The van’s windshield had a crack in it. We called HourGlass Repair & Replace. This is the chronicle of what followed.
Appointment 1-The technician texted to say that according to his GPS he’d be arriving between 8:30AM and 9:30AM. At 9:43AM he pulled into our driveway and started getting ready. A light rain started. Because we don’t have a garage or covered driveway he said he’d have to come back when it was dry and would reschedule us for the next day.
Appointment 2-Three days later we had to call and make another appointment. Two technicians showed up unannounced at 10:10AM. After complaining for fifteen minutes about the cold they started preparing the windshield for replacement, removing side pieces. Then they decided it was too wet and cold to continue and left. They made a note to reschedule out appointment.
Appointment 3-Cancelled because of heavy rain. We had to call and reschedule.
Appointment 4-The technician arrived a day early when we weren’t home. No apparent repair work was done but he left a Vespa parked in the driveway next to the van.
Appointment 5-The technician, scheduled to arrive between noon and 3:00PM, arrived some time between midnight and 3:00AM. We awoke to find that he had removed the cracked windshield then reinstalled it backwards and left a note that said, “They don’t make Edsels like they used to.”
Appointment 6-Cancelled because of heavy rain. We had to call and reschedule.
Appointment 7-Cancelled due to unforeseen delays with other jobs. While taking the Vespa out for a spin I was pursued by a van belonging to a rival auto-glass company. I was unable to see the driver but could hear him demanding that I stop and give him kidney beans.
Appointment 8-The technician arrived at 10:05AM in an HourGlass Repair & Replace truck blaring “Bad Moon Rising”. After preliminary prep on the van windshield he discovered the replacement windshield was for a 1991 Yugo and wouldn’t fit any existing vehicle, including a 1991 Yugo. The appointment was rescheduled.
Appointment 9-The technician arrived at 1:05PM and took the Vespa.
Appointment 10-The technician texted us that he had to cancel our appointment because a manure spreader jack-knifed on the Santa Ana. We had to call and reschedule.
Appointment 11-The technician texted to say “time is a fluid and very relative concept”. At 2:35PM a rainbow-colored van turned into our driveway. The technician, with a bushy white beard and a t-shirt that said, “If You Remember The 60’s You Weren’t There” sat in front of the van contemplating the crack for several hours. After leaving he texted us to say he was unable to finish because “the banana peels were kicking in”.
Appointment 12-Cancelled for unknown reasons. Automatically rescheduled.
Appointment 13-The technician arrived around 8:00AM and was done by 8:30AM. Everything seemed to be fine until we discovered he’d removed the engine and replaced it with a cake decorated with “Happy Retirement, Carl!”
Appointment 14-Twelve technicians arrived at 2:30PM. Carl’s retirement party was a great success.
Appointment 15-Cancelled because of leftover cake.
Appointment 16-Some time during the night the Vespa was returned.
Appointment 17-The technician arrived at 10:15AM, removed the cracked windshield, and installed a new one backwards. He left without notifying us. We scheduled a new appointment.
Appointment 18-The technician arrived at 9:25AM in a Citroen BX. He wore a trench coat, a plaid trilby, and dark glasses. After telling me several times, “The pearl is in the river,” we both concluded he was in fact a character from a 1982 made-for-TV spy thriller in which downtown Poughkeepsie is used as a stand-in for Bucharest.
Appointment 19-The technician arrived at 1:30PM and removed the backwards windshield but replaced it with the one with the crack in it.
Appointment 20-The technician arrived at 10:05AM in an HourGlass Repair & Replace truck, loaded the Vespa, and departed, blaring Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Midnight Special”.
Appointment 21-The technician texted us to say that according to his GPS he’d arrive sometime between 8:30AM and 9:00AM. He arrived at 8:50AM. Replacement of the windshield took about an hour with a recommended wait time of four hours to allow the glue to dry. After he left we found a note taped to the inside that said, “Call any time you need us again.—Carl.”
This is hilarious (except when you’re in it, usually) and deeply relatable. Brilliant!
I’m so glad you liked it, and, yeah, in the midst of it it’s hard to laugh, but somehow I managed while taking notes.
OMG, it never ceases to amaze me how brilliant you are. Only you could turn this debacle into a Monty Python-esque laughfest! Sorry it had to happen to you but so glad I got to read about it!
Thank you so much and it might spoil the magic a little bit but at least it didn’t take twenty-one attempts. On the bright side it was more Monty Python than Kafka.
I’ve got bathroom technicians working upstairs as I’m reading this, Chris, so I’m going to check to see how they’re doing. Thanks for your always successful blogging attempts.
It’s a relief to know your bathroom is finally finished and a relief that our windshield has finally been replaced. I bet Carl did some work on your bathroom too.