a few words. I don't know what he said exactly, but he did wave his arms around a lot, and pointed at me a couple of times. Eventually, he motioned for me to lower the window, whereupon he told me that I was being upgraded to a Camry-comparable, mid-sized sedan from whatever crappymobile which with they were intending to saddle me. He also told me that they understood that I was only being charged $25/day, and that was that.
Until I get my car back from Leo, I am driving around a pretty Mitsubishi Galant, which, while it lacks a sunroof, it has a cd player.
I like it, but I miss my Camry.
What's in your head?